Declawing?

[skepticalpeach]

I know this is a controversial topic and I don't want to start an argument, but I was wondering what everyone thinks about getting their cats declawed. Our local shelter won't let anyone adopt a cat and get it declawed. They even have a disclaimer that gives them the right to sue if you do. I have a small daughter so both of our cats don't have front claws. Even when I trimmed our kitten's claws he would still scratch up our daughter and destroyed our couch. Our landlords' contract also states that if we have cats the front claws have to be gone. I feel bad about giving them the cosmetic surgery, but I would feel worse if they didn't have a good home where they were fed and cleaned regularly. We left the back claws, and my hubby woke up recently when one of our cats landed on his head and scratched it open! They're kinda clumsy babies. So, what do you guys think?

[LindaTX]

Cats and leather furniture do not mix.  We had scratching posts and toys galore in the house for our kittens.  I should say kittens and leather furniture don't mix.  They run and play and scampering across the leather scratches it terribly. Older cats are more respectful. It's impossible to expect kittens to stay off the furniture.

[spirit3]

I haven't heard of soft paws, but have joked my cat Bob must have pica because of his love of all things plastic: bags, window envelopes seem particularly tasty, etc. so we have to be super careful with those items. On the topic at hand-my ex had his cat declawed because h thought she was incorigible as far as furniture, but she seemed very upset when she ret'd from the vet. I did feel terrible for her but she seemed to recover and still performed the scratching activity, just clawless-I think they have to do that instinctually, I believe I read somewhere they have scent glands in the fr paws. Oh-also would NEVER  do to outdoor cat as they need them to climb to safety or for defense.

[skepticalpeach]

Have any of you heard of soft paws? They are little things that you can glue to your cat's claws so they can't scratch anything. I know my blond tabby would definitely bite them off. He used to chew his tail and has pica. My other cat might be ok with them.

[deedee1981]

I think whether to declaw a cat is the owner's decision. Our cats are all front declawed because the first one was already declawed when we adopted her at 7 years old. They are all indoor cats. I would not describe any of them as disabled. Except for the 13 year old fatcat, they can all jump high and are very fast and always playing with one another. They are very friendly (always greeting strangers) and happy and do not seem to notice the missing claws. Sometimes they even seem too mobile, as they are always getting into things!  We had them declawed when they were spayed/neutered, so they did not have extra surgery. I would recommend not declawing both front and back, because they can still defend themselves with the back ones. Also, we had cats with claws when I was growing up and the cats clawed up sofas and doors, etc, and I imagine that my landlord would not appreciate that. So, it is up to you as to whether to declaw.

[swampcritter]

Swampy thinks we should have the discussion, and present the arguments as well as we can. Someone who has never heard of medhelp, who just found the discussion though a search engine, will benefit from a discussion.

Swampy's own experience is that every cat he has owned had claws. Even when he had just emerged from the mud (as a small child critter),  if he handled a cat improperly he would get a big old scratch. Blood and pain taught him the finer points of how to treat a cat.

It was fine, Swampy, and the cats, both survived.

So Swampy really doesn't see a need to declaw.

[PrettyKitty1]

Diva,

Trust us....every time 'Declawing' comes up the thread turns into a big ol' mess. I am hoping this isn't the case. I don't like it when people tell me my cats are crippled. I hate it when people make comments on how this is all for the owner's benefit and the poor cats get affected and blah blah blah. You know why? Because we love our pets very, very much. My cats mean the world to me. Declawing them doesn't make me a bad mom. And it does hurt me when people post comments on how cruel and bad it is for the cat .....because it isn't true.

The day I had them declawed I made a commitment to keep them safe indoors and give them the best life possible. When they do get out (to the yard) we are always there, next to them, walking with them, protecting them.  They climb trees, catch lizards and bugs, and run like maniacs. My cats aren't disabled.