what do dog people think about declawing cats?

Question

Sorry if this a strange question for the dogs section. But I'm just wondering what dog owners think about cat people who declaw their cats.

Answer 1

We had our cat declawed after he shredded out leather sofa

he came back with messed up feat..his feat fold over and his balance is off..it is like he no longer has any bones in his feet.... he limped for a while and finally stopped..then one day he started again..i took him into our vet we use for canine reproduction and she took one look at the bottom of his feet and rushed him into surgery..he was limping because the bones in his feet had come out through the pads..or what little he had left of his pads...he had 3 digits amputated...his pads put together the best they could and now has horribly deformed feet.... he can no longer run or jump...his feet still hurt from time to time....
so do not listen to people who say that declawing cannot hurt them..it can..sure some come out ok but alot come out crippled and in alot of pain..all to save our furniture..i would never put a cat through that again... we ruined his life..it has not only effected him physically but emotionally too..he is mean from time to time...

DO NOT DECLAW~



update


GREAT DANE is absolutely right... our boy has all these issues now... he is aggressive and avoids us...he is sad and in pain... it really is not worth it... it is torture and nothing more

even if it seems your cat is ok..i guarantee it has caused long terms issues

Answer 2

I currently own 3 dogs and 3 cats. I have owned about 10 cats in my lifetime and only one was declawed.
The medical term for declawing is 'onchyectomy' and means removing not only the claw but the bone as well. It is an amputation. It is the equivalent of amputating the tips of your fingers up to the first joint.
I must respectfully disagree with Sprinkel above. Cats CAN be trained, they simply need a different approach than dogs. All the cats I have owned got their claws clipped on a regular basis and always had access to one or more scratching posts. If they were tempted by the furniture, a few squirts of water and/or double-sided sticky tape on the tempting parts generally dissuaded them. Lots of praise and treats when they used the scratching posts helped too.
The one cat that I had declawed when he was neutered: he came home and limped for several days despite using analgesics from the vet. I just didn't like it and I felt horrible that I had done that to him. His paws just seemed deformed to me...and of course they were, but I didn't really know the truth about declawing at the time.
However, I understand that there are times when you have an incorrigible cat. One who refuses to use a scratching post or who is aggressive toward people or other animals. I understand that there are times when there is a choice between declawing the cat and giving it another chance, or euthanizing the cat.
I personally feel that in those cases, declawing is perfectly acceptable. I do not think that it should be done routinely just because you have a cat. (I also do not think that dog's ears should be mutilated ('cropped') or their tails cut off.) Only after you have exhausted all other possibilities should declawing be considered. I completely disagree with those who have a cat's toes amputated just because it is a cat.

Answer 3

I use to be totally against declawing. I have a dog & a cat who are only 2 months apart in age, but are now 3 yrs old. When they were young I had the biggest problem with the cat chewing on the furniture over the puppy. But he would beat up on the puppy. She always had scabs from him clawing her up. But they loved to play together no matter how bad the cat hurt the dog. When he was 5 months old I took him in to get neutered and they asked me if I wanted him declawed too. I thought about it because I thought it was cruel. But it depends on how it is done. The old scalpal way or laser. My moms cat was declawed by scapal before she had him and he is always been touchy about his paws. The vet neutered & declawed him by laser. His neuter didn't even phase him and he was healed in about 5 days, his paws didn't even bother him at all. I suggest to anyone that if you are going to declaw a cat make sure it is a laser surgery.

As far as the cat being "disabled" I think people are nuts. My moms cat was declawed before we got him and he is the best mouser I have ever seen. He gets mice, birds, occasionally a baby bunny (I know but he does it) and he got a rat one time, made him sick but he caught it. My cat that is declawed can even still climb the tree even though he is declawed. I do let him outside but he stays in the back yard because he's so tubby he can't jump the 6ft fence.

Answer 4

I love my cats. They are declawed.
They kept injuring my dogs. (As in they enjoyed attacking and bullying my 75lb dog.) I tolerated it until the day came that they injured myself and my husband. He had to go to the hospital. No one there could believe a domestic cat had done to him what they saw. Many people thought he had been in a car accident. His face was sliced up and he has scars to this day. Had the dog done such a thing, I'd have put it down. Don't underestimate the feline. They are not fluffy little throw pillows. They are predators.
Now, my cats stay indoors and have their hind claws in case they get out and need to climb a tree. I still have dogs. The cats pick on them less now that the dogs just look at them funny when they're smacked. When the pup gets too friendly, the cats will still bite. They can still catch mice. They still have excellent balance. But, they have not shed human blood since they were declawed. I'll never have another indoor cat with claws.

Answer 5

I opted not to have my cat declawed once I read what's done - it's sounds awful and cruel. I cat sat a kitten that had been recently declawed and the poor thing was bleeding, meowing, and couldn't use the litter box.

Answer 6

I am very against delcawing. My parents had our cat declawed because of scratching at our puppy when I was little (too little to know what declawing was really about) and she was in a lot of pain. It really changed her personality too. If I ever have any cats I will not have them declawed.

Answer 7

I am a dog and cat owner. And I work at a vet clinic. After actually seeing a cat get declawed, and seeing how they feel afterward, I think it is absolutely Horrible. I would Never do that to my cats. There are so many reasons not to do it, and there are so many other alternatives.

*Declawing is NOTHING like just clipping finger nails, it is actually amputating all of the toes. It is very painful, the cats are confused, and it does turn them into biters. A cat's claws are it's main source of defense. They need them. My cats have All of their claws, and destroy Nothing in my house. They get their nails trimmed every few weeks, and they have scratch posts. And another alternative to declawing is soft paws.

Answer 8

I have had cats & dogs my whole life, family pets always when we were kids and now I have my own! Out of all our pets we had 1 cat de clawed, because she was extremely mean & a little out of it...When she was around 7 weeks old a kid through her out a second story window, and the parents were going to feed her to the family Boa Constrictor because she was still moving, so we saved her from being slim's dinner! She was VERY aggressive, and attacked 3 people, one being our insurance man, jumped up and grabbed on to his crouch!!! I had no idea how cruel de clawing was at the time, if I had, I may have not done it. The 3 cats I have now are total loves and don't even know they have claws! I will never de claw another cat again!

Answer 9

I dislike anybody who declaws their cats. Most people don't know this, but when cats are declawed, they cut off their toes up to the first knuckle. Which can in turn cause nerve damage, and also make the cat become a biter. Not to mention, a cats claws are it's only means of defense. If a declawed cat ever got loose, it would have no chance at defending itself in a fight. My cats are not declawed. The only one is the one I just adopted yesterday, that was front declawed and abused horribly when he came into the shelter where I work. I am against declawing 100%.

Answer 10

I am a dog and cat owner, and neither of my cats is declawed. It is their only form of self defense if they get outside accidentally. As long as they are not scratching where they shouldn't be. If they are, get a scratching post.

Answer 11

Declawing is not simply removing the claws..it is an amputation..it is like cutting off all of your fingers at the first joint past your fingernails. It is a very painful procedure no matter if done traditionally or with a laser. Many cats start biting, hiding, become aggressive, have litterbox avoidance issues, etc after being declawed. Also many develope joint and muscle issues later on.