if i get a cat, is it wrong to get there claws removed?

Question

i want to get a cat as a pet. however i dont want it to scratch and ruin my furniture. can i get the claws removed. my friend says no. its terrible painfull and they depend on there claws. but i want one as a pet without claws. what should i do.

Answer 1

It is wrong and should be outlawed

Edit - go ahead and give me 50 thumbs down - anyone who believes a cat should be declawed is seriously in need of a reassessment of their suitability of pet ownership

Answer 2

Currently I have 3 cats, 2 with claws and 1 without. The 1 without was a stray that I brought in from outside. My cats don't claw at my furniture because I keep their nails clipped and I also have a claw scratcher for them to scratch their claws on. The scratcher is just a flat box with corrugated cardboard in it. I rub it periodically with cat nip and they go nuts with it. They use it several times a week and never use my furniture or woodwork.

Declawing is very painful for the cat and I have had cats declawed in the past and it takes the cat a couple of weeks to get back to normal. If you can get by without declawing, try it. Trim their nails and get them a scratcher and put the catnip on it and I think that will solve the problem. If it doesn't, then declawing may be your only out. I know that my parents just had their cat done and the vet uses a laser to take the claws and their cats recuperation time was much shorter and seemed to be less painful than them doing it the old way. So if you do decide to declaw, maybe look for a vet that uses lasers.

Answer 3

Removing a cat's claws is very cruel. Essentially, the declawing procedure is an amputation of the end joint of each of the cat's digits. That is like someone amputating the tips of each of your fingers! Not only is it painful, but it is psychologically distressful to your cat. I think if you don't want a pet with claws, you should not get a cat. Or adopt a cat that has been declawed by a previous owner. That way you can save a cat and not have the guilt of having made the decision of having your cat declawed. I have two cats with claws and two clawed up couches. All I know is that I would much rather have the cats happy and healthy rather than immaculate furniture.

Answer 4

If you are going to let your cat outside, then it would be cruel to have their claws removed. Cats need their claws for protection. I personally think that it is wrong to let your cat roam the neighborhood. Cats that roam around get in fights with other cats, tear open trash bags and are a nuisance to people that do not want them in their yard. If your cat is going to remain indoors, then I think that the choice is up to you. It is painful for the cat to have their claws removed, but that pain doesn't last longer than a few days. A cat with claws can do serious damage to your furniture and floors even if you keep a scratching post and other toys around the house. You have the option of just removing their front claws which is what I did with my cat. This solves most of the scratching problem and is less painful for the cat. Good Luck!

Answer 5

Dont get a cat and declaw it. DONT. Cats claws are their only defense, and there is NO WAY you can guaruntee that you cat would never escape your house. If they were to escape, how would u feel knowing that he/she was out there with NO defense? Survival of that is slim. When you get a young kitten, it is very easy to trim thier claws yourself. It creates bonding time between you and the cat, and by adult hood they'll be so used to it it wont be an issue of claw trimming. I have 4 male cats, and can get all their claws done in 5 minutes. ( one of them just lays there while i do it!) Buy a scratching post. Spread catnip on it, or they have catnip sprays that you can spray on the scratching post. It'll teach them to use that, and only that. And it'll show them that the scratching post feels great.
A side note- if you have leather furniture, theres a high chance the cat wouldnt scratch at it because it is not a rough surface. I have 4 leather peices of furniture in my house, and not a cat clawing rip or poke or tear in sight! I also have a large cat tree that has11 scratching posts on it. So there is no worry there.
Bottom line- DONT DECLAW!

Answer 6

it is wrong to de-claw a cat no matter what. you can however buy nail clips to put over the cats claws. also if you keep the cats nails cut short that helps. have you ever scratch post trained a cat before?? if you want to go what may be an easier route for you,adopt a cat from a shelter. you'd be suprised how many unclaimed de-clawed cats turn up. just know that de clawing your cat does not always turn into a nice cat and if you get one dont ever let it go outside,unless it is secured.

Answer 7

Don't get a cat. Get a little lap dog. If you insist on a cat, then you must spend the time, patience and whatever it takes to train the cat not to scratching your furniture - WITHOUT resorting to de-clawing. The procedure is actually a mutilation and is very painful.

I have two male cats. THey have never clawed at my furniture and I have LEATHER sofas and chairs... wooden floors... I now have a big X'mas tree full of dangling bright stuff and both have NEVER atempted to climb it or play with the decorations.

I NEVER had to squirt them with a water gun or spnak them to disciple them - all I did was to provide them with their own toys, showed them interesting nooks and places in the house where they won't get into trouble and their own safe place (my room) to sleep in and be in when I cannot keep an eye on them.

Answer 8

If you declaw a cat his/her paws will always hurt. For the rest of their lives. This will make the kitty angry and irritable all the time, and it will start biting you as it's only form of self-defence. My advice is that you get a scratchpost. My kitty has one of those scratchboards that attach to the wall. I just put him on it and he scratches away, and leaves my furniture alone. Also a really really cute and humane way of making sure your cat doesn't scratch your furniture is SoftPaws. They're like little individual gloves for each claw and they come in tons of different colors. It looks like you've painted you're kitty's nails ^_^ Look at the site below if you wanna find out more. Don't declaw!

Answer 9

Oh dude....dude.... The landlord came to my house yesterday while I was at work. Piggy got out. He's a master at that, so I'm not surprised. I had him & his litter, food & water in a bedroom, with the door closed...stupid landlord. By 6 when I get home, he's hiding under the back steps & had the nail of another cat embedded under the rim of his left eye. I imagine if I'd ever de-clawed him, he would be in way worse shape...that's why a house cat needs nails...also, he would not be able to shred the carpet, climb the drapes or any of those other activities he enjoys so much. Not to mention what Erin said, just adding to it...

Answer 10

Yes it is wrong. Would you like your finger nails pulled out. Get them their very own big, tall, carpet covered kitty condo and they will leave your furniture alone. I have never had a problem. You can tell your kitty no if it starts this. If my kitty is on the counters or is getting into something al I have to do is clap my hands and he stops what ever he is doing. Just training not removal of claws.

Answer 11

I have 2 baby kitties myself and i am kinda debating as well!
They will soon be 3 months old.I have another cat that is 7yrs old.He is declawed!He can still climb up our chairs and beds.He does anything he wants actually.He didn't suffer after the procedure.I gave him pain meds and took very good care of him.
I am debating as to whether i should get our new babies done or not because of all the hype that is out there now.
I have read all about how they take the first 2 knuckles off..etc.But the kitties are asleep when this is done.They do get meds afterwards..There are alot of people that say not to do it...
I dont think it is "wrong" however.
Its a choice we as the owners make when we take them into our homes!!
My new curtains are pretty messed up already..LOL
I dont want the rest of my furniture to be all tore up.I cant afford to go buy new!!
Some might say-well then dont get a cat..I say ,mind your own business!!
We have a right to have our lil furballs w/out front claws!!
I dont like what i have read about the procedure..but it's not like they have no meds..ya know?Right now i just dont have the money to do have it done..but after the holidays i think we will..
Good luck with your decision!