Why do people wig out when you mention "de-clawing" when talking about cats? I have had ALL my cats de-clawed.

Question

I have had all my cats de-clawed, not to mention neutered/spayed(depending on the sex). They were all indoor cats. I don't want them clawing or inadverntanly scratching me or anyone else in my family or other spots where they are not supposed to claw. The vet makes sure they are under anestetic and all that stuff. It never has affected any of them. I mean really people???

SERIOUS ANSWERS ONLY, NOT "OH HOW COULD YOU BLAH, BLAH, BLAH...." OR NAME CALLING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

AGAIN, I AM ASKING FOR SERIOUS ANSWERS, NOT RANTS AND RAVES ABOUT IT. IF IT WAS SUCH A BAD THING, NO VET WOULD BE ABLE TO DO IT LEGALLY. ALL MY CATS ARE ALIVE AND WELL AND ABLE TO DEFEND THEMSELVES WHEN THEY SNEAK OUT FROM TIME TO TIME...


SERIOUS ANSWERS ONLY OR YOU WILL BE IN VIOLATION AND REPORTED TO YAHOO ANSWERS!!!!!!

MY CAT CAN CLIMB TREES BTW!!!! AND HAS ATTACKED A COUPLE DOGS WHO HAVE DARED STEP FOOT ON "HER PROPERTY".(WE HAVE 2 OTHER DOGS AND KEEPS THEM IN CHECK ON A FAIRLY OFTEN BASIS)

DID I MENTION SHE CLIMBS TREES???

Answer 1

I had to giggle. I'm sorry. My cat is declawed too. The fact of the matter is that animal rights folks just don't have enough going on in their lives. Bottom line is that my cat lives the good life. She is fed, happy, lives for free, has no job, and spends every moment of her life being catered to.

Ignore them. They are just opinionated people. When I was in college, I took my kitty on the plane with me, and this person sat down next to me and told me that she did not agree with my bringing the cat on the plane because she was anethetized. Well she wasn't. I never even thought about sedating her. She was just a very calm kitty, and she loved being in her carrier. She used to sleep in it!

I have an idea. Find something silly to object to, and harass them about it like you're serious. You have to practice it to make it fun. It has to be something equally silly -like hardwood floors. Insist that their hardwood floors were made from ancient trees in Mexico that were worshipped by the Bozoris (I just made them up), a little known group of people, and their floors represent their disrespect for the Bozoris religion. How can you justify walking on this holy wood?!

Of course they will try to find out who these people were, but when they confront you saying that the people do not exist, vehemently insist that they did, and that their failure to acknowledge the people only proves that you were right about them in the first place.

Yes, I'm horrible, but I have fun!

Answer 2

It is a touchy subject for many people.. including vets. Some vets won't even do the procedure anymore, because it is not just a snip snip of the nail. De-clawing a cat is done by cutting off the bone of last digit of the toe, so is in essence doing 10 amputations on the cat. Supposedly, it can alter the position of the foot when they are walking, which can create other problems many years down the road. You can liken it to cutting off the last digit of all of your toes, and see how it alters your gait. On top of that, most vets only give them about 7-10 days worth of pain killers. Although they may not act like they are in pain at the end of that time, can you imagine that the pain of walking on 10 amputated digits has gone away by that time? There are pros and cons to de-clawing-- but a lot of pet owners and vets feel it is an unnecessary surgery that is primarily done as a preventative measure "in case" the cat scratches things, or as a matter of convenience (rather than taking the time to train the cat), instead of using it as a last resort method because nothing else keeps the cat from clawing up things. MOST times, cats can be trained to scratch a scratching post, cardboard scratcher, or other things instead of using your furniture. Cats need to scratch wether they have claws or not, so as long as you provide them with something acceptable to scratch, and train them to use it, the clawing does not become a problem. I have two cats and they are indoor cats only, but they have all of their claws and have never scratched my furniture or carpet. I taught them to use scratch posts and other things and that is what they use. So, that is why some people make a stink about the de-clawing issue :)

Answer 3

I think that if it keeps a cat having a home, declawed is OK. Many cats become homeless because of scratching children, screens, furniture, etc., although there are a lot of cats in the shelters that are declawed. I had my first cat ,front only, declawed at the same time she was spayed. She was an indoor cat and we were expecting a child. She trashed the furniture. She had no problems with her feet after she heeled, and lived a normal indoor cat life for 19 yrs. I guess if you're around at all times to redirect what they scratch you can avoid the procedure. There are now many products available that may possibly deter their scratching of unwanted things. I did feel guilty when I did it, but so did I feel guilty over spaying her, cats do not handle surgery very well

Answer 4

I've noticed that people get really sensitive and really defensive about this issue. If I was sure that my cat wouldn't experience mal effects (if I had a cat) then I would probably go through with it myself. I'm not positive though.

What bothers me is that people get so upset about this but you never hear anyone defending the dogs who get docked and cropped. These days, there is rarely a functional purpose for doing this- it's only done for looks. I think that's a lot worse than declawing a cat.

In defense of those who think declawing is unnecessary, I guess you could invest in scratching posts or try aversion training with your cat to prevent damage from claws. I guess it should be the choice of the individual though.

Answer 5

I think people look at the procedure itself, and in all honesty it does sounds horrible, but I think people need to understand that cats are not humans, and their pain tolerance is alot higher than ours, I feel bad about de-clawing but I don't regret it, It honeslty didn't seem to phase either of my cats, the going to the vet part is what they hated, but that's expected, if anything I had to keep them from playing too much afterwards, it's crazy how much it doesn't affect their behavior. My Cats are healthy and happy and people can say what they want, at least they aren't on the streets, pro-creating more homeless animals, and digging through trash for food...

Answer 6

How can anyone in their right mind even dare to think that de-clawing a cat is not cruel.
What is wrong with your flammin vet to even come at doing an operation of this kind
If your furniture etc. are so importantly important to you, don't have a cat.
I would really love to see a cat climb a tree with out claws.
that is a ridiculous statement, that I find hard to believe.
In my opinion, you shouldn't have animals.

Answer 7

Some people say that it is cruel and inhumane. For indoor cats de-clawing is fine. But for outdoor cats, it can affect their running and ability to catch stuff. I have an indoor cat and I have thought about it, but I dont think I will do it. He really doesnt claw things up, he uses his scratching post, and he knows that if he uses his claws on me he will be in big trouble.

Answer 8

De-clawing a cat is only out of laziness out of the caregiver, I have had cat's all my long life, It only takes about a week tops, to teach, not train a cat, Where to scratch and where not to. She has her own post and little carpet mat, she can go nuts on these, they are replaceable, I went through two carpet mats already, She know's what's hers and what is not. My cat does'nt jump on people either, it all comes down to having time to teach rules. Perhaps a cat for you is just something to have, but for a lot of us, a cat is part of the family, and I happen to like my Mom or sister with their fingernails.

Answer 9

I wouldn't do this to my cat. She is my world and I wouldn't want her to suffer. I mean, I get misty eyed when she gets her teeth cleaned (I convince myself something bad will happen)...I certainly wouldn't let her have a painful and unnecessary surgery.

That being said, cats are such smart animals. If you don't want them to scratch your furniture, teach them not to (and not by hitting them or anything else awful like that). I would make a stupid noise at my cat each time she would scratch make to the furniture and eventually (before she was 8 months) stopped. There was no destruction or anything else. As far as people go, I've found that if you make a loud distressed noise at them if they scratch you they feel sorry. After one incident where I made particularly loud distressed noise, my cat gave me one of her toys as a form of reparations. (She's a very sweet girl.)

Anyway, I love my baby (yes, she is my baby not my cat) far too much to allow any unnecessary surgeries.

Answer 10

It is definitely a touchy subject for people. I grew up with between 5 and 7 cats at all times and many of them were declawed. One of my cats had such bad skin allergies, she had to have her claws removed because she was scratching so hard she was going bald and making her skin bleed.
Anyways, there is a new great invention for people who don't want to get their cat declawed but have a problem with their cat ruining furniture or scratching too hard:
http://www.petsmart.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2754502&cp=2767033.2768978&fbn=Taxonomy%7CGrooming&fbc=1&clickid=topnav_dropdown1_link8&parentPage=family&keepsr=1

I don't see a problem with it as long as the cat does not go outside and the owner is responsible enough to make sure it doesn't get outside.

Also, people who say "how would you feel if your fingers got cut off?" obviously have no idea what they are talking about. People use their fingers for basic things like writing, eating, etc. Declawing has been proven to not effect the cat greatly because they still have their back claws which they scratch and groom themselves with. Also, their claws do not effect their walking/balancing.