Aa
Declawing?
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?
My cats are declawed, only the front. Some say it is cruel and if you can't train a cat to be gentle with their claws then don't have any; but like you said it is best for them to have a home. There are too many cats in need of good homes.
Gosh I hope this doesn't bring any arguments.
Gosh I hope this doesn't bring any arguments.
I don't agree with declawing because it is so painful and limiting for the cats....HOWEVER, I have HAD to declaw 2 of my cats..both for reasons of protection of a very sick older cat I had in my home at that time.
I talked to my Vet and I agreed with him that it was much better to do this than to have to take a cat back to a shelter, like he told me ..whats the best alternative for the cat??
As long as they remain INDOORS...please everyone never let a declawed kitty outside on their own, they have absolutely no protection from other animals.
Also please never declaw the back, there isn't any good reason to ever consider this, and I know here in Canada Vets won't even consider it.
It is a very controversial subject and like any other decision we need to weigh all the pros and cons and make a decision based on what is right for them and for us too.
I talked to my Vet and I agreed with him that it was much better to do this than to have to take a cat back to a shelter, like he told me ..whats the best alternative for the cat??
As long as they remain INDOORS...please everyone never let a declawed kitty outside on their own, they have absolutely no protection from other animals.
Also please never declaw the back, there isn't any good reason to ever consider this, and I know here in Canada Vets won't even consider it.
It is a very controversial subject and like any other decision we need to weigh all the pros and cons and make a decision based on what is right for them and for us too.
Claws are a functional and essential body part for a cat, so declawing is more than just cosmetic surgery. It not only affects their physical movement and capabilities, but typically affects behavior as well. Cats with disabilities (and a lack of claws is a disability) tend to behave differently around other animals (even indoors) because of it. They may be timid, fearful, and anti-social, even though their outward behavior may be defensively aggressive, in order to try to compensate for their disability.
I've owned dozens of cats and fostered many more. Not one of them ever destroyed furniture as long as they were shown an acceptable alternative (a scratching post) and none of them ever scratched people except in self defense.
Cats are really no different from people and dogs. They need to be trained in acceptable behavior. That requires patience and consistency, whether that is staying off the kitchen counters or not scratching the furniture.
I've owned dozens of cats and fostered many more. Not one of them ever destroyed furniture as long as they were shown an acceptable alternative (a scratching post) and none of them ever scratched people except in self defense.
Cats are really no different from people and dogs. They need to be trained in acceptable behavior. That requires patience and consistency, whether that is staying off the kitchen counters or not scratching the furniture.
Every veterinary EXPERT I've spoken with about this topic says it hardly affects the cat. It doesn't cause them to lose their balance or move any different. If a cat is indoors I'm for declawing. I think it would do more harm for an outdoor cat to be declawed as they would need some line of defense.
There is supposed to be a new surgical method that is supposed to be less painful for recovery but it is very costly as it is a laser surgery.
That being said we have two cats and they both are *not* declawed. However I'm not opposed to getting it done if they were to turn those claws on my children. I'm all for providing a loving, caring home for my pets but they my CHILDREN come first. In the meantime we are teaching them what is acceptable and what is not (we're using a water bottle and special warning noises that we make that sound similar to hissing). I think declawing should be a last resort if you are unable to train your cat(s) to express themselves appropriately.
There is supposed to be a new surgical method that is supposed to be less painful for recovery but it is very costly as it is a laser surgery.
That being said we have two cats and they both are *not* declawed. However I'm not opposed to getting it done if they were to turn those claws on my children. I'm all for providing a loving, caring home for my pets but they my CHILDREN come first. In the meantime we are teaching them what is acceptable and what is not (we're using a water bottle and special warning noises that we make that sound similar to hissing). I think declawing should be a last resort if you are unable to train your cat(s) to express themselves appropriately.
Declawing is an amputation that is eqivalent to a human having all of their toes amputated. There is some very detailed expert information at http://www.pawproject.com/html/faqs.asp
We are all adults and I think we've all done research on the topic. We've been over this before.
All the vets I've been to are caring and good. And they all agree that declawing doesn't really affect a cat's mental or physical health. I am seeing it in my own cats. Really..it only took them 48 hours to fully recover from surgery. After that they were jumping, playing, eating and loving on their catnip.
I don't go out and advice people to declaw their pets. But MY pets will get declawed...every single one of them.....no matter where I get them from......as long as they are under 6 months in age. I'm with Joy.
All the vets I've been to are caring and good. And they all agree that declawing doesn't really affect a cat's mental or physical health. I am seeing it in my own cats. Really..it only took them 48 hours to fully recover from surgery. After that they were jumping, playing, eating and loving on their catnip.
I don't go out and advice people to declaw their pets. But MY pets will get declawed...every single one of them.....no matter where I get them from......as long as they are under 6 months in age. I'm with Joy.
Here we go again! We always seem to have a heated argument on declawing on this forum at least every few months or more.
I've talked to many vets on this subject as well. Cats can adapt very well to being declawed and I've always had my cats declawed from the time I was a kid and my mom did to when I was an adult and had my own cats. They've all been healthy, loving cats who have no problems jumping on and down off of high places, catching moths in their paws ( I just watched Sakura do this last night! She literally caught the moth in midair in her paws! I was impressed!)
However, I do not recommend cats be declawed in the back ( had a vet recommend this as well) because just in case they ever get out they'd need those back claws to defend themselves (they can lay on their backs and do some pretty good damage with those back claws) or in case they need to climb a tree, and yes, they still can climb a tree just with back claws.
It's a personal decision but I don't want to see you beat up if you do decide to declaw. I truly hope this thread does not turn hateful as I've seen that happen time and time again with this subject.
I've talked to many vets on this subject as well. Cats can adapt very well to being declawed and I've always had my cats declawed from the time I was a kid and my mom did to when I was an adult and had my own cats. They've all been healthy, loving cats who have no problems jumping on and down off of high places, catching moths in their paws ( I just watched Sakura do this last night! She literally caught the moth in midair in her paws! I was impressed!)
However, I do not recommend cats be declawed in the back ( had a vet recommend this as well) because just in case they ever get out they'd need those back claws to defend themselves (they can lay on their backs and do some pretty good damage with those back claws) or in case they need to climb a tree, and yes, they still can climb a tree just with back claws.
It's a personal decision but I don't want to see you beat up if you do decide to declaw. I truly hope this thread does not turn hateful as I've seen that happen time and time again with this subject.
I don't see this turning into an argument. I think we are all having a decent, adult conversation. I'm actually pretty impressed by it. We are each entitled to our own opinions and can raise our babies however we like! I think there are valid reasons to both points of view. It's interesting to hear them. I have family members who have given many a homeless kitty a home, but have to declaw front and back because they own VERY expensive oriental rugs. The cats have a great home, live long lives and love their owners. Frankly, I don't see a problem with it.
Having pets is similar to having children. When someone comes up to me and tells me that I'm raising my daughter wrong or they disagree with my decision (unless it's my hubby or sister), I get offended and angry, But, I am always open to a discussion on child raising techniques and hearing about different ways that other parents have approached their kids. Forcing the issue never works unless it is over something that is obviously wrong according to the law.
Having pets is similar to having children. When someone comes up to me and tells me that I'm raising my daughter wrong or they disagree with my decision (unless it's my hubby or sister), I get offended and angry, But, I am always open to a discussion on child raising techniques and hearing about different ways that other parents have approached their kids. Forcing the issue never works unless it is over something that is obviously wrong according to the law.
I only mentioned that because the last thread on declawing got very, very nasty and they had to delete it after awhile. We even had a vet on here who made a journal on it and people got nasty on that as well. I think he deleted the journal as well. I just didn't want to see it happen again, that's all. I'm probably a little sensitive to it anymore!
I can't believe your local shelter said they could sue if someone declaws one of the cats adopted there, wow. That's seems extreme and a little over the top, I think. I would think that could keep people from adopting cats. Would they rather they be put down because they have an over abundance of cats? Our shelter here has an over abundance of cats. They recently offered the cats for free on Father's Day to try to get some adopted out. I had never seen them do that before. For some reason, there's way more cats than dogs. I just wish I could adopt them all. :(
I can't believe your local shelter said they could sue if someone declaws one of the cats adopted there, wow. That's seems extreme and a little over the top, I think. I would think that could keep people from adopting cats. Would they rather they be put down because they have an over abundance of cats? Our shelter here has an over abundance of cats. They recently offered the cats for free on Father's Day to try to get some adopted out. I had never seen them do that before. For some reason, there's way more cats than dogs. I just wish I could adopt them all. :(
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
You think cats claw at furniture...you should see what pet squirrels do! But that is a different forum...
COMMUNITY LEADER
Speaking of clawing the furniture - claws and Water Beds do not mix! :)
My cats will eat bags, strings, plastic, floss threaders, etc. We have to cover our garbage because they will get in it and eat weird things. They puke it up or it comes out in their poo. I wish they would just stick with normal food!
When our blond kitty was a kitten he clawed up the leather part of our couch. His claws were like needles, so when he was sleeping I would go clip them. They grow so fast though! I'd have a hard time doing that regularly.
When our blond kitty was a kitten he clawed up the leather part of our couch. His claws were like needles, so when he was sleeping I would go clip them. They grow so fast though! I'd have a hard time doing that regularly.
I think I found that out the hard way. When we got Sakura as a kitten she made a lot of little pin holes in our fairly new leather easy chair (grr).
My other cat likes to chew on plastic bags too. As soon as I get home from the grocery store and put down the bags, she starts munching away. Lol, crazy cat!
My other cat likes to chew on plastic bags too. As soon as I get home from the grocery store and put down the bags, she starts munching away. Lol, crazy cat!
I think I remember a product that files the nails instead of cutting them so they're smooth on the ends. Has anyone tried that? I don't think my cats would like it but there's a cat in the commercial. One of my cats prefers the bite 'n chew nail maintenance method-his are all raggedy on the ends. (this is also the plastic chewer cat)
COMMUNITY LEADER
LOL, Spirit!! "bite and chew nail maintenance method" Jade uses that method also...
One of Swampy's worst problems is to keep the cat from clawing the electric blanket.
COMMUNITY LEADER
No, not good, Swampy. You know, I have a friend who'd never even Heard of an electric blanket???? I couldn't live without mine.
Have an Answer?
You are reading content posted in the Cats Community
Members of our Pet Communities share their Halloween pet photos.
Like to travel but hate to leave your pooch at home? Dr. Carol Osborne talks tips on how (and where!) to take a trip with your pampered pet
Ooh and aah your way through these too-cute photos of MedHelp members' best friends
A list of national and international resources and hotlines to help connect you to needed health and medical services.
Herpes sores blister, then burst, scab and heal.
Herpes spreads by oral, vaginal and anal sex.
