De clawing?

Question

I sometimes read about people getting thier cats declawed.Has anybody out there had that done to their cats and is it as bad as it sounds?

Answer 1

It is disgusting and barbaric. You are amputating part of the cat's FOOT. It's the exact same thing as chopping off all your fingertips where your nails are, hands and feet, and sewing the wound shut. It leaves them in excruciating pain, poor balance, and sometimes paralysis and death due to infection. There is no reason at all to declaw, just buy a pair of nail trimmers and keep their claws short and you'll be fine. Please don't torture your cat that way! It's so disgusting, and people who say otherwise are just in denial over what they've done to their poor animals.

Answer 2

I ahven't personally had it done to my cat, but I work at an animal hospital (vets office) so I see a lot of cats getting declawed. The older method of declawing is to anethetize the cat, and basically rip out the first knuckle, which has the claw attatched. It's very paintful for the cat, and take a while to heal. A newer method is using laser surgery. This is a much more pain-free way to have it done to cats. The laser seals nerve endings and blood vessels as it goes, making the healing time much faster and it makes things less painful for the animal. this is the type of declawing my office performs, and the cats are up and about a day after surgery. Some vet offices do still use the old method though, so if you're thinking about having your cat declawed, shop around!

Answer 3

It really is as bad as it sounds and it will take your cat some time to recover. If it is absolutely necessary to have your cat declawed, weigh your options. For instance if you can't find an apartment that doesn't require it, or if you are going to toss the cat out onto the street or put it in a shelter, I feel a cat in a loved home with no claws is better than a cat on the street. Keep in mind however that the cat would have to be ENTIRELY indoors it cannot protect itself nor can it keep its balance as well as a clawed cat can. This means it won't be able to protect itself or get out of the way of danger.

Answer 4

When growing up we had four cats, all declawed. My first one ever bought for me is still alive and healthy as ever at 18.

I bought my first cat on my own when i was 20. i put her to a "trial" test in deciding whether or not i would declaw her or not.
She tore up everything, and i mean everything.. she had two scratch posts and would never use them.. i tried everything to train her and i couldn't. So i did have her declawed, only because i don't have the money to replace drywall, screens and carpet in the apartment when i leave.

At the time i really didn't want to, but she left me with no choice. I also didn't realize how awful it was for them.
I will never ever do it to my future cats again. I have a 4 month old bengal right now too, and it was no problem at all training her, plus i clip her nails.

Storm was only in pain for a couple of days and was back to her normal self. she's now 2 and has had no problems at all (thank god) plus they're both indoor cats .. so nothing will get them on the outside!

Answer 5

Declawing is actually illegal in most countries because of the terrible affects it has on the cats. I don't know enough to sit and list the outcomes, but I do suggest you read this quote and visit the site in my sources:

"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."
Christianne Schelling, DVM

Answer 6

Declawing your cat is like amputating the first section of your finger. This site shows a diagram of how much of the cat's "finger" is actually removed: http://www.familytimerags.com/declaw.html

Although the pain associated with the surgery diminishes over time, it is likely that many develop pain issues later on. As anyone who has had a broken bone or amputation can tell you, aching occurs during cold weather, wet weather, or sometimes just because, especially as you age.

These cats are prone to having litter box problems (one can only guess that it doesn't feel good on their stumps to dig in the sand), and it's not uncommon for them to develop biting problems.

Answer 7

we are getting our kitten declawed tomorrow. there are 3 big reasons we declaw (and,yes, i know how they do it for all the people out there who are against it) reason one. i have bouts with anemia and i was scratched pretty bad by the outdoor cat oneday. bad enough that by the time i got in the back door, i had a patch of blood on my khaki work pant's that was at least a foot in diameter. that was from one claw mark. the second reason, i don't want to come home from work and find a bloody paw where our kitten has gotten caught and could not get out and ended up ripping out a claw or 2. the 3rd is the cat we adopted in march, was already a declaw. much of the damage a cat does to it's prey/victim is done with it's hind paws. yes, it's as bad as it sounds. they basically don't just take out the nail, they also take part of the toe from how it was explained to me.

Answer 8

I have heard many horror stories when my baby was going to get de-clawed. I didn't want to do it, but the little bugger was always climbing on my screens.
We did have the fronts done and the vet told me not to have her run around a lot. Hmmmmmm kitten pain pills and her being a kitten. She survived and is pouncing around her like nothing happened. It's all good and it will save your furniture.
The screens I didn't think she could climb up on anymore, but she will get between the window and the screen and climb with her back feets and the upper part of the body is resting on the window part. Sneaky.
I would recommend it if you are not going to show her in cat shows (they have to have all four paws with claws).

Answer 9

It's just not necessary, if a person can't put up with a cat using its claws, then they shouldn't be getting a cat. Claws for a cat is like fingers for us. We need them. And it isn't right to take away something a cat absolutely needs just cause a person can't handle it. If you can't handle it, just don't get a cat.

Answer 10

i did it to my two cats right before my daughter was born. i never WANTED to, but, didn't wanna take a chance w/a newborn in the house, plus, they WERE destroying my furniture and carpet.. but, that's another story.
Looking back, I wish i didn't. They walked funny for a while and were always licking it... it seemed so painful and cruel. It's been four years now and of course they're fine... but, I wouldn't do it again.

Good luck.