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?

[April2]

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. :(

[skepticalpeach]

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.

[April2]

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.

[PrettyKitty1]

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.

[nancyjac]

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

[JoyRenee]

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.