- Blog
- Bios
- Boards
- Classifieds
- DIY
- Gallery
- Vendor Reviews
- Shop Weddingbee
Weddingbee boards
I know all the reasons they say not to do this, but I've also read that this is better than giving your cat back to the pound. Again, I know why this isn't a popular option. But it's not illegal here, so I want to hear from people who have done this. Our cat is a scratcher (I have lots of scars and we've only had her a year), and I would have to give her away or declaw her before having kids. But she'll probably be put to sleep because she'll be about 8 by then.
Can we keep the snark to a minimum? I don't want to ruffle any feathers, and I don't want mine to be ruffled!
Yep! My parents had our cat declawed when I was a kid, but only the front claws! They did it for the same reasons you talk about, they wanted to have another baby but were worried about him scratching the baby. He had no complications or problems after the surgery. They kept his scratching post because he would still use it and pretend to scratch! He was an awesome cat and we saw no change in behavior or personality because of being declawed! I don't want to start an argument about it being inhumane or not but if I had a cat I would consider it.
Edit: I think it would be terrible to do on a cat that was mostly outside though. They would have no way to defend themselves :/
When I was young, my mother had our cat declawed. To be honest, our cat was fine. I've heard its inhumane, etc. but our cat was an indoor cat and just has never seemed to mind very much. Have you exhausted all other options? Including capping the claws? I would prob try that before anything else.
Years ago I had a cat declawed (only the front). The scratching and destruction immediately ceased. I don't even remember there being any after care or medical issues. The only problem was that we had to be very careful about her being outside. We found that she could still climb trees with those back claws.
Now, I have two cats that are declawed. (I got them from the pound that way.) I live in a wooded area now with all of the forest's creatures roaming about, so I have to be vigilant about keeping them indoors. One really wants to get out, but she needs to stay in for her own safety.
All my cats have been declawed (front only) except one (my farm cat) and they were all fine. We never saw any difference in them from before and after. They all lived to be old cats. My farm cat never scratched my furniture, she was usually pretty busy stalking mice but I do have a scar or two from her.
We haven't tried any options yet, I'm just thinking ahead. She'll never go outside. But if she ever scratches my theoretical baby, I will go beserk!
We have never done it. Have you tried trimming her claws? We do that for our cats and they don't scratch us unless we are bothering them and they are flailing around trying to get away.
I wouldn't expect the cat to be gone by the time she is 8 years old though, our second cat is still alive and he is 15 and kicking.
@MissAsB: I mean the pound would put her down because she'll be kind of old.
@redheadem: We had a cat when my son was little. In my case, we did an introduction with the baby and the cat. I can't remember the details, but we went by the vets instructions. They ended up being best friends. I would have to detangle the cats fur from my sons fingers and pull her tail out of his mouth, still she never hissed or attempted to scratch him. Sometimes they would even sleep together on the living room floor. I think the purring put DS out.
@tksjewelry: That is sweet. Unfortunately, you'll be snuggling my cat one minute and she'll scratch you out of nowhere! She even attached my parents' chihuahua! We usually leave her alone unless she comes to us.
I guess I don't have to worry yet, I just wanted to hear from people who have done it.
Wait a minute - I wasn't going to say anything because I thought you said you already did all the research - but you haven't even tried any other options? How is it possible that your first choice is to declaw a cat??
To answer your question, yes, I suppose cutting off someone's fingers is generally considered more humane than killing someone. But that's the extent of "humane" we are talking about here. Both are unimaginably awful - even more so when other options have not been exhausted.
@Jupster: I think she just meant that she knows the other options that are available but she doesn't need to actually act on anything right now because they aren't having a baby any time soon! I don't believe she said it was her first choice either!
@Jupster: No I didn't say I researched. I did say that I know why people are against it, so I don't need these comments!
Cats who scratch as a behavior simply become cats who bite when they are declawed. This is not an opinion, but a fact. Try spraying him with a spray bottle of water whenever he scratches you. He probably thinks he's playing. I had a cat who was like that too.
Cats who scratch furniture to sharpen their claws (not a behavioral thing) may end up being "fine" - but - plenty of people who have their fingernails ripped off are "fine" too, but that doesn't make it right to do to someone on purpose.
Just because they cant express pain doesn't mean it doesn't hurt.
Please try "soft claws" or another type of claw cap before you considering declawing. If not, I would try to find someone on Craigslist who will adopt your cat before you consider declawing OR giving him up to a shelter.
@redheadem: The cat will just randomly scratch you out of no where or you will be in her face, too close, near her food/water/toys and she will attack? I'm just curious if she has a pattern with scratching or its random/cause she feels like it. Maybe you can try to break her of this habit before you have children? Obviously you don't want the cat to stratch your future children when they are crawling around. I grew up with lots of cats (4 at one point) around and we never had an issue with scratching people or furniture. But my friend had her cat declawed and she seemed ok. But they were very serious about keeping the cat indoors.
@theredhead: perhaps she didn't say it was her first choice, but she did say:
"I would have to give her away or declaw her before having kids. But she'll probably be put to sleep because she'll be about 8 by then."
She listed two choices there, and that it would have to be one or the other. My mistake if I assume that her first choice would be to declaw the cat rather than to give the cat away to a pound where she thought the cat would be put down.
@OP: when you said you "know all the reasons" not to do it - I thought you meant you got that information by researching it. My apology if you just got it from some other sources. But if despite all that information, you are still considering declawing your cat, then I still think you need to hear these comments. I apologize if you are offended by my feelings, but I can't just stand by and be nice while you are considering putting a helpless animal through such a cruel procedure.
I watched it being done. Imagine cutting your nails, but down at the first knuckle. It was awful and I see why it is now banned in my area.
I would rehome the cat if you don't like that fact that is has claws.
@MissCallieJean: 90 percent of the time, we'll snuggle her and love on her without a problem, so I don't really know what the pattern is. But all it takes is once to really hurt someone, which is what I'm scared of - even if we tried to train her.
I guess I'm out of the norm here but one of our family cats does not have a kind personality. Literally night and day difference from any other cat we've had. She scratched us constantly to the point we had her front paws declawed. She did not have a poor reaction to it but she still has a bad personality. When I go home she won't even let me touch her without hissing. My FI's college roommate had a cat who would be sweet and bite you out of nowhere too. I don't think there's much you can do to change a cats personality....so I understand why you are considering the option.
@MapleBecky: It's not banned in every area, and giving the cat away doesn't prevent it from ever being declawed.
We declawed both of our girls when we got them. I will honestly say that I will never do it again. If I had known then, what I know now, I would not have put them through that pain. I would reccommend soft paws. It's an affordable alternative, and it's not painful. I would also combine that with some training (squirt bottle when she scratches you, showing her were to appropriately scratch, etc). Please check out claw caps before you consider declawing!
It sounds like she might startle easily - cats either scratch or bite when they are startled - so declawing her won't actually solve the problem, she'll just bite instead of scratch. Try the claw caps (your vet will help you put them on), and if that doesn't work, please consider looking for a home for her where they will be OK with her how she is.
@redheadem: hmm that's interesting. Would you be willing to try out the claw caps or something along those lines and see how the cat does with the scratching? Maybe it will help and then you wouldn't have to declaw or rehome.
Every cat we have ever owned has been declawed. The typically wont declaw the back feet though because if a cat does get out, it needs them for protection. But you can ask to have those done too if you want. I think it is a good thing for everybody involved.
Nope, and never would. In fact our shelter made us sign a contract that said we would absolutely never declaw our cat in order to adopt him. If he ever got out of the house and got lost I can't imagine how he would defend himself against other animals.
My parents had my first cat declawed and I'm pretty sure he didn't even notice. They did it with a lazer which is said to be better as it cauterizes the veins as well as the nerves apparently eliminating pain. He didn't seem any different at all, was jumping off couches, climbing.. everything he did before he got declawed immediately after we brought him home.
I can agree that if it's avoidable then try other options but if you have to get it done then pain killers are available to make sure the animal isn't in pain. We do live in an age of modern medical technology afterall.
I had my current dog's dewclaws removed when she was fixed as the breeder hasn't removed them, it's essentially the same procedure as declawing for the dog's dewclaw (thumb). They often get caught/ripped off and that is a way more painful situation. Again, after her sedatives from her spaying wore off she acted totally normal.
We trim our cat's claws. I would try trimming before declawing. It's relatively easy to do, we use toenail clippers and only have to do it once every 3 or 4 weeks. She doesn't do any damage to our furniture and I feel secure that if she were to get out she would be able to take care of herself.
the toenail ciippers worked for us for a while - but they are too smart! They see me open the drawer the clippers are in and FWOOOOOOOOOOOOM WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOSH they've vanished under the couch. Hahaha. Now we lure them in to their carrier with treats and take them to PetSmart every few months. They charge 6 dollars, and its so worth it.
Can't you just have the cat's claws trimmed on a regular basis/get claw caps put on? Much more humane!!!!!
@crayfish: Yes, we'll definitely try other things first. I've really only ever heard negative things about declawing though, so this post was to ask for the other POV.
Although I wouldn't get a cat declawed--my mom had her cat declawed. This cat is pure evil (and I LOVE cats). But my mom loves her so much. My mom wasn't worried about her furniture--the cat loved to scratch people--and my mom was doing breast cancer treatment and on blood thinners and the cat kept scratching my mother and my mom wouldn't stop bleeding. The doctor told her to get rid of the cat! Trimming and soft paws were tried and failed--in the end she wanted to keep the cat, so my mom had her front paws declawed. I still don't like that cat, but she is obviously not scratching and doesn't bite either.
If it is inhumane to put them through this proceedure, it is doubly so to do it to a cat that is already eight years old.
Cats don't bite or scratch for no reason, unless there is something mentally wrong. She is probably giving you warning signs that you are failing to notice. Do some research on cat body language and/or watch some episodes of "My Cat From Hell" featuring cat beahaviorist Jackson Galaxy. There are several episodes where the person claims their cat bites or scratches them for no reason, yet when you see the footage, the cat is clearly uncomfortable and is expressing such, but the person doesn't seem to realize it until BOOM! the cat scratches them and forces them to stop doing what they were doing.
There are many other options out there; amputation shouldn't even be a consideration. MrsJazz's mother had a valid reason for declawing, especially since a tempermental cat likely wouldn't make it out of a shelter alive, and time was of the essence. You have the luxury of the time needed to invest in training. Also, if you are properly supervising interactions between cat and theoretical baby, said baby shouldn't be at risk of getting scratched in the first place.
Have you considered just keeping her nails trimmed fairly short? As long as they're blunted, she won't be able to do much (if any) damage. There are also those rubberized things you put on a cat's claws to cover them.
She's lived eight years with her claws and would probably have a very hard time adapting if you were to declaw her now. I think it would almost be more humane to just put her down, if it's that the only option other than declawing her. :/
@Miss Apricot: I agree 100% with everything you said, especially that it would be doubly inhumane to declaw an 8 year old cat.
We have 2 cats that we adopted as kittens. We clip their nails every few weeks and they have a scratching post. We've never had any problems with them scratching us. I second everything that has been said about trying the nail caps and a water bottle. Please don't declaw the cat.
@redheadem: I agree with PP that there are other things you should try first, like soft paws. But I also wanted to speak up and say I understand your dilemma, and that if they don't work and it ends up being a choice between having her declawed vs. taking her to the pound, don't beat yourself up over having her claws removed. As an ethical pescetarian, I find the outrage many people claim to feel over this issue ridiculous and disingenuous. Seriously, people, you think the animals that got turned into your cat's kibble didn't suffer 20x as much? Or that last night's pork chop had an enviable life? A housecat has it pretty good, and if ultimately you feel that declawing is the solution that allows you to feel like your child will be safest, chances are she'll still be much happier with you than going to a pound/no kill shelter, especially if you find a vet you trust and make sure she gets painkillers not just during the operation but while she's healing.
Good luck--I hope you find something that works!
I've never had a cat that wasn't at least front declawed. My cat now is front/ back declawed but the previous owner did it... I'm glad though because my son would be scratched to death if she wasn't... As long as I have young kids in my home my cats will always be at least front declawed, for safety of the kiddos.
@mrssrm: I don't see how people are being disingenuous or ridiculous, you take an animal in as a pet to be a member of the family, whose well being and comfort you actively promise to make a priority. It's a tad different than a farm raised pork chop or a bag of Kibble. Researching all options until there are non left is always preferable to just saying "Cut it's claws out" as so many do.
How is it disengenous? Thats a silly thing to compare it to. I have ZERO control over the meat industry. I haven't bought red meat in a grocery store for 10 years, but that hasn't stopped them from doing what they do to cows, no matter how I feel about it.
On the other hand, I have ONE HUNDRED PERCENT control over how I treat my cat, who I have chosen to take in to my home. No one is forced to own a cat. No one. So it is not at all "ridiculous" to expect that if you opt to become a pet owner, you are responsible for not inflicting pain and suffering on that animal.
Ha, I would have just wrote "THIS" if I'd seen your post before I wrote mine. ;)
This topic has been closed to new replies.
| Visit our sister sites | eHarmony Online Dating |
eHarmony Advice Dating Advice |
Project Wedding Wedding Songs |
JustMommies Pregnancy Calendar |
Create the honeymoon of your dreams.
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| fivemonthsnotice | 17 |
| ticatica | 14 |
| Mrs. Chai | 12 |
| LammChop | 12 |
| Lyndzo | 12 |
| BellaDee | 12 |
| MrsOliveBird | 11 |
| aussiebee | 11 |
| pinkandsparkly | 10 |
| countrygirl62312 | 8 |
| User | Posts Today |
|---|---|
| pinkandsparkly | 1 |
