(Closed) Declaw or not?

• guffee
• 11 years ago

• Wedding: June 2010

declawing a cat is equivalent to removing the last joint on all of a humans fingers. please dont do it.

• KLP2010
• 11 years ago

• Wedding: October 2010

Just going to say, again, that the mentioning of removing knuckles etc has been stated numerious times on all four pages. (edit, ok, not on this one, but if you read the whole thread (which you should always do before posting anywhere) it’s all over the place.

Quite literally, EVERY opinion on why it shouldn’t happen are all on each page of this thread. See my post at no. 124, page 4 for just a FEW of the many many things that have been pounded into the ground on this thread.

PLEASE LET THIS THREAD DIE

• Helstrong
• 11 years ago

• Wedding: April 2011

I know you’d like to see the thread die, but I’m not going to repeat reasons why people shouldn’t do it.

@Rosie- if you think it’s needed/wanted for your household then do it. There are a MILLION things that we could all argue about being inhumane, etc. 

I’m in the minority and will say that I had my kitten declawed about nine months ago.  I was afraid she’d be diffferent afterwards (as everyone told me she would) but she’s EXACTLY the same personality wise. She still jumps, plays, everything.  I wouldn’t change my mind and if I got another cat I’d have it declawed too.

You can all judge me now.

• MightySapphire
• 11 years ago

@KLP: Unless you’re the OP, I don’t think it’s fair to ask the thread to die.  If the OP wants it to stop being discussed we will gladly close it for her.

@Everyone else: I know there are a lot of responses, but the best help would be to read the responses, so you can add something to the conversation.  She needs help keeping her cat from scratching.  If you have some help to offer, please post below.

• lilyfaith
• 11 years ago

• Wedding: June 2012

@KLP – sorry, I actually read your post above before responding, but I think there’s just an inherent need to defend oneself even if others have already stepped up. Declawing has not been widely talked about before the past couple of years, around here at least. It’s just been considered normal. So to attack people who may be hearing about the evils of declawing for the first time (and who may have very loved pets who are members of the family who were previously declawed) deserves as many responses as people it offended and hurt. 

Just my two cents. I won’t drag this out more, but I really felt the need to step in and defend myself because there are way better ways to go about educating others on declawing (which you and many other posters gladly did. unfortunately the inconsiderate people tend to stick out.)

• cannotwait
• 11 years ago

“Spaying and neutering animals is much less painful and invasive. The recovery is fairly quick.”  Just wanted to make sure that people know spaying is very invasive.  Ask any woman who had a hysterectomy what they thought.

I do think in an ideal world there would be no declaws.  However, if it meant that even an extra 1% of cats wouldn’t be put down in shelters, I might be for it.  However, IF you are going to do it, (not saying you should) then you really shouldn’t do ALL 4.

My sister is a vet who spends her day off working at a shelter, and she has still does declaws.  I don’t think she is evil.  I think when you see how many cats have to be put down, then this might be the lesser evil.  Again, I think it’s ideal to not do the declaw.  I always grew up with cats, but can’t have one due to hubs allergies, so I won’t have to make this decision for myself, though.  Anyway, I think the fact that people who LOVE animals and work in (unfortunately) high kill shelters aren’t anti-declaw should at least give others pause.  We SHOULDN’T declaw, but we also SHOULDN’T have so many pets to euthanize.  🙁  So, I try to avoid *shoulds*/ideals in such debates.

• KLP2010
• 11 years ago

• Wedding: October 2010

MightySapphire I should have clarified. it’s not that the thread itself needs to die, it’s the fact that all 4 pages are pretty much the same thing. The OP has heard a bazillion times what declawing actually is, what it does, and what it can induce behavior wise. I’m basically asking the same as you, that bee’s READ the thread, see that many people have offered the same critique and move on. It’s not helping to repeat over and over for 4 pages that it is removing the knuckle, or what if someone chopped off your fingers at the knuckle? But if people have actual information to help the OP that would be awesome. (ETA:Like above)

If not, then let it die. If you do than please help her.

That’s what I was trying to get at. 

Besides, my experience has also been in heated threads that when they repeat too much, they get shut down… I don’t want to see it actually shut down, I want to see it progress or die a natural death.

• bobbypinpearls
• 11 years ago

• Wedding: July 2010

I haven’t read any of the other posts so i’m sorry if I repeat anything! But I think since you do have a little boy it would probably be better that you do get him declawed, just make sure he never gets away from ya’ll because if a big bad tom cat trys to fight, he really won’t have any way to defend himself. You may also want to consider getting him fixed!

Good luck and congrats on your new kitty!!

• bouquetofphotos
• 11 years ago

WOW! I had no idea how declawing a cat affected it. I feel like a more educated person now, thank you.

I also have an inkling that that might be what is wrong with my poor little sister’s cat who is nutso! We can’t think of anything else — but sometimes you just get a weird one regardless.

• marywil1
• 11 years ago

• Wedding: December 2015

Don’t its very cruel!!!!!!!!!!!!

• BlissBound
• 11 years ago

• Wedding: November 2010

Growing up our cats were declawed and were only inside cats.  When I got my own kitten as an adult I planned to have him declawed as well, but was not able to get done at the time I had him neutered.  I had always heard to do it all at once while they are young. 

Well after he was neutered I couldn’t bring myself to having him declawed a few weeks later and canceled the appointment.  The longer I waited the less it was an option for me because I just didn’t want to see him in pain.  My big furry baby boy still has his claws today and is completely an indoor cat.  Yes he does scratch things that drives me crazy but there is no way I’m having it done this late.  I can’t even imagine trying to get those softpaws on him lol, he wouldn’t have it and has the nerve not to enjoy scratching posts either.  When I get new furniture though I will try to give the softpaws a go maybe a groomer can put them on for me.  Whatever decision you make just give it some good thought as I’m sure you are doing now 🙂

• Mr. Bee
• 11 years ago

This thread has been closed at the request of the original poster…