Welcome to Gaia! ::

Ok 17, is quite old for a cat mine is 14. And yes I know it's legal in the U.S. My point is that the vet cannot file down enough to correct a behavioral issue. Because it is Illegal in the U.S. to file any animals teeth down to their gums. It is also Illegal in the U.S. to file any animals teeth down to the dentin that covers the root. It is Illegal the U.S. to file down any animals teeth that will expose the root. So that really limits what the vet can file down, maybe only a few millimeters at best which will not solve the behavioral issue. Also many vets won't do it because like human teeth animal teeth can be unpredictable. Many of the canals that hold the root can turn and swerve or be longer than the one next to it. They will need dental X-rays to be sure. Even then one wrong move with that file and the vet opens himself up to a criminal charge, a fine and a possible loss of his practice. Really, they don't need the headache. It's simpler for them just to say no. And do you really need the headache and expense, don't waste your money.

I really don't see how litter box issues relate to filing down teeth, but here are some helpful q&a's about biting and litter boxes.

House Soiling

Q: Why is my cat is doing his business all over the house? and what can I do about it?

A: First off, is this a problem that just happened suddenly? Was the cat using it fine before?
If so, you might want to take him to the vet to see if he has a urinary tract infection.
A: Have you changed his litter brand recently? If so change it back a.s.a.p
A: Do you have multiple cats using one litter box? If so get another litterbox.
A: If you just got a new type of litter box with maybe let's say a lid on it, try removing the lid.
A: Are the litterboxes clean? You should clean them everyday. Can you imagine going to the
bathroom when the toilet has not been flushed in a week.
A: He may be marking his territory if you just introduced a new cat into the house. Or if a new
neighbourhood cat comes crawling up to the house window.

Scratching Issues/biting issues

Q: My cat keeps scratching the furniture? What can I do?

A: Get a scratching post. To make the scratching post more attractive to kitty, rub some catnip
on it. If catnip doesn't work, feed your kitty near the scratching post.
A: Cats hate the smell of anything citrus, spray your furniture with a lemony or orangy spray to
repel them.
A: Cover the area of furniture where they scratch with double-sided tape, bubble wrap or tin foil.
A: Clip the cat's nails.
A: Get Claw caps. (Claw caps are small plastic caps held on with glue that cover your kitty's
claw. The ones I've used in the past have small rounded plastic balls on the tips. It will take
a little time for kitty to get used to them as they feel unnatural to them, but they are an excellent
and effective alternative to declawing surgery.)

Q: My cat keeps scratching me? What can I do?

A: Let's not forget cat's are predators and they have the instinct and reflexes to match.
They jump from behind a door and scratch your ankle in a playful manor that may
result in a painful scratch. So to reduce these little accidents, get your kitty a
scratching post and a lot of fun toys to play with. Also, clip their nails or get claw caps.
A: Cats also scratch you if they get annoyed with you. The key word is annoyed with
YOU. It means your doing something to her that annoys her. If they have been petted
enough they will let you know by swatting at you with her claws, It's just their way of
telling you to back off. They really don't mean to hurt you, it's just in the wild they use
their claws even with members of their own family to get the message of "leave me
alone" across. Some cats are more moody than others. My advice is to just let them be.
Come back later when they are in a better mood.

Q: My cat chews on my shoes, laces slippers, phone cords... etc. How do I stop her?

A: Cat's chew for many reasons, They may have been weened to early, vitamin deficiency,
teething in kittens or dental problems in adult cats.
Dental problems should be checked on by a vet. also if vitamin deficiency is suspected, get
vitamin suppliments from the vet or a better brand of food. If it's another non-medical reason
like being weened too early than you can cover electrical cords and phone cords. Or use
sprays such as Cayenne pepper spray, Orange oil spray, Bitter apple spray etc.
Or just remove the object and/or substitute it with some thing else like cat n**.
A: If they are chewing something that smells like you it means that they where weened to
early from their Mama and they need love and protection from you. If you love them enough
and make them feel secure this behavior will go away on it's own once they mature.
If they on the other hand are chewing themselves and I don't mean the 2-3 second chew
that they do when they are grooming themselves to dislodge a partical in their fur.
I mean constant chewing that goes on for a while than there is something really wrong
and you should take him to the vet.

Q: My cat always bites me or other people. How can I discourage this?

A: Cats usually use biting as a last resort when someone is annoying them, (and I stress the
words "last resort") for example: If you are petting your cat and he suddenly bites you, than
you have missed all of his signals to leave him alone, like his tail thumping and lashing, skin
rippleing, growling, he stopped purring, ears flicking etc... the list goes on. You see he has given
you may signs to leave him alone, but you missed them all so his last resort is to use deadly force.
A: Other reasons cats bite is to play especially if they are kittens, your fingers in a cats eye's
represent prey. Try this at home and you'll see what I mean. First off make sure that he's not biting
you because he's annoyed with you. Make sure he's in a playful mood or else you'll end up with a
killer bite. Quickley move you hand from side to side and wiggle your fingers across the floor, couch,
bed or wherever he is. He will pounce on your hand biting your fingers. DO NOT pull your hand away
when he does this, it will cause him to bite down harder because he thinks his prey is not dead
yet and getting away. Let your hand go limp when he nips at you, and he will let it go or start
licking it instead. He does this because now he thinks the prey is dead and there's no need to sink
your teeth into something if it's already dead, unless of course you forgot to feed him, Then he may
decide to take a chunk out of you. If that happens then just distract him with your other hand while
you remove yourself from the play.

Gymnastic, it really sounds like your cat has some genuine issues that need to be resolved, and that won't be fixed by filing or declawing. 17 is also very old for a cat to be undergoing general anaesthesia & procedures that are so hard on the body and that take so long to heal. Older cats seem to have a harder time adjusting to change, and what you are proposing is a huge change. At that age, he may never adjust.

I'd venture to suggest that doing this may make the problems worse.

It's very unusual for a cat to not use the litterbox - have you had the vet examine him for medical problems? If a cat starts to have negative associations with the litterbox they may avoid it (such as pain from urinating due to crystals in the bladder). Is your litterbox placed in an area that is accessible and private? If he's not comfortable with where it is that could be another reason for avoiding it.

Declawing and filing just don't sound like they are going to be a solution to your problem. Your vet should be willing to work with you to figure out why he is behaving this way and help you find real solutions.

Anlina's right, when my cat had to have his leg removed, the vet was very concerned about puting him to sleep for the surgery because of his age. I had to spend a lot of money on additional tests to make sure he was perfectly healthy and up to it. Glad to say he was. Mine also developed a litter problem after his leg was removed due to the cancer. He will not bury his poop now and he kicks it out of the box. And he won't go in it if there is a lid on it. There are plastic runners you can buy and put around the perimeter of the box that face inward so when he kicks it will bounce off and go back into the box. A temporary solution I used was to put the litter pan inside a larger box, I cut the front off so he could get in but when he kicked the litter out it would go inside the box. It's only a temporary solution until you can get those "runners" you have to throw the box away after as it will be dirty and unhealthy to keep it that way on a permanent basis.

I think its don't think its cruel to declaw cats but it doesnt really affect them because if their indoor cats they will never need to defend them selfs but i have a cat that is indoor outdoor and he is also declawed but he doesn't need claws to defend himself. He had caught and killed Foxes, bunnies, chipmunks, squirrls, cats, and one small dog....

Keeping claws in cats can screw up your furniture and it could hurt you and others if you cats don't want to play or be picked up

I hope all is going well, If clipping doesn't work, there is a product that caps the kitty's claws with a plastic sheath and protects furniture and our skin. You have to keep them trimmed regularly or the caps tend to pop off, though. It's an effective training tool when used in conjunction with a scratching post and positive reinforcement. And they come in a whole bunch of fun colors (for us) Also, I set up snappers on my furniture when I was training them. If the cat tries to scratch, they trigger a snapper that makes a loud noise and startles them from their negative activity.

My kitties are pretty good though, and I keep their scratchers in good repair. I also have a few turbo scratchers set around the house with a cardboard round and catnip for scratching as well that can be replaced at a relatively low cost. It's a great two in one toy and nailcare system. My guys have a blast batting at the ball in the round track, then scratching to their heart's content. That lil guy seems to be having fun up there too.

Declawing is just plain wrong. How would you like having your finger cut off to the knuckle. That's what declawing basically does when you think about it.

All the poor cats that endured such. My 11 year old cat is quite content with using a box, scratching post and the occasional nail clippings.

there's just one word to describe that: CRUEL!!!!!!!! evil evil evil