Tarantulas+cat=???

[Arlius]

They try not to cut off any bone, they need to cut back far enough to remove the entire nail bed though, and often get bone with it.

If a person would not be harmed seriously (no hospital trip) by envenomation, then the cat should live. They have the size difference, but about same immunity. If it wont kill a baby, it wont kill a cat

 

[Madeline]

My stepdad was watching a cat for somebody a couple of years ago and the cat jumped up onto a shelf with T's on it, and the cat knocked over an adult T. blondi and the fall killed it.

So anyway,good luck !

 

[Cerbera]

Barbaric

If he wasnt, my furniture and myself would be in rather bad shape...

And you rate the importance of the appearance your furniture and your irrational fears for your own safety above the natural living conditions of your cat ? You'd find that acceptable to be done to you for someone else's vanity would you ? You'd put it through the equivilent of having its fingernails pulled out so your furniture looks nice.

You do not deserve to have the privilege of looking after any animal if you will brutalize / torture a cat like this just so it fits in with what you deem socially acceptable. I feel physically sick. Why the hell didn't you just NOT get a cat?

I feel deep, deep sympathy for the poor innocent animal you did that to.

As for it being a decreasing practice - i 'm still blown away that a) its legal and b) vets will do it of their own free will. What is the world coming to... :8o

 

[Fred]

in my room I have my t's and I have eleven cats and almost all day half of them are in my room. They don't bother my t's at all. the only thing they re interested in is my little green anole.

 

[coolcars011]

my cousin has her cat declawed....
it seems just fine, it is kind, and it doesnt bite, and no furniture is messed up...i done have any cats, but i am in favor of it..

 

[Arlius]

Uhm, you should really research exactly how bad declawing really is. They are anesthetized, so they feel it for a few months after, but not during. Spaying and neutering really arent much better, cept its alot more necessary.
I have a second cat that isnt declawed. I didnt declaw for just myself (oh, and by me saying myself and furniture would be in bad shape, is because of the things HE LIKES to do. Would it not be cruel to prevent him from doing what he loves?). Claws can be troublesome and stressful (cutting claws so they arent as long, them getting caught in things, you freaking out on them cause of what they did with them, etc)
It is a personal choice, not animal cruelty. All facets of mammals get all sorts of operations. Wanna know something else? Some cats are declawed and detoothed, because of disease, injury, frostbite, etc.
I wouldnt declaw another cat, but my cat is 12 yrs old, practice was still done widely back then.
People get their toenails pulled from ingrown.
All in all, you are making a mountain out of a molehill, relax

 

[Cerbera]

Barbaric

I will not enter into a debate about this. The facts are that you knowingly caused an animal that had absolutely no choice whatsoever about it, to undergo a procedure that not only effectively disabled it for life, but caused it no end of pain for months. And all that pain was TOTALLY AND COMPLETELY UNNECESSARY except to comply with your own precious sensibilities. But of course, many years later, it seems fine now, and so does your conscience. I put to you, Sir, that it is your conscience that is badly in need of repair, not a cats claws, or your furniture.

And of course it makes me feel sick. I still have some consideration for the feelings of creatures other than myself, and have an enormous empathy, and sympathy for the victims of those that don't. Enjoy your precious furniture.

 

[csherman]

I don't know about this whole declawing debate.

I had my first T, a B. emilia while I was in college. I had various roomates over the years and always a literal menagerie of cats, dogs, rats, lizards, fish,etc. I don't recall ever having issue with the cats or dogs. The tarantula apparently did not smell delicious or have that "ball of string" sort of movement that the kittys liked.

 

[Schlyne]

To get back on topic, I keep the T's and herps in rooms where the cat is not allowed.

 

[Jmadson13]

Yep, I'm currently sharing the house with five of my Grandmothers cats. Two things that have proven effective, very heavy tops and a closed door.

 

[Snipes]

I would just suggest putting rocks in the corners of the top of the cage. I think the biggest risk is of a cat knocking it over by accident and not by a result of trying to get the tarantula. I am very surprised to see that some peoples cats are interested in tarantulas. If its not moving, its not usually exciting, so if the t is still, the cat will be bored quickly.

 

[Arlius]

If you have like 40 pounds of rocks, and 10 pounds of substrate in a 10 pound tank with a few pounds of other stuff, on a level surface... that cat is the devil itself if it manages to knock it over. I would have a hard time knocking that over...

 

[mo_2]

I don't know if I would be of any help because my cat's 14 and my favorite tarantula sits under my aquarium three inches off the ground. the cat is barely interested in the birds that are WELL within his reach. but even when he was younger and I had anouther mischevios cat, the only thing he dident touch was the T's.

 

[Crunchie]

I'm against de-clawing as well even though I hate cats with a passion. :evil:

Seems like an easy way to sort a problem that could be solves by training the cat (and if anyone claims that cats cannot be trained they obviously haven't tried). ;P

 

[Wolfchan]

My solution to that is simple: The cat doesn't enter my room.

 

[bumbelbear]

i got 4 cats at home and they have never paid any attention to the t's. the crickets however they were mad about for the first month or so after i got them. so my advice would be to keep some crickets in a see through box on the floor so the cat can push it about, jumping crickets are so much more fun for a cat than immobile t's.

 

[Snipes]

I'm against de-clawing as well even though I hate cats with a passion. :evil:

Seems like an easy way to sort a problem that could be solves by training the cat (and if anyone claims that cats cannot be trained they obviously haven't tried). ;P

I thought that i should add to this because when i heard it it blew my mind. Cats can literally be toilet trained. Apparently they dont flush, but it just goes to show that as crunchie said, they can be trained.

 

[CreepyCrawly]

Off Topic...

Now they also even make those plastic caps to glue on the cats toenails so that they can try to scratch while training them, but do no damage. I've been putting these on my kitten while we get her trained to not scratch the furniture, as I am mostly against declawing. I understand why my boyfriend had our other cat (really his cat before he met me) declawed, as he was moving and the day he was to move in he was notified that the cat must be declawed within the week, or he would be evicted. It was a better choice than becoming homeless, or having to drop the cat off at the pound. Plus the cat was fairly young when it was done, which made it easier for him to cope with.

Cats are given pain killers, etc. just like people are when they go through surgery. I had three foot surgeries in the last year and a half - so I know precicely what it's like to have your bone cut in half, and to have screws drilled into it. So long as the cat is on pain medication for a good week or two (which most vets who perform the surgery will prescribe without even asking) they will be good to go. My puppy that was spayed this past fall was given two weeks of pain killers, and a checkup at the end of the two weeks - and was offered more for her if I thought she needed it. The pain is managed - just like with people. These vets aren't barbaric people lopping off cat's bones. I did a lot of research, and spoke with several vets (vets that I really like - great vets) about declawing, as I had considered it for our kitten. She is just learning so well with the squirt bottle, and the Soft Claws, that I really see no reason to go to that extreme.

 

[lta3398]

I have three cats, and they are all really not very interested in my T's, and one of the cats is a curious little thing, so I was suprised she doesn't bother them. The crickets drive her completely nuts, though! Maybe your cat will turn out to be the same way, but I have read in other threads that those mats with the spikes work pretty good. After a time or 2 of jumping on those, they will learn pretty darn fast! Please tell the roommate that the cat is more likely to harm your T's than the other way around. People need to be informed!!! Tying the cages down is always another option, if the cat will not leave them alone. It has been my experience that even when cats are not allowed to go in a room, they manage to find a way in somehow! To those of you whose cats are not like this, you are lucky!

 

[rbpeake1]

Does anyone have any suggestions as to how to keep the cat away from the Ts? A locked cabinet is out of the question as the Ts obviously need air and light.

The cat is a 5-year-old neutered male who likes to get into things. He still has his claws, which is a concern because one of my T's enclosures has a screen top.

I have a very curious cat, and after one deadly accident (the T), here is what I have done.

I tie the T cages down to something, in this case a shelf.

Where a cat might sit and get within reach, I purchased a spikey plastic rectangular anti-cat/dog mat from my local pet store. The cat sniffed the spikey points right after I put it down next to the T's, and now she sits down away from the T's and just watches from a distance! Works like a charm!