To declaw or not?

[Kinsey]

Ok, I would like to know if your cats are declawed or not, and why you did or didn't.

I have 2 indoor-only still-clawed cats who are slowly but surely destroying my dining room chairs.

I have heard that declawing is like someone cutting off the tip of your finger...and the opposing view is that it's like cutting your fingernails short.

Your thoughts, please?
Thanks!

[dogncatluvr]

I have 4 cats, none of them are declawed. I am strongly opposed to that procedure. I cut my cats' nails every 2 weeks. They are so used to it now that the 4 cats' nails take me less than 10 minutes to cut. I cradle them in my lap, belly side up, and snip away! I started as soon as they came to live with me and they get used to it.
The oldest cat sometimes still attempts to scratch the furniture, but with short nails does not do much damage. I'd still rather buy new furniture than declaw the cats!

[JKRJG24]

My mom made me declaw my cat Nala for the same reason she was tearing everything apart! The vet said it would be fine. She cant feel it they said. It won't hurt a thing they said! Well something did go wrong. It is a thing where they asidently cut a nerve or two! It didn't cause any long term proublems but she was extreamly sore for a couple of months! The vet said it is verry rare and maybe it is but I think you should try other things first. My neighbor's cat used to jump on the the table when you were eating. So when ever he started come up to the tabe they would say aght aght and then squirt him with a squirt bottle. So now when he is doing something bad all you have to do is sat aght aght and he will imedeatly stop! Maybe you cant try it when your cat starts to scratch something! Good Luck!!

[Kinsey]

Thanks for both of your replies.
It does seem a little cruel to do, not to mention REALLY expensive.
I have done the squirt bottle thing, which doesn't even faze one cat...she doesn't care if she gets wet...the other one just has to SEE the bottle and he runs away!
I buy those rectangular cardboard scratcher things that cost about $7, and they love using that, but they really like the legs of the chairs. They are kind of fancy, curved and twisty and there is one spot they just love to rip their claws into. I have filled and restained them, but the cats are just doing it again.
Oh, well.

[JKRJG24]

Originally posted by dogncatluvr:
I have 4 cats, none of them are declawed. I am strongly opposed to that procedure. I cut my cats' nails every 2 weeks. They are so used to it now that the 4 cats' nails take me less than 10 minutes to cut. I cradle them in my lap, belly side up, and snip away! I started as soon as they came to live with me and they get used to it. I agree compleatly I wish my parent would have let me do that!!
The oldest cat sometimes still attempts to scratch the furniture, but with short nails does not do much damage. I'd still rather buy new furniture than declaw the cats!

I agree with you compleatly! If my parents would have let me I would have done that!


[This message has been edited by JKRJG24 (edited July 10, 2000).]

[klb]

kinsey --

i too have cats who adore water, making the usually-effective spray bottle more of a treat than a deterrent. wouldn't ever think of declawing them, so i bought them a huge scratching post (about as tall as me!) for them to attack in their fits of fury. i did notice that although they no longer scratch on the back of my couch and chair (probably also from the loud noises i make at them when they do), they stretch against them, leaving small pulls at the same height for each couch/chair leg. i read somewhere that vinegar drives cats' sensitive noses crazy, so diluted some white vinegar with water, put in a spray bottle and sprayed the back of my couch and chair. tada! haven't seen them stretching on it since. and since their sense of smell is so much more acute than ours, i never even knew the vinegar was there.

hope this helps!

[dogncatluvr]

P.S. to my last post.
I have scratching posts all over the house of course. I rub them with catnip, and they are more interesting to the cats than the furniture.

[casmeow]

Hi Kinsey! After all the negative remarks - isn't there something out there that can be sprayed on furniture to detract cats? It seems like I've heard about some - but never used any. Has anyone out there tried any?Casmeow

Originally posted by Kinsey:
Ok, I would like to know if your cats are declawed or not, and why you did or didn't.

I have 2 indoor-only still-clawed cats who are slowly but surely destroying my dining room chairs.

I have heard that declawing is like someone cutting off the tip of your finger...and the opposing view is that it's like cutting your fingernails short.

Your thoughts, please?
Thanks!

[Pieper's Mom]

I declawed both my little girls at the same time they were neutered. At the time I thought that was the thing to do since they were to only be indoor cats...if I were to get another cat today, I'd probably rethink the issue...especially since I volunteer at a shelter!

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"Cats are rather delicate creatures and can have many ailments, but I've never heard of one with insomnia." Joseph Wood Krutch

[dogncatluvr]

I had another thought to try to minimize the damage done by cats scratching furniture. I have heard about, but never used, plasic nail covers for the cat nails. They are glued on the cat's nails (at the vet office, I believe), and as the cat's nails grow, they 'grow' with the nails, eventually coming off the ends of the nails.
Maybe this will help some of you.