Declawing cat or soft paws?

[SaraJayne]

thank you for all your replies and information. I did try to cut his nails but now he seems to scratch more, maybe I didn't cut them short enough?

Even cats that don't have claws "scratch". It's their way of leaving their scent on places familiar to them.

 

[MomToOne]

I use SoftPaws on my current cat, and I love them. BUT - your cat needs to be one that will cooperate with having their paws handled. First you have to trim the nail, then glue on the SoftPaw. My current cat is fine with all that. But I've had other cats that would have torn me to shreds had I tried doing any of that!!

Be aware the SoftPaws do come off when the nail naturally sheds (can be any time, it's just luck of the draw as to how long after you put them on that is) and they can also come off if they didn't get glued on well to start with, so you need to keep watch for when you need to put new ones on. I've bought them on eBay for much cheaper than I can get them at the pet store.

 

[britfish]

I use SoftPaws on my current cat, and I love them. BUT - your cat needs to be one that will cooperate with having their paws handled. First you have to trim the nail, then glue on the SoftPaw. My current cat is fine with all that. But I've had other cats that would have torn me to shreds had I tried doing any of that!!

Be aware the SoftPaws do come off when the nail naturally sheds (can be any time, it's just luck of the draw as to how long after you put them on that is) and they can also come off if they didn't get glued on well to start with, so you need to keep watch for when you need to put new ones on. I've bought them on eBay for much cheaper than I can get them at the pet store.

he let me trim them so hopefully he will be ok with it. I think I'll go ahead and try them. Do you put them on yourself?

 

[canadianjovigirl]

We have 2 cats. The oldest (13) female is declawed as she was terrible at destroying things and we continually asked our vet for help and suggestions to get her to stop as she loved to shred the wood trim around doors etc and we were in the process of building a house and she needed to stop before we moved and had all new furniture. Nothing we tried with her worked and the vet suggested declawing her front paws as he said some cats are climbers/clawers just like some kids are more demanding. Reluctantly we agreed as it was either that or get rid of the cat. She has never had any behavior issues due to it.

Our other cat (9) male is not declawed as he uses the scratching posts and we had no issues with him so it was not necessary to consider any other options.

I too did not like the idea of declawing my cat, but when it came down to that or getting rid of her the decision was easy as we refused to live with shredded furniture and the cat climbing the door frames and shredding them to pieces. Both cats go outside minimally and we make sure the declawed cat is in at night as she cannot defend herself.

 

[furb & dez]

If your cat is clawing your furniture, it's a behavioral issue. Train them not to. There are plenty of books, resources, etc. for you to learn from.

Put me firmly on the side of 'declawing is barbarous'. Amputating your cats fingers because of an instinctual behavior is like removing the tongue of a child that talks too much. Both are behaviors that can easily be changed if you aren't a freakin' lazy selfish euphemism.

 

[YO's Mom]

The OP and others who might read this thread deserve to read responses from people who have successfully and painlessly declawed a cat

Your declawing of your cats may have been "successful" and I’m sure totally painless – for YOU. Your cats, however, would tell a different story – if they could talk. Declawing requires cutting off the last bone of the cat’s claw to prevent the claw from coming back. There is no humane way to do this. It’s great that you left your cats in a vets care until their wounds healed, but the pain didn’t end just because their little stumps were no longer bloody. Living without claws is painful for cats. They can feel the loss with every step they take. The reason a lot of cats (note I said “a lot” not all) start peeing all over the house is because stepping on the litter in the litter box causes them too much pain.

You are, of course, free to declaw your cat if you want and can find a vet still willing to do it. However, please don’t try to delude others into believing that this is not a big deal to the cat. He will live with the pain of your decision every day for the rest of his life.

 

[SaraJayne]

Your declawing of your cats may have been "successful" and I’m sure totally painless – for YOU. Your cats, however, would tell a different story – if they could talk. Declawing requires cutting off the last bone of the cat’s claw to prevent the claw from coming back. There is no humane way to do this. It’s great that you left your cats in a vets care until their wounds healed, but the pain didn’t end just because their little stumps were no longer bloody. Living without claws is painful for cats. They can feel the loss with every step they take. The reason a lot of cats (note I said “a lot” not all) start peeing all over the house is because stepping on the litter in the litter box causes them too much pain.

You are, of course, free to declaw your cat if you want and can find a vet still willing to do it. However, please don’t try to delude others into believing that this is not a big deal to the cat. He will live with the pain of your decision every day for the rest of his life.

And you would know this how? You just said cats can't talk.

I'm secure in the decision I made for my cats and my home, and any opinions expressed in this thread won't change my mind a bit. I will continue to declaw any cats I have in the future. You are free to choose differently.

Many, many vets do declawing. In fact, I've never found one that won't do it.

 

[mhsjax]

We have had 2 cats. One came to us declawed and one we had done. My vet has no problem with it and specialize in cats, in fact they only see cats, because they are such cat lovers and don't want them to mix with dogs.

Anyway, she gave mine some pain meds that were new and she said worked like a dream, but for some reason a lot of vets didn't want to use it. I brought my little fur baby home the next day and gave her her pain meds. She purred and jumped and played from the moment I brought her home, in fact I had to carry her around some so she wouldn't play too much. She never bit or peed in the house, she was a wonderful kitty.

I have a friend that doesn't declaw, her carpet and furniture is all town up, and one of her cats is mean as a snake. So I don't buy into a declawed cat will bite and act out.

If I do ever get another one, it will be declawed and then lead a very spoiled rotten life. My other cat was quite happy for her time with us, and I am sure any future cat that we may have will also be very happy.

 

[jls886]

OP - what kind of scratch posts do you have for your kitten?? I ask because I have had 2 cats now and neither one of them scratches ANYTHING except their scratch posts.

My first cat I found on the street (obviously had had a home and was abandoned). I got her a cardboard scratch board that was low to the ground, but she still seemed to love scratching the wallpaper. Then I figured out that she just like to reach up and stretch (think scratching a tree) so I went to Petco and bought her the tallest scratch post they sold. Then anytime she was in scratch mode, I would pick her up and carry her to the scratch post so she could scratch. She got the picture very quickly and
started using that exclusively for her scratching.

This second cat I got as a kitten...thought I would never survive the kitten years! He was quite rambunctious and loved to hop around on anything he could find...and also loved to scratch anything he could find (usually furniture). Same idea with him - I got a very tall scratch post for him as well, and when he would get in his scratch position on the furniture I would pick him up mid-scratch and take him to the scratch post. He is now the most well-behaved cat (you would never know what a terror he was!) and he literally scratches nothing but his post.

This is the post that I have now and I love it. There are others that are made of carpet that I had in the beginning. But then you end up with carpet shreddings all over the floor, and if your cat is like mine he'll love to eat the carpet shreddings

http://www.petco.com/product/12529/...ng-Post.aspx?CoreCat=MM_CatSupplies_Furniture

 

[jls886]

I'll add on about declawing:

No way is it my first choice...I will do anything I possibly can before having a cat declawed (which I have never had to do). But, I would rather declaw a cat then give them up or take them to a shelter. A cat would rather lead a happy declawed life than a life of uncertainty in a shelter.

 

[pixiechick]

The shelter we adopted from makes you sign to say that you won't do it. And my vet strongly discourages it for all of the reasons listed previously.

We did have our first cat declawed (before we realized how painful the procedure was was, and before we understood that it wasn't just removing a nail.) She didn't ruin any furniture, instead she became a biter.

My kid forgets to trim his nails, maybe I should amputate his fingertips.... rolleyes:

 

[britfish]

Thanks for all the advice. Its interesting one person says all cats scratch to mark their terriotory and someone else says its a behavioral issue.
I think we have him stopped from scratching the furniture by squirting him with water. I think the problem more is that he is full of energy and literally bounds from furniture to furniture and his claws scratch it.

I have a carpet scratch post and a cardboard one that sits on the floor but he wants nothing to do with either of them. Maybe I will try the other one that is shown in that link.

I really appreciate all the advice

 

[thereallolo]

If your cat is clawing your furniture, it's a behavioral issue. Train them not to. There are plenty of books, resources, etc. for you to learn from.

Put me firmly on the side of 'declawing is barbarous'. Amputating your cats fingers because of an instinctual behavior is like removing the tongue of a child that talks too much. Both are behaviors that can easily be changed if you aren't a freakin' lazy selfish euphemism.

You can't be serious here? So everyone that declaws their cat is a freakin lazy selfish euphemism?

Maybe you should get off your name calling high horse and give the OP more feedback instead of just spewing from the mouth. Cats clawing furniture is not a "behavioral issue." It's a natural behavior. While us humans might see it as an undesirable behavior, it is 100% natural. Also, cat's aren't easily trainable like dogs are, so don't act like it's easy.

To the OP, I trimmed and used SoftPaws on my cat. She took well to the SoftPaws. Only downside is the difficulty putting them on. I would definitely give them try before choosing declawing. Also, one tip on the trimming, do not trim the nails back too far. Stay away form the pink and avoid the quick.

 

[PatriciaH]

I do not understand why someone would even want a cat if they have to declaw it. It is not just removing the claw. If you remove a fingernail on a person it will grow back. Same with a cat claw. Think about it. If you remove the top of a persons finger-no fingernail will grow back. Same thing for a cat.

 

[las3888]

I will just chime in that scratch pads that work well for my clawed cats are the cardboard corrugated flat kind that lays on the floor. If you sprinkle a little catnip on them from time to time, they love to scratch as well as lay on them. My cats also like to scratch certain areas of carpet as well as the end of our couch.

We grew up with declawed cats (back then it wasn't really tabboo) and they never acted out or did anything strange. They didn't act like they were in pain or missing their fingers in any way that I could tell.

The last 2 cats I adopted prior to the 2 I have now came with one front declawed and the other with all her nails. They acted the same and I could see why the previous owner declawed the one because he had more of a tendency to scratch the the other one did. They were both mild mannered well behaved kitties.

We trim our cat's nails and it only does so much. I would consider the soft paws if it didn't last for such a short duration.

 

[Hellothemouse]

As my signature shows I have two cats, Soma came to me as an adult cat without front claws and it's so sad, she still tries to scratch the scratching posts and her paws look all deformed when she tries to "bake bread" it totally breaks my heart. Luckily she is not a runner so I don't have to worry much about her ever getting outside and not being able to defend herself.

Moxie however I got as a kitten so I've started clipping her claws since day one. However, she did scratch up one of my canvas-like couches up. DH mentioned getting a leather couch and joked about having Moxie declawed and I reminded him when he married me, the cats and I were a packaged deal and part of that package is Moxie's claws!

When we do get new furniture I will probably do Soft Paws.

I thought that was a cats instinct even if they are or are not declawed

 

[NYEmomma]

OP, if you choose to declaw your cat, make sure that the veterinarian uses pain medication & does the removal by laser. With laser the procedure is far less traumatic & painful and the recovery is much, much quicker. There is rarely even any bleeding at all when it's performed with a laser. Old school veterinarians still use instruments that are similar to nail clippers & that's where you hear most of the horrors stories re: extreme pain & bleeding from.

I worked for a veterinarian for a number of years and have never once heard of any correlation between declawed cats and behavior problems. Cats the urinate on the floor typically have a bladder infection or there has been some type of major life event that has caused the behavior issue (i.e. introduction of a new pet or baby, move into a new home, owner has new schedule, etc.). Or there aren't enough litter boxes for the number of cats in the house. I've never heard of or read a single study that supports this claim & doubt one exists, though it is possible that I'm wrong.

I'm a fairly staunch animal rights supporter but after spending a number of years watching & participating in declaw procedures I am not fundamentally against them. I know what an animal in pain looks like & I have seen very, very few animals that have exhibited signs of pain after being declawed. Is it possible? Of course. Could something go wrong? Of course. Every cat is different and every procedure is different. I'm just relating to you my own experiences.

Both of my cats are declawed and I am comfortable with my decision and with the care they received before, during & after their procedure. They exhibited no signs of pain immediately after nor do they show any lasting effects today. (or behavior problems)

However, if you find the soft paws easy to use & your cat doesn't seem to be bothered with them, that's certainly a great alternative that's much less invasive (though I'm not sure the cost differences in long term use).

ETA: If your kitty does well with having her claws cut but you don't feel comfortable doing it (or if she does marginally well even and you just don't like struggling with her), most vet offices will cut their nails for you. It's usually just a nominally fee and is done in a few minutes by a tech or assistant.

 

[jls886]

I think the problem more is that he is full of energy and literally bounds from furniture to furniture and his claws scratch it.

In that case, trimming his claws or using the Soft Paws would probably be your best bet. My kitten was the same way - he thought that bouncing on my down comforter was the the most fun thing he could do! Luckily I had an old duvet cover that I left on the bed, because it is now full of little kitten claw holes. I couldn't hate him for it, he was just being a kitten. I will say that if it is the energetic part of him causing the problems, he will likely grow out of it. I thought mine never would but he really is now the calmest, sweetest little cat. I thought he would never grow out of that kitten phase!

 

[Hellothemouse]

Cats who are declawed tend to have a lot of behavioral problems. While your cat would not be clawing things all the time, peeing all over is a common (pretty much unstopable) problem that cats who are declawed have much more commonly.
I have a 4 year old cat that I use softclaw on. I tend to use them for a couple of months, then she realizes that clawing things is not as satisfying, then I am able to leave them off for a couple of months until her clawing starts up again. She does not really mind them, and application is easy once you (and your cat) get the hang of it.

Clearly this isn't the case with all cats as mine isn't like that

Respectfully, that is your opinion and I don't agree with it.

Cats are not human beings. They are animals. Removing a claw surgically and using appropriate pain meds so that the animal does not suffer is a perfectly legitimate and responsible action to take. The inflammatory language used by anti-declawing groups and individuals does not change my mind.

I will continue to declaw my pet cats if I should have others in the future. My current cats are 4 and 6 and I won't have more than two at a time, so I hope we are many, many years in the future before I have to choose this option for a new cat. But if that time comes, I will most certainly choose it.

This! So one would ask should we all treat animals (even goldfish which have an iq that is quite small) the same as humans?

Your declawing of your cats may have been "successful" and I’m sure totally painless – for YOU. Your cats, however, would tell a different story – if they could talk. Declawing requires cutting off the last bone of the cat’s claw to prevent the claw from coming back. There is no humane way to do this. It’s great that you left your cats in a vets care until their wounds healed, but the pain didn’t end just because their little stumps were no longer bloody. Living without claws is painful for cats. They can feel the loss with every step they take. The reason a lot of cats (note I said “a lot” not all) start peeing all over the house is because stepping on the litter in the litter box causes them too much pain.

You are, of course, free to declaw your cat if you want and can find a vet still willing to do it. However, please don’t try to delude others into believing that this is not a big deal to the cat. He will live with the pain of your decision every day for the rest of his life.

Most of the ones around here do it, if they didn't I would be finding a different vet.
The big thing around here is laser declawing. Yes its more money but its faster and less painful for the animal

 

[SaraJayne]

I will just chime in that scratch pads that work well for my clawed cats are the cardboard corrugated flat kind that lays on the floor. If you sprinkle a little catnip on them from time to time, they love to scratch as well as lay on them. My cats also like to scratch certain areas of carpet as well as the end of our couch.

We grew up with declawed cats (back then it wasn't really tabboo) and they never acted out or did anything strange. They didn't act like they were in pain or missing their fingers in any way that I could tell.

The last 2 cats I adopted prior to the 2 I have now came with one front declawed and the other with all her nails. They acted the same and I could see why the previous owner declawed the one because he had more of a tendency to scratch the the other one did. They were both mild mannered well behaved kitties.

We trim our cat's nails and it only does so much. I would consider the soft paws if it didn't last for such a short duration.

It isn't taboo now.