Why do people say declawing cats is so bad?

Question

My cat's declawed, he's perfectly fine... he's the sweetest boy kitty alive!!!

They'll be inside cats!

Answer 1

Declawing is actually an amputation of the cats toes. They cut at the first joint. It is painful and causes behavioral problems. I recently saw the most beautiful cat sitting in the pound. She had been declawed and her owner had to give her up. You never know what will happen to you and if you leave a declawed cat behind, there's no guarantee she'll end up in an environment where she doesn't need the claws. She has no protection from predators without them. Go to the website I posted on your previous question to learn all about it plus alternatives and ways to keep your cat from scratching where you don't want her to. Good luck!

Answer 2

Declawing is bad because it makes the cat defenseless and also because the claw is attached to their last "finger bone". Declawing a cat is like cutting off the end of your fingers, not just trimming your nails. Your are actually cutting the bones, which is very painful and traumatic to a cat. Declawing is actually illegal and considered cruel in many countries.

I would only declaw a cat if it were a very young kitten. Once a cat is older, the bones are more rigid and solid and will cause more trauma to the cat. Trimming the claws is much better and I've had great results with it. Read about it before doing because if your trim too far, it will bleed and be painful, but if done right, there are no problems or trauma to the cat.

Answer 3

Because it's basically amputating their TOES.

Look at your fingers. Your nails are their claws. Above your first knuckle is the same as theirs. Etc. Imagine your hand as a cat's paw.

Now imagine waking up and finding that someone expected you to go about your daily life MISSING the first third of your fingers. All of them. Why can't they just take off the nails, you say? Why, because cats' claws are attached much more firmly than our fingernails. Some insane vet came up with the idea of cutting their toes off instead.

In this fantasy we're imagining, you have to scratch in litter several times a day to use the bathroom ... with these cut-off toes. You also have to walk on all fours, not just on two of these injured hands. You are also expected to jump and run. When you lie down there is also pressure on these wounds (because most cats lie on top of their feet). All you can do is lick them, because you can't communicate your pain and no one offers you any numbing cream or ANYTHING.

That is why it's a bad idea to declaw your cat. Out of humane feelings and LOVE. Even inside cats get out occasionally, despite our best intentions, and heaven forbid something should happen to him. He would be unable to climb a tree or scratch his attacker. Also, even if the surgery goes perfectly and your vet gives you pain medication for him (and no vet inhumane enough to perform such a surgery will give you pain meds for a cat), the constant rubbing against surfaces and scratching litter makes it take ages to heal. The wounds often get infected. Plus there is usually nerve damage, just as there is during human amputations.

Your cat may seem fine now, and acted all right after his surgery, but he has no way to communicate these things.

Declawing also brings out the bad side of immoral vets. Some encourage it any time a cat is spayed or neutered ... just to make more money. Many listen to their clients' complaints about how the cat scratches their leather couch and knowingly recommend declawing ... and never offer alternatives, like regular clipping, or training to a post. It also brings out the bad side of people. Why on earth would you get a cat, a sweet lovely kitten, and then decide that your convenience is worth performing a dangerous and unnecessary surgery that will leave your precious pet deformed? Why!?

Answer 4

The actual procedure is quite gruesome. Look at your fingers. De clawing a cat is like taking your own fingertip off at the first joint. It's not like pulling a fingernail as some people think. It's very painful for the cat after the procedure as they still have to walk on their feet, and scratch in the litter box etc. I saw one case where the cats toes got infected, and he ended up losing two of his toes due to infection, through no fault of the owner or the vet, it just got infected. I have two declawed cats (they were declawed when I got them) and two with claws. If given the choice I would never have my cats declawed. I think the people that are against it are more worried about the pain the cat goes through, and the risk of infection involved.

Answer 5

There are actually a couple of reasons. First, the surgery is brutal. It's like cutting of the end of your finger at the first joint, so it isn't just the nail that's removed. It has to be that way or the nail would grow back. Second, a cat depends on its claws to defend itself, especially outside. Without claws, which the cat doesn't know he doesn't have, he will lose any battle with a cat with claws and he will probably get pretty beat up. If you declaw your cat, make sure he'll be an inside cat.

Answer 6

Would you like to have your fingers cut off at the first knuckle? That's what declawing is... Either that or the vet cuts the tendons so the cat can't push his claws out. I don't think you'd like that either.
Obviously, you'd heal after something like that and learn to live without the tips of your fingers.... but it can't be very comfortable for a while, don't you think?

Answer 7

A cat can't get around quite as well without those claws. Outdoors he can't get up a tree to avoid danger. Indoors, he can't catch himself if he falls. The whole process is painful too.

Answer 8

Well it because well people say that because if you have an indoor or outdoor cat or both then they can't defend themself wen a bad guy brakes into your house.. and if its and outdoor cat then it can't hurt the creatures that hurt them!

Answer 9

.I look at it like this. If my cat wasn't declared (On the front) I wouldn't have him. He'd be another homeless animal. This way is is loved, well fed, and loved more. He is also neutered and vaccinated regally. So you see, he is well taken care of.

Answer 10

It's a peta thing.
San Fransisco(suprise)...outlawed declawing cats within city limits....and owning a declawed cat.