sorry if i missed an already labeled topic for this. I was wondering how you take care of your bengals claws. my first bengal indi came to me declawed so with beretta its a whole new game. so far i clip her nails back to the quick (have never quicked her) and she doesn't seem to mind but a little under a week later and her nails are fully re grown and shes back to digging and clawing everything from my furniture to my walls. i don't mind continuing to clip her nails and she doesn't seem to care either way. so what do you guys do? also my first bengal came clicker trained it was not hard to teach him new tricks using it but i can't seem to get the kitten to take to it. I wouldn't be so worried about it but we have had her for a few weeks and she wont react to her name or the name she came with :(

Yes, if your strategy is to keep your cats claws trimmed, then yes, it is something you will have to do weekly (or so). The other problem with not staying on top of that is that when a cat gets used to having blunt claws, when the claws grow back out, they seem clumsy and continually snagging them on things.

The other strategy is to just let your cat have her claws, untrimmed. When they get used to having long sharp claws, they don't snag them on things near as much. And if you provide adequate scratching surfaces, they probably won't shred your furniture and walls and such.

I've done both approaches and they both work fine. Right now, because my cats are young and athletic, I encourage them to climb, so I let them keep sharp claws. But their favorite places to scratch are all things I've provided for them to scratch, so it's all good.

I think clicker-training works best if you have a food-motivated cat. If you don't, it may be difficult. As far as knowing her name, just make sure you use her name, in context, as much as you can. I wouldn't sweat it, it will happen, but it will happen quicker the more you interact with her and use her name.

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The little monsters 3

Hi-

I would continue clipping their nail weekly ask you do, however don't go all the way to the quick, just clip the tips and as they scratch they will dull up. If you don't already have a cat tree I would get one so they can climb it and scratch it up. By giving them designated scratching areas they will learn to leave your furniture and walls alone. It comes with some training and patience though. I would get a carpeted/sisal post and a cardboard scratching board for them.

Even declawed cats like to scratch items it's instinct. Try rewarding them with treats….when my 2 were younger I used to always scratch their post and show them how to use it. It sounds crazy but by them seeing me do it they started to do it and that's how they learned. It's also a ritual that when I come home the first thing I do is go to their scratching area and scratch it and they do the same…it's my way of telling them hello.

we have a mix between carpet, sandpaper and wooden scratching posts and she refuses everything to do with them. the only thing that seems to work is keeping them clipped. we live out in the country and she loves to hunt the field mice that find their way in. at 12 weeks she has caught 3 tonight was her third :) i don't want to declaw her because we have shelves she loves to climb and i want to carpet them this spring for her to use them more without fear of slipping. ahes nit motivated by food at all. besides her 2x a day wet food mixture she could care less about treats.

My Bengal prefers horizontal scratchers to vertical ones. The tall one I have is tipped on it's side and she loves it. You can try putting some cat nip on it to get her interested in them. I also picked/still pick mine up if she is scratching somewhere she shouldn't be and plop her on the post or board, lots of praise, etc. with it. It is worth memtioning that I got her when she was about 2.5 years and she had no idea what to do with a scratching post. Now she is pretty well trained, when she does scratch something she shouldn't it is usually in the midst of her crazies, she goes to them wih a purpose when she is calmer and scratches her little heart out.

As far as clipping, I would just clip the tip like Thor&Scarlett advised. It will be quicker and definitely painless for her. I am not a fan of leaving claws completely untrimmed, it hurts when they knead!!

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The little monsters 3

The last cat I rescued came to me declawed. I would not be able to declaw my two seal Lynx point kittens. It damages their self esteem and humiliates them. My cats would be heartbroken if they were declawed. They went through a pretty destructive kitten phase, but now we have a workable routine. I bring them to the vet's once a month and they trim and smooth their nails. They are still able to climb but they don't poke holes in my skin when they knead me. They don't seem to mind the trim and the groomer comment on what good girls they are. They won't let me trim them so this works all around. I have a curved cardboard triangle scratcher they love to use, plus cat towers with sisal and carpet so they leave my furniture alone now. At some point they mature and stop scratching the wrong things.