2007-01-04 12:53:52 · 23 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
It depends...if they are an outdoor cat..no because then they cannot defend themselves. If they are indoor cats...yes because vets would not do it if it was extremely painful for them.
As a side note, as an alternative to declawing you can put a plastic cover (cannot remember official name) over the claws, they grow out after like a month. You can do it yourself or have your vet do it.
2007-01-04 13:05:28 · answer #1 · answered by BritLdy 5 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Think of it this way...depriving a cat of its claws takes away its main defense, which is scratching, it also can cause the declawed cat to have arthritis in their paws...and sometimes it makes a cat's personality change, makes them very snappy..and since the cat does not have the claws...it will bite.
Taking a cat's defense mechanism away, just to avoid furniture being scratched or having to train the cat to use a scratching post...both are no excuse for declawing. Train the cat to use the post..or use claw caps or soft paws.
BTW I think that declawing a cat should be outlawed. Many declawed cats end up in shelters because of the behavioral changes which make the owners aka culprits give them up. And sometimes declawed cats are hard to place in permanent homes.
2007-01-04 14:12:20 · answer #2 · answered by carledwards99andtonystewart20fan 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I work at a vet clinic, and we just declawed two kittens today. I feel that it is VERY inhumane to declaw a cat because you are amputating the first digit on ALL of the toes. It is VERY painful to the cats. Even with a lot of pain medication, they still have a hard time with it. When the kittens, or cats wake up, they at first are just disorented. But once they come to a little more, they yowl with uncomfort and pain. And the one kitten today, Buttons, she was flailing her paws around, and her incisions broke open, so we had to anesthatize her again, re close her toes, and put new bandages on, AND an E-Collar. And they all had a pain injection and a pain patch.
Not all cats react like this, but enough of them do for me to say that it is a painful process.
There are many more alternatives to declawing. you can train your cat to scratch ONLY on a scratch post, or you can get a product like soft paw, which i use on my cats.
2007-01-04 13:00:13 · answer #3 · answered by Stark 6 · 4⤊ 0⤋
Absolutely. Declawing is actually a humane-sounding word for a much crueler process. The top bones are cut off from each "finger" and the cat may never recover fully. It also disables the cat to defend itself.
Many vets have even chosen to stop declawing cats.
2007-01-04 12:57:30 · answer #4 · answered by mhamermd 1 · 3⤊ 0⤋
It is inhumane to declaw a cat unless it is absolutely nessacary. They have claws for a reason, to fight back. With out their claws they can not climb tree claw or scratch their enemy who may be trying to harm the cat and the cat could end up getting killed because of a humans choice to declaw him. It is also very painful for a cat to be declawed.
2007-01-04 12:57:13 · answer #5 · answered by kurzez_incokerated 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The cats are in pain after they are declawed. That I have observed.
It is inhumane to cause unjust pain to an animal for it to be better suited for your house.
I think it is inhumane. I do know a lot of people who have chosen this option and were happy with the results and the furniture not getting torn up.
Me-I have a chair that is shredded, cats with claws and a dog that has all its feet even though he tracks in mud.!
2007-01-04 13:25:29 · answer #6 · answered by Bobyns 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Listen to the advice from Alli and Born2bloom. I've read about cats even ending up crippled due to this botched procedure. I think they are starting to do laser declawing which is suppose to be a more humane procedure, but I don't know much else about it and I doubt many vets are yet practicing it. Many scratching products are productive; mine likes the corrugated cardboard and pretty much sticks to using that.
2007-01-04 13:52:44 · answer #7 · answered by bfwh218 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I would rather have my nails trimmed rather than have my entire fingertip removed at the knuckle. I had an indoor cat for 15 years, and she was trained at an early age not to scratch furniture or carpet. I left her when I went on weekend trips and came home to a house that was just like I left it. It took very little time at all to train them from scratching. An outdoor cat should NEVER be declawed. They need their hind claws for climbing trees and they need their front claws to get down the tree and for defense.
2007-01-04 13:12:21 · answer #8 · answered by nil8_360 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I am neither for or against it.
My preference is to declaw. Many people argue that there are techniques you can use to keep them from clawing up your furniture. But what do you do when your away? I've seen the damage non-declawed cats do. So my cats are always declawed.
2007-01-04 12:59:43 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
There are 2 members of my family that jusst happen to be feline. They are both declawed on the front feet. I tried to have cats that had claws and they destroyed my furniture. The kitties at my house are wonderful pets who do NOT destroy anything. I never let them outside & they are happy with that.
2007-01-04 14:24:58 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋