declawing an adult cat?

Question

I am considering declawing my adult (5+ years) male cat. He has been an inside cat for over two years now, and only uses his claws to destroy the furniture. He has two horizontal scratching posts, and one vertical one, so there is no reason for him to claw up the couches.
I have heard that this sort thing in older cats can upset them.
Has anyone else heard this, or have any ideas/suggestions?

Answer 1

If he is ruining your furniture, then i would consider declaring. I think you should talk to a vet and see what they think is best. It is probably a good idea to trim his claws in the meantime.
Hope this helps.

Answer 2

1. Declawing is cruel. Would you consider cutting your fingers off an act of love? Because that is what declawing means. where I live you go to jail if you do that to a a cat.
2. Use claw caps, sold at www.softpaws.com. They are easy to use and cheap, and no problem to the cat.
3. Declawing is very likely (I've seen it happen even here on Y!Aswers many times) to make your cat stop using the litterbox , because it is no fun to dig without fingers, and/or start biting, which both are worse problems than the one you have.
4. Try to trim his claws a bit with a nail clipper and remove him from the furniture every time he scrathes them, then say NO and put him on his scratching post. This has always worked with my cats, but i do it since they are kittens. You may have to insist more with yours until he realizes it is wrong to destroy furniture.

Answer 3

I am against declawing but I wont lecture you.. the cat will be fine eventually... There is a reason for him to scratch up your furniture, most likely its because he doesnt have the kind of scratching post he prefers. Some cats like carpet, or wood, or sisal and wont use anything else. There are also cardboard scratching pads, also you say he only has vertical and horizontal posts... maybe he would prefer a diagonal post. The point is there are so many more cheaper more non-surgical ways to stop a cat from scratching your furniture. I have 4 cats and they never so much as touch my furniture because they have their own cat tree... they use it every day it has vertical, diagonal and horizontal surfaces, and its carpet which all 4 of them prefer. I also take them on the leash outside and let them scratch my clothesline pole, because they like plain wood too. You can try something as simple as placing a wooden board in your house, once again diagonal, vertical or horizontal you will see right away which way your cat prefers and once you find what he like to scratch besides your furniture and provide it for him he wont scratch your stuff anymore and you can avoid cutting off the last bone on his toes. Also keep in mind you have to encourage the cat to use the scratching post.. spray or sprinkle catnip on it, use a string and get the cat to climb it, show the cat what you want by putting his paws on there and moving them like he is scratching... etc. Show the cat how fun it is and get him interested in his furniture not yours.. I know its possible with any cat as I said I have 4 and they dont claw anything but their furniture.

Answer 4

expensive no longer an fool... 'loving abode' and declawing would not pass mutually, while, lesser human beings and return to shelter does. given which you think of basically idiots declaw and mutilate animals, be a lesser individual and take this poor puppy back to the shelter, consistent with danger for the cat, thrice would be the charm for a real loving proprietor. no rely if that's genuine that your mom and dad consistently observed and declawed their cats, did you no longer be conscious that the cats became biters and have been offended and depressing for their total lives? the place have been you?

Answer 5

Young or old I wouldn't even consider it, declawing is cruel, same as cutting your fingers off. there are other ways as some readers have mentioned, try them first, My cat is 9 and still has her beautiful claws and doesn't scratch the furniture, she tries but knows not to, she puts her paws up to the couch and looks at me, I say NO,& she stops. I got her the cardboard circle called the "Turbo Scratcher" she loves it, even sleeps on top of it, and I clip her claws often,

Answer 6

Before you declaw the cat, since he is old, I would try somethig else first. It is harder for older cats to heal and can take a while longer for a procedure like this. The soft claws are a new idea to protect furniture and not painful. You could also put tape on the furniture where he stratches to keep him from doing it, they sell special tape for this at pet stores. Good luck.

Answer 7

I would not suggest declawing your cat especially at his age. De-clawing can be a very painful procedure and sometimes a cat will refuse to use its litterbox after it is declawed. If it is an inside cat, you can train him not to scratch by using a squirt bottle. Please look into what de-clawing really entails before making your decision.

Answer 8

Is this the last resort? If not, I personally would recommend clipping its claws, or softpaws. You can buy softpaws at most large pet chain stores (I know that Petsmart carries them). Sometimes, cats will resort to biting their humans when declawed, some have trouble walking afterward, and some have litter box issues. If clipping or softpaws work, you can avoid those risks.

Answer 9

Look into using soft paws. Declawing is extremely hard on older cats.

Answer 10

Upset them? It's just not the claws that are removed..it's the first joint too. It's like cutting your fingers off at the first joint. Clip his nails or get him a product called soft paws.

Answer 11

it would be mean to get an older cat declawed. if it was a kitten it would be different becuase they haven't lived there whole life with them and it would be such a BIG change