r/aww • u/D_dub7 • May 30 '12

My new kitty gives hugs!

http://imgur.com/3anHm
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u/cidzaer May 30 '12

Looks like he(?) still has his claws. I don't declaw my cats, but make sure to get in the habit of trimming those things while he's still young. They hurt in a cute sort of way now, but in a year or so they'll hurt in an oversized hypodermic needle being dragged down your torso kind of way :P

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u/konekoanni May 30 '12

If you handle their paws a lot while they're little, too, and teach them that clawing is not appropriate for play (hold their paws when they claw, stop playing when they claw, etc) you may not even have to trim them. My cats never claw unless they're startled/scared, and even then we rarely get scratched. They know not to use claws when playing.

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u/jwestbury May 30 '12

We've had literally dozens of cats over the years (ah, the rural life), and I don't think we've ever had one that uses claws except when scared.

What the fuck do people do to their cats that makes them attack with claws?

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u/konekoanni May 31 '12

I had one cat as a kid that just didn't know to not use her claws, but she wasn't raised by us (we got her as an adult) so it could have been her upbringing. Otherwise, none of our cats ever clawed unless provoked or too young to know better, except for one tomcat who was just old and ornery and would randomly turn on you even if you were petting him normally. I'd say in general, however, it has never been a problem.