Having my kitten declawed..?

Question

Now before I get bashed up I just want to say that I found this kitten under the porch of one of my neighbors when she was probably 3 weeks old, her mother died and I took care of her since then. She is also a 'special' cat, she only has three legs (missing back left.) She runs around like a normal kitten, she loves to play, and even worse she loves loves loves to scratch. I have tried everything... I have bought so many posts, which she will look at for a few seconds and then go back to scratching on the furniture. I have also tried those awful softpaws.. what a waste of money, a lot of money,and they always fall off after a day. I live at home and my mother is fed up with the scratching so declawing is the only alternative. I'm just wondering what I should do to prepare for her coming home... is there anything special I need.. Thanks in advance.

Also, if you don't agree with me thats your buisness, but i'm not asking for your opinion , i just want some info on aftercare.

yeah, I am dishing out the 300 for the laser declaw, I feel bad enough I have to get her declawed, so I'm gonna make it as easy as possible for her.

Stalkers... thanks for the unwanted/un-needed opinion. But I have already thrown out about 10 scratching posts.. of all kinds. And I've done the double sided tape, and the squirting.. nothing has worked. It's either this or she goes, and I love her too much to get rid of her.

BVC Assistant - I'll keep you updated.. check back in a few days.

Answer 1

Too bad, you are going to get my opinion.

You know that declawing is actually illegal in some areas and in some countries because it's considered animal cruelty, right?

You know that it's the equivalent of cutting off your fingers at the first knuckle, right?

You know that it can cause irreparable damage, right?

You know that the Humane Society of the United States and the ASPCA are adamently against this type of cosmetic mutilation, right?

There are plenty of other options. SO, the soft paws didn't work. They didn't work for me, either. Buy some of the double sided tape that they sell at petsmart and put it on places that she scratches. It works as long as you are good about applying it.

You can also try a different type of scratching apparatus. We use the horizontal cardboard scratchers and they work fabulously.

Watch the cat and when she goes to scratch, squirt her.

Declawing is simply cruel and cowardly.

Answer 2

Kittens should never ever be declawed,in reality it's amputating their toe ends and claws.A healthy cat or kitten which goes to be declawed, is classed as disabled after the procedure. Who would do that to kittens ? I'm sick of Graham R too, he always quotes the same thing every time, notice it's statistics from vets, and of course it was from the greedy unscrupulous vets who still declaw even though many have now stopped as it's known how wrong it is. Vets in my country wouldn't declaw cats even before it was banned, it's only the USA and Canada who ever thought it was OK. Enjoy your kittens, what's a few scratches, nothing compared to the pain of a cat bite and that's what many declawed cats do, when they feel defenceless.A lot mess outside the litter tray too, it starts when they can't bear the pain of digging in the litter with their sore stumps,they have to use the carpet or other soft furnishings. You can't risk that with a baby coming soon.

Answer 3

Here you go:

1. Exercise: Restricting exercise is difficult. However, you should prevent your cat from jumping as much as possible for the first 5 days.

2. Bleeding: More than occasionally a cat breaks open one of the small scabs where the nailbed was removed. A few drops of blood followed by rapid cessation of bleeding is normal this may appear like a great amount especially if the cat shakes his paws about and the blood spreds. Confining him in a dark room in a pet carrier usually stops the blood flow after 20 minutes. Call the doctor if bleeding persists.

3. It is usually recommended that normal clay or sand litter be replaced by stripped newspaper for 7 days so not to embed in wound. Some cats may not like the transition and may seek an alternate spot. This is usually temporary until the normal litter can be used again.

Notify the Doctor if Any of the Following Occur:

* Your cat's feet appear swollen or bleed frequently.

* Your pet is reluctant to walk at all even after 24 hrs.

* There is a change in your cat's general health or behavior.

Answer 4

In addition to using various scratching posts keep the kittens claws trimmed.
Declawing no matter if conventional or laser is still amputation. It still can have complications. Be aware that many declawed cats end up with behavior issues....litterbox avoidance,biting, hiding, aggression..and having issues with walking and balance. Many declawed cats end up in shelters because of these behaviors.

Kittens do a lot of scratching, however most out grow it if given time.

Answer 5

I don't think that she'll be able to use regular cat litter for a while. You may have to use shredded up newspaper or plastic pellet type of cat litter for a while.

She'll probably be on antibiotics for a couple of weeks and you may be sent home with Torbutrol, which is a pain medication. She should take care of herself, meaning, if she feels like crap, she'll act accordingly. So don't dispair if she seems a bit lethargic. Although, animals bounce back quicker than humans it seems so she may be feeling pretty good sooner than expected.

The vet will give you take home instructions for sure. I would think just watch out for some bleeding.

That's all I can think of really, anything else, the vet should tell you.

Good luck with your new baby.

PS: We don't do the laser declawing at our clinic...can you post how she did afterwards? Recup time and stuff like that? It's waaaay cheaper than what we charge here for declawing. Traditional costs over $600.00!

Answer 6

I have 2 cats and ad them both declawed. I dont think there is anyting mean about it. One thing i can tell you about aftercare which im sure they will tell you at the vets office, is that you need to put shreadded newspaper in the litter box for a week or 2 afterwards because the litter will get down in the holes where the claws used to be and cause infection. Other than that i dont think there was any other instructions i got from my vet. Hope this helps.

Answer 7

You really don't need any special stuff for the cat to come home. Except a sense of humor, because she will look so funny with her little paws all wraped up. Most cats heal from this very quickly, and afterwards they don't even know anything is different. I worked at a vet clinic for 2 years and one of our vets had declawed his cat, but when the cat got angry he would still go to the end of the couch and start scratching and looking at him while he tried to scratch the couch. It was really just funny because the cat thought he was being so bad and just evil, but couldn't do any damage. I think you're doing the right thing.

Answer 8

You may consider that since your kitten only has one back leg that she may need her claws to steady herself when she does certain things and if she is ever out side she will not be able to protect herself or climb anything to get out of harms way. I know cats can be rough on furniture but declawing can be bad for the kitty too. I would hate to have my nail pulled off. OUCH!!!!!

Answer 9

Her paws will be tender for a while, but she will be fine. Just give her lots of love and care for her. Although it seems you've already done that. Good Luck to you.

PS. My cat was declawed several years ago. He hated being indoors. Long story short he is an outside cat now and loves it. We also live on a farm and he is free to wander all 10 acres if he wants. He has no trouble defending himself. Again GOOD LUCK

Answer 10

I had one of my kitties declawed but I will never do it again, it totall changed her personality. But, when you bring the kitty home you will need to get a different kind of litter, such as Yesterdays news or soemthing like that so the dust doesn't get inside the wounds. Other than that she should be fine. She should know her limitations cause she will be sore for about a week or so.