Declawing an indoor cat....?

[RonnieJo66]

I recently got a kitten and wanted to know if anyone here on the DIS had ever had their "indoor" cat declawed. I have not decided either way

On one hand it seems like it might be cruel (dunno) but on the other hand I don't want her ruining my furniture.


Anyone have experience either way?

 

[CheshireVal]

Cats = living, breathing, feeling creatures.

Furniture= inanimate objects. Stuff.


Please don't declaw your kitty.

 

[JennyMominRI]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH
running away with hands in the air

 

[Feralpeg]

Both of my indoor cats are declawed. Be prepared. This is a very hot topic.

 

[sajetto]

Declawing is not just removing claws, they have to cut off the cat's first joint. This is incredibly cruel and I beg you not to do this to your poor kitty. Imagine how you would feel having to live the rest of your life walking on nubs.

 

[N.Bailey]

Oh NO, mentioning declawing is worse than swearing around here.

I know I'll get flamed, but we did have our cat declawed. It certainly wasn't to save our furnishings though. I gave the cat almost a year and my family just had cuts all over their arms constantly. Many times up our legs too as the cat tried to climb you. My husband had been sliced so deep that I thought he should have had stitches, but he wouldn't go. My dog (who loves our cat) was constantly yelping when the cat would claw the dog inside her mouth. Our cat isn't viscous, she did try to retract her claws when she'd play, but it wasn't always enough.

I know most will tell you not to do it, and to be honest, I wouldn't use it as a first choice. There are alternatives that you can try first, but if you get to a point where you declaw the cat, or the cat has to go, IMO, you should declaw the cat. Ours doesn't seem to resent us at all and as a matter of fact, she enjoys that everyone really likes playing with her more now.

My vet wasn't against it either and IMO, that's someone you should turn to for guidance.

 

[RonnieJo66]

Both of my indoor cats are declawed. Be prepared. This is a very hot topic.

I have in no way decided on what to do....I am only asking.



Feralpeg: How did it affect your cat? Any adverse reactions?

 

[RadioNate]

You are going to get A LOT of heated responses and you'll probally be flamed. Just letting you know.

We got a kitten in Oct and got her one of those huge scratching posts. She hasn't tried the furnature. Give her a place where it is ok to scrach and she'll leave the not ok places along.

I also have an indoor cat that is declawed. It was a requirement of out apartment complex and at the time declawing wasn't as frowned upon as it is now. Knowing what I know now I regret the decision. My poor kitty is constantly terrified of the world around him and he bites if people scare him. I do think the trama of the declawing changed him.

 

[Poohbear123]

Oh NO, mentioning declawing is worse than swearing around here.

I know I'll get flamed, but we did have our cat declawed. It certainly wasn't to save our furnishings though. I gave the cat almost a year and my family just had cuts all over their arms constantly. Many times up our legs too as the cat tried to climb you. My husband had been sliced so deep that I thought he should have had stitches, but he wouldn't go. My dog (who loves our cat) was constantly yelping when the cat would claw the dog inside her mouth. Our cat isn't viscous, she did try to retract her claws when she'd play, but it wasn't always enough.

I know most will tell you not to do it, and to be honest, I wouldn't use it as a first choice. There are alternatives that you can try first, but if you get to a point where you declaw the cat, or the cat has to go, IMO, you should declaw the cat. Ours doesn't seem to resent us at all and as a matter of fact, she enjoys that everyone really likes playing with her more now.

My vet wasn't against it either and IMO, that's someone you should turn to for guidance.

Yes, mine is declawed also, but I have recently read its like: "Cutting the tips of a Human's fingers off" when you de-claw a cat. Miss Tiggie is 9 and doing just fine without hers.

 

[sajetto]

My vet refuses to declaw and he is the one who told me that in order to do it, he has to cut to the joint. He suggested the use of "claw caps" they are easy to apply and the cat never has minded them.

 

[Disney MAINEiac]

Well I'm no animal rights promoter or anything, i hunt i fish, but I believe in doing both in the most humane way possible. i can't imagine having all my finger tips cut of below the first knuckles being very pleasant

 

[RonnieJo66]

Thank you everyone for your opinions.


Please remember that I am only asking to acquire information. I don't believe that I will do it. Just wanted to confirm what I already thought.

 

[gradtchr]

We have one cat who we would not still own if we had not had him declawed. He didn't scratch furniture he scratched us and tore us to pieces. We worked with an animal behaviorist, training, and the vet before we arrived at our decision. It was a long talk and a lot of discussion and was our last resort. Simba is perfectly fine and we do not regret our decision. Our other cat still has all of his claws and is fine with them and has never scratched us.

For me personally that decision would really depend on your cats personality and how they acted. I would then have a long talk with the vet and doing research on your own. I would not have declawed Simba if he had a different personality. It was not something that my husband (fiance at the time) and I took lightly.

 

[lowie]

I recently got a kitten and wanted to know if anyone here on the DIS had ever had their "indoor" cat declawed. I have not decided either way

On one hand it seems like it might be cruel (dunno) but on the other hand I don't want her ruining my furniture.


Anyone have experience either way?

i had my first cat, dylan, declawed. he's a sphinx and has very deep pads on his paws. he ended up having to stay at the animal hospital for days. it was a mess that i had no idea could/would happen. i swore to never do it again. so now my 2nd kitty is happily ruining most of my furniture. even with scratching posts! but she's cute so i put up with it...
now... if you wanna talk about circumsizing..... i wonder how many people would NEVER declaw a cat but circumsize their sons?? ::::runnin' and duckin':::

 

[Diva of Dragons]

Hi!

I personally would have a hard time de-clawing. We have 6 cats, a couple of scratching posts and we cut their claws every 2 weeks. It's really easy to do! No problem!!

 

[RonnieJo66]

Thank you everyone for your opinions. I received the information I was looking for.

 

[escape]

Should you decide to have your cat declawed, please make sure it will be done using laser technology. I've read and heard that this was the more humane way of doing it.

 

[SDFgirl]

Okay, I'm sure I will get flamed here, but I had my two indoor cats declawed (front only) and I don't regret it.

Let me preface this by saying: I see declawing as a LAST RESORT only. When I moved in with my DH (fiance at the time) my cats immediately started shredding his brand new furniture. We tried everything under the sun - scratching post, making loud noises when they scratched, etc. Nothing worked. Believe me.

So I tormented myself for weeks about to declaw or not to declaw. I hated the idea with a passion. I talked to my vet, friends, etc. I have a friend who has two declawed cats and he said that there was no difference in his cats.

After much deliberation I decided to do it. It killed me. I paid for the extra pain meds so they would suffer as little as possible.

And honestly - aside from some tenderness the first two or three days - the cats are exactly the same as they were before, except now they can play with us and be on the couch without a Coke can full of pennies being shaken at them. They are very affectionate to us and to each other. They play ALL THE TIME with us and each other. I don't even think they noticed. In fact, they still "scratch" at things like the wicker hamper and the couch. They don't seem to be in any pain as they jump from and to high surfaces (like the top of the fridge) with enthusiasm. If their paws were hurting, I'd know.

Like I said, I don't think it should be an automatic procedure. It's much better to try all the other options first. There are certainly a lot of downsides - my cats can NEVER go outside because they can't defend themselves as well. But I don't think it's the extreme animal cruelty some people make it out to be.

Just my opinion. I love my cats very much and their welfare and happiness is a top concern of mine. I know others disagree with me, but I honestly believe it can be an option after other behavior techniques fail.

 

[ShannonRT]

Both my cats were declawed in the front with the laser technology without any problems. My vet explained with the laser, they joint does not have to be removed. Walking on their front paws is no different than walking on the back ones. They spent 1 night at the vet and came home the next day, but this was due to the anesthesia, not their paws. There was absolutely no bleeding or pain involved. They don't even know they don't have claws, as they constantly "scratch" the furniture. They don't go outside, but the vet explained to me that cats with only back claws can still climb trees if they get into trouble.

 

[Feralpeg]

I have in no way decided on what to do....I am only asking.



Feralpeg: How did it affect your cat? Any adverse reactions?

No problems at all. They didn't move around the first day. By the next day, they were all over the place. I really felt the most uncomfortable part of it for them was having the bandages on their feet. They didn't like them.

I know that many people don't believe in this. I am a big animal person myself, but a person must do what they feel is right for their pets. Let's try not to blast the OP too much.