Is there anyone out there FOR declawing?

Question

or can you tell me how to protect my furniture? I HAVE a scratching post, how do I get her to USE it- not my $300 computer chair??

Answer 1

A lot of people are against it, but I have had most of my cats declawed. If you are going to have nice furniture and curtains in your home, and also have a cat, then declawing is necessary. My cats were not traumatized or otherwise negatively affected by declawing. They were all wonderful, healthy, well adjusted pets.

Answer 2

There is a very extensive article about why and how cats scratch in the source. It's far too long to copy & paste here, but it'll make you understand everything about cats scratching and help much more than when I were just to give a few key points like 'use a spray bottle with water, use doublesided tape, use lemon spray and clip his nails'. I hope you'll take the time to read it and good luck training your kitty!

Why declawing is bad:
-it causes a lot of pain immediately after surgery
-many declawed cats will stop using the litterbox since their paws hurt to bad right after the surgery. Even if you use the recycled newspaper litter or just shredded paper, there are still quite a few cats that won't use the box. Re-training a cat to use the litterbox is, in my experience, harder than training a cat to scratch in appropriate places. Unless you have a very old carpet and think it's a good trade for your cat to ruin it rather than your new chair, don't take the risk!
-many cats will turn into biters, although this is most often the case when a cat had an attitude problem scratching people or other animals rather than scratching furniture. Naturally, if nothing is done to correct the bad behaviour, and only the claws are taken away, the bad behaviour remains and the cat will just find another outlet.
-declawed cats often get trouble later on in life. They may get painful regrowths that have to be removed again, sometimes even years after being declawed. Also their posture changes (they're toe walkers, and 'declawing', in spite of the misleading name, does not only take the nail but the front bit of the toe too). This often leads to arthritis later on in life.
-it's unnecessary. It's illegal where I live, in almost all of Europe and several other countries as well. We have loads of cats, even SoftPaws are rarely sold (I hadn't heard of them until I started to frequent cat forums), and we're doing fine. Our houses, furniture and children aren't scratched up -if we can do it, why can't y'all on the other side of the Pond?

Answer 3

I have two cats (Eli & Copper). They aren't declawed and I would dream of declawing them. Just picture some ripping off your fingernails and how much pain that would cause you. Another thing is that if she is a house cat and she somehow gets outside how is she going to defend herself without claws? I just think it is inhumane. Yes, my cats have torn up a few items in the 13 years I have had them (carpet, rug, chair, couch, etc...) You said that you bought a scratching post for her. You can try to putting CAT NIP pouches around the post to get her to use it or get a Cat Condo which is bigger (might divert her attention away from the couch). I would also try to pet & brush her near the post so that she is comfortable with it. You can put the post right next to the couch or chair in which she keeps scratching. You can also try to cover up the chair/couch with a blanket or sheet so she won't scratch it when you are not around. I wish you the best of luck because I know you love her and really don't want to declaw her. Hope this helps a little!

Answer 4

You don't say how old your cat is. Most de-claws are done while they are still kittens and spayed at the same time. This way they are under anesthesia only once. If done early they recover well. If it is an older cat, they often have a harder time re-cooping. The cat has more weight to walk on with sore toes. To de-claw the nail is removed back to the first knuckle. The knuckle is cut in the joint, the first part is removed with the nail bed. Some vets put a small suture to sew shut while it heals. This is so much easier on the cat. Use shredded newspaper in their litter box for a few days after kitty comes home. Don't let it jump down from a high place as it could cause bleeding. Find a good Dr. to do this. One is not the same as another. Some really screw up the surgery and the cat ends up with a permanent limp and disfigured foot. If you are deciding to do this, don't wait much longer. Longer you wait the harder it will be for the cat. Can purchase a spray that you use on furniture or whatever you don't want ripped apart. This is very effective if used every couple of days as I have had good luck using it. Cat lover and vet tech.

Answer 5

YES YES YES, I know how you feel I have a 4000 dollar leather sofa and loveseat combo. When I asked how old a kitten has to be to be declawed, I ended up with one or two people out of 16 telling me the right stuff. Everyone else gave me a bunch of crap about not Declawing and I had a bad day. Declaw your cat is the only permanant way to protect all of your valuable furniture that you've spent your money on . Those stupid glue on covers fall off or your cat will chew them off like mine did. DECLAW!!

Answer 6

every time they start to claw it, say "NO" and put them on the scratching post. then if they start clawing that, praise & pet them. also, keep a post near the furniture, so they have one handy to mark their territory in every room.
clipping their nails (the sharp ends) will help reduce any damage they may still do (my cats all responded quite well to simple training--but i know not all cats do). or you can get plastic claw covers that stay on for a while.
i adopted an older cat who had been declawed and he had crippling arthritis in his feet, he could barely walk! it was so sad. the vet said it was from being declawed. to do it, they basically break every toe! and then cut off the ends! that's 10 amputations just on the front feet!!

btw, it is not necessary to declaw a cat to have nice furniture & curtains, as someone above said! i have three exclusively indoor cats and no damage. i don't even clip their nails.

Answer 7

I have had cats for over 25 years and they have all been declawed. Your right about the furniture. All the scratching post I had just sat there, not even senting them with catnip would interest any cat I had.

Answer 8

First, Please don't declaw your cat. Next, I have a spray bottle of water to discipline my cats. When they do something wrong I spary them. They hate it! All the things that they use to do as kittens, they don't do anymore. Take your cat over to the scratching post and move her paws on the scratching post to show to scratch on it. Also maybe she doesn't like the fabric on the post. You can find a fabric she likes to scratch on the most. Here is a site to look at for declawing. It show the surgery. Good luck! Your cat will learn.

http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/declawpics.html

Answer 9

If you have to do it, ask the vet exactly how they do the procedure. There are many ways to do this and many ways to screw it up. The only way I'd have it done to my animal is if the vet used a scalpel blade and only cut the tendons to remove the digits cleanly with out cutting any bone. The other ways of doing it are not good for the cats feet and can leave the animal with pain and issues later.

Included would be using any kind of surgical instrument that cut like scissors and cut through bone or nicked it. Don't know the name of the instrument but it looks like a wire cutter (pair of dikes). You do not want the surgery done by a vet that does it this way, no matter how careful they are they can nick the bone. And some are not all that careful.

It's your cat, your money, and your right to know exactly how they plan to do the operation. ASK!! If they don't want to tell you, you don't want to be there.

Answer 10

Declawing sucks. It's like removing the tip of your finger. Sooo many people discourage it. I don't know a vet that wouldn't offer alternatives before declawing a cat. I got my kittens from the spca and they are definitely AGAINST it. Who is a human to say that it's no big deal. No offense, but I always say that you shouldn't get an animal if you have to altar it to fit your needs and wants.