to wish that declawing a cat wasn't such an awful thing to do.

[Silvercatowner]

I love my cat, I really do. But he's 'odd'. He loves cuddles but cuddles are accompanied by needle sharp claws being inserted into whichever body part he happens to be close to - often my tummy. It REALLY hurts. It does put me off cuddling him and I'm sure it freaks him out when he's getting comfortable and snuggly and I suddenly yell and push him away. I've had lots of cats and haven't had another cat do this in the way that this cat does. I wish he wouldn't. I never would declaw him but I wish there was such a thing as cat scratch mits.

May I suggest a scratching post? Keeps the claws a bit blunted. And yes, de-clawing is definitely ILLEGAL in the UK. It's painful, cruel and puts the cat at grave risk if it goes outside.

As for the bell being damaging..... I'm not so sure. My cat happily sits and has a good old scratch at 3am, next to my head sending the bell jingling and doesn't seem at all bothered by it. I should imagine with something that makes so much noise in every day movement they don't really equate the bell with missing the bird?

Toad if cats were not kept as pets we would have feral colonies as there are in many parts of the world. Un-neutered the population would run wildly out if control as one female cat would have between 98 and 2,500 descendents.

I have to clip my old (19) girl's claws regularly (else they grow through her pads - she doesn't go out much now).

I know when it's time when she starts to 'velcro' across the carpet! .

Toad, my cat doesn't catch birds and I haven't seen the neighbourhood cats catch many birds either.
I know there are some real hunters out there but the local cats here are too pampered to bother.

I'm trying to get my cat to go outside right now before I go out, but she's not budging!

if there were no cats who would control rat and mouse populations? that man toad linked to is clearly an idiot who has some sort of agenda.

I imagine that feral colonies of cats would quite properly be regarded as pests, and would be killed if they they proved a menace to wildlife. As for rats and mice; plenty of other things to control them (humans, for example).

The main detriment would be that a few vets and pet shops would be put out of business.

But when you looked at the BBC study of 50 cats in the two week period of the study there were only 21 kills. Half of these were vermin and those did not include rabbit. If I remember correctly there were only 5 real wildlife kills much, much lower than estimates had suggested. So what we actually need are bigger studies and I suspect we would find that cats mostly kill vermin. My own unscientific study with my two cats have had 27 kills this year 23 rats, 2 mice and 1 bird.
Rarely in other countries in the world are feral cats effectively controlled unless charities put in in neutering programmes.

There are domestic feral cats roaming farmland and countryside all over the UK.

And interbreeding with our native wild cats up here in Scotland.

You couldn't possibly "control" our wild cats as they are endangered and I suspect it's only gamekeepers who control the feral ones.

I usually trim my house cat's claws, mainly to prevent him from scratching the sofa.
But I'm liking the nail caps. :)

There's a huge difference between trimming a little off the tip of a claw and actual declawing, which is a surgical procedure and illegal in the UK for very good reasons. Make sure your cat has adequate scratching facilities indoors, it is part of their natural behaviour and is essential for good health.

DH had to live in a room with a declawed cat for a month while visiting the USA once. The cat was a complete nightmare but he felt so sorry for it. I can't imagine why anyone would even think it was a reasonable thing to do to a cat.

BUT, the OP has no intention of doing so (even if it were legal). Random cat scratches can't be fun.

Shame not many people hold your views ey toad

We have a rescue cat who now goes outside and hunts. So far every kill bar one has been mice/shrews etc. The one exception was a pigeon which he shredded on the grass!
A question for other owners though...we have always had cats but he is our first rescue one and he like to sleep stretched pit, not curled up like a normal cat. I mean stretched like he's been run over by a steam roller, on his back with both "arms" and legs fully extended. It looks weird and he even let's Ds carry him round like a long furry plank. Someone told me it was because he had been in a small rescue pen thing but I think that's bollox. Is he just nuts?

Sorry if I sounded as if I was telling you off Silver, I really wasn't, I understood from your OP that it's not something that you were considering.

It was more that you don't tend to hear much about it outside the USA and I don't think most people realize just how many cats die from this cruel and unnecessary procedure.

No Toad, it's nothing like putting a bell on a cat, it's like you having all your fingers and toes amputated at the top knuckle.

Dementedma, your cat's demonstrating absolute trust!

Demented - the orange prince also does this. He's half maine coon, so HUGE, and it looks very silly, with his floofy tummy on display. I love it!

He likes to stretch out by walls. and is nearly the same colour as the laminate. I only walk through the middle of the room, just to be on the safe side.

I have three cats, one has asthma and is quite a shy wee thing and doesn't go out, her less delicate sister goes out in my garden but only when I am there with her.

I also have a very timid, shy wee boy who I rescued, and he is far too nervous and scared to go outside. Not one of them has ever caught a bird or mouse. They do love to sit on me and knead and I love them doing that, even if it does hurt a bit, I just ignore the pain because I love them so much, they've kept me going through many a difficult time.

I am enraged at Morgan's views in the link.

Demented mine does that too, shows he is really very happy - particularly if being picked up by your kids too!

OP, scratching posts are great and your vet can show you how to trim claws (the key thing is to ensure you miss the blood vessel towards the middle of the claw). Sounds like you are a very caring owner

Thanks for all the advice. Hollow chuckle at the 'get him a scratching post' though. He has a very posh, very expensive scratching post - which he ignores. He has stripped most of the wallpaper in the house up to about waist high (we moved 5 years ago to a house with textured wallpaper.... less to strip off when we do want to decorate, I guess....). And yes, we've tried everything to stop him. He's ruined most of the carpets in the house, too. Yes, I do love him. Honestly, I do.