painless declaw??

Question

Im really against declawing but ive been researching it lately and there are new ways like laser surgery or watev that reduces pain
n stuff. is it true or just bull. I have 2 small siblings at home as well..............wat do u think?

thanks guys, i think my mind is set, ill try alternatives :)

Answer 1

If my fingers get amputated by laser, they will still hurt.

Answer 2

This is a very emotional topic and unfortunately you have been given a lot of bad info. Declawing is done under general anesthesia, and good vets are using local blocks (like your dentist uses on your teeth when he drills) so the paw is numb during and for several hours after surgery, and cats don't scream under general anesthesia-- they are unconscious!!! In addition, the good vets give pain meds immediately after surgery and for the next 7-14 days. The younger a cat is when declawed, the softer the tissues, and the less traumatic the surgery mentally and physically. Conversely, the older the cat, the worse it is-- even at 12 months old, it's a lot harder than it is at 6 months, and after two years, it's pretty awful. But when 3 or 4 month old kittens are declawed, they will be playing with their toys later that day. Someone also told you that cats can't scratch themselves once declawed, but the vast majority of declawed cats only have their front paws done, and they don't scratch themselves with their front paws!!! I know a lot of people would like to outlaw the procedure, but there would be a lot of homeless and abused cats if that happened. So make the decision that is best for you and your cats. Do you really think every vet in America would do declaws if they were inhumane??? It is not illegal in America....and not all cats can be trained not to destroy furniture, walls, etc.

PS: it doesn't necessarily need to be done w/a laser-- it can be done painlessly with other techniques. As with any surgery,some go better than others. Try to get a recommendation from a friend who uses a local vet. I have 4 declawed cats, ages 1 to 16, all are happy and healthy, all use the litterbox, and none of them bite. Good Luck!!

Answer 3

It is to your credit that you have done some research before putting your pet thru a serious operation, not to mention the change in their life. I am not sure what "siblings" refers to...your family or the cats but either way declawing can be unbelievablely brutal on a cat. I hope things have changed from when I worked for a vet and how he performed what I would call mutilation on a cat. He would put the cat out ( of course ) and then take something that looked like nail cutters for King Kong and literally remove the whole end of the toe.
A couple of stitches to stop the bleeding and on to the next toe. Declawing is usually done only to the front claws because they get the most noticed use in scratching furniture, curtains and people. However, think on this, if you declaw your cat , you must take extra measures that the cat does not get into trouble outdoors because now, it has no way to defend itself. Vets wrap the mutilated paws in gause and tape so the cat can't get to the site. But poor kitty still has to stand on those same paws to relieve itself. Whether its a spay (which compares to a total hysterectomy) or declawing, I have yet to see any vet give an animal pain medicine. They just have to deal with it. So, there you have it. Ask yourself this: 1. Is it really really necessary?? 2. Are you willing to put your pet thru the procedure and then be responsible for her safety ? 3. Try triming the nails for a while to see if that works.( yes, you have to hold the cat in a towel so it doesn't get you) but still that's less dramatic than declawing. Good luck and quick healing for your pet.

Answer 4

Having had 2 cats declawed for different reasons to each cat I can give you insight to both types of declaw - guillatine method and laser. My female cat acted very feral when we got her. For over 4 years we tried to no avail to get her to stop, and yes we tried EVERYTHING. Even the caps, she simply took them off. When I got pregnant, we looked into adoption and because of her behavior, she was not a candidate for adoption. Rather than euthanize her, she opted for declaw so we could keep her. She was declawed by laser surgery. A bit more expensive but worth the extra money. She never had the casts and never even acted like she even had surgery. She has no adverse affects from the surgery and has even since then calmed down. No matter who here doesn't want to believe that it is the truth. She is a very affectionate lap cat now. Our male cat had a very traumatic birth and was hanging paw first out of the birth canal for more than 45 minutes before I could pull him out. (my sisters cat, not mine, I spay and neuter all of my pets) I had to do everything for him, cut his sac off, cut the cord, and give mouth to mouth to get him breathing. There was an immediate bond between him and I and I knew I had to have him. An hour later, the traumatized paw began to bleed from every claw and became extremely swollen. The vet said he would likely lose the leg. The next morning it looked better but all 3 other legs were doing the same thing. As much as we hated it, to save him the pain of having them drained throughout life and possibly crippling him, the best thing for him was declaw all 4 paw. Unfortunately, the vet did not do laser surgery as requested and it was horrid!!! He came home with bandages on but soon took them off. The wounds were gaping open and bleeding everywhere. I just sat and cried, I felt horrible!!!! It took him a good 2 weeks to walk normal and taught me a very valuable lesson. If it is necessary like in a case like his, BE SURE to vet is doing laser. Obviously it is a better way to go though I don't believe any declaw is completely painless. But as far as the person saying they scream the whole time, COMPLETE LIE!!! No vet will declaw with an animal awake. DUH!!! And even as bad as Cody's declaw was afterwards, he never screamed.

Answer 5

I just don't believe there is any way to declaw a cat without it suffeing pain. In order for the claws not to grow back in they still have to remove to the first knuckle and laser or waterv i still don't see how it could be painless. Just take a minute to think about it if they laser or waterv off your fingers to the first knuckle it's going to hurt no matter how they do it. The best way for you and the safest thing for the cat is to teach it that scratching is wrong. They learn what they can scratch or not scratch it takes time lots of it and patience, but it's worth it. What if the cat got outside by accident and no way to climb or defend itself when it needed to.
I taught my cats by telling them no claw, when they did it and I said immediately when they did it and it took some time but they know and they know what they''re allowed to scratch or not. You can teach them with a scratching post or a board on a wall. Add some cat nip if needed and lots of good boy and good girl when they do it right and lots of no claw when they're wrong, I never yelled, just firmly explained it. I once declawed a cat it was part feral and I young and didn't have a clue and I really wish the vet would have explained it to me in detail. I still feef horrible about it and that is long time ago. Please don't consider it. It's just got to hurt.

Answer 6

i believe there is no such thing as a painless declaw...i never declaw my cats besides what if your cat gets out and meets up with a cat with claws? your cat will have absolutely no way of defending himself

Answer 7

There is no such thing as a painless declaw. There are always risks of post-surgical complications. Not to mention the psychological effects of suddenly not having their nails. Cats need their claws to scratch themselves, (imagine if you had an itch you couldn't scratch), to groom and for defense, heaven forbid. Declawing is just not necessary, it is a vanity surgery like debarking, and ear/tail docking.

Answer 8

There is no such thing as PAINLESS declawing. Besides why would you want to mutilate your cat when there are humane alternatives?
I am so glad you changed your mind. Because it will traumatize your cat and it will resort to biting and/or not using the litter box.
Good luck!

Answer 9

i'm not to sure about that whole laser treatment thing, sounds like they're trying to make that persian a manx if you ask me. but declawing, no matter what will be painless although you always could trim the claws with these special cat nail trimmer thingymagivetts. But if u choose that route it will take a lot of time and patience to get ur cats accustomed to getting pedicures ad manicures. but think about this, declawing happens only once and you don't have to worry about it for ever, but if you trim the cats nails... ur choice.

Answer 10

There's a reason declawing is illegal in many places in the US and all over Britain and Europe - it's painful and amounts to abuse. It is the same thing as removing a finger to the second nuckle and it cripples them for days after, leaving them defenseless for the rest of their lives. Cats need their claws for defense, hunting and jumping. It isn't that much effort to keep them trimmed on a regular basis. As mentioned, you can also get the nail covers - they last about 3-6 months, depending on the growth rate of the nails. Time and love combined with gentle training will teach a cat not to unsheath its claws while playing with you or a child, as long as the child has also been taught not to be rough, to respect the cat.

Answer 11

It hurts. I can't imagine it not hurting. I had to get my boy declawed years ago, 'cause he just never grew out of his bad habits. He was in little bootie-type "casts" for a few days. The weird thing is, he acts like he still has claws; he'll "sharpen" them on the sofa or whatever, even though he's only dragging his clawless toes against the fabric! A basic animal instinct, I suppose!