My sister does not want to declaw her cat. What are the other options besides cutting the nails ourselves?

Answer 1

There is an alternative surgical procedure called a tendonectomy, which cuts the tendon that enables the cat to retract/unsheath their nails. You still have nails, but the cat doesn't have the ability to sink them into anything/anyone. It tends to be most effective if the problem is destruction of furniture, carpet, etc. They still need to be clipped, but the cat can't sharpen them as well.
To play the devil's advocate, great strides have been made to make the declaw proceedure more human. The old method was to put the cat under anesthetic, apply a tourniquet and use guillotine-style nail clippers to amputate at the first joint. Sutures or tissue glue was used to close the incision. These days, the amputation is done with a sterile, brand new scalpel blade and the incisions are closed with tissue glue. In addition to presurgical pain control, anesthetic, and post-op pain control, it is standard to do a long-acting local nerve block. Most vets will also only declaw the front feet. Some feline specialists use a surgical laser for the proceedure. With comprehensive pain control and good follow up care, it is far less traumatic.
That said, I'd NEVER declaw any of my cats. People tend to do it out of convenience, which is annoying. The tendonectomy probably isn't worth it for most people. SoftPaws work great, if the cat will leave them on.

Answer 2

One option is to give your sister a medal. Thank you for not declawing. There are things called soft paws now which fit over the nails. I find the best thing to do is to keep the nails trimmed. You don't have to cut much as long as the tips are done because that's what does the damage. Then tell her to read up on how to keep a cat off furniture, etc. One of the ways is to keep a spray bottle filled with water to give a squirt when the cat is heading for furniture. The most important thing is to make sure the cat has a scratching post. Sharpening their nails is a natural instinct. They find the best thing around to use and if there isn't a scratching post, they'll use the furniture.

Answer 3

I applaud your sister's educated decision. Declawing is a disappearing fad, much to the relief of the cat.

Aside from regular nail trimming, there are a few other options. There is a product called SoftPaw. SoftPaw are rubbery caps that fit over the nails and are glued into place. It's been tested by vets and they say that the once the kitty is use to them, it is really quite comfortable. But as the nail grows, the caps fall off. So, new caps will have to be placed every month or so. (Which is roughly about the same amount of time between nail trimmings.)

The best and most effective way to prevent your furniture from being shredded is training. Many people have a preconsived notion that cats are strickly independent and can't be trained. This is not so. It may take a little longer to train a cat, but it is possible! (And worth it)

First, provide a personal space for your cat. A scratching post, kitty kondo, or cat tree ideal for giving your kitty the right place for their need to "kneed". They HAVE to scratch for proper claw health. So, by give them a place where they can do it till their heart's content. Keep toys and the food and water dish nearby if possible. And rub a little cat nip on the carpet fabric. This draws your cat to it like bugs to a zapper.

Next, go to your local pet store. They have several cat repelling aides to ward away sofa clawers. Spray repelants (which can't be smelled by humans) work fairly well on furniture and curtains. There are hard plastic corner protectors that can fit on to furniture (as some cats prefer to claw at the corners). If you notice your kitten clawing at a particular area, there are large squares of double-sided sticky tape that can be placed over the kitty's favorite clawing spot. They hate having their claws stick to things! And soon, they'll hopefully stop.

Remember, no matter how cute or happy your cat looks pawing at the throw pillows or climbing the curtains, you have to be firm and consistant. It may be cute now, but when your shelling out $100+ dollars for new pillows or curtains, you won't be laughing. Whenever anyone in the house sees your kitty clawing at fabric, pick him up and bring him to his special area. It'll take a few weeks, but he'll learn.

Hope this helps...gosh I didn't mean to type this much....

Answer 4

Kudos to your sister!!! Paws come with claws! You definitley should have your veterinarian show your sister how to trim her cat's claws. It's really not that difficult and many cats do get used to regular trimming. The most important thing to tell your sister is that scratching for a cat is natural and necessary. Cats MUST scratch. It helps them shed the outter sheath of their claws, it helps them stretch their super flexible spines and most importantly, it enables them to "mark" their territory WITHOUT urine!!! Your sister must provide her kitty with an acceptable place to scratch so as to protect her furniture and belongings. Get a sisal rope scratching post. The taller, the better. The best would be to get a "cat tree" where her kitty can climb, perch, play and nap. I've had cats my entire life...feral cats, pedigreed cats, rescued strays, the whole gammut. Not a one of them was ever declawed and not a single piece of furniture was ever harmed. :-)

If this is a kitten, however, some training will be required. Catnip and playtime with toys around the scratching post work well. Kittens will make mistakes but when you start them young, you will have success. Good luck!

Answer 5

Thank goodness she doesn't want to declaw the poor cat. That is totally inhumane! It's like cutting your finger off at the first knuckle. Did you know that? Declawing can ruin the way a cat walks, runs, lives!

Try "Soft Paws" - you can buy them at Petco and have the groomers there put them on. They come in cool colors too. This way, the furniture is protect and the cat's claws are in tact.

Answer 6

Well, you have to keep their nails trimmed. Even with scratching posts, they still may get over grown. One thing you can do if she is worried about scratching is buy soft paws, they are little covers that go over each claw. It's a humane alternative to declawing. You will have to switch them out ever so often but it beats declawing.

Answer 7

you can take the cat to the groomer to have the nails clipped for a pretty nominal fee. beyond that you can also get soft claws which are caps that are glued over the nails and need to be replaced either when they fall off or the nails have grown too long. This can be a pretty nasty process so I suggest paying someone to do it...believe me, it's well worth the money if you can afford to have someone else do it for you!

Answer 8

Someone told me there are nail covers for cats, you put them on kind of like press-on nails, and you have to replace them as the cats' nails grow.... sounds weird, but someone I know just asked this same question and that was an answer she got.
Ask a vet's office about them.

Answer 9

There are nail trimmers out there for cats. Have your sister ask her vet about these. If she doesn't fell comfy trimming the cats nails, bring the cat to the groomers to have them trimmed. Scratching posts are there to stop the cat from scratching furniture, not keeping the claws short.

Answer 10

Take the cat to a groomer when it needs it's claws trimmed. It's an inexpensive way to get the job done without getting your face all clawed up by a panicky cat.