Declawing cats

[DocMac]

Plus, we do not rely on our manicured fingers for exercise and protection. Phantom limb pain due to amputation is recognised in people, plus continued tenderness for years. Has anyone ever lost a fingernail? Ouch! Folks, get a dog if you can't deal with scratching. I still have furniture from looooonnngg ago, but get it reupholstered every 10 years or so. And not only from cat behaviour. Spilled milk, melted M & Ms, etc. Plus a spray to discourage inappropriate scratching places and a lot of scratching trees combined with treats.

 

[DocMac]

It's so sad that I'm replying to my own posts! ROFL

Early training is vital, too, in minimising the scratching problem. Trainng kittens to permit their claws to be cut, regular clipping, diligence in saying "No." Reinforcement when appropriate behaviour is performed via treats and praise, removal from the areas where scratching does occur.

Please try lots of things to avoid declawing.

 

[Medesha]

I think that everything depends on the owner/cat. Our DSH is a psycho path, so we declawed him. If he wasn't declawed, there is no way he would be alive now. There is no way he would have been able to be rehomed, and he would have had to be euthanised.
Zeddie on the other hand is amazing with her claws, she came into the house knowing where to use her claws and where it was appropriate, and doesn't bite or scratch (on purpose), so its not necessary.
I don't think declawing is worse than euthanising, and I think everyone has a certain situation where different measures are needed to be taken.

Out of curiosity, in what way was he a psychopath? Was there a medical reason why he was acting that way? Had he been abused by a previous owner, or abandoned by his mother and never learned how to play?

What worries me most about declawing, even if it is used as an absolute last resort, is the fact that cats can have issues later in life because their claws have been removed. Cats walk on the tips of their toes. Their leg and back muscles can be weakened by the removal of their claws. There can be nerve damage. They might get early on-set arthritis from changing the whole way they move. Animals in general are very good at hiding their pain. They can silently suffer for years without the owner knowing...

Most people get the whole claw removed as opposed to the other surgery where they just cut the tendons. When that happens, if done improperly, the claws can begin to grow back into the cat's pads all crooked.
There's a lot of potential complications, and for me it makes me question the cat's quality of life afterwards...

 

[Dantes]

Plus, we do not rely on our manicured fingers for exercise and protection. Phantom limb pain due to amputation is recognised in people, plus continued tenderness for years. Has anyone ever lost a fingernail? Ouch! Folks, get a dog if you can't deal with scratching. I still have furniture from looooonnngg ago, but get it reupholstered every 10 years or so. And not only from cat behaviour. Spilled milk, melted M & Ms, etc. Plus a spray to discourage inappropriate scratching places and a lot of scratching trees combined with treats.

My ex husband, who somehow repeatedly wrote with pen on a white leather couch, did more damage to the sofa than my boys. I tend to be someone who has nice furniture (my family is all involved in interior decorating), but I've owned cats (and dogs, and...) all my life. Furniture is replaceable, my boys are not.

I get sick to my stomach any time I read that a cat has been declawed (especially without any cause, or for the convenience of "owners"). It's too bad people don't think to research before taking this drastic step.

 

[Per Lausund]

Ah, Per, you know that's what I meant. Maybe the end digit of the finger is a more appropriate comparison.

Sorry! I just had to...

 

[Kristin]

Out of curiosity, in what way was he a psychopath? Was there a medical reason why he was acting that way? Had he been abused by a previous owner, or abandoned by his mother and never learned how to play?

What worries me most about declawing, even if it is used as an absolute last resort, is the fact that cats can have issues later in life because their claws have been removed. Cats walk on the tips of their toes. Their leg and back muscles can be weakened by the removal of their claws. There can be nerve damage. They might get early on-set arthritis from changing the whole way they move. Animals in general are very good at hiding their pain. They can silently suffer for years without the owner knowing...

Most people get the whole claw removed as opposed to the other surgery where they just cut the tendons. When that happens, if done improperly, the claws can begin to grow back into the cat's pads all crooked.
There's a lot of potential complications, and for me it makes me question the cat's quality of life afterwards...

He was bought from an irresponsible breeder, and was an aggressive kitten. My family didn't realize it until after we had gotten him, and he bit and scratched all the time. When he was neutered the vet wanted to put him down because sedating him was next to impossible...there were a lot of bloody hands. My parents thought it better to declaw than to euthanize, (he still has back nails), but he didn't grow out of his craziness until April when my rabbit passed away. All of a sudden he turned into a (mostly) sweetie pie.
As we were growing up we would stalk us and throw is arms around our legs and bite. I mean teeth are bad enough but claws make it so much worse. And trimming a psycho cats claws would be impossible. I'm pretty sure if his nails were kept, he would have slit our throats in our sleep.
I'm not saying declawing is okay, but I do think that it is necessary in certain situations. I've also learned a lot about cats since getting Tiger, and would never ever get a kitten from a breeder like his again. He didn't even know what a litter box was when he came home!

 

[Jeni]

I think some people declaw their cats due to ignorance of HOW to live with a cat with claws intact. Or that an alternative to the way they have always thought even exists. I'm a recovering declawer myself and never gave it a second thought until my beautiful Aniyah showed up.... Well and I'm 20 years older (and kinder) than I was when I had our last cat declawed. I just made up my mind with Aniyah that declawing is no longer an option.

It hasn't been an easy road but we are doing really really well. We've had scratches on hands, arms, legs, toes, you name it!!! BUT, we cut her front claws weekly to reduce the "fish hook in arm" pain. She's pretty good about not scratching the furniture, although it took multiple "No's" to cut that one out. We have 15 year-old leather couches that have received many pen and marker marks on it so I'm not too worried obviously

As for her being mean with her claws....she's just a doll for the most part in that department. Unless your hand gets in the way while she's either playing or just super hyped up, she really does her best not to use them. My almost 3 year-old daughter has actually even learned when to touch or not touch the cat. She's gotten in the way of playful claws a couple of times but it's almost like Aniyah knows that Sophie's a baby herself because she has walked away almost wound free!

Anyway, I think educating people on how to live with kitties and thoroughly explaining their options will help a ton. Aniyah sure is glad someone told me!!!!!

 

[Jeni]

I'm pretty sure if his nails were kept, he would have slit our throats in our sleep.

My previous (declawed) cat was pretty psychotic as well Soooo very glad your baby has a better "cattitude" now!!!

 

[Jeni]

Ok I have no idea how to unquote my own message...sorry!

 

[jungle boy]

To me, a cat's claws are a never ending source of amazement and I constantly marvel at the things that they can do with those things! A cat's claws allow them to defy the laws of gravity when they literally fly up vertical surfaces like cat trees spiderman style, (oh and sometimes curtains too, lol! ), they also use them for the finest of their handiwork and shenanigans like stealing small objects from you drawers and running away and hiding them, oh and I absolutely adore when they lay around in the sun stretching those bad boys and then they hold them up to your face stretching those little cat hands open as if to say "daddy, look what I've got!" They can use them to hook their fake rodents and throw them around the room . They're also great for when they'r startin' to fall off of the bed, cat furniture or the back of the couch, they simply hook on and all is well! Wow, what a safety net! If grandpa Walenda had some of those he'd probably be alive today! I'm MOST impressed though, when the kitties are loving you, they retract them when they put their little cat arms around you to hold you! Man, i think I love those things as much as they do!!

Yeah, I know, I'm a wacky dude, lol. I definitely wear my heart on my sleeve though and I love sharing my feline observations!