Should I declaw to save my furniture?
2007-02-19 05:52:52 · 21 answers · asked by ebby 5 in Pets ➔ Cats
7 people out of twenty gave me an excellent answer. driftwood, christi_r, blaze, trish d, mimi007, gemma w & tiff. Yes after much research when I get my kitten it will be 1) totally indoor 2) spayed/neutered & 3) never declawed. that is just cruel. I found great info on how to train a cat to use a post. Thank you all. I can only choose one "best" and it goes to the one that sounded the most vehement.
2007-02-20 05:12:19 · update #1
NEVER EVER EVER LET YOUR CATS OUTSIDE!!!
Cat's were not made to be street animals!!
And there is no good reason to declaw a cat!
It is very painful... just get your cat a tower to scratch on and play, I have 3 cats, none declawed and2 play towers, they LOVE them!!!
2007-02-19 06:31:39 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Depends on where you live. I live in the city so my cats are strictly indoors. But they don't get very much exercise in here and have gained a lot of weight from it. If I lived somewhere where they could safely go out I think it would be a lot better for them, and that they would be happier.
As for the declaw, if you have a kitten you can probably teach it to use a scratching post, but if it's already used to scratching the furniture (my Liz was when I got her) then there's probably not much you can do. But anytime you put them under anesthesia you run a risk. I knew a girl whose cat died when they had her declawed... the vet still tried to charge them too!!
2007-02-19 06:05:51 · answer #2 · answered by Jen 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
It's best to keep cats indoors unless you live in a *very* nice neighborhood with little traffic and no predators. I do know a few ex-strays who couldn't adjust to indoor life, including one of my own current cats. But a cat raised indoors will be better off that way!
As for declawing, please don't. It's illegal where I live, as it is in most of Europe, even SoftPaws aren't common, we have as many cats here as people do in the US and yet we don't have scratched-up furniture! It's not too hard to train cats to scratch on a scratching post only. Declawing, however, can cause other problems that are harder to correct; many declawed cats stop using the litterbox and sometimes they turn into biters.
The source has a very nice article that explains in detail why and how cats scratch, and how you can train them to scratch in appropriate places only.
2007-02-19 12:22:02 · answer #3 · answered by Sheriam 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Outdoor cats are exposed to predators such as hawks, coyotes, other cats, dogs, etc. and are exposed to more diseases that could be potentially life threatening like rabies or feline leukemia, both of which your cat should be vaccinated for, but I personally wouldn't take the risk. There are just too many variables outside that I can't control and I love my kitties too much to let them run where I can't protect them. Also the life expectancy of outdoor cats is about half that of indoor cats. Indoor cats are generally just much healthier, safer and they really don't know the difference. Cats are domesticated for a purpose: to keep as pets, and I wouldn't let any other pet, especially one that weighs under 15 pounds, to live outside under my care.
As for declawing, I think it's completely unnecessary and cruel. I had a cat growing up that my parents decided to get declawed in front and the vet they had do it didn't remove all the nailbed so her claws started growing through her paw pads. That really isn't a terribly uncommon thing to happen. Cats are intelligent animals and if you spend enough time with it, you shouldn't have much of an issue training it not to scratch you or furniture. If you can't train it to not claw at things, after trying to train it and trimming its nails regularly like you're supposed to do, there is something called SoftPaws which are plastic sleeves which you glue onto the cat's claws so that they cannot scratch anything even if they try. See the link in my sources box for more information. I have two cats right now, one who is declawed (when we got him he was already declawed) and one who isn't and I have not had a problem teaching her not to claw at me or the furniture.
2007-02-19 06:56:28 · answer #4 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋
Do NOT declaw. It is wrong. Take the time to learn about cats and you will understand how to keep you and your cat happy. Make a litle effort to search online or get a book on Amazon, like The Cat Owner's Manual.
It is best to keep your cat indoors, as they will likely live longer. There are many more dangers out of the home. Also, you won't have to worry about fleas if they stay indoors!
2007-02-19 06:18:34 · answer #5 · answered by Driftwood 2 · 3⤊ 0⤋
When I was growing up, we had a cat and a dog. Because the dog was allowed out, we let the cat out. Once he came home after a fight, and he needed the vet, he stayed inside from then on. All the cats that came after were also indoor cats because it wouldn't be fair if one could go out, and not the other. The last kitten my mom got she had declawed, and she wishes she would have done it to previous cats. The furniture is saved, the cat is not mean as a result, and she can hold her own with her clawed brother. Good luck.
2007-02-19 06:42:49 · answer #6 · answered by Hawkeye4077 2 · 0⤊ 2⤋
Please don't declaw the cat. It is a cat's natural instinct to sharpen its claws (you can easily teach it to use a scratching post as i have done with my cat). it doesn't take very much effort, and saves your furnature, and more importantly saves the cat from having to indure a painful procedure which it will have to live with.
Imagine if you were the cat, would you think it is fair for your "owner" to feel the right to mutilate your body? Bear in mind that it isn't just the claws which are removed, but the last digit of every toe..... imagine that!!! Its definately not something that i would ever even thing of putting my cat through, i respect and love him too much to hurt him, and believe that it should be banned.......anyway you can clip a cats claws yourself (your vet will show you how).
As for indoor cats.... most cats can live very happily inside, and they are much safer too.
x
2007-02-19 06:48:26 · answer #7 · answered by gemma w 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Yes. They say (whoever "they" are) that the lifespan of an outdoor cat is half of that of an indoor cat. My Boo Boo Kitty is strictly an indoor cat and she's 16 years old now and very healthy,still acts like a kitten. She is also declawed,sometimes it's a choice of getting rid of the cat or declawing. (front only)
2007-02-19 06:09:11 · answer #8 · answered by Terri R 6 · 0⤊ 1⤋
Yes, keep them inside - for all the reasons mentioned above.
As for declawing - my cats have always had their front claws removed and they don't even know they are gone. We do laser declawing would is less painful and offers a quicker recovery. It is slightly more expensive but worth it.
2007-02-19 13:12:28 · answer #9 · answered by Carrie S 2 · 0⤊ 1⤋
I read this book on cats 2 years ago when I was going to get my cat. I asked that same question to my vet. What my vet told me was, "Bottom line. Indoor cats live about 30 years, maybe longer with the right veterinary care but outdoor cats, even WITH good veterinary care, lives only about 5 years." My cat, Smokey, is an indoor cat. I would suggest keeping it inside. :o)
Good Luck
2007-02-19 06:13:36 · answer #10 · answered by Anonymous · 2⤊ 0⤋