I think it's great that you are thinking about your pets ahead of time. Are there several different homes that are a possiblility for you or are you limited in your options? I would call and speak with whomever is in charge of the homes and ask what their policies are. Just as food for thought tho adult cats even purebreds are not the most adoptable of animals. There are just to many available to make the odds good that any given cat will get a good home. Even tho you would prefer not to if it came right down to it and it meant keeping my cats or not then one kitty would be de-clawed and they would both be on a high quality packaged food.

Lisa

I don't have any advice re: your other issues but can make a food suggestion. Look into Innova EVO food. They advertise it as being the next best thing to raw (it is also grain free). It is a high quality food (also very calorie dense, so we mix it with Innova low fat--our one cat would gain weight on air alone!)..

I do feed Innova EVO to one of the cats along with Ziwi Peak, and I figure possibly showing grapic pictures of a De-claw will help convince them to change such a evil policy, If not there are soft paws I could try.

As for raw I'm training Leopalorn to eat in a carrier, that way I could just put the food in it and he goes in, then no buddy has to watch it.

Any buddy know any good raw forums for People in MN? Maybe I could befriend someone who is looking for another cat, ideally I could loan out them to someone who lives near me and whom I trust then later on if I can live in an more independent setting I could get them back.

I have worked in group homes where some housemates had cats; basically you'll probably need to keep the cats out of others' bedrooms(have them shut their doors), keep litter boxes in your own room, prepare the raw food when others won't need the kitchen and feed in your bedroom. The claws might be an issue if someone was physically handicapped and couldn't move away.
Get to know the people who might be your housemates, you'll be spending a lot of time with them and so will your cats-if a person keeps bugging a cat until it does scratch or if they "sneak" it junk food you may not want to move in with them.

Good idea, thanks.

Although it is not a guarantee for anything, your best bet is to be truthful. Call the place you will be living and let them know how much the cats mean to you and how worried you are about not being able to have them with you. Pets can help someone with your condition focus better on the "outside world". Let them know the cats have special needs like you and that if the cats have any issues such as clawing the furniture, you can use a squirt bottle to stop them. Cats can be trained just like dogs, it may take more patience and more effort but any commercial you see with a cat in it, that cat has been trained. So, focus your attnetion on thepositive, and try and talk with those who are working on your case and ask if they can help advocate for you....good luck.

Until you know what the conditions will be regarding pets in the group home, you really shouldn't "worry". But I think being prepared with good information is always helpful.

I think there is lots of good information about declawing on the internet. Education is the key. If they require declawing, perhaps print out the page from the linked web page and ask them to change their declawing requirement for humane reasons. However, you should be able and willing to pay for any damages that your clawed cat may do to the group home. Perhaps offer an additional security deposit to cover pet damage?

As for raw food? If you are the person that would be responsible for purchasing and feeding the cats, I don't see how they could dictate what you are feeding them? However, if someone else is buying the food and feeding the cats, you may or may not have to make a compromise on the diet? They may follow your wishes as it is your cat and it is your money. However, if someone is totally grossed out by raw, you may want to consider alternatives out of respect for that person.

Here is a link that might be useful: declawing

I think thats a great idea! Peferably I'd also like to get a vet into the picture thats pro-raw, they DO exist! I found one in blane, which is although a little ways away will do for non serious matters, such as vacs and check ups, VS IF They ate some life threatening or got hurt very badly. I would then use the reg vet to treat those problems.
I will email the group homes sometimes this weekend and see what the rules are.

I believe runs said in another post that he is mildly autistic. From what I know of autism, obsessiveness and repetitiveness about certain things are common -- so I'd thank him for his input and cut him some slack.

Sorry, I meant to post this on the Socks the Cat post.

Have you tried those Soft Paws nail covers on your cats? You could tell the home that if your cat's claws pose a problem, you would commit to using them.

I don't know if your cats have any behavioral issues to be concerned about, but i spent time visiting a group home and the floor mascot was a great little cat...claws and all...everybody loved the little guy.

Allergies though are just another issue, that and the fact Leopalorn is a rare and expensive purebred cat (got to go to Iowa to get a Somali) that could easily get stolen.

Not to mention abuse, one of my friends wants to move out of Rem ( a group home program) because her roommate is an untreated skitz (refuses to take medication) and has threatened people in the home with knives, among doing other numerious things, she told me about it at work.

She wrote a christmas poem called "Vampire" about it

This thread is almost a year old, I am sure Runsnwalken has already found the answer!

I have, I think leaving them at home is best as its easier, opens more doors living wise and safer on both sides. All the cats I've met in group homes had been de clawed and on bad diets.

I'm sure they are just (if not more) as stupid and ignorant with the pets as they are (Sometimes) with the people. ( Besides the friends roommate), we had someone in her 50's at work get serious heart disease, had a heart attack at work, with a poor diet, probably just salty cheap TV dinners and fast food, she's morbidly obese and once lived in a group home)

They removed her from the suitation and she's in independant living and called it a "code red insadent"

She wore a heart machine for awhile and is on a special diet.