is it animal cruelty to declaw my cats at 1?

Question

OK so i have 2 cat's that just made a year old and got a puppy 3 month's ago my cats are destroying my furniture i tried the condo and they love it to go to sleep but to strech they use my couche's ok so the question is would it be consider animal cruelty if i declaw them now? and should i do it? because they go for my pupp'y eye's she is a boston terrier so she has big eye's

Also i do trim there nails

Answer 1

It's cruel regardless.

Please see the links below to read about declawing and alternatives. I know that it's a lot of information, but please opt to be informed for the sake of your kitties. Thanks!

http://www.petstation.com/declaw.html
http://www.geocities.com/catcl/declaw.html
http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/html/declaw_law.html
http://domania.us/catique/declaw.html
http://www.declawhallofshame.com/wst_page5.html
http://www.pawproject.com/html/faqs.asp
http://www.declaw.org/
http://www.laperm.com/Helpful_Information/DoNotDeclaw.htm
http://www.ciara.de/declawing.html
http://www.softpaws.com/
http://amby.com/cat_site/
http://www.woodcox.net/declawing.html
http://www.catscratching.com/
http://community-2.webtv.net/zuzu22/stopdeclawtemporary/
http://www.vpl.com/product_home.php
http://www.paw-rescue.org/declaw_paper.html
http://www.de-clawing.com/
http://www.catclinicofnorman.com/site/view/65666_DeclawingandAlternatives.pml
http://www.phsspca.org/training/declawing.htm
http://www.spiritessence.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=declawingarationallook
http://www.goodcatswearblack.com/declawing/about_declawing.htm
http://www.cara-adopt.org/declaw.html
http://www.sniksnak.com/cathealth/declaw.html
http://www.amby.com/cat_site/declaw.html
http://www.xmission.com/~emailbox/declaw.htm
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Pointe/9352/declaw.html

Answer 2

It's actually better to do it when they're young so they can adapt more quickly. I declawed my kitten at 6 months, and she's perfectly fine and healthy 5 months later. Honestly, I don't think she even notices that she's missing them....she still goes and paws at her favorite scratch spots every morning.

Ask the vet what their procedure is for declawing. Make sure that your kitties will receive adequate pain medication, otherwise they will be extremely uncomfortable after the operation. You might also want to make sure that the vet will keep them overnight after the surgery. My kitty stayed at the vet for 2 full days to recover from her surgery, and she was perfectly fine when she came home. She didn't cry or do anything out of the ordinary.

There's a product called "Soft Paws" that you can use to cap your kitty's claws, but I had a pretty bad experience with them. Plus, the cats need to be willing to wear the caps.

Answer 3

If you'd ever seen a cat getting declawed you might change your mind about having it done to your cat. I worked for a vet and he wouldn't do declawing because he said it was the human equivalent of having someone use a pair of giant toenail clippers to snip off the tips of your fingers to the first knuckle (much worse than actually tearing off just the fingernails).

Knowing this, when I got my kitten, Beckett, I started training him to let me clip his claws with a pair of toenail clippers. Working VERY carefully, I press out each claw and VERY carefully clip it. I'm extremely cautious about making sure I don't clip too close to the pink part of the claw. If you cut into that area it will be like (the human equivalent of) cutting into the nail bed. I'd rather leave them a little long and have to cut them more often than accidentally hurt him. I only do the front paws.

He still makes the stretching, kneading/ clawing motion on the furniture, but without the destruction. And now, at age nine, he gets really excited when he sees me get the clippers out because he knows it means attention and brushing and treats after.

Another thing to consider is if your cats go outside at all and ever get attacked, their ability to defend themselves is very limited. Even climbing a tree to escape is next to impossible.

Answer 4

De clawing a cat is a mortal sin, just imagine having the nails on your own hand cut off?
Cats are easy to train, you must reward them for not doing bad things such as scratching furniture, i have two cats they are clipped of the sharp part of their nails every month, i do it myself they sit still while i clip them both cats love it because they don't get caught in the carpet when they walk around the house being indoor cats. I also have brushed them every three days and you may not believe this but i brush their teeth also and they love it, of course most owners would have to do this right when they get the kitten in the house, as far as your puppy a Boston Terrier could take out a cat in its worst day, the dog will in time show the cats who is the Alpha in the house, but if your smart you will establish that earlier and you must be the Alpha, never raise your voice never spray or hit them but be firm that they not ever climb on furniture, they will learn in time you are the boss and respect it. just remember to keep their nails cut regularly .

Answer 5

Cats have scent glands in their paws, so when they begin scratching somewhere, the scent attracts them to scratch in the same place each time. You need to cover the furniture to prevent them from using it, and place a scratch post in the same spot. Cats have preference for the type of scratch item they will use; some like sisal, corrugated cardboard or a heavy duty doormat. So you need to offer your cats a few alternatives to see what they will use. Be patient, it can take a while to train them but it really is worth the effort. Remember to reward them with food treats and praise every time they use the post. Cats are more inclined to adopt behaviour if it benefits them in some way. I don't recommend spraying them with water as all that teaches them is not to touch the furniture when you are around to catch them. The web articles below have lots of advice on how to stop them scratching furniture and use a post instead.

http://www.celiahaddon.co.uk/pet%20problems/cats/frameset.html
http://www.catscratching.com/

Cats and dogs don't share the same body language, so there will be misunderstandings between them at first. Most puppies are naturally boisterous and excited by cats, so if he's chasing them and such, then they will give him a warning swipe, which will quickly teach im to back off. The web article below has advice on helping cats and dogs get along.

http://www.messybeast.com/first-impressions.htm

Please don't resort to declawing your cats. If you are prepared to put in the time and effort to teach them manners, then you will understand that it really isn't necessary to resort to surgery to resolve these behaviours. If millions of us world wide can train our cats, I am sure that you can too.

Answer 6

In virtually every civilized country in the world except the USA, declawing is illegal. There's a reason for that, and it's that declawing is excruciatingly painful for the animal and cruel. In fact, when drug companies are developing new pain medications, they choose to test them on declawed cats because it's some of the worst pain there is.

Cats walk on the tips of their toes. When you have the cat declawed, you have the tips of their toes cut off with what are essentially garden shears. All the way down to the first joint.

Therefore, cats can't walk properly when they are declawed and it causes their spines to be misaligned.

Lastly, many cats develop behavioral issues after being declawed. Some become biters. Some develop litter box issues (the litter hurts their stumps). Some just misbehave in other ways. You hurt them and they resent it.

There are numerous ways to train your cats not to claw your furniture. I have done that with my 5 cats so I know it can be done. But anyway the thing to remember is your cat loves you. Your furniture doesn't love you. What's important?

Katie

P.S. Saying vets wouldn't declaw if it were cruel doesn't hold water. The vet also doesn't explain any of the above to you. They'll do anything legal that generates income.

Answer 7

It is cruel to declaw, period. My mom got my childhood cats declawed. One died, and the other was never the same afterwards. She was depressed from missing her sister, and her toes! When you get pets, you need to expect things to get destroyed. You have to try your best to train them, not resort to extreme measures such as declawing. It really is a terrible thing, it was a very traumatic experience for me to come home from school and one cat was dead, the other to never be the same again. That is just my experience, but even adoption agencies recognize this as a cruelty and will NOT adopt to anyone who is going to declaw the cats they adopt. All it takes to make them stop is to diligently punish them with a squirt bottle every time they do something bad, and say "No" very firmly. It may take a while and you have to be very diligent for it to work, but that is part of the responsibility of caring for pets. PLEASE don't declaw them! It is comparable to having your own fingertips and toes chopped off! I'm not trying to sound scolding or anything, I'm sure you love and care for your pets very much, I just want to spread the knowledge and share my own experience!

Answer 8

Have you attempted to train them NOT to do this? People seem to forget that cats are trainable. (Yes, they are trainable. Not to the extent that a dog is, but trainable nonetheless. My cat knows 'stay', 'sit', & 'leave it') She also lives in peace with my roommate's leather furniture (1 year and NO scratches). Use those ''soft paw'' claw covers, and get a squirt bottle for water. If you catch them scratching the dog or the furniture, give them a squirt.

Also, do they have plenty of scratching posts available? You cannot expect a cat to NOT scratch the furniture, if you don't provide an alternative. :)

Declawing should be an absolute last resort. "DECLAWING: What You Need To Know":
http://www.declawing.com/

Answer 9

It is animal cruelty to delcaw ANY cats at ANY age. It is similar to chopping off the tips of your fingers. Please reconsider cos this will be permanent damage to the cats. It can be depressing to lose any part of your body especially your digits and limbs.

Say NO to declawing !

Answer 10

i fined it cruel to declaw cats because they have no defence to fight back your dog might have big eyes but just what if the dog decides to bite your cat what can your cat do if he is declawed nothing right and for your coachs cats don't like strong smells so spray something that your cat don't like or you can also buy spray that is made for that too

Answer 11

I would consider it animal cruelty to declaw a cat! Would you consider it cruelty to children if I had my child's fingernails removed because they scratched me?

Try using a product called "Soft Paws". It helped my Maine Coon stop swatting the rest of my animals and clawing the furniture.