What are the downsides of declawing sweet little Kitty Kat?

Question

She's gonna be declawed today. What behaviors should I expect when she returns home?

Answer 1

Watch out for the paws opening up, and bleeding everywhere. DO NOT let her lick her paws, and she will want to. Ask for an elizabethan collar if your vet doesn't give you one. Also she will more than likely be very painful for a day or two, make sure they send home some pain medication.

Also we dont recommend declawed cats ever go outside, they cannot defend themselves or even climb a tree to get away should the situation arise.

Answer 2

I have three cats...only one is declawed. I stopped declawing after I started working at a vet office and saw how the procedure was done. It doesn't hurt them...they're knocked out...but the idea of amputating the tips of their fingers, which is what it is, turned me off. I couldn't imagine have my fingers cut off at the first joint. That's just my opinion...I'm truly not saying anything bad about your decision. People have their cats declawed for a lot of valid reasons.
As for the downside...I'm assuming you're only getting the cat's front paws declawed. They could still climb a tree, using their hind claws, if they accidently got out...so don't worry about that. They may have some difficult jumbing and holding on to what they jump onto. Their front paws will be sensitive for a while and they may not like you touching them ever again, my cat was that way. Other than that...there's really no bad side effects.

Good luck with kitty.

Answer 3

STOP cancel the appointment. 33% of cats that are declawed get behavorial problems. Their paws never stop feeling pain so some refuse to use the litter box. Just google declawing and see what they do. I used to think it was like us getting a nail removed that keeps ingrowing. What they do is they sedate the cat as deep as they can and they the vet twists and pulls and yanks out the first knuckle along with the nail. In this time the cat who feels nothing now SCREAMS!!
Don't do this I can give you way easy humane ways to handle claw trouble. I clip my cats claws every week by clipping the pincher type clothes pins to the scruff of the neck between the shoulders where them Mom cat would carry them. It gives her a signal to relax and she does. I saw this done in a zoo on a lion cub. (used bigger clothes pins). You can buy claw covers that slip over the claws. Provide all cats with a scratching post etc. My cat has never clawed furniture or curtains. Please let me know that you did not have this procedure done. In all ove Europe it is forbidden and considered animal abuse. Many states in the USA are now outlawing it. I feel any vet that does this is abusive and should be fined and closed if he continues. He knows it hurts the cat not only during the procedure but for the rest of his life. Contact me so I can sleep knowing I saved a kitty.

Answer 4

Extremely sore feet since they're taking out part of the bone structure.

Slow healing since weight is being put on the wounds with every step.

Potential infection from having to step into the litter box.

Over the long term--potential lifelong nerve pain in some animals. Possible increased aggression due to the fact she can only defend herself with her teeth. Less balance on small surfaces since the size of the bottom of the paw has been reduced (more unbalanced falls off things). The inability to catch herself when she begins to fall (no claws to grab), and the inability to adequately defend herself if she's unexpectedly outside and being attacked by a dog, cat or raccoon.

Answer 5

Don't worry your cat will be fine. Use that cat litter for cats that were just declawed and she will be fine. Once your cat is healed your cat will be able to do a lot of things. Your cat won't have any problems with her behavior. When my cat was declawed she had no problems at all. She had no bitting problems,she could jump up and down from furniture,no behavioral problems,had no problems playing with her toys,no personality problems,no litter box problems,She could do things normally after the surgery and she is just fine.

Answer 6

She better be an indoor cat if you're declawing her.

If she likes to go outside, don't declaw her. She needs to be able to protect herself from other animals.

If she ever encounters another cat, or even a racoon or something, she would have nothing to defend herself with other than her teeth.

Answer 7

Oh boy. Be careful with those paws of his! We had one cat that we got declawed, and he never peed in the litterbox because the litter irritated the areas where the claws had been.
In fact, the shelter near me discourages declawing.

Answer 8

If he is overweight and has diarrhea every day, he isn't healthy as you say he is. Wet cat foods can cause diarrhea and gas so I only recommend feeding it to him every once in a while as a treat. Also feeding your cat table scraps is not a good idea. A cat's digestive system is not made to properly break down or even tolerate our food. This may also be the fart causing culprit. If you're truly concerned, take your cat to the vet.

Answer 9

You can expect the cat to walk gingerly for awhile with a little bit of pain in its feet. You should also worry about it being finicky with the litterbox:

http://www.fleascontrol.com/declawing-cats.htm

It may feel weird for it to cover its stool, so it may refuse to use the litterbox or may not cover up for awhile. Sometimes it can also be painful, especially if you get a rare case where there are complications.

Answer 10

well its really mean to the cat because they dont just take the claw off they cut the whole first knuckle off thats like you only haveing one knuckle in your finger not very pleseant i would just save the money and use it for a scratching post or something for the cat to claw on that is not furniture just rub catnip on the scratching post and the cat will mostly go to the scratching post instead of the furniture