How much does it cost to have a cat declawed?

Question

Also...Is it bad to have this done to cats? I am worried about my leather furniture and stuff...

Answer 1

It's bad to electively amputate to suit your own vanity and laziness, yes. You would not do that to a child, why something youa re meant to protect? Join the rest of the civilised world, and choose to educate, not amputate.

If you want to know what they do, see for yourself:
http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/
http://www.petstation.com/declaw.html
http://www.declaw.org/
http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/declaw.html

1. Outlawed in most of the world, and more states are seeing the light where this is concerned as well.
2. Why put the cat through uneccessary pain (yes pain, cats hide pain brilliantly, any vet can tell you that)
3. Lpook at alternatives, not one's own selfish wants.
4. A lot of cats in shelters are there for reasons of behavioural problems due to declawing
5. You are given this animal to protect, not maim.
6. Cats can never groom themselves properly again, their muscles shorten and weaken and tendons get into weird positions from declawing.
7. People tend to just declaw cause they're not prepared to invest time into animals they supposedly love - but there's no way they'd do that to their own children.
8. You can have a housecat without declawing, and you can have your furniture - ask anyone around the world where they see this for what it is - inhumane! People tend to try something ONCE then say Oh well I tried - then choose their furniture over their animals. Just what gives them the RIGHT to decide which parts of their animal they need?
It's not "perfectly fine" unless you're too lazy to properly care for your cat.

It's really simple, if you don't have the ability to deal with the claws, don't get the cat, after all, with more places seeing how barbaric this practice is, they'll have to learn about alternatives sometime.
Cats are not there for one to decide which bits one wants or not, it comes as it comes - if they don't like the claws, don't get the cat.

These are alternatives.
Spray him with water whenever he does.
When he does scratch, pick him up and put him onto the material of the scratching post you have for him, pet him while he's there that should activate his kneading process.
Cover what you can with tinfoil or double-sided tape.
Spray the stuff with citrust oils, they dislike the scent.
Rub catnip onto the scratching post.
Also, get your vet to show you how to trim the claws.
Get SoftPaws (www.softpaws.com), they're little vinyl caps you glue on your cat's nails (after trimming them).
Play with a piece of string with kitty around the scratching post, at some sage his claws will dig in and kitty will realise that feels good.
When you admonish him, don't use the kitty's name or a bad association will be created.
Above all else, there is NO NEED to declaw, cats aren't stupid, you just never taught it where to do what comes naturally to all cts. Once you teach kitty, it'll be fine, just keep at it.

EDIT: To the guys who gave me thumbs down, you obviously don't have enough synapses to swee I've answered the question.

Answer 2

Before you make the decision to declaw your cat, there are some important facts you should know. Declawing is not like a manicure. It is serious surgery. Your cat's claw is not a toenail. It is actually closely adhered to the bone. So closely adhered that to remove the claw, the last bone of your the cat's claw has to be removed. Declawing is actually an amputation of the last joint of your cat's "toes". When you envision that, it becomes clear why declawing is not a humane act. It is a painful surgery, with a painful recovery period. And remember that during the time of recuperation from the surgery your cat would still have to use its feet to walk, jump, and scratch in its litter box regardless of the pain it is experiencing. Wheelchairs and bedpans are not an option for a cat.

No cat lover would doubt that cats--whose senses are much keener than ours--suffer pain. They may, however, hide it better. Not only are they proud, they instinctively know that they are at risk when in a weakened position, and by nature will attempt to hide it. But make no mistake. This is not a surgery to be taken lightly.

Your cat's body is perfectly designed to give it the grace, agility and beauty that is unique to felines. Its claws are an important part of this design. Amputating the important part of their anatomy that contains the claws drastically alters the conformation of their feet. The cat is also deprived of its primary means of defense, leaving it prey to predators if it ever escapes to the outdoors.

I have also had people tell me that their cat's personality changed after being declawed. Although, the medical community does not recognize this as potential side effect.

Okay, so now you realize that declawing is too drastic a solution, but you're still concerned about keeping your household furnishings intact. Is there an acceptable solution? Happily, the answer is yes. A big, joyful, humane YES! Actually there are several. The following website http://www.catscratching.com/ provides many solutions as well as and insight into the psychology of why cats scratch. You can teach your cat to use a scratching post (sisal posts are by far the best). You can trim the front claws. You can also employ aversion methods. One of the best solutions I've found is Soft Paws®.

Soft Paws are lightweight vinyl nail caps that you glue on the cat's front claws. They're great for households with small children and are extremely useful for people who are away from home all day and can't exercise the watchfulness necessary to train a cat to use a scratching post. Soft Paws® are easy to apply and last about four to six weeks. They come in clear or colors--which are really fun and inexpensive.

Answer 3

You are going to maim and disfigure your cat because of your "furniture and stuff?" Think about that before you do it- it's inhumane and illegal in other countries. Also, there are other ways to protect your furniture- trim the cat's nails or let the vet do it- this costs very little (under 20 dollars). Get a scratching post and a cat tree so that the cat has something to scratch that is appropriate. Also, soft claws that cover the sharp claws can be put on either by you or by the vet.

Declawing can be compared to amputating fingers- it is painful for the cat and often makes them mean.

Answer 4

Declawing is very cruel. Think of someone cutting your fingers of at the first joint. That is in a nut shell what they do. There is a newer procedure called laser declaw and it runs about 290 with shots and bloodwork. The best thing to do for figuring out prices it to call around to your local vets and see what they say. There are alternative solutions to saving your furniture
A. Keep the kitties claws trimmed. You can buy claw trimmers at Wal Mart or any petstore.
B. Give him something to claw at as scratching is a natural instinct in cats and they will never stop, buy an old scrap of rug and whipe catnip on it to stimulate the cat.
C. I found this to work really well- Sticky Paws. It is like doublesided tape for your furniture. It wont ruin it, but when the cat goes to claw she will get her paws stuck and it'll deter her from doing it again. And it is completely clear so people wont even notice that it's there.
I hope these tips help!

Answer 5

I would recommend that you carefully consider before declawing you pet. The clawing behaviour that cats perform on large, stationary objects is partly a "stretching" and partially a territory marking behaviour. This gives you easy means of controlling their activities. In the wild, cats mark their territories by clawing on trees. Smooth surfaces like leather aren't as attractive as rougher surfaces, like cloth.

Instead of worrying about your leather, you can instead give the kitty an appropriate place to claw. It's always easier to teach a pet the RIGHT behaviour from the start instead of having to break them of wrong behaviour. Please be informed that many commercial scratching posts are too flimsy or light to fulfill all your cat's desires. They want something that feels heavy and permanent (remember, you're trying to mimic a tree here). A good quality piece of cat furniture is still cheaper than the declawing operation.

Trimming your cat's claws is also very cheap and easy. When my cat was a kitten, he would try to climb my leg like a tree. He stopped this after only a couple of trimming sessions. All you have to do is keep the very end of his claw cut off, just enough to blunt its razor edge.

Another alternative is adhesive plastic covers for you pet's claws. These are available at most large pet stores or through mail order like Drs. Foster and Smith. They only last until the claws are shed, but they still give your cat the ability to safely interact with its environment.

Answer 6

Please DO NOT declaw. Try http://www.softclaws.com/
Nail Trimming, Scratching Posts, Feliway

Declawing is NOT Just Nail Trimming
Declawing Does Nothing to Benefit the Cat
Declawing Robs a Cat of His Chief Weapon of Defense
Declawing is Painful Surgery
Declawing May Lead to Litter Box Problems
Declawing Sometimes Leads to Biting Problems
Cats Need the Exercise Their Claws and Toes Provide
Altered Gait May Lead to Later Joint Problems
Cats Need to Be Cats for Their Entire "Nine Lives"

Answer 7

Yes, it is most definitely bad to do this to cats.

Declawing a cat is of no advantage to the animal WHATSOEVER. It is also potentially harmful - cat's can be crippled by it. I'm assuming you care more for your cat than your furniture.

Declawing involves removal of the last joint of each toe. Is this a reasonable thing to do to an animal? I have never been able to understand why a person would subject a pet to an unnecessary anaesthetic just because they don't like the way they're made. I say, cat's have claws: get over it!

So in answer to your question - monetary prices vary from vet to vet, but the price your cat will pay could be a hell of a lot larger. Don't risk it just for the sake of some bloody furniture (and a note - not all cats shred things!!)

Chalice

Answer 8

It costs around 80.00 to 100.00. I had it done to my cat and she had no problems. Her front paws were done. My cat has had no behavorial problems at all.
My cat had no problem with the litter box
can jump up on furniture
jump down from furniture
can play with toys
no balance problems.

I have totally have changed my mind about declawing a cat. I saw real pictures of the surgery and what I saw was very gross and I did not think it was done that way and now since I saw the pictures I have changed my mind about it I will not have a cat declawed. I saw the pictures on Pet connection .com . Someone on there has real pictures of the surgery and what they really do and it totally grossed me out. If you go to Pet connection.com under their blog and looked at where they have a article about declawing then go to comments then someone had a link and just click on that and you can see REAL pictures of the surgery then it may make up other peoples minds it did for me. The next cat I get I am not going to declaw.

The link I have below ,I don;t know if it will work but you can try.

Answer 9

It is very bad to have done to cats. Extremely painful as they remove part of the toe, not just the claw. It is full-on surgery and expensive. There are easier, cheaper ways to deal with this problem than declawing. Use Soft paws, which are covers for cat's claws, trim nails regularly (have a vet or groomer show you how - it's not that hard) and get a good scratching post made of sisal rope and literally show your cat how to use it.

By the way, I have leather furniture and my cat has never touched it. We only had a problem with an old cloth sofa and that stopped as soon as we got him scratching post and started trimming his claws regularly.

Answer 10

I'm from the UK and declawing is illegal here and most of Europe as it is classed as animal cruelty so I cannot offer you any information regarding costs.

Scratching is a natural behaviour for cats, but they can be trained to use scratching posts or other acceptable alternatives. I would urge you to not to resort to declawing as it is totally unnecessary. Literally millions of cats owners in the UK, Europe and many other parts of the world manage to train their cats not to scratch furniture or people. Please put your cat's well being before household items.

Would you please also take the time to check out the website below (including photos) to truly inform yourself what declawing really involves. The site also contains advice on how to train your cat to use a scratching post.

http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/

If you Google "declawing horror" you will find 15,500 results. There are thousands of web articles opposing declawing because it is inhumane. However, the one and only web article that those in favour always post, is the one written by someone who is not a vet and merely worked part-time in a vet clinic for 2 years.