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good idea to declaw a cat??
help!
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Found [26] Posts :: Page 1 of 2
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babychewy22
Posted: 9:13:51 AM 4/22/2008
i was wondering if it is a good idea to declaw a cat. he is going to be an indoor cat so i tyhink that it is a good idea. on the other hand i think it is very mean. its just like ripping your nails out! what should i do?
i love dogs!!
Pen2
Posted: 9:20:35 AM 4/22/2008
You said the words, it's mean, and what would it feel like to get your fingernails ripped out?
I personally hate it, and if you don't want the cat scratching your furniture, make sure it knows that it can scratch the scratching post.
MaxandAllie
Posted: 9:32:42 AM 4/22/2008
PLEASE DON'T!! Please see the following thread where we discussed this previously and then the website that describes exactly what this procedure involves. They cut the toe bone up to the first joint to declaw a cat. They do not just remove the nails. It is cruel and unneccesary. Please try training the cat before you consider this terrible surgery!

http://www.terrificpets.com/forum/50926.asp

http://www.declawing.com/
babychewy22
Posted: 2:28:09 PM 4/22/2008
i was unsure of doing this in the first place and it is very disgusting! i was just thinking about when he gets a little bigger what he'll do to my furniture. i think id rather have destroyed couches than put him through that. thanks for your input it really helped me change my mind!
i love dogs!!
Posted: 3:14:24 PM 4/22/2008
It's actually like cutting the tip of your finger off, right where the nail goes to cuticle, just above the first knuckle. I'd rather have cat-clawed furniture than put a single cat-soul through that, but it's your situation. Just please, think of the cat's soul and how it would be impacted by such a procedure!
MaxandAllie
Posted: 4:35:43 PM 4/22/2008
I have a question for Babychewy and Pen...you both live in Canada, right? Is this barbaric procedure as common there as it is in the U.S.? The website I have been posting indicates that it is mainly a U.S. thing and is illegal in Europe. I know a lot of people seem to think it's just something that you do if you have a cat. People who don't understand how terrible it actually is and don't have a vet like mine that won't do it anyway. Many shelters and breeders make you sign a "no declaw" agreement now. More people are starting to realize it is bad. But even a good friend of mine did it while her cat was in to be spayed as if it was just the natural thing to do. Of course, I did not know until it was too late to talk her out of it and this was many years ago. Anyway, just wondering if it is just as common in Canada?
Pen2
Posted: 6:01:29 PM 4/22/2008
MaxandAllie, unfortunately, the operation is still available in Canada. I was disgusted to find out that my snooty sister-in-law declawed both of her cats. I was even more disgusted when she had them both euthanized because her darling little designer dog 'did'nt like them'. In the back of my mind I'm wondering when the dog's days are up.
I do know that most rural vets here will not do declawing, since it removes a cats defences against other cats, and animals, and because it's unnecessary and cruel.
A lot of cats here are barn cats, killing mice and rats, and are literally living in the loft of the barn. I have had many a chair and couch wrecked...I'm not about to mutilate an animal because of it.
Posted: 7:28:05 PM 4/22/2008
with all the over zealous activists in this country protesting animal cruelty and we still have this cruel and uneccesary practice. It's a shame. But at the same time they say it's cruel and unusual punishment to cut off someone's hand for stealing. What is up with that? I say, no declawing for our innocent kitties! We are not barbarians here!
Posted: 8:19:39 PM 5/1/2008
I say it is never a good idea to declaw a cat
Posted: 5:25:42 PM 12/15/2008
I thought about this with my attacking cat but opted not to. Boy am I glad too. As soon as his sister arrived, he played with her instead of latching on to my legs and now that there is a dog in the house, I feel better knowing that he can defend himself. They do more damage to rolls of toilet paper than furniture anyway!
Priscilla412
Posted: 6:00:46 PM 12/24/2008
i had both my cats declawed and neither of them have changed or become unable to do anything but scratch stuff up i think its a fine procedure to do my cats can still jump on things balance dig in there liter boxes and some times play like they are kids in the sand box they get pain killers just like humans and stiches to its been a year and they are still happy cats
Posted: 12:56:42 PM 12/29/2008
Not a good idea. It can make cats have psychological problems and it can cause them to bite in order to defend/assert themselves. Check out this article from the humane society:

http://www.hsus.org/pets/pet_care/cat_care/declawing_cats_more_than_just_a_manicure/

Too often people believe that declawing is a simple surgery that removes a cat's nails, the equivalent of a person having her fingernails trimmed. Sadly, this is far from the truth. Declawing traditionally involves the amputation of the last bone of each toe and, if performed on a human being, it would be comparable to cutting off each finger at the last knuckle.

Declawing can leave cats with a painful healing process, long-term health issues, and numerous behavior problems. This is especially unfortunate because declawing is an owner-elected procedure and unnecessary for the vast majority of cats.
Petentials is a place for people to celebrate their pets and connect with other animal lovers. It's all free and all with a healthy dose of humor and wit. We’ll see you there! www.petentials.com
Posted: 3:55:52 PM 12/29/2008
Please don't declaw your cat. Another option may be to put nail cap on your cat's front claws. They are only temporary but saves the cat a lot of pain. http://www.softpaws.com/
Just my two cents.
Posted: 8:23:46 AM 5/24/2010
I would just like to say that I had my cat declawed, I was not happy about it and did not want to do it, but I knew that when I looked for apartments and wanted to bring my cat that many places required it. I would not do it again believe me, but Bug is a perfectly happy indoor cat who is spoiled, loved, and very well taken care of. So please do not feel like a horrible person if you already have had this done to your cat!
illusionminis
Posted: 12:55:55 PM 5/24/2010
I do not know if the declawing has changed in the years, I have been away from the vets office (I groom now), but the vet I worked for didn't cut off the knuckle. He would pull back the cats toes around the nail and remove the nail actually from the bed. He would use tissue glue to glue the skin that would normally cover the nail. The cats would have to use paper litter for a couple of days, but were in little pain. He would keep them overnight, and then see them again in about a week. The next morning, the cats were playing and happy, and it a week, perfectly healed.

On rare occasion the nail would grow back. I know there is a similar surgery for people who have their toenails removed due to fungus. The actually nail bed is painful for about 24-48 hrs. In people the real pain comes from the area under the toenail being exposed and sensitive. For cats that area is covered.

If that is the way a vet will do a declaw, I see no problem with it. It is easy surgery, and heals very quickly with little pain. If in fact vets are not removing part of the toe, that is insane, when their is a less painful procedure that used to be done.
BIG HEARTS IN A SMALL PACKAGE
Posted: 11:30:48 PM 6/21/2010
buy them babies, socks or shoes, would you pull your childs teeth to keep them from biting on your furniture? because when they teeth, that will happen. please love your kittens,cats or pets. They didn't ask to live with you, you chose them, so be nice to them .!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Posted: 7:08:30 PM 7/7/2010
Please ignore petluver865 and priscilla412. Their moral reasoning is incredibly flawed. No true animal lover values the prospect of a certain apartment or their furniture over the well-being of their pet. The animal may be happy now, but had been put through hell. Say you had your fingernails or your toes removed. The aftermath of that would be horrible would it not? You would eventually be okay though. That doesn't put whoever did it to you morally in the right. The ends don't justify the means. Those two really shouldn't even have pets and this just illustrates the problem animals and people who care about them face. Please don't adopt their warped moral reasoning.
scout1
Posted: 7:54:24 PM 7/7/2010
Please ignore petluver865 and priscilla412. Their moral reasoning is incredibly flawed. No true animal lover values the prospect of a certain apartment or their furniture over the well-being of their pet.

I disagree. I would certainly declaw my cat if it meant being able to find an apartment that would allow me to have my cat. The alternative to that would be giving the cat away if an apartment that would allow a non-declawed cat could not be found. Also given the limited financial resources to replace furniture when it has been destroyed by a cat who has its claws would also lend to the decision to declaw a cat. Some people take pride in the things they own and do not want them destroyed. Not every cat can be convinced to only use a scratching post when they want to sharpen their claws on something. Having always had cats that have been declawed, I realize now my decision to not have our newest cat declawed when he was neutered has been a huge mistake. A mistake now that I will have to deal with for the next 18(hopefully) years of his life. Not only does he not use the 3 available scratching posts, and is slowly destroying my furniture, he is ruining the screens on the windows when trying to catch bugs that are on the outside of them, ruining all the cardboard boxes that encase our board games, and leaving me with at least 1-4 new scratches on my body on an almost daily basis. Did I happen to mention that I am allergic to cat scratches? Each place that gets scratched swells and becomes intensely itchy, and takes forever to heal VS a scratch from anything else. I do not know why my body reacts that way to cat scratches but it always has. I do also believe older people should always have their cats declawed. Especially older people who have thin skin. A cat scratch is much worse for them then it is for younger people. Also people with compromised immune systems should consider having their cats declawed.

Like I stated earlier in my post, I have always had my cats declwed. I don't know what sort of acute brain flatulence moment I was having when I made the decision not to have this one done but I will not make the same mistake twice.
If only I could hunt the hunter !
catlover
Posted: 8:01:32 AM 7/8/2010
Scout, try other things for him to scratch. My old cat, Furface, would only scratch wood. We finally started leaving a log out in front of the fireplace all year round. She would get on the log, stretch out, and scratch away! We had to replace it every so often because eventually, she would completely remove the bark!

Another cat uses a 2 story kitty condo to scratch.

A 3rd cat uses DH's steel toed boots to scratch! (He's not too crazy about that, but....)

You just have to find what he likes...something acceptable to both him AND you!
>^..^<
scout1
Posted: 12:24:21 PM 7/8/2010
I think that may be the problem Catlover. He seems to enjoy scratching up anything he can. He doesn't seem all that particular. He scratches the leather furniture, cardboard boxes, my bathmats. He doesn't even have a favorite position to scratch in. I know some cats like to stretch upwards or parallel with the floor. I have ruggy type scratching posts, I even bought the "advertised on TV" one that lays on the floor and has the stuff that feels similiar to cardboard. He doesn't use any of them. I had a cat many years ago that preferred the molding around doors. Thankfully Tart has not started on them yet !!

Maybe it's just my inexperience in training him to use one ? When I see him scratching something he shouldn't I tell him leave it and bring him over to one of the various posts that is close by and take his front paws and mimic him scratching on the post. He doesn't seem to get it so maybe I am doing it wrong? I just don't know what else/how else to teach him. If I could even train him to use only 1 particular piece of furniture, the recliner he seems attracted to the most, that owuld be fine with me. My furniture is not all that expensive, but I still don't want it destroyed. I am not willing to replace furniture just to have him destroy the new ones too.

I am having a hard time thinking it was anything but a mistake not to have him declawed. I won't have it done now because I believe that it is much harder on them and more painful when they are older. I had my cat Scully done when she was older because we adopted her as an older kitten and her healing was not as quick as all my others who were done at a young age. She has had no residual problems being done at an older age, it was just a little rougher on her when it was first done.
If only I could hunt the hunter !
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