opinions about declawing

[Gidgetgirl]

Hi All,
Just curious what everyones take is on declawing kitties. I am not a fan of this nor will I adopt to anyone who has that intention. However, I'm not wishing to bash anyone, so please don't think that's where I'm going with this. I welcome your opinion. Have you declawed your cat? What was your experience, would you do this again,...etc... Are vets getting away from this practice or is it still a popular procedure. I look forward to hearing from everyone.
Thanks!

[Laura's Babies]

My Chester is declawed, the rest are not. I did not know about soft paws when I got him and he was the worst I had ever seen for scratching on everything. I had just moved into a brand new house with brand new furniture and he was shredding it to pieces. Because he was so bad, my daughter said she couldn't keep him when I go to work unless he was declawed because she had a house full of new furniture too. Now I know about soft paws and use those so my girls have not been declawed.

I do not use the soft paws on Amy though because there are days when she has to depend on them to get around. They ALL have improved a lot since we built that perch with the sisal rope on it and now do most of their clawing and sctrachin on that.... even Chester.

[catmandu]

I would never,ever declaw,as my Dear Friend Mr Scrappy,has such a hrd time,whe he got older,keeping himself,clean,and the Cats,that are declawed,at the Hotel,sadly came that way.

[moosmom]

Rather than going through this all over again for the umpteenth time, I have posted the link to the LAST discussion on this subject.

http://petoftheday.com/talk/showthre...ight=Declawing

[rosethecopycat]

You have to consider much more than the physical aspect of declawing. There are several behavioral changes that commonly take place too. One of the main ones is biting.

I was considering a medically necessary declaw for my foster Almalfi, who has a skin disease that attacks his paw pads and nail beds, they were horribly infected. He'll have this condition for life, so I thought, better that he not have nail beds to get infected.
Then our rescue director told me about the behavioral issues, and how he, a not very dominant, small boy, could start biting or become very defensive.

I decided not to ask that he be declawed.
For a perfectly healthy cat, or kitten, I'd just never consider it. No reason to.

Clipping and covering furniture in our house is just fine.

Just my opinion

[countrygirl09]

My opinion is if u do declaw your cat than make sure he/she stays indoors, and if you have another cat with them make sure that they don't gang up on the declawed cat.

[smokey the elder]

There are about a million threads about this. Short answer: I am against it. Contrary to popular belief, you CAN train a cat. A combination of bribery and squirt bottle discipline is the key.

[Medusa]

I haven't had any of my cats declawed, nor do I intend to. When I rescued my first feral in 1990, I asked my vet if declawing was a good idea and if it was painful for the cat. He said "Let me ask you: if I removed all of your fingernails, even though you'll be out during the surgery, think it will hurt afterwards?" That's all I needed to hear. Plus, he told me that the cats have to be cleaned each and every time they use the litterbox or severe infections can result.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I don't know what soft paws are. Can someone please enlighten me/

Blessings,
M

[countrygirl09]

about getting a infection you can if you end up declawing your cat you shread newspaper up or at some pet stores they have a special kind of litter...

[PayItForward]

www.declawing.co.uk

Education is the key.

Those who know what is entailed by the operation and the potential problems do not declaw.

[AvaJoy]

I never had any of my cats declawed and I never will.

To answer you inquiry, I bellieve "Soft Paws" are those faux kitty nails you glue over your cat's own claws so they cannot do as much damage if they scratch inappropriately. If your cat will allow it, clipping the claws will also dull the talons and reduce your property damage.

Most importantly, training is the key, and providing lots of vertical and horizontal scratching "posts" in different mediums so your cat can chose its preference. Some like sisal covered, some like carpet, some like natural wood. My advice is to experiment and offer options until you see which type kitty uses. If you happen to witness when one of the designated posts is used by kitty, reward with a treat to reinforce positive bahavior.

[manda_moo87]

I don't agree with declawing.

My previous cat, Perkins, was declawed. My Mom had him declawed, I was totally against it but didn't really have much say because I was still very young. I wouldn't do it again.

[smokey the elder]

If you can catch the cat, you can clip its toenails. My nasty brat Bosun is hard to do. I kneel down and pin her between my knees. For the right paw, I have the back of my left hand turning her head so she can't bite, and hold the paw with the left and clip with the right. The left is a little harder since I'm right handed; hold the clippers, use the back of the hand to turn the head.

I usually don't bother with the back claws, since cats rarely "rear-wheel drive" anything besides toys.

[lildemon72]

I have had all of my cats declawed. I know what a horrible person I am. But when you have 4 of them, who refuse to go outside, even with all of the doors open, and they are tearing up the furniture, and you have tried all of the other options. I felt that there was not another option. This was a decision that did not come very easily.
It didn't seem to bother them, after they came home all of them except one, was doing their "Norm", but Satan, had an allergic reaction to the glue, and became very sick. They had to go in and dig all of the glue out and let his paws heal naturally.
The newest addition, Georgie, he doesn't use his front claws very much, when he grabs things, he just wraps his paws around, but doesn't stick his claws out. I am not sure if I will have this done to him, but if my husband has his way, it will be done sometime soon. But I was told they could do it with laser, I don't know if this would be any easier on them.

[ratchet22]

Im glad someone started this disscussion, I was wondering also, I have 9 cats, all get along great, but I have one that attacks them all, yes in a playful manor, but she hurts them, especially the deaf one, because he never hears her coming, she visiously attacks them they scream, run and hair is everywhere, I was considering haveing her declawed, so she wouldnt hurt the others. But know Im glad to hear all this, there is no way.

I would like to know more about where to get soft paws? Is this something i can buy at my local pet smart?

Also do you know what to put on the furniture to deter them from scratching it up? My love seat already has stuffing sticking out? Would duct tape work?

thanks
carrie