Is a cat shelf and scratch post good for my declawed apartment cat?

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That’s a good question. As I’m an older veterinarian I have declawed many cats with minimal problems. I’ve personally owned several declawed cats and they had normal behavior and no pain. Now with modern pain medication and laser surgery I personally don’t object to declawing cats when there is a medical reason in the household for it to be done. Since your Mom is a diabetic she is more at risk for infections from cat scratches. I find that declawing can save cat’s lives as they are kept in the family instead of being turned into shelters. There are many veterinarians who object to declawing due to perceived chronic pain, behavioral problems and they think it’s unnecessary surgery. If you want to go ahead I would check with the veterinarians in your area to see if anyone will perform a laser surgery declaw. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Catori.

Thank you for helping her out! Some cats do prefer the outdoors and can be a little depressed when kept indoors. I would recommend getting her some toys and a scratching post. You can get different surfaces for the scratching post and some come with cat nip to attract the cat even more. There are lots of different toys to choose from. Get a variety. There are also interactive toys that dispense treats as the cat plays. This may keep her busy and brighten her spirits. Good luck!

So sorry that you're having to rehome Kitty! This situation should be just fine - most declawed cats can do virtually all of the things that cats with claws can do, and front claws don't play a major role in self defense or the ability to fight or communicate with other cats. Many owners have one or more declawed cats in the same house as cats with claws, and I have never known this to cause any issues at all :)

Unfortunately it is very difficult to get them to stop once they start. All you can really do is install a few scratching posts and hope these entice the cat. I would not advocate declawing a cat, it is routinely performed in the US but illegal in the UK. It can make it dificult for them to climb and balance.

This shouldn't be a major concern - many declawed cats live in homes with other cats who have their claws. If there is any fighting, bite wounds are usually a bigger issue that any minor scratches from the claws. And if you keep the claws trimmed, this should minimize the chance of any issues

This can be a tough problem - I can sympathize! There are a few things you can do to help. First, make sure that you are providing really good, attractive scratching posts in the areas that your cat wants to scratch - many of the small, carpet-covered ones in pet stores aren't very good. A good scratching post should be at least 3-4 feet tall so that the cat can stretch all the way out when scratching. It should also be heavy and solid - if the post feels flimsy or tips over when the cat scratches, he won't want to use it. Finally, most cats prefer rough coverings like sisal rope or something similar rather than carpet. I would try to get several really good scratching posts and ideally also a few cat trees/climbing structures so that you can have at least one in every room where Pepper spends time. To help discourage scratching on furniture and door faces, you can use double-sided scotch tape over these areas - the tape sticks to their paws when they try to scratch, so they normally choose to go elsewhere. If you would like more specific suggestions for your situation, feel free to consult with me - I'd be glad to try and help out.