How much money is it to declaw a cat?

Question

The cat scratches everything in the house.

Answer 1

Not expensive enough. Perhaps if it cost more, less people would practice this barbaric act. I applaud the countries that have made it illegal, and give kudos to the vets in the U.S. who refuse to perform it. Amputating parts of your pet's feet simply to save your material belongings is not only cruel, it's lazy. It's like having all of your dog's teeth pulled because it chews on things.

A cat's claws serve as stress relievers, scent markers, and defense. A cat without claws is likely to revert to biting to make up for the lack of defenses on its feet. Some stop using the litter box because of the pain associated with raking their paws through the litter after having their digits removed. Yes, their digits. It's not just removing the nail, it's removing an entire bone directly behind it. If you think about it, having your fingernails ripped out would be bad enough....just imagine someone cutting off the tips of your fingers.

There are many products, tactics, and resources available to people to help them train their cats to not scratch on anything other than acceptable surfaces. Keeping plenty of scratching posts and cardboard scratchers (which my cat prefers and are less expensive) is the first step. Encourage the cat to scratch on these surfaces by sprinkling catnip on them and mimicing scratching yourself. When they do scratch on those surfaces, praise them. If they scratch on an unacceptable surface (couch, chair, mattress, carpet, rug, curtains, etc.), squirt them with water from a bottle or squirt gun. For times when you're not around, there is a wide variety deterents and protection products available. Just look here to get an idea of what I'm talking about:
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/NavResults.cfm?N=2002+2017

Some cats need extensive training and lots of deterents, while others catch on pretty quickly with little-to-no fuss. All I ever needed to do to disuade my cat was clap my hands and say, "NO!" in a firm tone. It only took a few times (usually one clap and "no" on each surface), and he quit. He now only uses his cardboard scratchers and has done so for over a year.

Some people recommend the nail caps, but I think training should be attempted first. I've heard stories of the caps being hard to apply, not staying on, or causing the cat to hang up on things (this could cause injury). Plus, it doesn't teach the cat to not claw things, it's only masking the problem, not preventing it. But if it comes down to caps or declawing, the caps are the humane alternative.

Please try to train your cat before resorting to something as barbaric as declawing it.

Answer 2

What an agonising authentic tale about the cat who develop into in such negative discomfort and how strong that this female who worked at a veterinarians develop into prepared to speak out about it. that's taking position on a daily basis yet because the cat remains in one day no one notwithstanding the employees on the sanatorium see how cats struggle through and by no skill many artwork force are courageous sufficient to speak out like this. i might want to easily elect to communicate about that's not basically older cats which might want to no longer be declawed,that's going to no longer ensue to kittens both. The AVMA coverage is that declawing is a very last motel technique for extraordinarily severe scratching issues after all different avenues were explored. What i do not comprehend is why vets declaw kittens, they have not nor would no longer advance scratching issues So that's amazingly incorrect to declaw kittens EVER. to grant neuter/declaw programs is offender, this encourages people to imagine declawing is so ordinary as neutering. that's not ordinary ! that's cruel, that's evil, that's not necessary. that's strong information that youthful each and every man or woman is wiser than many older ones.

Answer 3

Instead of declawing which is horrible -very painful for the cat-imagine going to sleep and you wake up to having had your fingernails torn off and cats can't take pain medication like humans -until all pain is gone and it is expensive. There are now sheaths avaailable-that go over a cats front claws you can take to the vaet to have them put on the first time so he/she can show you the correct way to do it then you can glue on yourself when the glue gets old approx every 3-4mos. are less expensive and saves your cat whom I'm sure you love and would not cause this horrible pain if another way to save furniture and so forth. Also declawed cats who accidentally get outside the house have NO defense if attacked for no defensive claws and cannot climb to get away usually killed by stray dogs or even possums at night. there are Vets who refuse to declaw because they know the agony to the cat and the deadly consequennces if they get outside. I have always had cats and always provided a log-Large piece of sturdy firewood that i take most of the bark off which they use to sctratch and have never had any furniture or anything destroyed. I trained the first cat to use by dampening(slightly wetting)CatNip and spreading some onto the log and Voila it loved the log and always used it-it even trained the 2nd cat to use the log by example. I really hope that you'll taake my suggestions esp the sheaths over the claws and the scratching log and will not-because you really do love your cat-declaw her.Your kitty will love you for it

Answer 4

I think it's several hundreds of dollars. There are less cruel alternatives too, like training your cat to scratch only on a post, not on the furniture, depending how much time you have and to some extent, how old your kitty is. Declawing is considered by some to be too harsh though, the equivalent of cutting off to the first joint of your fingers.

Answer 5

I can see there are several people here who are against declawing, but I grew up in a household where all of our cats had their front claws removed for the exact reason as to why you're making this post. Yes, it may be slightly cruel, but when you have a cat that is tearing up things, such as my last cat clawed up our $4,000 couch, you start to run out of options. When it comes down to the point of either get rid of the cat or declaw it, you have to make that decision.

Declawing a cat can cost anywhere between $100-200 depending on your veterinarian. I would recommend calling him and discussing the procedure, especially if your cat is over a year old. Best of luck with whatever decision you decide to make.

Answer 6

I have a cat that is declawed in the front. I didn't do it to him, he came that way to me. I feel sorry for him. His front feet are so much smaller that he walks akwardly now and it is causing him to have hip problems. Sometimes when they declaw cats they also have to remove a toe on each foot. There are claw trimmers for cats. Just dont clip past the quick or it will bleed. be sure to have some stiptic powder around incase. please explore all of your options and good luck finding a vet that will do it.

Answer 7

FYI: Dewclawing cats has been proven to cause cats to become aggressive. If you decide to declaw your cat, prepare for your cat to become defensive, aggressive, and more fearful than ever.

If ever you need to give your kitty away, the chances of her being adopted as a declawed kitty are almost nil. Nobody wants a scratching, aggressive cat.

Answer 8

Don't declaw, get Claw Covers. Better for the cat, cheaper for you.


http://www.softpaws.com/ ~$20

Answer 9

Doesn't sound like you like your cat very much. Declawing a cat is considered inhumane. Just contact PETA and they will confirm it.

How would you like to wake up after surgery after someone has pulled out all of your fingernails AND toenails.

Not to mention that if the cat ever gets outside and is chased, they won't have the claws to climb a tree and escape and they won't have the claws to defend themselves.

People like you don't deserve to have a cat. How cruel could someone be!

Answer 10

This procedure is VERY PAINFUL & CRUEL !!!!! Get scratching "posts" OR scratching "boards" !! Get them at Wal-Mart & they are A LOT cheaper & less painful to say the least!!!!!

I have the boards for my cats as they didn't like the posts.........so.........check out these products & TRY this first before just going to the vet & having the cat declawed! PLEASE!