Is it humane to get a cat declawed????

Question

I have always heard people say that it is alwys wrong to get a cat declawed and I was just wondering if it is true. In my own opinion if you have nice furniture you would'nt want to get your stuff scratched up.

Answer 1

Declawing is not for the benefit of the cat, but to the human owners. People choose to declaw because they are not willing to find multiple solutions to make damage minimal nor bother to take the time to learn that there are alternative options such as nail trimming, softpaws caps, different types of scratching surfaces (cardboard, sisel, carpet...horizontal scratcher vs. vertical scratchers), understanding the consequences of declawing (litterbox avoidance issues as a result of the procedure) and so much more. Pictures are worth a thousand words http://community-2.webtv.net/stopdeclaw/declawpics/ , shelters full of declawed cats who piss outside the box is worth a million more when they have to be euthanized rather than their owners suffer the consequence so it is they that will.

Answer 2

It all depends on the person and their views. My point of view is that it is wrong. That's my opinion though. Declawing is actually illegal in all countries except Canada and the United States. That's some evidence right there that it's not a good thing to do. When a cat is declawed, it's not just their claws being cut off. They are removing part of their toe. A cat getting declawed is equal to a human having the ends of their fingers removed at the first joint under the fingernail.

If are worried about your furniture there are many products out there that help that. Look into a thing called Soft Paws. They are acrylic caps that are put into your cats claws. It does not hurt them in any way. It saves you money and saves your furniture and carpet.

Answer 3

I have 2 cats (ages 8 and 6) that still have their claws. They've scratched a few things here and there. But, I recently purchased some spray called "No Scratch" that you spray on your furnature. Every time I see one start to scratch on something I spray it right away and say "NO!" I recently got a brand new couch that I sure don't want them ruining. So, I've been spraying it every day. It seems to be working for the most part. Plus, I bought these things called "Scratch Happy" pads. They are basically cardboard stuck together with catnip in them to attract the cats. They seem to love them. The only problem is I have to sweep every other day because the cardboard kind of shreds. No big deal though...I'd rather sweep then have them destroy furnature! So, there's a couple ideas. The spray I got at a pet store for about $8 and the scratch pads I got at Dollar General for about $3. Not very expensive at all. The spray is all natural and has no oder or color! But, I would never declaw them! I think it's very cruel! Ask your vet what they have to do to them...then you'll probably agree that it is very painful for your cat! I hope this helps!

Answer 4

Yikes, you are opening a can of worms with that question. There are two sides to this and both have some reasonable arguments.

Personally, I won't have a cat declawed. If someone wants a cat with no claws, there are plenty of cats available for adoption that already have their claws removed.

My cats were all reasonably easy to train with consistent squirt of water every time they tried to use their claws on the carpet or furniture, and then taking them where it was acceptable to use their claws (their scratching posts).

I do think that if it's a matter of "the cat gets declawed or the cat gets thrown outside", then the cat is better off having the declaw done, however if someone has a cat declawed it IS inhumane to put the cat outside after that. They need their claws for defense if they are going to be outside.

Answer 5

There is nothing wrong with getting cats declawed. Most vets make sure your cats are on some type of medication during the surgery and besides...its just the front ones that are removed anyways. The back ones don't do much damage. Your cat will be running around in no time after the surgery.

Answer 6

I don't believe it to be humane to have a cat declawed. It's like having all of your fingers amputated at the first joint.
I think there are quite a few good alternatives out there for example "Soft Paws" are sheaths that cover the cats nails, they normally stay on for about 3 months and can be replaces as they fall off (They fall off naturally when the cat's nail sheath sheds)
I Actually cut my cat's nails 2 times a month and they live happy productive lives. There are also products suck as sprays that keep cats away from furniture and even putting double sided tape on furniture as a training tool will deter them from sharpening their nails on your furniture.
Both of my cats are also trained to only scratch their "cat tree" what I did to accomplish this is to (when they were young) lace the cat tree with treats and catnip that attracted them to it. Now I can barely get them off of it, they sleep on it and play on it and scratch on it.
For anyone considering having their cat declawed I would suggest they try any other option before a surgery that in essence mutilates their loving wonderful pet.

Answer 7

I have 4 cats that are all declawed. They get along fine. It is kind of funny cuz they still go through the motions of scratching there is just nothing there to scratch with. Even after surgery they were a little sore for a few days but they got over it. I used to think it was bad to get them declawed but then my husband wanted them declawed so we did. I am glad we did.

So if you want to guarantee the survival of your furniture I would get them declawed. Hope this helps.

Answer 8

It's only humane if you think cutting someones knuckle off is okay. They don't just remove the claw, they cut the bone down to the first knuckle of your cat's paw. Does that sound pleasant to you? As far as the nice furniture, spray a cheap perfume on the furniture and the cat will find this unpleasant. There are two reasons why they claw furniture: 1. Trim their nails. 2. Get their scent on their favorite piece of furniture. Solution: 1. Trim their nails manually or provide a scratching post. 2. The perfume trick.

Answer 9

I had cats that were declawed and they seemed fine but when we got new cats the lady made us promise not to declaw them because she said it was so painful. For your furniture they have sprays and things like that you can try or you could get them a scratching post but no guarantees.

Answer 10

Yes, for various reasons. If you're cat is scratching people badly, then they risk getting put down. Therefore, declawing would put the cat back in its place and disallow it to hurt anymore using their claws.

Funiture-wise, that was why we got our cat declawed. I don't see how it is very painful as she was put to sleep for a very long time (12 hours) and was "woozy: for the next two days. I don't see much pain, and she still likes to play and everything. However, we let her keep her two back feet clawed so that she could defend herself a little at least if she ever ran away.

BTW, we let her keep her claws until around age 5 or 6, so she had a good run with them anyway. As a kitten, I think they should be required to keep their claws because that is how they have fun: grabbing string, fighting, pulling themselves up onto beds, etc. When the kitten grows up and is less interested in these things, that is the time to get the declaw-ing done.