Should you ever declaw a cat?

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  Posted by Winterschild71 Mon Apr 27, 2009 3:12pm PDT

  I have owned five rescued kitties and we had them all spayed and declawed. I don't believe in having outdoor cats and the only way we could have them inside was to declaw. So, I am for it. They seem to do well with the surgery and we always had both done at the same time. We now have only two, as years have passed since 1988 and one of our children moved to college and took the other one. I am not sure if declawing them had anything to do with their lifespans as one died from a lung problem, one's kidney's failed and the other three are still fat and sassy. But just thought I would throw my two cents out there.

  Kat

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  Posted by MARIO Mon Apr 27, 2009 3:42pm PDT

  I adopted two 1 year old male cats from a shelter that made me sign something about not having the cats declawed. I haven't and one of them has clawed up furniture, carpets and newspapers. The other one has clawed up the wood on my walls. They are now 6 years old and I love them dearly but wished I would of declawed the front paws. I tried everything to get them to stop and have never had ANY success. If anyone knows what I could try or feels declawing at their age is still appropiate please let me know.

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  Posted by Crystal Mon Apr 27, 2009 4:04pm PDT

  PLEASE! NEVER EVER EVER declaw your cat! These are NOT just "tiny incisions". You are not just removing the claws, you are removing the last joint in their fingers! If you have ANY thoughts of getting your cat declawed, you should look at this website first! www.declawing.com. It is actually against the law in many countries outside the US. Please do not consider this inhumane treatment! Try softpaws. They are little plastic tips you glue onto your cats nails that will prevent scratching on furniture.

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  Posted by Susan Mon Apr 27, 2009 6:59pm PDT

  I would never disfigure my cat like that.

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  Posted by MonicaL Mon Apr 27, 2009 7:18pm PDT

  If you are thinking about declawing maybe you shouldn't own a cat.

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  Posted by Kat Mon Apr 27, 2009 7:51pm PDT

  I have owned cats all my life, I always used to declaw the fronts, but I will never, ever do it again. I have seen the pain one of my cats is suffering from. Every so often he shakes one of his paws after he trys setting it down and then holds it up for awhile. I have learned the hard way and I now recommend to my friends and anyone who wants a cat to never declaw them. If they are kittens you can try training them with scratch poles etc. In todays world you can find so many different and effective way to get your cat to use other ways of doing what they intstinctly do.

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  Posted by Jasmine Mon Apr 27, 2009 8:10pm PDT

  I had my kitty declawed two years ago, not out of his clawing of furniture or destroying carpet, which yeah, he did rip up a LOT of carpet, but when he is a rescue kitty, and his legs were damaged. He couldnt retract several of his claws on his front or back paws, and several times I had to take him to the vet to be checked out, as he would get stuck in the carpet when running and rip out a claw. The vet recommended declawing him, and now hes living a better life. I brought him home after the surgery, and I didnt have any problems with his feet. He was wobbly for a couple days, the vet overdosed his anesthesia, but his feet healed up perfectly, I only had to help out with one little stitch. He can run and climb now with no problems, hes active, and I dont see any problems. Hes gotten very adept at using his little 'fingers' to open cabinets and such. We also live on the fourth floor of an interior-corridor complex, so theres no chance he can get outside. His only 'venture' is moseying out the front door if we step inside and leave it open. Then he just sits on the rug and looks around, haha! I wouldnt tell anyone oh yeah, declaw your cat. But if its a matter of declawing the cat and he gets to still live with you versus tossing them outside, just do the front paws. Then they have thier back claws if by chance they do need to defend themselves. But sometimes, its a matter of health for the cat. Without declawing, my little guy was destined for a life of claw snags and sore feet. Just my two cents!

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  Posted by Fenrir Mon Apr 27, 2009 8:30pm PDT

  Declawing is cruel and inhumane... it's not a matter of a simple incision. The only people who should be able to declaw their cats are the ones willing to undergo the procedure themselves - so rip out your fingernails or take your fingers off at the first joint, because that's the human equivalent of it.

  Whether or not they are rescue animals doesn't matter - my cat is a rescue, who I adopted as an adult and who not only has her claws but understands, "No!" and has never scratched anything since. Spend time with your cat, give them scratching posts and acceptable places to scratch - it's a natural behavior, and if you channel it, you won't have to submit your cat to this cruelty. They were made to have claws - and if you can't deal with that, that's your shortcoming as an owner.

  I will never forget a relative's adult cat who was declawed. The wounds never healed, and I won't forget the bloody pawprints she left and the way she cried.

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  Posted by Heidi Mon Apr 27, 2009 9:41pm PDT

  Monicalb18, well said. Here's a thought: get a $1 spray bottle from the dollar store. Fill it with water. Squirt cat when it scratches furniture. Cat learns lesson very quickly, takes to scratching only her scratching post. SOLVED. (wow, that was so friggin' hard)

  Signed, a person with nine cats who knows a thing or two about them

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  Posted by Jennifer Tue Apr 28, 2009 1:32am PDT

  I dont advocate declawing cats but i did have the vet remove a single nail from my cat's paw due to the fact that he was polydactyl and he had this one nail that grew at such a sharp angle that it was constantly becoming ingrown before I could even get a chance to clip it. Now he's doing just fine. He did claw the furniture a bit when I first got him but not enough to ruin it because I tacked up some plastic material on the corners of the sofa and chair to prevent his clawing and so far its worked. He only uses the scratching post now. I am thinking about trying out soft paws though because he is an only cat and likes to play and occasionally I or the boyfriend gets him too riled up and he scratches up our arms. Probably more our fault than his but still...it hurts.

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