Help!!!! my parents want to declaw our cat!!?

Question

i know its cruel and inhumane, i told my parents that. they dont seem to care. they insist. We brought her all the way from russia. And she's 14 and doesnt deserve this. The whole reason they want this done is because my sister who we brought her for, lives with her husband who has expensive leather furniture. And he is afraid the cat will damage it with her claws. What can i do? What can i tell them that will make them not do this aweful thing? Wheres a good declawing is cruel website i can show to them and my brother inlaw?

Answer 1

I think it's worth it to declaw the cat. They have expensive furniture, why let it all get ruined by a cat?

Answer 2

I will link a website for you at the end of this.

First, 14 is TOO old to declaw a cat! Especially if she's over 5 pounds.

When a cat is declawed (which needs to be done as a kitten, if it's ever going to be an issue), the toe is cut at the first knuckle. Can you imagine having your all your fingers cut off at the first knuckle? The nails are not just removed as many people think with this procedure. I am NOT against this IF they are kittens. I assisted in many of these and although deemed to be cruel, I think it's more cruel to wait when their adults! I once saw a 10 pound cat come in for a declaw that was 8 years old. OH! The pain he was in (same scenario - new leather furniture). It is so much harder for older cats and heavier cats to overcome. As kittens, it doesn't really phase them as much.

Aside for getting scratching posts and clipping her nails, there is a product called soft paws, it is a plastic nail cap, sold in pet stores or found online.

Good luck with this war.


http://amby.com/cat_site/declaw.html
http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/html/declawing___alternatives.html

Answer 3

Talk to your vet. I just found out there is a better way of keeping the cat from clawing the furniture without declawing. Now all the vet has to do is cut the tendon that runs from the claw the the muscle that causes it come out of it's sheath on the cat's toes. this is apparently a lot less painful for the cat a lot faster healing time and less expensive. Good luck!
LL

Answer 4

This is a pretty basic site, but it gets the point across: http://www.declawing.com/

I suggest you keep the cats nails trimmed and covered in soft paws. Since the cat is older, if you have trouble getting the cat to sit through that, you can have the vet trim the nails and apply the covers. Your cat won't be able to scratch the furniture, which will eliminate the need for declawing.

Answer 5

Petco sells an item called soft claws. Soft Claws are the simple alternative to declawing when scratching is a problem. Soft plastic nail caps glue over your cat's nails. It prevents them from tearing up your furniture and won't interfere with the cat's extention and retraction of their claws. They cost about $20 to do them yourself or for an extra fee the grooming salon at Petco will apply them and I'm sure you can also get them at a vet.

Answer 6

I would suggest that you tell them that due to her age any surgery could be very dangerous. If she hasn't been clawing up things til now I doubt she'll start. You can get the plastic covers for her nails as well. There aren't many good vets that will put an animal that age under anesthesia for declawing, not to mention it's much more painful the older they are

Answer 7

cats seldom claw leather furniture.. at 14 yrs this surgery could kill her..infact any surgery could...
declawing will certainly change her behavior... either making her more agressive or more nervous.. or both

look into a product made to protect claws.. I dont know what country you are in but here they are called SOFT PAWS.. they glue on to the front paws only and work great

its sad somebody loves their furiture more than their cat..
dont talk to your vet.. vets will encourage the surgery since ultimately they are paid to do it....

good luck...

** ADDITIONAL NOTE to people who think the sofa is worth more than the cat.. SOFAS are for sitting on.. I am pretty sure you can still sit on a sofa even if a cat has scratched it.... isnt it about time we stopped being so vain about inanimate objects like "furniture"???

Answer 8

Tell them not to declaw the cat but, they can have the little nerve in the paw clipped so they cannot extend the claws. Tell them that many times when a cat is declawed they will get arthritis in their paws and stop digging in their litter because it hurts then they will start going all over the house. Why don't you take the cat?

Answer 9

Tell them there are ways to keep the cat off the furniture ( you can buy the spray stuff to make them not want to go on it (look up Drs. Foster and Smith) they carry products for that and look up the site for the ASPCA AND THEY HAVE INFO ON THIS SUBJECT THAT YOU CAN USE. I admire your love and protectiveness for your cat and your common sense on the matter of declawing! You've go to win....I'm rooting for ya all the way!

Answer 10

It's sad that they think more of a couch than they do a living creature. It would be more humane to find the cat a new home. I know a good website, but its not about declawing, it sells slipcovers for couches.
http://www.surefit.net/

Answer 11

Call your vet. There are plastic claw covers you can put on her that last several weeks that make her claws unable to harm furniture. That would be very cruel. Poor cat would have been better off in Russia!