? for all cat lovers? To declaw or not?

[Lisa loves Pooh]

I'll just say one more thing and then I will shut up. If someone would send a cat to the pound (to perhaps be put to sleep) for scratching and damaging a piece of furniture, then maybe a cat isn't the best pet for you to have in the first place.

That's really not a fair thing to say. Kitties have very different personalities. And if you are a "cat" person and adopt a cat with the best of intentions and despite your measures, the clawing problem is too much of a problem...some are saying declaw rather than take to the pound.

Different animals have their different challenges and whether or not to use a very legal procedure in the US is a personal decision and does not make you unfit to own a cat.

I've never heard of anyone having a cat euthanized for scratching. Perhaps you are reading more into everyone's post than necessary.

 

[emmoms]

My cat would claw the carpet and furniture when he was younger. We trained him to not do that by using the spray water bottle technique and providing a sisal rope covered post for him to use. We physically moved him to it when he started clawing at anything inappropriate.

About a year ago he was diagnosed with Feline Hyperesthesia Syndrome. One of the symptoms of this syndrome is self-mutilation. He began by biting his tail and progressed to clawing at it when we used an E-collar to keep him from the biting. He actually tore a 2 1/2 inch gash in his tail that required 14 stitches to close. Our vet is against declawing and recommended that we use SoftPaws on his claws. These are inexpensive - I've purchased them both from the vet's office and from a variety of pet stores and they are easy to use. I clip Oscar claws - a recommendation that all cat owners should do regularly - and then using super glue, slip a plastic cover over each claw. They last for about two months and fall off naturally as the claw/nail grows out. We repeat the process as necessary. Oscar isn't hurting himself - or any of our furniture! - any more.

 

[Sleepy]

I have had all of my cats declawed. Will declaw all future cats as well. They are perfectly fine and were unchanged emotioanlly. It;s a personal decision and you should not let anyone make you afraid to have it done.

 

[Sleepy]

Does anyone have a cat that bites his/her own nails? When we were in a moving stage last year, my cat of course sensed something was going on. He just about had all of his nails bitten as if they had been filed. We even watched him do it one night. It was extremely odd behavior.

 

[SDFgirl]

This is only your opinion. My vet and I are very happy with the decision of declawing. As I have said earlier....it does NOT alter the cat's personality if done at an early age(and sometimes not at all) and recovery time is minimal (especially with the laser technique).

You're right, that IS only my opinion. Isn't that what the Disboards are all about? I DO think it should only be used as a last resort.

Also, I did state in my post that I did declaw my cats after much thought, and I don't think it had any negative impact on them at all. But I just think that people shouldn't automatically declaw their cats unless they've really, really thought it out. I think it's better to leave them on if possible. But I don't think it's as horrible and cruel as some people say.

 

[N.Bailey]

This is a very heated topic around here, but here is what I plan on doing.

We got a kitten about mid July. The kittens were strays and I just felt so bad that I couldn't say no to keeping her. Right now, I so want to have her declawed. We all pretty much have has scratch marks all over out bodies. The cat tries to climb up your leg and she could care less if you've got pants on. I raised a squirrel once (turned him loose once he could survive on his own) and he ALWAYS did this too. Let me tell you, it's VERY painful. My dog also has scratches inside her mouth from playing with the cat constantly too. I realize she's just being a kitten, so we all try to overlook it as much as possible, but it's pretty tough at times.

For now, I don't plan on having her declawed. As she gets older, we're seeing these things less and less, but they're still happening. If she outgrows it in the next couple of months, we will not have this procedure done to her. If we see things aren't likely to change, we've already decided we'll have her declawed. I just don't want to punish her right now for doing things that any kitten would do.

I understand the mere mention of declawing opens you up for bashing, but hey, my family has to live with this cat and we all love her dearly. I'm just not willing to have scratches all the time and I certainly don't want my kids and our dog having them either.

 

[MickeysMommy]

Please do not declaw cats.

 

[CheshireVal]

Stuff is just stuff. Inanimate objects.

A kitty is a kitty. A life.

Stuff should not be more important than a living, breathing thing.

Just my opinion.

 

[emmoms]

Does anyone have a cat that bites his/her own nails? When we were in a moving stage last year, my cat of course sensed something was going on. He just about had all of his nails bitten as if they had been filed. We even watched him do it one night. It was extremely odd behavior.

Yes. Oscar will bite his own nails. It's kinda weird and cute. And yes, he does tend to do it more when he's anxious about something -- and there's lots that this silly sweet cat gets anxious over!

 

[mrsltg]

I have declawed (front paws only) all of my cats and plan to continue doing so. A cat with claws is a deal-breaker in my house. The choice is euthanasia (as I only take rescues) or declawing. I think declawing is preferrable.

Erin

 

[HollyJoy]

Such a hot topic! We have two indoor cats that have destroyed two sofas, are scratching at our wooden doors (when they see squirrels outside) and just about every basket I own! It has become a big problem. We have tried the spray bottle of water, takes care of the behavior IN THAT VERY MOMENT, but they continue to do it. We bought a scratching post for them, but they really didn't use it... come to find out, it was made with carpet.??? Cats couldn't tell the difference. Now we have a flat cardboard thing for them to scratch, they love it. We also found these fake claws for them. They are a plastic, and you glue them onto their existing claws. they don't hinder their little exercises, and are safe. We checked with our vet first, and she agreed that this was a great alternative to declawing.

With this being said, I can completely understand the op's feeling because we are in the same boat. My DH is getting tired of all the furniture being destroyed, and has gone round and round with the declawing thing vs. finding them a new home.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

yep, this is always a hot DIS topic.

I'll just say what I've always said. I've owned three cats. Many years ago we had all three of them declawed. We did try all the recommendations, keeping their claws clipped, scratching posts , behavior modification stuff -- it didn't work and they had gone through thousands of dollars of damage to our hosue.

The operations were done under anesthetic. They came home the next day. The bandages were on for -- I think maybe 2 more days. They were walking fine the next day, ate fine the next day...other than having their front claws wrapped up in gauze, you wouldn't have known anything was wrong with them.

Once the bandages came off, they were exactly the same cats. The still scratched away at my furniture constantly, they just couldn't rip it up. All three of the cats lived very long and happy lives. It was a positive experience.

If I were going to have another cat -- which I'm not anyway so it is a moot point --- I'd declaw if it were a scratcher.

 

[Pete's Mom]

Debated a long time over having Luigi (our indoor cat) front declawed but finally decided it was the best. It wasn't a matter of having my stuff destroyed because he never really clawed anything in the house, but rather of our safety. Our cat had a tendency of "attacking" us and sinking his claws in and scratching us up pretty badly, especially at night while we slept. It was either having him declawed or having him put down. No one would have adopted him.

No problems now, although I think he still holds a grudge for having his meatballs removed.

 

[Honeibee]

Please do not declaw. Check out SoftPaws. They are little covers you can get put on their claws.

 

[Pete's Mom]

Please do not declaw. Check out SoftPaws. They are little covers you can get put on their claws.

That's a good suggestion, although they we like Lee Press On Nails for Luigi and I even paid big bucks to have them "professionally" done.

 

[Planogirl]

Please do not declaw. Check out SoftPaws. They are little covers you can get put on their claws.

I was wondering why more people aren't using the SoftPaws. We've been lucky with our cats but if I had a problem scratcher and couldn't break the habit, I'd certainly look into them. It's better than amputating their toes IMO.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

it is worth a try certainly.
I tried that or something similar, I really can't remember, on our cats. The cats were able to remove them pretty easily.

But that was many years ago and they were kind of a new thing then. I'm sure they have been improved.

 

[gradtchr]

It is a personal choice. We made the choice to declaw one of our cats. If we hadn't he would no longer be living with us. Our arms, legs, hands, would not have been able to keep him around. He didn't scratch our furniture just us. We talked long and hard with the vet and were given several things to try before we made the final decision. We went back and talked to the vet again when the tactics didn't work and asked him quite honestly what would he do if he were us. He looked at us and said I would have declawed him three months ago you have a wild indian who isn't going to change. That was the end of that and the claws were clipped off. We don't regret it one iota!

Now for our new cat he still has his claws and he knows when and how to use them. There are no issues with him as he has a totally different personality.

I do NOT regret declawing Simba and for him I would do it again in a heartbeat. Pooh's however are doing fine so no need to.

 

[jbdreamer]

I don't think you need to declaw your cats. I personally think it's kind of mean. Did you know in parts of Europe it's actually illegal.

We have two cats (actually just adopted one this weekend) and they both still have their claws. Our first cat started to scratch at our couch, so I bought her one of those cardboard scratching blocks and put it by the same spot. She uses that now instead.

The new kitten has scratched at the carpet, but if you clap your hands loudly he'll stop. We hope to train him out of it. The vet was happy to hear that I wasn't going to declaw him.

Cats need someplace to scratch, and if you don't supply them with a scratching post, they'll find their own. Keeping their claws trimmed will also help a lot. I trim my cat's nails every two weeks.

 

[maryisme]

About two years ago, my DD found a stray, sick kitten. She couldn't have been more than 4 weeks old. She was nearly frozen when we found her. Anyway, we didn't have a cat and didn't want a cat but I just couldn't leave her there to die. Fast forward a couple of months and nearly a thousand dollars, she eventually recovered and we kept her.

At the time, I was prepared to have her declawed but was first going to give her a chance. We got her a couple of scratching posts which we started using as soon as she had the strength ( it took her a couple of months to recover). I would put her paws on it and rub them up and down the post and praise her - give her treats etc.. Thankfully, we didn't have to declaw her as that is all she uses.

However, if this didn't work I would have declawed her as I can't see allowing her to destroy our furntiure. I would say declaw but only as a last resort.