Thoughts on declawing a cat?

[CoopCrazy]

With advances in laser technology my vet no longer even needs to wrap the feet.. I agree when i was working there about 6 years ago It was very cruel to declaw... Now its very simple and virtually painless.. Gotta love technology... I personally feel that it is oyur decision as you are the one who has to live with it ... Just take into consideration that if you have all four paws done the cat should never be allowed outside... With back claws they can still protect themselves...

 

[Buff Hooligans]

Both our indoor male cats are declawed - we had it done very early in their lives and they grew up never missing them.

We have a more peaceful relationship with our cats & household than any other cat household I know because of this.

I HIGHLY recommend it if done at an early age.

 

[gypsy2621]

This might be a bit long feel free to disregard if its too much reading.

Years back I had a cat come in with many many birth defects and one of those defects was in fact genetically altered nails. instead of the nails being pointed and sharp like they would in normal cats , the nails were rounded balls of calcium like material. All 4 feet were involved.
I was angry that someone had declawed this kitten with such a botched job, took her to the vet and asked if there was anything that could be done to release the obvious pain she was in.
After spending a lot of time with the vet as he did work ups of this kitten he determined that the nails were not surgically altered they were a birth defect. Nothing could be done for her but continued pain meds. light doses to keep her active and mostly pain free.

On another note, people say rip out your own nails and de - tip the bone before you decide to de claw a cat.
My Brother was in his early 20's when a lawn mower accident ( had he not been showing off it wouldn't have happened)
Cut off the first joint of his big toe.
He still to this day (almost 50) complains about the phantom pain, itching, inability to have it even touch sheets and blankets with out wanting to vomit. Shoes have to be bigger than fit properly because the end of the toe touching the side of the shoe, he has to wear a protector over that toe to keep the sensation of the sock from making him insane.
Now we are not talking about a wimpy guy here, we are talking a tough guy who has been through a lot, out of all the accidents he has been in his claim is losing the end of his toe as the most nerve shattering.

My son in law lost the tip of his index finger, again can not touch it to anything, no one can touch it, if he bumps it he vomits.
Everything he does with his right hand never involves the index finger.

Watching both these guys struggle with their missing joints make me think that the nerve endings are never truly destroyed I know the SIL had a nerve block done when they amputated the first joint, it hasn't helped.

If you need to declaw, declaw, if not then dont.
I am against it but I am not against anyone's choice .

ETA just when you think you spelled everything correctly !

 

[Imp]

Just a comment about cats fighting.
I have a cat wearing a cone right now following surgery last week. This morning first thing I see is that the cone is in her mouth. I tried moving the cone and or her jaw, but it was stuck but good. It looked like she had been like that most of the night. No option but to get the cone off. I tried untying the gauze. But she panicked and it knotted up, so out comes the scissors. So I'm holding her down trying to cut the gauze she's screaming and fighting with both front and back paws. Then out of the blue one of the other cats decides to rescue her and lauches himself at me. All front claws and teeth. I knocked him back 3 times. As soon as I got the cone and gauze off all was immediately calm again.

Imp- After an emergency run to Safeway, Imp is covered with lots of gauze. Not the best way to wake up, but it is fast and effective.

BTW both cats are fine

 

[insiderart]

Quote:
LOL! Imp you're a nut.

 

[ladycrotalus]

Quote:
if he walked like he was in pain..then something was was not right..
why would they let a cat go for years in pain?? just sounds strange to me..


He passed away since then. These people were not really the best pet people. The cat stayed in the basement because their lab mix wouldnt let him upstairs. The cats food consisted of the cheapest crap ever. I brought up issues with them about their daughters birds and nothing was done, they didnt want to be bothered getting a seperate cage for the little budgie that was being bullied from the food by the 2 cockatiels.

Alot of people used the excuse as they dont want their kids being scratched. Teach the kid to respect the cats personal space.

 

[wegotchickens]

Jezebel was vicious with her claws and no amount of training worked. She wasn't getting loved because claws were always involved. My previous 2 cats were much easier to train, and used a wooden box I made for them to scratch on. But Jezzie scratched everyone and everything constantly. And it got worse because we all became afraid to even pet her. When she swiped my daughter's face while 'zip-banging' around the room, and narrowly missed an eye, I took my first cat ever to be declawed.

We all felt bad for her while she was bandaged, but then she was fine after that. And we could pet her! And play with her. If she hdn't been declawed we'd have had to get rid of her or put her down. I am grateful every day that we had her declawed! She is the sweetest most loving cat, and even though she still grabs with her front feet she can't hurt us. She has powerfully strong front feet, uses them like hands, and still sharpens her 'claws'. She routinely catches moles and mice, but was quite proud this spring as she toted home several bunnies.

Callie is declawed and it was done at 12 weeks. She too still 'sharpens her claws', catches vermin, and climbs trees.

If you have small children, I'd declaw the cats. They'll still be able to bite and 'rabbit kick' with their back feet if they need to get away. But front claws are just too risky around little ones.

 

[Bec]

Quote:
Yeppers and imagine someone doing that to you because they didn't like your nails and had their opinions... you try walking with the ends of each toe cut off...

Just imagine just how painful it is going to be for the cat to walk while healing, not only that but they have to learn balance all over again because the first joint is REMOVED, not just the claw. De-clawing does effect them long term and there is no way I would do something like that to my children so therefore would never do that to a cat. They can't help what they are and their natural instincts to scratch. If you keep their nails clipped and get a scratching post, they will be fine. If they have short nails, it can;t stick in anything and no damage is done.


I usually don;t voice my opinion on here, but this is something I feel very strongly about and since we are all saying our opinions, I thought I would say mine.

Just playing devil's advocate here, I don't like declawing either.

Humans do a variety of activities to animals that we would not like done to ourselves. But unless you are against the domestication of all animals then these things need to be done.

Just imagine someone deciding, without your imput, that you will have a surgery that will take away your ability to EVER have kids, or that your kids will be used as food, or that your kids will taken away in few weeks and given to another family.

We couldn't coexist with animals as pets if we start putting ourselves in their place.

.

This is exactly why people are allowed to voice their own opinions. And I fully understand that everyone feels how they feel and nothing I say will change that. With that being said, I do not in anyway agree with De-clawing and no amount of reading or life stories will change the way I feel. It is agreeing to disagree!

Bottom line for me, If you don't like the claws, don't get a cat. To me it is just like the people who de-bark dogs. They take the dog in and have it's vocal cords cut because the barking bothers them. Well then don't get a dog if dog barking bothers you! It is altering an animal to what best suits you, not the best interest for the animal.

I will not be responding anymore in this thread just because the more I read it, the more it bothers me. I stated my opinion and I am bowing out!!

ETA: I just want to put it out there that I am not at all saying that those of you who have de-clawed cats are bad owners, I am just saying it is not something I would choose to do.

 

[Cuban Longtails]

My issue with de-clawed cats is that they can not defend themselves if they ever get outside their home. My first ever cat friend (had been with the family for years) was mauled by dogs because she was declawed and couldn't climb a tree to get away and had no place to hide. She'd had a habit of leaving our house and staying at my grandmother's house when I was visiting with my dad for the summer, and that's when it happened while I was away.

I will not condone anyone for wanting to have it done. I've owned cats for years and I'm well aware of the damage they can do, even when measures are in place to discourage such acts. Just please know the risks and take precautions.

 

[Sillystunt]

OUCH! i look at my nails an imagine how much it would hurt!