Declawing?

Question

Now before anyone passes judgments, please read this! I'm not considering declawing purely because I don't want destroyed furniture.

I have 2 cats. One is 2 years old and the other is 1 year old. They're both spayed. My 2 year old cat can be very mean and vicious. She routinely cuts me and my boyfriend when we handle her (mostly to move her from places she's not supposed to be), and also slashes and cuts the other cat's nose and face. She can be very sweet when she wants to be. She was NEVER abused, I got her when she was 12 weeks old from a good friend and neighbor, so I know she treated her right also. She's so aggressive to the point that the vet needs to anesthetize her to examine her. Basically she's a liability, waiting to hurt some person or child. We worry about that often. Not to mention that she also tears up furniture.

I hear declawing is so bad, but we've tried EVERYTHING. I've seen 2 vets about this, they both recommend declawing. I hear it's cruel though. Thoughts?

I have tried soft claws, trimming every week (she will hurt us when we try to do both these), not to mention the results aren't worth the pain and scratches she inflicts to clip or glue on the soft claws! Also tried scratching posts, shaking a can of pennies, squirting with water, etc. for the furniture. Nothing works!

I've had these cats for a few years and didn't declaw early for a reason. I understand very well what it does to the cat. We didn't want to do it and put it off so long because we think it's cruel. We love Charlie though, and don't want to get hurt by her (or have her hurt Hobbes the other kitty). I worry so much that she'll hurt somebody! When my mom or the landlord for our apt. comes over she tries to slash them (and did with my mom once)! I wish she weren't so vicious, but I don't know if there's a whole lot we can do about it.

Answer 1

Both my cats are declawed too don't let people make you feel bad or guility for considering this option - after all two VETS who have seen and know what this cat is capable of have recommended it!. I got it done by cartherizing (claws taken off by lasers or heat, not cut out) which is more expensive but unlike regular declawing, is not the equivalent of the first knuckle being cut off. I have a $9k custom leather sectional and other very cool furniture that I do not want ruined. I dote on my cats and they are constantly petted and played with and fed premium holistic food - they are very lucky to have a loving household and an owner like me. So I feel if they have to give up their claws in return, they are still getting the much better deal! I stand by my decision - PERIOD! They are both rescues and if it weren't for me they would both be living on the street. They have a great life!

Honestly I don't think people should feel they can never have nice furniture because the cat will destroy it or that other animals in the household should have to be constantly terrorized by another pet. While she still may lash out and bite and you and the other pets, declawing will at least even the playing field more in yours and the other pets favor. Every cat I've ever had has been declawed and it's never changed the way they walk or changed their personality one bit! So I guess what this means for you is that it sounds like she's a b**ch now and she'll still be a b**ch once she's declawed, but she won't be any worse, and there will definitely be less scratching. Next time try a male cat, on the whole they thed to be alot more loving and affectionate than females, though I know you still love your kitty and she's propably sweet SOME of the time, lol.
FYI, one of my cats escapes out into the backyard from time to time and do you know what her favorite thing to do is? Climb one of our tallest trees. Cats can still use their back claws to climb, but it's still best to try to keep them indoors.

Answer 2

In my opinion there is absolutely NO reason good enough to declaw a cat. It's cruel and can lead to several health and behavioral problems.
Because your cat is already aggressive with her claws, expect her to bite more if she looses them. Cats can also take to marking (peeing outside the litter box) because scratching is another way they mark their territory. By taking away part of their "fingers" (yes, they don't just take the claws, they amputate a whole digit!) it changes the way they walk. It can lead to arthritis down the road.
There are two things that come to mind that you can try if you haven't already. Get some Feliway plug ins. These are often recommended and sold by vets. It's a pheromone that can help calm the cat down. Another is a GREAT alternative to delcawing. It's called soft paws. Little plastic tips that you super glue onto the claws. They can still scratch and retract their claws but they can't do any damage. I would def. have your vet put them on though.
If you decide to go through with the declaw (and I REALLY hope you don't) please have the vet explain it very thoroughly so you can make a very educated decision as it can be VERY life changing for you and your cat.

Answer 3

Declawing seems to be a controversial topic on Yahoo answers.

I am not fond of declawing cats and could not do this to a cat. My mother had her cat declawed when it was a kitten, it's little paws were sore for a few days but once they healed she was fine.

If you can guarantee that your cat is always indoors and does not need to go climbing up a tree for safety, then she does not need her claws.
If you are comfortable with declawing her and feel that it is absolutely necessary so that you will keep her, then have her declawed... It beats putting her into a shelter where no one will want her or having her put down...
At least you are willing to do something to keep your cat that has a mean side.
I honestly say do what you need to do so that you can keep your other cat and family safe while keeping your sweet/mean kitty. :)

Answer 4

I agree, it's VERY cruel. They basically tear the claws out of the cat. I know that sounds harsh, but I actually put it nicely. I wish I had a better answer for you, some cats are just very mean, others are gentle and friendly. My suggestion would be to remove the cat from your household. I had a very dear friend who had 3 cats. One of the older cats bit her on the thumb. She cleaned it and put a bandage on it. A few days later it started to swell and hurt while she was away on a trip. She planned to have it checked when she got home. She never made it home. Cats carry a bacteria that can cause a very painful nasty death in humans. I think some people used to call it cat scratch fever. at any rate, my friend past away as a result of the bite. I have another lady friend, who's cat bit her on the side of the hand when she tried to give it some medicine. She went to the doctor the next day complaining of pain and swelling. She almost lost her hand to the same bacteria from her cat.
I just thought you should be aware of the possible problems from a vicious cat so you could make a reasonable decision on what to do with yours. Lastly, you have to ask if it's fair to your other more gentle cat to be constantly attacked by the meaner one, especially if it is getting hurt.
Good luck

Answer 5

I am against declawing I'll put that out there first off. Yet in this case it "might" be best for all involved. You say you have 2 cats and what I say about that is as much as I don't want to it might be best to declaw them both so that the other cat doesn't suddenly get a I can beat you bloody advantage.

Answer 6

I had the same kind of situation and I had to talk to a Vet about it and they told me that it was best to have her declawed so I would not get injured really bad from my cat. I had tried water bottles and the Vet trimmed her claws and I did it and she kept on doing what she had been in trouble for and I was about to get rid of her because of what she was doing and she would jump across the room in mid air and jumped on my back to be held and I got scratched so bad that it got infected so I talked to the Vet again and she told me that was the best thing to do because of her jumping up to be held and she scratched my back really bad also. So the Vet declawed her for that reason and she is a happy cat and she does not do that as much as she did before and if she does then she does not hurt me at all. She is a very happy cat and she did not have any problems and she can do everything normally.

http://www.geocities.com/declawing/index.htm

Answer 7

No, you should not even consider declawing as an option. Most likely your cat will change from clawing to biting if you declaw her. My suggestion is that you be more tolerant of the places she is. Unless the place is dangerous for her, let her be. If you would prefer her be elsewhere, try installing a simple window perch--most cats love this. If she is seriously hurting your other cat, then maybe she needs to be the only cat. Do you have a friend or relative who is looking to adopt a cat and could take one of them? Again, though, please don't even consider declawing her. This is a cruel option and should be outlawed.

Answer 8

I am so tired of ppl getting cats and the realizing that cats scratch furniture. Before getting a cat maybe you should research and if you care about furniture don't get one cuz they will scratch. Declawing is a horrible thing to put a cat through. Just imagine going to the doctor and getting the tips of your fingers down to the first joint cut off..Come on do what I did I took and old carpet and wrapped it around a corner of a wall were visitors can't see and nailed it to it and now every time my cats go to scratch my furniture I take them over to the carpet and show them to scratch that...now only once in awhile they go to scratch furniture...Try to use a humane solution then a cruel solution.

Answer 9

You run the risk of making this cat even worse than she already is by declawing her.
I have a six year old cat that is starting to mellow out, but for the first few years there were several times I considered taking her to the shelter because she was so mean. But now she is really starting to mellow.

Answer 10

There is a product called Soft Paws that you can order online. They are covers for the cats claws that you glue on with finger nail glue. I use them on my cat and they work really well. They come in different colors, stay on well and are reasonably priced. The web site is softpaws.com.