Thoughts on declawing a cat?

[tharrell]

I'm worried this might open a can of worms, however here it goes. I once again took in a pregnant stray who had kittens, and this time we decided to keep one of them, a little male that my son is smitten with! He's about 10 weeks old now and we will obviously be neutering him, and I had just assumed declaw him as well since he will be an indoor only cat. I never had cats growing up but whenever a friend got one you would soon see it with its legs bandaged after it's declaw. But now as an adult and assuming I would do it to my own cat I started doing research to see what the cost would be and so on and was shocked to find that so many people are against it. I would like to know personal experiences both good and bad on this subject, and hopefully I can make the right choice for our family and our pet. Thanks in advance!

 

[farmerlor]

My feelings are pretty strongly against it but I'll just say that in many European countries the practice has been outlawed and it's getting harder and harder to find a vet in this country who will perform this cruel and unnecessary procedure.

 

[redhen]

I wish i had declawed all my cats..
My furniture set is all tore up now..

Just make sure they dont get outside...

 

[Year of the Rooster]

I prefer cats not get declawed, but if they were to, I would only do the front paws.

 

[enola]

Yes, you have probably opened up a can of worms......

I had my female declawed when she was spayed. I lived in a furnished home and she was attempting to tear up all of the furniture. I had no choice, either find her a new home or fix the claws.

Now we have a male cat that we are going to have neutered and are seriously considering having his claws removed since he is trying to shred all of my rugs I have recently purchased.

Her feet were tender for a day or two and then she seemed fine to me. She did not lose her appetite, she was still affectionate through her recovery.

So, I would say, the decision is all yours. Go with your gut feeling!

 

[TerriLaChicks]

Set him up a scratching post & be sure it is tall enough that he can stretch to his full length. Rub it all over with catnip & fasten a toy to the top of it--something w/a bell is good.

Double-sided sticky tape is your friend for the next several weeks. You can get it in the carpet department of most stores that sell carpet or home building supply stores. Put it around your sofas and chairs & anywhere you see that he might want to scratch or that you see him try to scratch. It will deter him. It will work if you are patient & stay consistent with it.

Our inside cat is 8 years old now & has never been declawed & has never torn up any furniture; we used the above methods with her.

Declawing is a lot less intensive surgery than it used to be, but it still leaves them defenseless if they get loose outside.

 

[redhen]

Quote:
i think they only do the front paws..

 

[Year of the Rooster]

Quote:
i think they only do the front paws..

I'm not sure. I work at our Vet (I'm a "Kennel Kid"

) and feed/clean the dog/cat cages. The ones that are declawed have bandages on all four feet sometimes.

 

[redhen]

declawing isnt as harsh as it used to be..

 

[teach1rusl]

I've had it done to one cat in the past; we were getting new carpet and a new baby closely together I only had the front done. The only time I regretted it was the first week or two, when I felt badly for the cat. I used shredded paper in the litter box (can't use littler, cause it could get in the sight). The cat was on pain meds.

I've had several cats since then, and knew they would be allowed outdoors at least a little, so didn't even consider it. If you feel that there's ANY chance the cat could or would be outdoors at all, then I wouldn't do it. That is a cats primary defence, being able to climb up on something to get away...

My mother didn't say too much to me years ago when I had it done, but later told me she was horrified about it (and disappointed in me having done it). So I know what you mean about it being a sore topic for some...