2 Questions About Cats?

Question

My boyfriend and I are about to get a kitten, I was wondering what the costs are to get them declawed and is it considered "animal cruelty" to do so?

Serious answers only, anything else and I will report abuse. Thanks.

My boyfriend and I have decided that we will leave the claws in and try different methods as you guys have mentioned, such as, scratching posts rubbed with catnip, spraying with water, and soft paws. If those fail to work, that is the only time that we will consider to get the kitty declawed in the FRONT only. Thanks for your answers.

Answer 1

I would not have any cat declawed but if you decide to declaw just get the front paws declawed and leave the back claws intact so if they get loose in the outdoors they still have a way to defend themselves with their back claws. I don't believe you should declaw. there are other ways to teach a cat not to do things you don't want them to. I use a spray bottle with 3 parts water and 1 part Apple cider vinegar. they hate the smell of it and will run so when they get on the screen or scratch the furniture just spray them with the water and they will get the hint. But you have to supply a scratching post for them! They need something to scratch on.

Answer 2

There are different views on declawing, some consider inhumane as the first knucles of the kitten are removed, others do not consider it inhumane as the cat functions pretty much the same as it did befire, it just can't climb.

So if you are keeping your kitty strictly indoors you can have her declawed, if she is going to be going outside at all, I would highly recommend against it. If you decide not to declaw your kitty, you can keep its nails trimmed or opt for a product called soft claws. Soft claws is a rubber cap that is glued on to the kitty's claws. When kitty sheds its claws, the cap falls off and you replace it with a new one.

Costs for declawing surgery depends on the vet and where you live. I would guess around $200 dollars or more.

Answer 3

It's not cruelty, per se, if you are adopting a kitten that might otherwise be euthanised, and declawing is the only way you will tolerate having this kitten. But please hear me out first.
I have seven cats, all with claws. My furniture is most assuredly not destroyed. All of my cats use scratching posts that I have stationed around the house. Some are natural cedar, and some are sisal-covered; they don't seem to have a preference. Rubbing a bit of catnip on the posts encourages them to initially use them, and it becomes habitual, since kitties scratch to mark their territory.
Declawing a cat is, as you may have heard, the equivalent of chopping off a human's fingers at the first knuckle. It's very painful for them; I've seen my friends' kitties walking gingerly about on little bandaged paws, and it's obvious that they are in pain. Also Hon, please note that declawed cats can turn into biters. God gave kitties claws for a reason, and they have to defend themselves in some way.
If you still choose to declaw, PLEASE do so only on the front paws; people who have their cats all-four-pws declawed really need to have a stuffed toy animal rather than a real pet. But why not take a wait-and-see attitude after you've adopted your kitten? You may wonder why you ever thought it was necessary in the first place!

Answer 4

My husband and I have 6 very wonderful kitties who are all paw declawed. While I usually do not recommend this, my husband is on blood thinners, if he were to get scratched, it could be very dangerous. They do not act any different then a cat with claws, they still can defend themselves if needed (we also have three dogs.) I would heavily research and consider a nice spay/neuter before a declaw. Almost all vets will do both at the same time this way kittie is only under once, which is safer. I would consider all options before declawing.

Answer 5

My cat, when i adopted him, had already been declawed in his front paws, and when my parents had enough of the marks in the leather sofa from where he had been jumping off with his hind legs, they declawed his back legs too. It is completely legal in the united states with the exeption of West Hollywood, but it is controversial and many people are against it. There are alternatives though, for people who dont approve of removing the claws such as vinyl nail caps (marketed in the US under brand names such as Soft Paws and Soft Claws) that are affixed to the claws with nontoxic glue, requiring periodic replacement when the cat sheds its claw sheaths (usually every four to six weeks, depending on the cat's scratching habits). Other alternatives to declawing due to scratching also include the use of scratching posts, regular nail trimming, training , or a natural pheromone supplement that will deter the animal from scratching where the substance has been sprayed. Other alternatives are generally discussed prior to surgery.


however if you do decide to get your cat declawed, it costs about $75, not including antibiotics.

I personally, dont see a problem with it and dont view it as animal cruelty if your cat is an indoor cat and doesn't have to use them for protection or any other outdoor uses. my cat is an indoor cat and he's just as happy as he can be without his claws. and we let him out in the backyard so that he can still enjoy being outdoors so that he isn't trapped inside 24/7. ((he's too old and overweight to jump over the fence)).

It is really a personal decision. Hope that helped. Good luck!

Answer 6

It costs a couple hundred dollars, depending on your vet.

I personally believe that it is very cruel to declaw a cat. It is the equivilant of chopping off a humans fingers. Claws are not just used for scratching and self defence but for balance. The procedure is often traumatizing (imagine how you would feel if you woke up and your fingers were gone!) and can sometimes cause aggression and neurosis.

Your vet will likely not tell you all this, but remember, vetrinary medicine is a business. At several hundred dollars a pop, they will tell you whatever you want to hear to make the sale.

There are many painless, harmless alternatives to declawing. You can regularly trim claws to keep them short and dull, and most cats can be trained to scratch only specific surfaces, ie scratching post.

Answer 7

Cost can vary greatly depending where you live and can even vary vet to vet....here in So. Cal the surgery is about $250-$300.
The surgery is not a pleasant one, it is basically the same as amputating the fingertips off of a person. The cats come home bandaged and are highly agitated by them. Once the bandages come off they may be tender and bloody and can be sore for quite some time. I have known cats that have never walked normally again after declawing. It is not something I would EVER do to my own cats. Also, remember a declawed cat is an INDOOR cat, they have NO protection without claws and you would be basically sentencing them to death by letting them outside.

Answer 8

I have 2 cats. The oldest is declawed and the youngest is not. I got my oldest cat declawed and neutered at the same time (it was under $200), so I don't know how much it cost seperatly. My cat had complications after he was declawed. He busted a clot on his paw and it was hard to get him to stop bleeding and he was screaming in pain. That's why I didn't get my youngest declawed. I just trained him to only claw on certain things. After I trained him I didn't have a problem with him clawing up my furniture.

Answer 9

I understand that the declawing of a cat is not just the removal of the claws, it is also the removal of a part of the bones. It is like removing a part of your finger. I believe it to be cruel, there are ways of preventing a cat from clawing things. Cat scratching post with cat nip helps as well as a spray bottle with water, whenever the kitten goes to scratch something you wish it not to spray the kitten to stop it. It worked well with my cats and all my furniture is intact.

Answer 10

Please please please do not declaw your cat. It is absolutely inhumane! Many veterinarians won't even perform this procedure, and organizations such as the Humane Society are against it. In addition, many European countries (England, Italy, Germany, etc.) as well as Australia, New Zealand and Japan have banned it due to all the complications. Please do your research before you decide to get a kitten! Also, trimming your cats nails frequently and providing scratching posts are musts. I have two cats, and this has worked for me. If you are more concerned about your furniture than an animal, don't get a kitten!