Watch this clip and then read this article…

The CatAWhack Crew Purrforms "Free Your Mind - Free Felines!"

We’ve laid the scratch down!  I bet you didn’t know that The CatAWhack Crew is also musically feline inclined. We took En Vogue’s “Free Your Mind”, released in 1992, and gave it our own new special scratchin’ interpretation. Play the YouTube video while singing our lyrics.

“Purrrejudice, scratched a song about it
Like to hear it? Here it go
Free Felines!

I have claws loaded, all four paws
It doesn’t mean that I’ll do harm to ya, no no
I like a scratchin’, like scratchin’ posts
That doesn’t mean that I’m out scratchin’ folks no no no

Oh my forgive me for scratchin’ here, no
You should have placed a scratchin’ surface right there yea yea
I might scratch another chaise or carpet
It doesn’t mean that I won’t scratch other options

Why oh why must it be this way
Before you declaw me you gotta
Learn how to see me, I said
These claws are mine and don’t take them from me
Be feline kind, don’t be so hasty
Free your mind and the rest will follow
Be feline kind, don’t be so shallow

So I’m a kitteh scratch things and dash
That really doesn’t mean that my behavior’s bad, oh
So why amputate me and change my life
Because you don’t think the price is high for me

I can’t scratch without being shamed, no
You changed my life before I learned what to do, ow
Oh now attitude, why even bother
I can’t change your mind, and now I’m permanently altered

Why oh why must it be this way?
Before you dismiss me you gotta
Learn how to see me, I said
These toes are mine and don’t take them from me
Be feline kind, don’t be so hasty
Free your mind and the rest will follow
Be feline kind, don’t be so shallow
Free Felines!

Why oh why must it be this way?
Before you dismiss me you gotta
Learn how to see me, I said
These claws are mine and don’t take them from me
Be feline kind, don’t be so hasty
Free your mind and the rest will follow
Be feline kind, don’t be so shallow
Free your mind!”

Have other lyrics about cat claw retention?  Land that scratch on our Facebook or Twitter Page.  You can also leave a scratch below this post.

Scratch On Felines…Scratch On!

Dr. Jennifer Conrad of The Paw Project talks about declawing. Please visit www.PawProject.org

We use the term “Cat Scratch Reconditioning” to explain the process of redirecting natural, healthy cat scratch practice from “claws off” scratch surfaces to “claws on” designated scratch surfaces within a shared home environment with the use of pawsitive reward and reinforcement through repetition.

So what is the basis of Cat Scratch Reconditioning?

Let’s start by clarifying what IT ISN’T:

Cat Scratch Reconditioning IS NOT about imposing your will on another being; it is not about demanding that another being change to suit your needs or make you more comfortable at the expense of their own comfort; it is not about a hierarchal relationship in which you are the top cat roosting on a perch of superiority; it is not about ‘training’ a being to purrform on demand; it is not about another relenting to your control in order to avoid a negative consequence; it is not about ‘breaking another beings spirit’ in order to make them subservient; it is not about becoming the Top Cat, Leader of the Pride, King Kindle, Clowder Commander, Lord Litter or Princess Pounce; it is not a game of power and intimidation;  it is not meant to be a tug of war to determine whether human or feline is ‘in control’.

What IT IS:

Cat Scratch Reconditioning IS about greeting your cat on a platform of equanimity; it’s about having an understanding of your feline family member and the species-specific needs associated with health, well-being, and thriving; it’s about having an appreciation for their purrescence, their contribution, and their unique expression; it’s about working WITH your cat in creating a mutually beneficial home environment that addresses the species-specific needs associated with you both; it’s about providing inspurration, incentives, and rewards that are linked to coordination and behavior; it’s about developing pawsitive associations between you, behavior, outcomes, and them; it’s about supporting the natural inclinations of your cat, their pawticular purreferences, and their unique purrsonalities; it’s about embracing the reality that cats scratch as a natural, healthy form of communication, hygiene, exercise, and play; it’s about taking that knowledge and providing strategically placed scratch outlets throughout the home that provide them with an opportunity for expression; it’s about providing them with consistent assistance in identifying and utilizing the scratch surfaces that were designed and designated with them in mind; it’s about integrating natural cat scratching behavior into the home environment in the interest of claw retention and interior preservation; it’s about creating, discovering and utilizing resources, products and information that support claw retention initiatives; it’s about mapping out purrsonal space, setting boundaries, and assisting each home inhabitant in establishing their ‘place’ within the family structure; it’s about the purrfect collaboration where human and feline actually SEE each other and establish a form of interaction, interdependence, and coexistence that benefits both.

"Yo! Put yourself in my paws would ya?!"

Imagine the following scenario:

You’ve volunteered for a social experiment hosted by a nearby college or university.  You agree to be isolated in a contained space for a 4 to 8 week period.  The space is equipped with basic necessities such as a bathroom and a compact refrigerator with snacks and beverages as well as a few nonessential elements like a few windows overlooking campus and a couple of pieces of furniture such as a bed, desk, bean bag chair, a knotted rope hanging in the middle of the room, a light, plants, and a rubber bouncing ball.  You are not provided with any communication outlets:  No cell phone; No laptop; No paper; No pens or pencils; No television; No radio; No magazines; No books.  However, a Research Assistant (known as RA from here on out) will check on you briefly first thing in the morning and provide you with breakfast; noon to provide you with lunch; late afternoon/early evening to provide you with supper; and around 10:00 pm before lights out leaving you to your own devices for the duration of the night.

At first, you find your accommodations to be an oasis from the accelerated pace of your life, the potential hazards and threats associated with the outside world, and the ever present noise and distractions constantly calling for your attention.  The first few days are bliss.  It’s nice and quiet except for the occasional sound of the air condition blowing through the duct work.  The first day you snooze off and on; enjoy the warm delicious meals that are provided on schedule; and enjoy an occasional look out the window at the activity below.  By day three, you’re feeling rested, refreshed and revitalized.  You decide to release that pent up energy in the great room by swinging from the rope attached to the vaulted ceiling in the middle of the room.  You climb up and down the rope, you swing from side to side, you challenge yourself by swinging high enough to touch an imperfection on the ceiling.  You’re occupied for a few hours.  Day four, you begin to incorporate the rubber bouncing ball into your day.  You begin by bouncing the ball up and down, then against the wall, then challenge yourself by creating games like ‘how fast can I bounce this ball’; ‘bouncing the ball and catching under your chin or behind your neck’; or ‘throwing the ball at a target’.  By day five, you’ve pulled the mattress into the large room and positioned it so you can fling yourself from the rope and onto the soft cushion.  By day seven, boredom is setting in and you notice that you long for human interaction, communication, and companionship.  You place your finger tips on the elevated window seal, pull yourself up and attempt to catch the attention of those passing below to no avail, they cannot see or hear you.  Although you find yourself looking forward to the visits from the RA, they are brief, hurried, and you often feel like you’re being talked AT instead of talked TO.  You can’t understand what the RA is saying.  It’s a language you can’t understand.  You attempt to make a connection by noticing and responding to body movements, postures, facial expressions, tone of voice, gestures.

 Sometimes people think that they  have done everything that they can  do to redirect scratch practice and if  unsuccessful seek declawing  amputation procedures as a last  resort.

 How would a veterinarian know if  someone had actually tried  EVERYTHING? How would the  person  seeking the procedure know  if they  had, in fact, tried  EVERYTHING?

 Sometimes decisions are made out  of frustration, a sense of  powerlessness, and a desperate  need for a solution.

I want to develop an intervention checklist that peeps can utilize, kind of a step-by-step process, to determine if they have, in fact, tried EVERYTHING.

If they are armed with a multitude of potential solutions, one is bound to be effective with their particular feline family member resulting in one less amputation procedure and one more feline who remains intact – toes, paws, claws and all.

I need your help in compiling this list. It may be something that could be utilized at veterinarian offices and adoption centers across the country. Please forward to others and encourage comments.

CatAWhacka-Whoo-Whoo Thank You!

“Domestic cats are flexible on territory and it depends on us.”

We love this statement by Michael Broad at Pictures of Cats. We refer to territorial signaling and marking regarding scratch behavior and established scratch practice. Territorial signaling is a cat’s way of communicating their presence in an area, creating boundaries, establishing personal space within an open or contained environment. Domestic cats introduced into a new home environment will make attempts to discover their place through exploration and in response to the following: interactions with other home inhabitants; safety, security, and sustenance (sleeping quarters, food, water); activities of daily life and environmental enrichment.

As a cat, I will use various communication methods to demonstrate my intent. I’ll meow and reveal body language to receive food, treats, affection, interaction. I’ll scratch to show you the perimeter, areas, and various locations that I have claimed as my own unless you provide me with incentives that appeal to my pawticular purreferences; provide me with inspurration and show me the benefits of sharing space and responding to your cues; and demonstrate the function and utility of forming seen and unseen boundaries within a mixed species household. All home inhabitants have to discover their identity, purrpose, role within the family structure. Help your feline family members get acclimated by appealing to their sensibilities, the way that they see the world, their natural inclinations. Cats are highly intelligent. It has to make sense to acquire the cooperation of a cat. If it doesn’t, forget about it!

The purpose of cat scratch reconditioning is to redirect, reward, and reinforce natural cat scratching behavior to designated “claws on” surfaces. In order to turn your indiscriminate scratcher into a discerning discriminate scratcher you must provide pawsitive incentives that appeal to your feline family member’s pawticular purreferences.

Observe your cat for cues.

What is her preferred scratching object or surface?

What texture(s) does he prefer (fabric; wood; window screen; upholstery; rugs/carpet; mattress ticking)?

Where does she like to scratch (near entry ways; window sills; common living areas shared by the rest of the family; etc.)?

Does she like to scratch vertically, horizontally, or on angled surfaces (rugs = horizontal; draperies or sides of furniture = vertical; variation of the two = angled)?

Does he scratch at pawticular times of the day (dawn, dusk, middle of the night); after specific activities (waking from sleep, eating, playing); or after seeing other felines, birds, squirrels, interacting with the family dog, etc. (within the home, seen through windows, scent detection through window screens or under doors)?

Answers to these questions will help you determine what type of scratch surfaces will be effective; where to place; and the best times to consistently produce the reward and reinforce the scratch behavior to the designated scratch surfaces.

The CatAWhack Crew wondered…hmmm…If Lady Gaga was a feline (she kind of looks like us in her photo below) how would that change the lyrics of her hit song “Born This Way”?

Lady Gaga advocates for the acceptance and understanding of the unique diversity and creative manifestations within the human race and the right to full free expression of who one is without incurring a backlash of fear, insecurity, hatred, and abuse.

What would Feline Gaga advocate for? The acceptance and understanding of the anatomy, behavior, and communication style of felines and their right to full free expression of who they are, claws and all without incurring declawing (surgical amputation of the first toe digits) procedures that are imposed by uninformed or ill advised humans.

We’ve provided Lady Gaga’s music video so that you have the music accompaniment as you sing Feline Gaga’s new lyrics. Go to the next page where you’ll find the new lyrics in blue. Purr and sing to your hearts content!