What do YOU think happens when a cat is declawed?

[CheshireVal]

I'm against declawing because I see it as mutilating a living, breathing creature and putting it through unnecessary trauma just to save an inanimate object, or.... material possessions.

Then again, my family lost everything in a house fire when I was 12, so I've learned not to place too much value on "stuff."

Our cats will sometimes try to scratch our furniture, but as long as we have cardboard scratching platforms ($5 each) nearby, they seem to be happy with that. We've also put up some special double-sided sticky tape stuff that discourages scratching furniture whenever the cats are going through a scratchy phase.

Do we have some tiny claw marks on the couch? A few, if we look for them. But nothing too bad.

 

[katerkat]

Mine aren't declawed, but it's not something I feel strongly about. They destroyed the couches before these, but mostly because it was just the right fabric for scratching. And they were ugly, so the sooner they were destroyed, the sooner I got new couches. They don't touch these because microfiber isn't as much fun to scratch as their cardboard.

Also, they have never once used claws on Russ, and he is ROUGH with one of them. When the cat is done with having his tail pulled and ears boxed and whatnot, he walks away to where Russ can't follow. A couple of times Russ pushed him to his limit, and the cat boxed Russ's ears without flexing his claws. Russ got the message. The other cat plays "catch me if you can" with Russ but never lets Russ win, so there's not an issue there.

Now, if there was a surgery that made the cats always use the litterbox, and use it correctly (like, has no one in this house heard of squatting??) I would get that for the devil cat in a heartbeat.

 

[DMRick]

Now, if there was a surgery that made the cats always use the litterbox, and use it correctly (like, has no one in this house heard of squatting??) I would get that for the devil cat in a heartbeat.

Do you have two litterboxes? Someone I know had this problem, she tried a second box, and it worked. Guess her cats weren't into sharing. Or are your cats just not neat? In that case one of those really high sided ones like they have at Pet Smart might work (yikes, I think it was $17!).

 

[katerkat]

We have two litter boxes, one deep with a hood. The floor by their boxes is covered with a plastic shower curtain and I have two more lining the walls. (Luckily this is the basement!) I scoop every night. They just don't really love me, I suspect. One of them was a stray for too long and he simply doesn't squat at all.

Oh, and they pee in one box and poop in the other. They are WEIRD.

 

[teacherforhi]

We have two litter boxes, one deep with a hood. The floor by their boxes is covered with a plastic shower curtain and I have two more lining the walls. (Luckily this is the basement!) I scoop every night. They just don't really love me, I suspect. One of them was a stray for too long and he simply doesn't squat at all.

Oh, and they pee in one box and poop in the other. They are WEIRD.

This reminds me...my cat Emelia passed away in May from feline leukemia. In the three and a half years she lived with it, she developed some sensory issues. She didn't like loud noises and she REFUSED to pee in the litter box. She would get in the litter box to poop and then step out onto the floor to pee. I dealt with it by putting newspaper on a shower liner on the floor so I didn't have pee all over the place. To this day, I don't know how the other cats didn't develop some kind of complex from it.

 

[PoohnPglet]

If you have worked with rescue groups then you KNOW how strongly people feel about this subject. I can not believe you didnt think this was going to start a debate .

Thank you for assumming we must be uneducated. Oh and thanks for the unsolicited education.

Thank you to whoever posted the information about the laser declaw. I am still inclined to think that it is still an unnecessary amputation, but I will research that further.

Every weekend I go with my foster kitties to a local pet store so that people will see them and possibly want to adopt them. Every weekend I speak with people about declawing and what it is and how it is done. It doesn't start heated debates/arguements and there are plenty of people that tell me they didn't know. Maybe they are lying to me. I do not know.

You all can think what you want. But I am not a troublemaker. I did not intentionally set out to make people angry. Maybe some of you get thrills by posting heated topics. I do not. In fact, it probably would just be better if this thread was closed.

 

[darlak]

Those of you who are familiar with my posts are going to be amazed by this, but.....I have no strong opinion on this one way or the other!

I currently have 2 cats and neither is declawed. However, I have had a cat declawed and I don't think it was cruel to do so. She was fine afterwards and still "scratched". I had her declawed because she HATED the dog and was really hurting him by scratching him. Goofy, but sweet dog, just let the cat rip him to pieces. After the declawing, she would still "pop" him, he would still get his little goofy feelings hurt, but no one was actually injured.

My 2 now do scratch the furniture sometimes, but never windows or door frames. To some extent, I think accepting the scratching just comes with being a cat owner. However, if it gets to the extent that some of you have mentioned, I wouldn't hesitate to have either of them declawed.

 

[ilovejack02]

Thank you to whoever posted the information about the laser declaw. I am still inclined to think that it is still an unnecessary amputation, but I will research that further.

Every weekend I go with my foster kitties to a local pet store so that people will see them and possibly want to adopt them. Every weekend I speak with people about declawing and what it is and how it is done. It doesn't start heated debates/arguements and there are plenty of people that tell me they didn't know. Maybe they are lying to me. I do not know.

You all can think what you want. But I am not a troublemaker. I did not intentionally set out to make people angry. Maybe some of you get thrills by posting heated topics. I do not. In fact, it probably would just be better if this thread was closed.

Actually its going along fine.. lots of conversation .. no name calling, no CATFIGHTS LOL, yes some disagreement come on ya knew it was gonna start a debate.. but thats what makes the world go round right?? We all learned something new.. Laser declawing and Laser neutering.. boy the advances in medicine these days!

 

[SwedishMeatball]

OP, if you make the request, can you just ask for a lockdown?? I'm tired of threads going poof.

 

[PoohnPglet]

Actually its going along fine.. lots of conversation .. no name calling, no CATFIGHTS LOL, yes some disagreement come on ya knew it was gonna start a debate.. but thats what makes the world go round right?? We all learned something new.. Laser declawing and Laser neutering.. boy the advances in medicine these days!

You know what? I thought it would start a discussion. There is a difference.

 

[SwedishMeatball]

You know what? I thought it would start a discussion. There is a difference.

Well to be fair, I think you could have approached it a little differently. That's fine to be passionate, but you come across as though people who choose to declaw are kitty haters. You may strongly disagree with their choice, but you're going to put people on the defensive with that sort of attitude.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

You know what? I thought it would start a discussion. There is a difference.

the word discussion kind of implies that you are open to discourse on alternate viewpoints. No offense, but when you insult people who don't agree with you and then declare that they must simply be uneducated and ignorant, you really don't seem all that open.

I'm having a difficult time believing that was your intent at all.

I'm thinking, what your intent was more of a conversion of the barbaric digit mutilating heathens to your your point of view through what you term education.

 

[iggbees]

i have no problem with declawing if it's necessary. we got a cat last year, a stray. my sister brought it home with all the good stuff that strays have (worms, ear mites, etc.). he was a kitten when we brought him home and man, he scratched everything regardless of what we did with him. my mom set the appointment for 6 months. they declawed him with lasers. he had no emotional problems after declawing and he's a super happy cat. we would not have been able to keep him if he had claws and he's in a very happy home and we spoil him for sure. it's personal choice. plain and simple. like others, i don't see how delcawing a cat is any more inhumane than circumcision?

 

[6TimeMomma]

Well, in response to your attempt to provide education, your OP hasn't changed my mind, hasn't made me feel bad, hasn't made me decide to forgo declawing of any future cats I get.

I do not see it as barbaric or cruel. I am not ahorrible, cruel pet owner who abuses my pet just for the fun of it.

Thank you for sharing the article, though. I actualy laughed at the drama in it.

 

[DVCLiz]

OK, back from dinner, and I just have to add that, if you have the money, the Litter Robot is the best invention in the history of the world, except for air conditioning. Yes, I declawed my cats, but they also poop in a $300 litter box.

I am saving so much money on cat litter, and it is such a pleasure not to have to scoop every day or twice a day. Honestly, it's amazing.

 

[ilovejack02]

OK, back from dinner, and I just have to add that, if you have the money, the Litter Robot is the best invention in the history of the world, except for air conditioning. Yes, I declawed my cats, but they also poop in a $300 litter box.

I am saving so much money on cat litter, and it is such a pleasure not to have to scoop every day or twice a day. Honestly, it's amazing.

LOL how long have you had it? I had another brand for about a yr and it died finally. Im really missing it and want to get a new one esp since im thinking about getting knocked up again and ill need an automatic one to do most of the work. DH hates to scoop but was happy to just dump our old one. Now all the scooping goes to me.

 

[DVCLiz]

Hmm, maybe about 6 months. The cats were a little freaked at first, but they got into it, so to speak, after a couple of days, and now they both use it with no problems. Honestly, this thing is worth its weight in gold. Every time someone new comes to the house, I hit the "Cycle" button and make them watch it go through the whole cycle. It takes very little to amuse me, obviously.

 

[MosMom]

Negative: My cat had her claws removed

Positive: I'm potty training her!

Civilized cats poop in the potty

 

[ilovejack02]

Negative: My cat had her claws removed

Positive: I'm potty training her!

Civilized cats poop in the potty

Oh hell no you cant post that and then not tell us how to do it. I dont think my girls would go for it lol, cant teach and old dog... im sorry Cat new tricks.

 

[SwedishMeatball]

Negative: My cat had her claws removed

Positive: I'm potty training her!

Civilized cats poop in the potty

I'd like to see a pic of your kitty on the potty.