De-clawing

I was just interested in how everyone felt about declawing your cats. This is quite a contraversal subject - I have always thought this to be quite cruel and have never declawed any of my cats. Yes, I have some new furniture now, but still would never consider it. I do keep my cats claws trimmed down, and though I've had some damage to my furniture and carpet, I just expect that that comes with the territory. When I bought my purebred Siamese cats I had to sign a contract saying I would not declaw them. She didn't need to worry anyway, but can that kind of thing be enforced. The new owners of one of my kittens had her declawed much to my dismay. :(

Our two cuties won't ever be declawed. Yes, they may scratch alot, but that's what cats do, and if you can't accept it, don't get a cat. Sure our couch has suffered "a bit" since thses two came, but so what? Luckily most of the time they do scratch their own pole, and piece of carpet, and our other stuff isn't in danger.
So, we say no to declawing.

I would never declaw my babies. I am trying hard to teach them not to claw the couch, which has been more difficult with Danny (the baby) than with Elvis. It was very easy with Charlie (now @ Rainbow Bridge). He got the message right away. For the time being, I just keep sheets draped over the couch and, when I catch him clawing it, I give him a stern "no" and move him away to somewhere he is allowed to claw. It takes time, but I believe that they can be trained.

I unfortunately did have one of my cats declawed (front only) several years ago before I became educated on the issue. I will never do it again. I have also read a lot about how some cats are never the same. I trim Otie and Mir's nails about every other week. I started doing this with Mir when she was a baby and she is 3 now and just sits on my lap and lets me do it. I have a scratching post, but most of the time she uses the chair at my desk, but it's old anyway. ;) The joy they bring me far out weighs a little snag to the furniture. :D

Spencer - thanks for referring back to previous postings on this subject. Appears the general feeling is not to do it and I'm glad everyone feels this way :)

I would never, never delclaw my baby Sundance. He is good about using the scratching post and only claws the furniture when he really wants my attention. I think it is the most inhumane thing they ever invented. Please don't declaw.

I have three cats, 2 are not declawed but other is declawed on all four paws. His previous owner had him declawed on all four paws, broke a foot because of it and all the pain he went through, she didn't even keep him. I am against people getting thier cats declawed, it is not right, it's mean and very pain to the cat. At my shelter, they don't do declawing. I wish every vet was like that.

:mad: I WOULD NEVER DO THAT TO MY CAT !!!
Yes , he destroyes our leather couches , yes he scratches a lot ;but : IT IS A CAT !!!
Declawing is to me a severe torture that should be forbidden !!
If you hate scratching , then have another pet ( maybe a fake one ??!!) :mad: :eek:

Just like tmckay, i had, in fact, it was my first cat , also declawed in the front only. I also, at the time had no knowledge about declawing. But the more i heard about it and read up on it, i vowed i would NEVER EVER get another cat declawed. I've had since 6 cats and all of them had kept their claws. It takes time and patience to train them, but it is worth it. After all, like many of you have said, they are cats and cats scratch. But what really bugs the H out of me, is when someone i know tells me they are thinking of getting their cat declawed, and i tell them all the reasons why they shouldn't and what they can do to prevent their cat from scratching the furniture. AND THEY GO AND DO IT ANYWAY. :mad:

Thought this list was worth posting again:

This is a list of countries that either outlaw declawing, or come close to it:

1. England
2. Scotland
3. Wales
4. Italy
5. France
6. Germany
7. Austria
8. Switzerland
9. Norway
10. Sweden
11. Netherlands
12. Northern Ireland
13. Ireland
14. Denmark
15. Finland
16. Slovenia
17. Portugal
18. Belgium
19. Spain
20. Brazil
21. Australia
22. New Zealand
23. Yugoslavia

I have worked for several vets and we have done a dozen or so declawings and I have to say it is the most horriable sugery. Not only are the claws removed but the terminal bone as well.

Also I think if the cat is too old it emotionaly damages them. I help a vet with house calls for animals too agressive to be taken into the vet and almost ALL the agessive cats have been declawed at a late age. A common phrase is "It's a good thing s/he doesn't have claws or s/he'd rip you a new one." Well I say that if the cat had claws s/he'd won't be so nasty.

Say NO to declaw, tail docking, and ear cropping!!! Don't remove parts of a pet simply because they displease you. Have a natural pet (neutering and spaying are diffrent, there are health and population reasons involved).

Cheers,
Tigeress

If you are concerned about your cat scratching your furniture, there is a wonderful product called "softpaws", which can be found at www.softpaws.com
This is similar to artificial nails for a human, in that they are soft plastic covers for your cat's claws that are relatively easy to apply. I know a number of kitty owners who have used them and rave! The cat feels no discomfort (aside from getting the things on in the first place), and it saves your furniture.

As far as declawing a cat, all I have to do is think of how I would appreciate having my fingernails removed. Not only is it painful for the cat, but what if your indoor kitty accidentally gets out one day and cannot defend itself against a predator?

I am definitely against declawing cats. There is always another way to solve the problem.

Those of you who are irate to pet owners who declaw their cats have no right to be hostile. I love cats! However, I am not going to have all of my things destroyed because of them. I have worked hard for what I have. But I love my cat more than anything. I researched declawing prior to having the procedure done. The vet that performed the surgery is an amazing vet, who couldn't have done a better job. His pain was minimal and he had not side effects. I just don't think I should be judged because my feelings are different from others'. To each their own!

I don't declaw my cats either. Just do a lot of trimming and provide good scratching posts. Some people think it is just fine, but personally I just hate to see those little ones with the bandages and all. Also even though my cats are for the most part indoors all the time except for their porches, in case they get off and run in the woods I wouldn't want them to be that defenseless.

I think that it is so sad to do that, I wouldn't want it done to me.

we declawed ours. There are good reasons to and good reasons not to. i know if i didn't both mine would be in rehab, they fight so much;) we only declawed the front paws.

Our cat's aren't declawed. I don't agree with doing that. That's what scratching posts, manicures and soft paws are for!

I am going to check into Soft Paws soon! We are moving and I am sick of Noel attacking the carpet and our chairs! :mad: I want our new place to have nice carpet. :)

to kohyman- this is not about feelings or opinions. This is about facts. Would you argue that today is August 20th 2004? the fact is the toe is taken off. the fact is, it grows back, the fact is, it causes pain, the fact is, the cat will use it's teeth for aggression with toes removed. You want to argue facts? It's not possible.

Oh and to your "to each their own" excuse me? are we talking about your first digit being removed or someone elses??" You do not have the right to inflict pain on an animal just because you "own" it! If that were true, it would be ok for pit dog owners to use puppies and kittens to learn how to kill!

I have worked with alot of different declawing surgeries, and I have first hand seen what they do during the surgery. Did you all know that they clamp the digits with regular clamps, and then RIP out the nail, cuticle and access bone out with REGULAR nail clippers? And to say it has miniimal pain is bizark! Whenever we did a declaw, the cat wakes up after the surgery, most of the time screaming in agony, and then the day after we have to remove the bandages from the bloody paws, and they again scream in pain. I can not imagine anyone thinking that it would not hurt. If you provide a good scratching post and good nail grooming habits, the cat wont need to scratch on furniture or the carpet. The only benefit I see from it is the benefit of the human, it is natural instinct for a cat. But hey, its just my opinion:D

my cat is only de-clawed in her fron feet because when she was young she use to scratch the furniture and stuff.but she is mostly an indoor cat so she doesnt really use them.And she is old.i dont really mind if people get there cats declawed,lots of cats like to scratch on the furniture and its expensive to fix those things.

kt- I didn't realize how old this thread was when I posted! But I am glad you put in your experience as it appears there are still people out there that don't understand how abusive it is. Some vets will refuse to do the surgery. Some counties (at least one in CA) have outlawed it as it is animal cruelty. And there are options if one's pet is bothering our furniture. (oh heaven forbid!- mother nature sets in so let's just yank out their toes!) Anyway, have a good weekend and welcome to pt (I am not new here but it looks it because I recently re-registered!).

why does everyone thik so bad of it???When bear was de-clawed,my parents coudlt afford to buy sprays,and fix all the furniture that she ripped.but this was in th 80's in canada.but my other cat that died when i was a baby wasnt de-clawed but it was outside alot,and bear almost never goes outside,and if she does we go out with her so nothing happens to her.i know the next cat im going to have will not be de-clawed,but i dont think its animal cruelty,and they dont rip there toes out!! Bear still has her toes. and she seems to never be in pain.

Sammy here is a link about declawing http://www.declawing.com/ the reason why people think it's cruel is because it's not just cutting off the nail, it would be like cutting off your finger down to the first knuckle.

well,im sorry,i didnt know that!:eek: i wasnt even born yet when my parents de-clawed Bear,she only got her front ones done.Well thank you for the link and what really happens when they de-claw a cat.i know i would never de-claw my cat unless i really have to!!i just thought that they cut their toe-nails off,and thats it.

Sorry:(

It's ok Sammy, I realize you had no say in what happened with your kitty. I just thought you might like to know in case you ever get another kitty.

If you get a cat in the future, and it scratches your furniture (it will!) just remember there are now alternatives and keep in mind that even vets find it cruelty. Times have changed- the public is now aware that it is NOT just pulling out a nail! Vets can put caps on the claws in various colors (though these are relatively new) and there are "tricks of the trade" in terms of protecting your furniture, such as double-sided sticky tape, etc. Just an fyi for the future ahead of you! Glad your cat has not had pain but a dear friend of mine deeply regretted declawing her now deceased cat when she started bleeding from her paws and found out that the bones (although she was elderly and it had been many years since the "innocent" declawing) were growing back on all of her front toes. Poor gal had to be re-declawed, no other choice and by then of course my friend was educated as are we all are now and was beside herself with remorse and grief over the original decision (because she'd been scratched in the eye- kitty was feral at the time-not even a furniture issue!). So just a heads up for you in the future! Nothing against past decisions, back in the 1980s, hardly anyone knew but the vets, and they didn't realize the full impact of the surgery back then.

Hi all,
I remember when I was a little kid and my parents would get our cat declawed. I always felt so sorry for them when they came back with their feet all bandaged up. Now I have a couple cats of my own, and I don't want to declaw them, even though they scratch up the carpet. Actually, one loves her post, the other one refuses to touch it.
I read the link about declawing that was posted above and I have a question about the SoftPaws. If it's already been posted here, I apologize for the repetition.
When you glue the SoftPaws onto your cat's claws, do they have to be replaced every so often, since the claws grow and shed? and if so, how often would you recommend replacing them?

TIA,
Kim

Tibby loses about 1 a week, I usually just wait until a few more fall off before replacing them just because I'm lazy. You just replace them whenever they fall off.

Hi Kim. I used soft paws for awhile with great success. They stay on for 4-6 weeks, and if you just replace them one at a time when they fall off, it's a much easier job. I had luck with just putting them on the front claws, since that's where the majority of the scratching comes from. I never really saw a need to put them on the back claws.

The easiest way that I found to apply them- wrap your kitty in a towel with just the paw sticking out. Try to be quick about it and talk to kitty in soothing voice. Mine never really liked it, but after a while she didn't fight it quite as much.

One more note- sometimes you can find a good buy on softpaws by searching ebay.

Get softpaws they are an amazing product you can get all different colors.. Pixie has them she only has clear though thats all they have for kittens. you can get pink, purple blue and red or just natural... If your vet doesn't have them they can order them they come in packs of 4o nails and I only used 8 I didn't put them on her dewclaw or back paws and they last about 4 weeks each set of 8... The pack was 20.00 Cdn but americans can probably get them cheaper since it is an american product... They sell them on e-bay really cheap as well....

Look close you can see them in this pick on her front paw....
Jods

edit: lexibent sorry didn't realize I was saying like the exact same as you hahaha