My 2 kittens are going to be strictly indoor cats only, as I live in an apartment and I know how traumatic it can be for an outdoor cat to move from place to place. Normally I am against getting cats de-clawed, but in this case my 2 kittens are definitely going to need to just have their front claws de-clawed I think. What is the ~youngest~ they can be to get de-clawed? Right now they are both right at 3 mos. I think. Thanks for your help in answering my question.
2007-07-09 13:57:43 · 6 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pets ➔ Cats
You talk about the trama of moving....what about the trauma of having the last knuckle on your toe cut off? I'm sorry but that is FAR FAR FAR more traumatic.
All you need to do is trim the kittens claws regularly & you will be fine - if you start NOW while they are young it they will get used to it, and when they are adults it will be nice and easy to do.
As a registered breeder with over 10 cats living in my house, I have to say there is NO reason EVER to have a cat declawed - it is legal abuse & inhummane
2007-07-09 14:31:48 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
why are you against it accept for this case? i dont think you should get them declawed, i have 3 indoor only cats, all have claws, one has even an extra claw on each foot. they have scratch posts and if you start them with them early, they will scratch those like crazy, add cat nip youve got one happy kitty. the only one ive had a problem with is the one i adopted as an adult from a shelter, the other 2 were stray kittens and they only scratch their posts nothing else. really think how much you would like it to get your first knuckle ripped off every one of your fingers, it would be very uncomfortable even though you could still live, it wouldnt feel right.i hope you dont, you might cause behavioral problems if you do.heres a couple pages.
http://www.catsinternational.org/articles/scratching_and_declawing/declawing.html
http://www.kittenrescue.org/declaw.htm
2007-07-09 21:12:56 · answer #2 · answered by ♥mama♥ 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Please reconsider declawing your cats. It's terribly inhumane and very very painful. I know many vets won't perform declaws because they feel it's a horrible procedure. I've seen cats wake up from the anesthesia in so much pain that they had to be drugged again and/or restrained because they repeatedly slammed their paws off their cage walls and doors since the pain was so intense. Please, please reconsider declawing. If you love your cats, you won't do it. Why not buy a really good pair of nail clippers and just keep their nails short. They're still young, so it'll be easier to train them to sit still while you do it. Also, invest in a nice scratching post and train them to scratch that only. If they mess up and scratch the furniture, just give them a few squirts with a spray bottle. It doesn't hurt them, just makes them a little damp, but they'll learn quickly not to do it again.
2007-07-09 21:41:47 · answer #3 · answered by Mike-Lynn 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
My vet wouldn't declaw under 5 months. Have you tried to distract them from your furniture? My cat, Jeffrey, would be so excited when I came home he would go right to my coach. Everytime I came home I would pick him up right away, put him on his awesome scratch post and sit and talk to him. All his GOOD attention from me came at his scratch post or when he wasn't destroying something and now he is perfect.
2007-07-09 21:11:59 · answer #4 · answered by kattsmeow 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
When they are 4 months old or older. You can also do them when they are spayed and neutered, as your vet should provide excellent pain control and they only have to be anesthetized once.
2007-07-09 21:30:51 · answer #5 · answered by KimbeeJ 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
my vet told the younger the better so all there body weight wont hurt there sore feet
2007-07-09 21:20:24 · answer #6 · answered by Britney 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋