Opinions on cat declawing?

Answer 1

I can certainly appreciate all of the different opinions/suggestions here thus far. But that is what you have to keep in mind, these are all "different" and "personal opinions". While I am not opposed to declawing, I prefer and vets recommend that it is done when they are kittens...sure it will hurt, but the pain subsides after a while as with anything else. However, personally I would not declaw my cat if ;

1) They are a older cat.
2) They are a outdoor/indoor cat (they need to defend themselves)

If you can guarantee that your cat will remain indooors at all times then as a kitten you might want to look into declawing, but maybe just the front paws...so if they do get out, they can at least have some back claws to help them out. Otherwise if it is an older cat and you dont want them scratching up your furniture and other things, you will need to do weekly maintenance and make sure that they are clipped...we have done this with some of our cats and it has worked out very well.

Answer 2

There are other alternatives to declawing, they now make Softpaws, nail caps to cover the nail and keep the cat from damaging things.

I used them until I declawed my kitten. I just declawed my 4 month old kitten last weekend, he was neutered as well and acting very normal, acting like nothing has happened. I have had several other cats and all declawed and never any behavior problems due to declawing them. I think people are wrong about declawing, if it were extremely painful or harmful, it wouldn't be legal. Animals have so many people fighting for their rights these days, wouldn't they have gotten declawing banned if it is harmful and painful to the animal?

My little guy is doing great and by declawing him, I will be able to keep a nice house and enjoy my animal.

I think go with what is best for you, cause with all my cats I have never ever been able to teach them to only scratch on a scratching post.... the curtain, couches and what ever else always end up snagged and damaged. Good luck.

Answer 3

This is a controversial topics. In my experience (I grew up with outdoor fully clawed cats, I now have indoor front-declawed cats) declawed cats live a happier life. You don't have to worry about scolding them for acting like cats by scratching on everything and when you have more than one cat, there is less chance that they will hurt each other. Many people like to make the emotional argument that 'it's just like cutting the tips of your fingers off' and that simply isn't true. Yes, the bone that is removed is homologous to the human finger tip, but it is not used in the same way and a cats abilities are not nearly as inhibited the way cutting off a human's finger would. Others will argue that it is just selfish to cut of the cats claws for 'our convenience'. Those same people never seem to have a problem with removing the reproductive organs of the cat for 'our convenience'. The fact of the matter is, that if you do it young, the cat is not going to suffer any ill effects of not having claws and they'll be happier because you don't have to scold them for being cats. The caveat is you must be vigilant in making sure they don't go outside.

Answer 4

It comes down to your own personal preference. I've had cats that were declawed and cats that weren't. I think it depends on the cat as to whether you should bother having it done. If your cat isn't scratching up anything, why bother?

We have two indoor cats whose front claws get clipped every couple of weeks. For the most part, they stick to using their scratching post. Sometimes I find them trying to use the couch or the carpet. All I do is clap my hands really loud and say the cat's name. The cat always takes off running and stops.

Answer 5

I see nothing wrong with declawing cats, but as you can see, many people do. It's a personal choice that you need to make. The only advice I can give is if you do declaw, make sure the cat stays indoors.

Answer 6

Horrible, and at least in my vet's office...expensive ($600+). If you keep the nails trimmed and yes, you can do it at home without hurting them, and have a scratching post, they should leave your furniture alone.

If you are considering declawing, make 100% sure that your animal is strictly indoors as their claws are their only protection outside.

I've had 10 cats so far during my lifetime and numerous outside cats. I've only be scratched once in my lifetime (I'm almost 44) and that was my own stupid fault. Just thought I'd throw that in.

Answer 7

Yes, cats are put to sleep for declawing, however they are in a lot of pain for days after that. I used Out spray on my furniture arms when my cats were kittens. They have plenty of toys and scratch posts and no longer try to scratch my furniture. All kittens scratch and play, but they will calm down as they get older. There are these cardboard scratch boxes you can put catnip in that will attract their attention from you furniture.

Nail clipping is much easier if you start while they are kittens. Between nail clippings, touch a spoon to the top of the nail one nail at a time. This will help them get use to the clippers; clipping does not hurt them, but they don't like the feeling of the metal.

Most of all, make sure you give them losts of love and attention, so they don't mind being picked up and won't scratch you.

Answer 8

I am sitting here laughing to myself reading all these other aswers......declawing is a very common procedure- I worked for a VCA animal hospital for 6 years, and we would have just as many claw removals as neuters, spays, tumor removals, abscess repair, etc. It is no more cruel to remove a cat's claws than it is to remove their testicles or uterus, yet not a lot of people consider sterilization optional. The only opinion that matters here is yours.....if you are comfortable with having your pet declawed, get it done. The younger the cat, the faster the recovery.

Answer 9

it's cruel. if it's an outside cat thats its only defense and its just as bad if its an inside cat because imagine what would happen to your poor little no-claw kitty if it got outside

if your having problems with your cat scratching furniture i would suggest getting her a scratching post. much more humane than declawing

if your having problems with your cat scratching people (or other cats) heres what you do:
get a spray bottle and fill it up with water (cans of compressed air work too) and then spray your kitty whenever she scratches.

almost anything is better than declawing your cats. you can keep their nails clipped without even going to the vet so that could be an alternate solution

Answer 10

Declawing is cruel! For one, it is painful for the cat. Two, they need their claws- they use them to protect themselves, to scratch/clean themselves, and for many other reasons. If your cat is going to be going outside AT ALL, you'd be taking away your cats self defense. As someone else said, taking away a cats claws is just a way of making the animal convinient for the owner, which is wrong- your cat isnt just an accessory, its a living thing and deserves to be treated in such a way.

There are other, much better alternatives to declawing. You can keep your kitty's claws trimmed down, or buy the special 'mits' that they can wear. You could put up a scratching post to keep the cat from clawing anywhere else, or put down a special peice of rug or carpet for your cat to claw on.

Please, don't declaw your cat!