Is there anyone that supports declawing ?

Question

I am just trying to find one person that supports it.

Answer 1

We had a cat that destroyed our living room furniture by scratching on it with her claws. It came to the point where we either: found her a new home, gave her to the ASPCA, put her to sleep or got her declawed. Since we loved the cat and she didn't scratch us, we decided to get her declawed when she was six months old. After she was declawed she was just as playful and purrfect as she was before. That cat lived to be 20 years old. My husband and I BOTH support declawing a cat, if there is a good reason for it!!

Answer 2

I am very strongly against declawing. I have a cat and there was a point in time when I considered declawing my cat. Luckily I'm smart and I did some research on it and found that there is no excuse as to why a person would need to declaw a cat. People don't realize that the veterinarian isn't just removing the nail, It's actually the same exact thing as amputating to the first joint of the the finger, it is a very painful process for the cat. A lot of vets will even refuse to do the surgery because their medical training shows its unhealthy. the drugs used as pain reliever for the cat is bad for the cats health. Usually the cat forms an infection and that's even for cats that aren't licking and biting the wounds. Just as humans, after amputation there is usually severe depression or emotional problems. A cats nails are it's main defense weapon. No excuse is ever good enough, people will use their kids as an excuse. If you have kids and have to worry about a cat attacking them, just don't own a cat, it's that simple. As for my cat, they can be trained, my cat has never attacked anyone, and has been trained to never scratch the furniture. Cats can be very hard to train but it can be done if you have the patience and love your cat enough. People, Just don't buy a cat if it's going to be a problem for you. I'm not trying to sound like one of those crazy animal right activists that take everything too seriously, I'm just stating the facts I've learned from reading medical books and talking to the vet I use for my cat.

Answer 3

front paws. I do think the procedure to remove back claws is quite painful and unnecessary. The argument against declawing is that it is inhumane because cats express their happiness by scratching and pawing with their front paws. The people with this view point believe that a cat cannot be truely happy if is declewed. I however havehad 6 happy cats in my lifetime that purr constantly, run, and play and have had their front claws removed. I asked about declawing a the Univ. of Tenn. veterinary hospital (where one of the 26 vet schools in the country are located) and all the vets agreed that its a very minor surgery and their is no evidence to support the happiness theory. I believe based on these facts, declawing the front paws is an acceptable procedure.

Answer 4

I've had cats that were declawed and not declawed. Both of my current cats have their claws. If you declaw the cat you can't allow it to go outside because cats without claws cannot climb trees to escape dogs. Declawing is not much help with children because cats (and dogs) can bite as well. Simply routinely trimming the claws will accomplish the same thing. However, you should be aware that even if your cats have something available to scratch they may still cause damage to your furniture. My cats have scratched things like poster board and sheetrock that have no resemblance to tree bark as well as the back of my overstuffed chair. If you have expensive or antique furniture I could understand why you might want to have them declawed however they will have to be indoor cats only.

Answer 5

I have two cats who are declawed and one who is not. The oldest male came with all nails. I didn't declaw him since he was already five when I adopted him. The second cat (a female) was already declawed when I adopted her on all four feet which is bizarre if you ask me. The third male cat who I found as wee baby, I had him declawed. He can whoop **** like nobody's business. He goes outside (with my supervision) and even caught a mouse the other day. Some people have huge huge issues with it, I don't see a problem with it unless you do it to them at an older age.

Answer 6

Many people would not or can not adopt a cat unless it is declawed (rental rules, young children, whatever). If these cats are not adopted, they would be put to sleep. If the cats are declawed, then the people would be willing to adopt them, and thus the cat can avoid being killed. For that reason, I do support declawing - it's not the greatest thing in the world, but it can help prevent more cats from being put to sleep in shelters.

Answer 7

I have worked as a licensed veterinary technician for 5 years now and I think that it is a horrible thing to do! I have been present at several of these surgeries and have assisted in recovery for more than I can count. Some of them endure so much pain that after coming out of the anesthesia they are shaking violently, will not eat or drink, and are usually howling and crying! (This is after recieving Morphine in an injection form for pain relief) Another horrible thing that I have witnessed are owners who do not properly care for them after the procedure. Declawed cats need to be indoor cats only, the will have no way to defend themselves outdoors or to climb a tree if being attacked. Too many owners do not commit themselves to making sure that their cats are in a safe eviroment! And some caring owners do not keep that animal for their lifetime and give them away to a home where they are not protected from outside dangers.
If one of the reasons you are considering declawing a cat is destructive behavior please try to use a scratching post, or another thing that many cats love is a simple piece of firewood or small log that they can dig into. If you are having issues with your cat being aggresive or if you have small children then possibly another home would be best for an older cat who is more difficult to "train"
If it is something that you are going to have done to your animals then at least make sure that they are under the age of 1 year because they are smaller and if they jump onto their paws after surgery the likeliness of their wounds opening up is less, and the younger they are the better they tolerate the surgery and heal faster.
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I forgot to mention one more thing that you might find helpful. There is something that you may want to try called nail caps. Basically they are gel caps that are glued to your cats nails. Some cats tolerate it well if you wrap them in a towel and have somebody to help you apply them, some cats go freak out and you may need to have a vet do it while under anesthesia. If it is something that you can afford you should look into to it as an alternative. ( It is usually less than $20 dollars per month even if you have to have a veterinarian administer anesthesia.) Even cheaper if you do it yourself!

Answer 8

BEGRUDGINGLY I support it because I have an INSIDE cat and plan to keep it inside.. Thus.. declawing helps protect the furniture that the cat otherwise would be clawing all the time. IF IF IF IF IF the cat was ever planned to be an OUTSIDE cat.. then it is very cruel to declaw a cat because it takes away its defensive mechanism

Answer 9

My family has always had cats. When they were kittens, we got them declawed. When I moved out on my own I got two cats, but they were already adults. I've had them for two years and haven't declawed them. My couch is torn up as a result, but I'm reluctant to declaw them at this stage. I think they may be too old and it would be way too hard on them.

Answer 10

There is an alternative to de-clawing. http://www.softpaws.com Its a great product and I know several cat owners that have used this. I know it has saved my furniture and my family without the hazard of declawing to my cat. The colors are so cute!