Failed Parenting

After months of debate, failed training efforts and one mutilated couch, we decided to have our two cats declawed. We had hoped to avoid having them declawed. We tried all sorts of things to keep them from tearing up furniture, carpet and toilet paper rolls (a little hobby of our cats-let's see how much toliet paper we can shred and spread about the ENTIRE upstairs). We bought them not one, but two scratching posts, as well as a cardboard version with catnip. While they used these, they still didn't stop destroying "off limit" items. We tried training efforts, such as squirting them with squirt guns everytime we caught them clawing a non-approved item. We tried making loud clapping noises as a deterrent. We also tried the positive feedback approach, where we rewarded them for using the designated scratching-approved areas. The only real effect this had, is that Helix now looks up to be petted and starts purring whenever he starts scratching something. To some extent, Helix did improve, although not 100%. Galileo showed no improvement and seemed to actually get more vicious after training efforts, moving on to more personal items-like tearing the soles out of Chris' dress shoes and chewing on them as well.

So off to the vet they went to get their front claws removed. We dropped them off Monday night and picked them up on Wednesday night. When I picked them up, they were sleeping in the litter box of their cage in the vet's office. They looked so miserable. Helix had managed to get his bandages off and had cleaned up his paws, but Galileo still had little purple "booties" on his front paws. They smelled terrible and it was an incredibly long ride home (the vet is about 30 minutes from our house).

When I got them home, I let them out of their carrier on the floor, figuring that jumping down from furniture would not be an activity of theirs for awhile. Helix limped out and plopped down and began cleaning his paws again. Galileo also limped out and immediately leapt up on the couch. Galileo didn't seem to realize that the reason it hurt when he jumped was because his paws were sore. He seemed, rather, to believe that the couch had jumped up and bit him. He meowed loudly, and jumped about 4 ft into the air and across the room to the other couch, another loud meow and he totally went into freak-out mode. He leapt from the couch, to the piano, through the "window" into the kitchen and then up the stairs. Each jump was followed by a painful landing and he didn't seem to get that he was hurting because he continued to jump. I think he only landed once on the stairs. By the time I caught him upstairs he was panting and the hair and his back and tail was standing on end. The poor little thing was so scared. He clawed me good with his back claws as I picked him up.

I took him back downstairs and carefully removed his bandages as the vet had suggested. His poor little white paws were bright red, no doubt bleeding again due to his jumping madly about the house. After that he just layed miserably on the couch (he wouldn't stay on the floor) licking his paws. For the next few days we had to carry him upstairs at night and help get up and down from "his" bed in the guest room to use the litter box and eat. It wasn't until Thursday night that we got him to eat even a little. He was already skinny, and now you can see his hip bones through his fur. He is starting to look at little better and regain his appetite but it has taken almost a full week.

Needless to say, I feel terrible. It's as if I've failed as a parent. Their inability to learn not to destroy furniture is a reflection of my inability to teach them the correct behavior. They are starting to return to their normal selves slowly. Galileo has again taken up residency on top of the fish tank (after two failed attempts to make the jump with hard landings) and Helix is still eating, sleeping and purring just as much as before.