those who have declawed their cats?

Question

i have an appointment tomorrow to have my kitten (he's already fixed, and it was done before i adopted him so nothing i can do about that) declawed. My old cat was declawed but that was so long ago and i was so young i cant remember. What should i expect? How do i prepare? I know i have to use paper shavings as litter. But how much pain will he be in, will they give me pain meds for him. How long will he be down, can i still go with his regular feeding routine (dry food all day and small amount of moist once a day), will he hide? any info would be appreciated, thanks!! (i dont what to do it, but im out of options, so for all of you who want to leave the rude comments, go ahead, your opinion wont change my mind)

ive seen all the "inhuman" sites, i dont care to see them again, soft paws are crap, my kitten will sit and chew until they are all off...tried foil, tape, no spray, he uses posts & trees

WHY CANT YOU PEOPLE GET OFF THE SOFTPAW THINGS...I SAID I TRIED THEM, THEY ARE CRAP! I KNOW WHAT DECLAWING IS!

Answer 1

first of all, you have to do what you have to do. I had to declaw my cats too. I did not like the idea due to all the pain..blah blah..but if they were to stay in my loving warm home, they had to quit tearing it up. And like you, I tried soft paws and you are right they are crap. I tried all that other stuff too, and my husband finally said to get them declawed or get rid of them. So don't let these people who judge you as a bad cat owner get under your skin, I'd be willing to bet most of them have torn up furniture and carpeting. My cats were moody when they came home. The one adjusted better than the other. They walked gingerly and wanted extra loving. One of them would not use the paper shavings. He actually laid next to and in the litter box and cried until I finally dumped out the paper, as I pouring the regular litter in the box he was peeing in it. Poor thing I thing that hurt him more than the declawing did. I know he held it at least 18 hours, if not more. I kept food available at all time (and of course water too) Good luck to you and your kitty.

Answer 2

The vet were I go won't operate on a cat unless he sees that it's been vaccinated. I would think that if the owner had it declawed she would have in spayed too. Most people have both done at the same time when the cat is young.

Answer 3

Where I live we must have our cats declawed! I myself didn't want to do it, it is amputation of the toes but it was a necessary evil.When my old cat Gracie died who wore press on nails called soft claws. She was 15 years old when I moved in here, so they over looked that fact because she couldn't scratch their carpet.but when I wanted a new kitty several months after Gracie died I wanted a cat that had already been declawed so I wasn't the mean guy. I got a cat that was two years old and already spayed and declawed so I didn't have to take her for these surgeries,but I would have in order to live in a nice place, Your Kitty will forgive you.Just make sure you keep him inside. He will be sore for a few days for the first day he will not be able to eat or drink but the second day he should be fine! Give him lost of love and kiss his paws to let him know you are sorry. He may hate that Vet from now on.

Answer 4

The cat's claw is not a toenail at the end of the toe as in other animals. It is movable digit attached to muscle as a finger might be. ...Think of the cat as having 10 toes on each foot. Declawing is akin to cutting off half their toes. When the end digit, including the claw is removed, the sensory and motor nerves are cut, damaged and destroyed. They do not repair themselves or grow back for many months. Following the surgery there is a wooden lack of feeling, then a tingling sensation during the long convalescence while the cat must walk on the stub end of the second digit. Remember that during all this time the cat may not "rest" his feet as we would after a similar operation but must continue to scratch in his litter box, walk and attempt to jump as usual regardless of his pain.
Since cats have keener senses than humans, they suffer even more than humans. Many pain killing drugs, including aspirin, do not agree with cats and can cause illness or even death. Anyone who has had surgery will appreciate the problem that can be created by the inability to take pain-relieving medication. It is also possible for the claws to grow back, but often not in the normal manner, instead they may grow through the top or bottom of the paw, creating a bloody, painful sore. An Atlanta news station recently had a story of a declawing followed by infection so severe that the cat's foot had to be amputated.

PLEASE TRY SOFT CLAWS FIRST!! (See below).

I am not trying to be mean, but why do you even want to have a cat if you are going to torture it in this way???

Answer 5

I have two declawed cats myself....Yes its painful, and yes it may be inhumane but in some cases it is the last option. I opted for pain meds when I took them home. Vet will inform you about everything else. They are now in their teens and have no residual problems. Don't act any differently than the rest of my kitties. Would I do it again? I guess I would....Same situation leaving me no other choices. Good Luck. P.S I hope they never become outdoor cats!

Answer 6

hi..I have a cat now that was abandoned by it's original owner. He was declawed when I got him. He has no means of protection and his paws look deformed. He is very loving but also very sensitive where his paws are concerned. I would expect a very different cat when you bring him home.There will be alot of pain but I don't know about the meds.Unless you never expect this cat to go outside again,I wouldn't do it.You should also expect to carry him to the litter box for a couple of days and keep a close eye for infection. Ask the vet about feedings.To be honest..I would put a collar on him and let him be outside or find him a place to go where he could be a cat before I took his claws.If you get them spayed or neutered they'll stay at home.They will also settle down a bit in the house.Good luck.

Answer 7

I had my 2 yr. old male cat declawed in Sept. The vet gave me some antibiotic pills for him to take for 5 days. I ended up cutting the pills in half and mixing it in with some tuna and he ate them with no problems. My cat did hide for a few days after he came home, I suppose he was mad at me for having him declawed. I used clay litter for 2 weeks afterwards. I opted for the vet to give my cat pain medicine which was an additional $20.00, it was an injection the vet gave him. Your cat can eat and drink normally when he comes home. My cat stayed at the vet's for 2 days, I could of payed an additional $50 fee for the laser surgery and he would of only spent one night at the vets, but I decided against that.

Answer 8

At our clinic, they are in hospital for 3 days. They need to be watched for bleeding. He will definitely be on pain meds. He will be in pain, for how long it's hard to tell. Every animal is different.

I'm wondering - Shouldn't all of this been discussed with your doctor before his appointment? I would think that your veterinarian would have been the perfect person to ask these questions to.

Good luck to you and your little guy. Glad he was already neutered. Keep him and indoor cat only now, no other choice.

Answer 9

There's no need to declaw a cat if you just take a little time to train them. Yes, it does take a bit of effort to keep placing your cat on the scratching post and reprimanding him when he's scratching things he shouldn't be, but in the long run he'll be safer and healthier with his feet intact.

What if he got out and ahd to run up a tree to escape a dog or had to defend hismelf against another cat, he'd have no chance without his claws.

It's not that hard to train a cat, especially from a kitten, to use the proper scratching devices. PLease don't have him mutilated!

Answer 10

Do you know how inhumane that is to do that to your cat? go to http://declawing.com/htmls/declawing.htm and see what you are really doing to you cat when you do that. There is a much safer and humane way it is http://www.softpaws.com