Is it cruel to have an indoor cat declawed?

Question

ok thanks for the replies i would never do it to my own kitties but was wondering wat others thought about it thanx

ok thanks for the replies i would never do it to my own kitties but was wondering wat others thought about it thanx

Answer 1

Yes

Answer 2

I believe so, and we chose not to declaw our indoor-only cats for the following reasons:

1. When a cat is declawed, the entire last joint of their toes are amputated. It would be like cutting off all your fingers at the knuckle! Scientists speculate that cats may even feel ghost pains in their amputated toes.

2. Cats scratch things not only to sharpen their claws, but also to stretch their muscles and to mark their territory. Declawing a cat interferes with these natural instincts, which can make a cat very confused and frustrated! A cat may resort to biting or other destructive behaviors since it can't claw anymore. It's also rather common for a cat that was previously nice and affectionate to become mean or aloof after declawing since it doesn't know how to deal with its lack of claws.

3. Our cats also LOVE climbing up their carpeted kitty tree using only their claws. It's a great form of exercise for them, and it keeps them out of trouble! They could never do that without claws!

4. When a cat is healing from being declawed, not only does it hurt to walk, but it also hurts to scratch in the litter boxes so they may stop using the litter boxes.

5. As other posters said, there's still a chance that your cat can accidentally get outside, or what if it is lost during a natural disaster like a hurricane or tornado? It will need its claws to survive!

Reasons #2, #3, and #5 are also why we wouldn't declaw a cat using the new laser treatments, which are supposedly less painful. The fact that a cat is missing its claws will greatly interfere with its life, even if you can find a pain-free way to remove its claws!

If you're worried about the cat clawing furniture, there are many ways to train a cat to use scratching posts and other things! The first being to buy some nice, quality scratching posts made of a variety of materials like wood or rope -- not all cats like clawing on carpet. And make sure they are not cheapo scratching posts that tip over easily or are so short that the cat can't stretch out its whole body to claw it! Then it's a just a matter of training the cat to use the scratching posts and not the furniture .... we used Sticky Paws (www.stickypaws.com) on our couch and our cats stopped clawing it immediately, and we've had no other problems with them clawing things!

Answer 3

If your furniture is more important than your cat then you don't need a cat.

Although cats are usually under anesthetics, given pain killers, and antibiotics with a declawing procedure it is still barbaric and uneccesary. Long term problems can occur despite good care.
If you don't want children scratched teach them to handle the cats properly. And don't be afraid of a little scratch from a vaccinated cat. Children get more scrapes and bruises on the playground.

I hate that people argue most cats come out perfectly fine. Yes, I know this. My parents declawed 3 cats before they realized the cruelty of it. I am owned by an amazing cat the previous owner declawed. The point is it is unecessary and puts them at higher risk of infections, deformities, and resorting to biting.

Answer 4

I can understand why people get upset by this question sometimes. There are so many resources saying positives about both sides.

My own opinion, it is your choice, read up on it and make a good educated decision based on your situation.

My own experience...

I have an almost 1-year old tiger calico who is waaay too hyper for her own good, she uses her claws for every form of expression. However, with patience and coaxing, she does not claw my furniture, sometimes the rug, sometimes the bed, but has ceased clawing me (i have the scars to prove she did). With everything you do with a cat, or any other animal, it takes patience. I'd say it would be better than having to drastically change your life, but then again, so is taking the time to train the cat right.

There are plenty of things you can do to discourage a cat from clawing things. Really, in my opinion, that should have been your questions. What can you do to prevent your cat from tearing everything up?

Answer 5

In my opinion, it's very cruel to have the ends of each toe removed! In only the direst of circumstances (ill person on blood thinner in the house) would it be ok to do this. You can always get new furniture, but if the furniture is more important than the cat's paws, you don't need the cat! I have 13 indoor cats, and none are declawed!! I have 4 scratching posts for them to use, so the furniture is pretty safe. Good luck......

Answer 6

Not only is it cruel, but in the UK it is illegal.

I'm really glad that you would never do this to your kitties - I would never do it to mine either.

In my opinion, people who are concerned about their furniture enough to have their cat's toes ripped off should not be allowed to own an animal.

There is absolutely no benefit to the cat, only to the human, and in most cases declawing is painful for the cat and leads to aggression and behavioural problems.

Some people use Soft Paws as an alternative (plastic caps that you glue over the claws, which fall off as the claws naturally shed). I'm not too sure where I sit on that either - supposedly it is comfortable and they were invented by an experienced vetinary surgeon; but it just does not seem natural to me! They do look cute though! (If not a bit LA-style-crazy!)

xx Emmie

Answer 7

Yes, even though they may not intend to be let outside there is always the risk of them getting out and then being left with no way to defend themselves, it's cruel to declaw a cat in any circumstances unless it's the only way to save the cats' life and you'll be pushed to find a vet that will do it for the cosmetic reasons such as him being an indoor cat.

Answer 8

I would never have a cat or kitten declawed. I worked for a vet and saw a couple of declawings and thought it was barbaric (sp?). The pads were pushed out and a nail cutter like used on dogs was used to cut the names back as far as possible and then a dab of glue was used and the feet wrapped. These wrappings would be covered in blood shortly and even on pain meds the cats would be moewing in the cages when they woke like they were in pain, more than from the spays we did.

Answer 9

I feel it is, and I have indoor cats. Claw removal is really a form of amputation, and some cats will take on a totally changed personality once declawed. You can get things like Soft Claws nail caps. You can also snip off the ends of the claws to minimize the damage. But the most important thing is to provide surfaces specifically for scratching, and teach your cat to use those. Sometimes, the cat will signal what they like. One of my cats liked wood, and the other cardboard. So one cat used a homemade upright tree branch tee to sharpen her claws on, and the other loved the inexpensive cardboard scratchers that are sold in pet and food stores. Sisal is also available, and several of my cats really like that. Sometimes carpet is the preferred item, and you can often get a carpet remnant and fasten it to a post or board and they will use that.

Declawing is not simply removing the claws; it is also removing the muscles, etc. that they use to extend and retract their claws.

Answer 10

Personally I think it's nothing less than mutilation to have a cat declawed. Check out the web site below to see for yourself.

http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/

I'm from the UK and I'd never heard of it being done until I joined Y/A. It's illegal in most of Europe simply for the fact that it is classed as animal cruelty. There are literally millions of cat owners across Europe who have managed to train their cats to behave with their claws. If we can do it, so can you.

I know those in favour of it will cite the fact that an indoor cat doesn't need it's claws for protection, but cats do manage sneak out doors on occasion. I know my two both have. How many declawed cats do you think survived Hurricane Katrina?

Answer 11

YES!! If you think it isn't painful, imagine having your nails ripped out. Declawing a cat is very unnecessary. Most cats can be trained to scratch on designated items such as scratching posts with the help of squirt bottles and air cans. Yes, it takes patience, but if you don't have patience you really shouldn't have an active pet--get a goldfish.
Plus, if the indoor cat ever does get out, it won't be able to defend itself.