Vets in Escazu/Santa Ana/ Grecia/Alajuela areas

Call my vet she speaks English 2293-5940. She is reasonably priced and very professional.

We currently own 4 cats. I've found that kittens are relatively easy to train early-on - you can use a spray bottle with water when they do naughty things!  This might enable you to avoid the de-clawing operation, which is very painful for cats. Actually, "de-claw" is a misnomer. The operation removes not only the claw, but also bone (like our knuckles). Many vets no longer do the procedure, as it is considered inhumane by many.

Another issue of concern is that cats in Costa Rica are frequently killed by dogs. In many towns, dogs tend to run free. I had a friend who brought a lovely cat from the states to Costa Rica and it was killed by dogs. Since a cat's claws are their only real weapon against attack, it may be prudent to allow them to keep them.

Trish

Absolutely agree with Trish. Please reconsider "de-clawing" (de-boning is more accurate) your cat! My last kitten did the same thing (some are just born climbers, I guess) and we trained her with the water bottle. Far more humane than cutting off the tips of her toes!

If you can, my other suggestion would be to keep the cats indoors. A lot of people here really have a thing against cats, and do nasty things to them. I see cats that have been hit by cars all the time near my house.

Best of luck!

Cats are designed to climb and declawing is cruel and inhumane.

Maybe you should consider getting a dog instead? We are actually looking for a young cat, so if you need to find it a home, we can give it one.