Does Anyone Know How Much It Typically Cost To Declaw a Cat?

Question

I don't mean what the costs are to the cat. I don't mean to be curt but I keep receiving rude answers stating that it's inhumane and I'm not fit to own my cat if I'm considering it. What would be inhumane is if I had to give my cat to the only shelter in my area that happens to be overloaded and, a high kill shelter because I am allergic to the his scratches and he chews the nail caps off and then injests them causing him illness. I have exhausted every other avenue and I just am looking for an average price. Maybe someone has had their cat declawed and can tell me how much they paid.

Thanks!

To those of you whom have suggested simply cutting his nails short, I appreciate the thought however, I am allergic to the cat scratches and he claws at me when I try and cut his nails.

Answer 1

Wow i totally agree with you. Its your cat, don't let anyone tell you that its cruel. I have two cats that i had to have declawed because the apartment i was moving into wouldn't allow pets with claws because they tear up the carpet or something stupid like that. That was not about to stop me from adopting my baby from the spca. I now have 2 declawed cats and they are fine, they are happy and when they beat each other up it doesn't cost me hundreds in vet bills because they can't hurt each other. It cost me around $250 for everything including his pain medicines, they even checked his kidneys before the surgery to make sure everything was ok to do the surgery. He was out of his bandages the next day. Just make sure to use some soft litter in his box for a couple days because the normal litter will get stuck in his paws and could cause infection. Oh yeah don't check with the spca. I asked the spca that i got my cats from and they said that if we were going to have them declawed that they were not going to let us have the cat. I guess they consider it cruel but hell they put cats down isn't that worse. But the spca won't do it.

Answer 2

It depends how your vet declaws. There are three types of claw removal: 1. Laser removal, 2. surgical removal, and 3. ripping them out by the roots with tweezers. I recommend staying far away from any vet that uses #3.
Laser removal may not be available in your area. It does cost more, but the cat will experience very little pain and does not have to stay at the vet for an extended period. It costs about $200 in my area.
Surgical removal is the most commonly used. This does cause pain and the pain medication will be necessary. Also, this is a surgery, so surgical complications can occur. This costs about $120 in my area.
If you have a cat over 5 years of age, I recommend the laser removal as it is less traumatic and virtually painless. Some vets will not perform a surgical declaw on older cats. If they do, it would require blood work and additional costs if the cat is older.

Answer 3

They don't need it! Declawing a cat is cruel and inhumane! You're basically taking their fingers away with declawing! Please don't do this. Some cats are even known to stop using the litter box as the litter hurts their feet. If you can't stand scratching, please either buy catnip and a variety of scratchers, or give the cat away. If you put a scratcher by every piece of furniture with the catnip, you can train the kitten not to scratch furniture. There is also an alternative, getting soft paws. They're basically a fake fingernail, they're kinda like rubber claws you glue (non toxic) to their claws so it's impossible for them to claw, they still will, but the soft paws aren't sharp so it wont ruin furniture. You can order them online and the best thing to do it to get your vet to do it. They last 4-6 weeks and are so much more humane then declawing! I also seem some sort of scratching tape? It looks like regular tape, but it says that you put it on the furniture they scratch and it protects the furniture. I don't know how it works but it looks good! But please, whatever you do, for the sake of your cat, don't declaw them.

Answer 4

Try to consider the reputation of the vet and facility before the actual cost. It's the equivalent to cutting off your finger tip and there is lots of blood involved.

I saw a cat coming out of surgery after being declawed and as soon as the owner sat down with him he started bleeding like crazy. They had to take him back quickly and it was an awful thing to witness. I would never take my cat back there.

I can see you are dead-set on doing this and think that all other options have been tried. Even if you have to clip his nails weekly wouldn't that be worth not putting him though so much pain?

Answer 5

Lots of answers have already said this, but it's true - it is YOUR decision - and your furniture! *smile* - and I have had many cats, and had them declawed, with NO ill side-effects. One thing to remember, is that, for the cat's sake, the cat should remain an indoor cat then. They do have problems climbing trees, or defending themselves, without claws, but normally, the cat's recovery is much easier than I had thought. Here in rural South Dakota, declawing, along with spaying/neutering in a single procedure, costs about $80. Declawing alone is $25. (I feel sorry for the Atlanta cat-owner - OUCH!) -

Call around to some local vets, find out their procedure, and cost - if the surgery procedure is humane, the recovery should be pretty smooth-sailing.

Answer 6

When we had our cat declawed 17 years ago it was 125.00. Call some vets in your area and ask them the whole cost.. they will tell you. It is okay. Your cat will be fine. Cats do not know they dont have claws, they still sharpen.. they just cant do the harm... My cat lived 17 happy spoiled years.

Answer 7

I had an eight yr old cat (now 12) and she was scrathcing up everything, including me, called vet and vet explained to me it is not like having your fingernails removed, but more like your fingers...that is the unfortunate reality of it...
I got a squirt gun and sprayed her every time I caught her in the act of digging something, got her several scratching posts and we worked it out....sort of,,,she still claws some, but she is worth it....good luck.

Answer 8

We charge $126.00. That includes everything including anesthesia, intubation, IV catheter, fluids during surgery, constant monitoring by an RVT & an electrical monitor, bandaging the paws, overnight hospitalization, and 4 doses of pain medication given in the clinic and the cat also goes home with 3-5 days worth of oral pain medication.

Just keep in mind that you get what you pay for. The most important thing is adequate pain medication. You can always e-mail me if you have any more in-depth questions. :)

Answer 9

Your local vet would have the best answer. Have you tried clipping the nails short? We did that with one of our cats - had to keep it up weekly, but it seemed to help. We also found a spray at the pet store that helped with scratching - it's apparently not very pleasant to cats, so they stay away.

Answer 10

People who believe declawing isn't cruel are wrong, your cat may seem fine but wait till it gets older, you'll have more vet bills then anything. Since a cat uses it's claws to stretch cutting them out won't allow it to stretch it's muscles anymore, hence why alot of declawed cats have serious arthritis