Discussions

Brenda said "    1 chance said "don't get a cat! My furnitures are more important???? It's a kitten in the country that the mother cat abandoned her 7 kittens and one baby froze in the cold so one kitten has now a home and warm place to be. He now will not freeze, not go hungry and/or not feel pain by being attack and viciously killed by any animal in the woods.   What was I thinking to be cruel to the animal! " I guess you shouldn't have asked if you didn't want the feedback.     Spray bottle and a couple of scratching posts are all you need. "

did ask a question yes was about declaw not about should I get a kitten.  
The nail covers may work but not a guarantee to some cats (so not good alternative), clip the nails I read on line if you stop cutting for a awhile the nail growing may cause a problem so alternative??  
But no one had answered if they had a kitten declaw at very young age which if I read is better for them and surgery too. People who had their cats declaw the cat seem to live fine after the surgery. No I guess not after few weeks but the cat isn't suffering for the rest forever.  

silverpawz said "You can quite easily train them not to scratch. The naysayers obviously didn't put enough effort in. I brought in a log from outside and put them on it whenever they went near furniture. Also had a spray bottle of water. They got the hint. They also have cat trees to scratch. You can also use nail clippers every few weeks, much more humane, or nail use covers. Yes it's an indoor cat, but what if it escapes. It will have no claws to defend itself, and it likely won't be able to hunt to survive. "

is strictly a house cat so she doesn't have to defend herself.  
 
If there is a mouse in the house she can kill it and does, all with no front claws.

Why get a cat than, if your so worried about having your furniture wrecked than why bring a pet into your home? A pet is suppose to be apart of the family.. would you cut off your children's feet because you don't want them jumping on your couches? My answer is clearly NO, you shouldn't.  
 
Edited by Jck, 2015-12-05 10:11:55

Jck said "Why get a cat than, if your so worried about having your furniture wrecked than why bring a pet into your home? A pet is suppose to be apart of the family.. would you cut off your children's feet because you don't want them jumping on your couches? My answer is clearly NO, you shouldn't.     Edited by Jck, 2015-12-05 10:11:55"

A pet is supposed to be part of the family. Do people bring their pet (cat/dog/other animal) with them along when they go away, go on vacations?? Or is the pet put in a cage while they are gone.  
My post was that I am debating to declaw so leave me alone with the 'why get a pet'. Maybe explain me how to train a kitten not to scratch.  
I had a cat years ago that was declaw because she wasn't scratching my furnitures but she wrecked all my window screens. It took a while after the surgery but she was a happy cat with me all the time and she felt with the declaw I do not know because I do not talk cat language.  
What I am confused about the declaw surgery is that the cat will suffer for few days or maybe weeks but humans have surgeries (whatever the type) too (I had and others too) meaning we (human) suffer too afterwards and we deal and heal with it.  
I may not know understanding fully but how I see it is pain is pain not matter if is an animal or human. That is why I am debating

Lol. Do what you think is best. Every cat is different, every person is different. We had cats, the clawed everything, chewed my blinds, were very destructive no matter what I did. I tried every method. They are now barn cats. If we could have afforded to get their claws removed they would have still been indoors. They cost us way too much in other repairs.  
 
I think the best thing would be to do it when they are young and at the same time as being fixed. Get it all over and done.  
 
As many have posted - cats can go on to live very long happy lives free of any issues.  
 
It's your cat, your choice.

Annetta said "What if you learn too late that this kitty is one that does not do well after the surgery. 2 years from not she starts pooping on your bed and carpet because her paws have developed problems. ...what are you going to do then? Are you going to admit it is your fault for declawing her and pay for the necessary medical treatment or are you going to blame the cat and dump her on someone else? Or euthanize her then? "

You DO NOT KNOW me. I do not put blame people nor I will blame a pet for my problems or decisions. I do not drop off pets at someone else door steps. Do not put me in the basket of animal cruelty I did not and do not miss treat my pets. I do not yell at people and any of my kids, I do not talk back to people (never) I do not give lie story nor I trick people to get what I want, it is not me. I never think I am better and above anyone else. I do not vandalize properties. I am not a piece of crap.  
In life you only find out how good or bad your decision was once you made it and again your other decision you will never know how better or worse it would have been.

At this point in time, it might be worthwhile to phone some vets in the area and get their opinion on this surgery. My daughter has an indoor Russian Blue that has not been declawed. He was a bit destructive until she bought a few claw boards that the cat seems content to use now. He has escaped a few times from the house and were glad that he could defend himself if need be. Good luck with your tough decision.

If your cat gets out of the house it won't be able to defend itself.

I am a nurse and my sister is a veterinarian. I can give some insight into your question about 'humans and animals both have surgeries and pain and get over it'. Declawing is not a REQUIRED surgery, it could be comparable to a cosmetic surgery. There aren't many cosmetic surgeries that actually remove BONES, most are soft tissue, but having ribs removed to create a smaller waist is one such surgery (recently a model had this done). Many people do have complications after surgeries - ongoing pain, discomfort, scars, nerve damage, infection, etc. These can be very mild to very severe. Animals can have similar complications - however because they are not verbal, these complications can manifest as behaviour problems which can be worse than the scratching would have been! Medications and other therapies (ie- physiotherapy, TENS, etc) used to manage long-term complications in humans may not be available/ appropriate for animals, may be hard to administer, and may not even be useful for or targeted to the problem because the pet is unable to tell us what they are feeling. Phantom limb pain is a well documented phenomenon in humans - and research has shown that it occurs in animals too. So amputating every toe at the first joint is bound to leave a cat with at least some discomfort long-term, whether constant or intermittently. Some animals and some humans will experience more pain than others who have gone through the same surgery - it is impossible to predict who will be 'the same' afterward, and who will be left with ongoing problems, both physical and behavioural.

The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association strongly discourages declawing. As mentioned, Soft Paws are one alternative. Dr Liana Mawer has a page of advice, with other links at the bottom, to help train cats not to scratch. Take a look at her page, it's really quite good:  
 
http://www.drlianamawer.ca/index.php?id=scratching_furniture  

If your debate is that pain is pain after a surgery whether it be animal or human....A human VOLUNTARILY gets surgery, (usually to solve pain, not cause it) and animals don't. If you wake up one day in horrible pain because someone cut all your toes off, wouldn't you be mad? Wouldn't you hold a grudge? Yeah the cat seems fine, but most people who are okay with declawing don't understand animal behaviour whatsoever, and don't actually know if their cat is healthy, and happy in the long run. This unhappiness/pain manifests in all sorts of ways.

Let it freeze to death outside and your problems will be solved.

This makes me laugh!  
 
Spay/Neutering is also not a necessary procedure but people do it everyday. My cats came back from that surgery in pain. There really is no reason to neuter a male cat if all females around him have been neutered yet we do it so they are not aggressive, don't spray etc. All things that are natural instincts of a cat but we do it because it is something as us humans want - happy, lazy, no fighting, no spraying etc. Females are a different story as we do that to control the population but again not a necessary procedure.  
 
OP just do what is best for you and your cat. There are many people who declaw their cats, some still even dock tails and wire ears.  
 
 
 
Edited by lovemygirl, 2015-12-05 21:38:50

Just a tip on scratch posts, cats like the carpeted posts, BUT they also need/like a rougher surface too, like bare wood, another thing is rub dried catnip into the scratch posts, that will make them prefer the posts.  
 
What I did to prevent my cat from scratching the furniture is I temporarily put double sided tape in places where I thought it might try scratching.  
 
Another annoying thing the cat was doing was scratching the wall after using the litter box, would scratch for minutes at a time, really annoying, so I put double sided tape there too, and so thats no longer an issue.

You should research about kittens/cats before ever considering getting one. Like a dog they are lots of work as kittens and as cats, like post before declawing is disgusting. Watch the pawproject it goes in to the gruesome details of what delawing Is. Yea the surgery may be quick and the vets can tell you they don't feel it, but you get put under and have your finger up to your first knuckle removed and tell me if you can live a normal life. Declawing can actually cause behavior issue such as you take away a cats first instinct with its claws, it's going to bite you, and a cat bite is much worse (cats mouths are dirty) and can actually give you blood poisoning if bitten hard enough. And there is pediatricians hat recommend not declawing cats if you have children because a scratch is safe then a bite. Also declawing can cause you cat not to use the litter box due to its paws being in so much pain it can't dig it's hole in the litter box. If you want to have nice furniture and not have anything wrecked please invest in a pet rock, as a pet rock you can't look at and it doesn't move or cause damage. A cat is a life, and it's not fair for you to take what it was born with away. I've done a ton of research on this topic, and there is no positive out come for the animal if you declaw.  
 
Please just research.

silverpawz said "If your debate is that pain is pain after a surgery whether it be animal or human....A human VOLUNTARILY gets surgery, (usually to solve pain, not cause it) and animals don't. If you wake up one day in horrible pain because someone cut all your toes off, wouldn't you be mad? Wouldn't you hold a grudge? Yeah the cat seems fine, but most people who are okay with declawing don't understand animal behaviour whatsoever, and don't actually know if their cat is healthy, and happy in the long run. This unhappiness/pain manifests in all sorts of ways. "

those words doesn't help me a bit. Compare a human feelin to an animal feeling. How I would feel get my toes cut off. Well how would you feel if you get put a cage or tiny room while your family goes away for few days because some do it to their dog or cat and do you think the pet likes it but you do it anyway. How would you feel if you wake up and got fix...you didn't ask for it! Neither the cat or dog but you do it. How would you feel if you never go outside or go on a leash, dogs are a leash and some cats are keep inside all the time is supposed be natural for them to be outside and hunt how do you think the cat feel but you do it anyway.  
I saw a video on declaw afterward done and complications...video make look like half of cats declaw have complications and some zoo places probably didn't have a good vet perform the operation and who knows probably not even a vet did the surgery. Zoo animals are stuff in small place for their life almost do you think they are happy but people go, pay and visit them. Talk about disgusting, when an animal gets attack by another animal that is disgusting to see, the animal gets ripped by pieces and teeth cut through them until death.  
It sounds very painful to me that is how animals do and act and they are not quite human so come and how would you feel. People complain alot and animals probably not. I am not even sure if pain animal and pain human is the same.

Patrickwaldner said "Let it freeze to death outside and your problems will be solved. "

from the mouths of idiots.

Fishin Guy said "We did our cat. We had both front and back done. For sure saved money on furniture and carpet. You will always have those on here saying how bad it is but you are the one living with the cat. Ours never goes outside either. "

our kitten done at 6 months, when spaying, and after a week, he was the same playful kitten we were used to, and he lived a happy 13 years. He could catch gophers, and mice with the best of them, but didn't hurt dog's nose when she got too close.

who say to not declaw have never had to shove a pill down a cat's throat! Although my cat is well behaved I am so grateful she doesn't have front claws because she would scratch me!

If you're worried about your screens there is a special type of screen you can get that cat's don't like to scratch. You'll have to do some research but my neighbors had issues and she ended up getting cat screen and the cats haven't touched the screens since.  
 
And Why not try just clipping the ends of the cats claws like a dogs? When I took my cat in to get neutered, the vet clipped his nails for free. Its cheaper, and he can scratch without tearing things up.

http://www.pawproject.org/faqs/  
 
It has all Info on declawing and pictures.  
Also as some info on alternative methods on training you cat. If you are getting it as a kitten it will be easier to train. I have two cats myself and they are very smart and can be trained. Both have claws and I have two little kids And I can assure you my kids are way more destructive then my cats with claws ever were.

I have checked the website. Interesting but i am still half and half line for decision. I am the one stuck with the problem if it doesn't turn out best whatever way method to stop the cat wrecking my house and the cat will be older so it will be worse for the declaw a cat. Right now it is a kitten everything is softer. Videos showing the worse things which yes may happen so far in people's comment here I haven't heard one say it damage their cat behavior or health and did not to my cat I had declawed years ago which at that time didnt know meaning of declaw and the vet didn't explain either.  
Right now the subject is declaw with the talking and showing terrible thing of it from vets or whoever but doctors do things horrible on humans too that the patients has problems for days and weeks until healed and that makes confused...like horrible make a cat suffer but when human is not so horrible. Circumcision is terrible (to me anyway) ...necessary ...don't know, some believe it some don't and some do it later making way worse for the guy so why not do it as a baby so similar with the kitten with declaw.  
But I am listening and reading and searching to help me with decision as I mentioned earlier it is a kitten.  
I find it big decision to make

We have had 5 cats over the past few years: we declawed none of them. They use scratching posts. We have a cat now that came from a home where it was declawed. It has a personality that is v. defensive, aloof, and hisses a lot because it can not defend itself. It changes their personalities. Just don't do it...take any of the other poster's suggestions as to alternatives.

Cats tend to get outside, they are very sneaky.What will it do outside to protect itself if it comes across danger? You've taken away one of his defenses.

cherryred said "Cats tend to get outside, they are very sneaky.What will it do outside to protect itself if it comes across danger? You've taken away one of his defenses. "

she has never snuck outside.

Soft paws. They stay on for 4-8 weeks  
 
Grand valley will do declawing. Surgery is $300

WThompson said "We have had 5 cats over the past few years: we declawed none of them. They use scratching posts. We have a cat now that came from a home where it was declawed. It has a personality that is v. defensive, aloof, and hisses a lot because it can not defend itself. It changes their personalities. Just don't do it...take any of the other poster's suggestions as to alternatives. "

OR perhaps the declawed cat coming from another already had a personality before declaw (how would you know). My declaw cat I used to have would do that too but she was always an anti social cat.  
Not many users of soft plastic paws, why, I don't know it doesn't seem good for some cats. Some owners clip the nails but affraid to clip too far and hurt the cat and some kit clipping after 1 year or 2. I talked to 2 people (in person face to face) having their cats declawed and never a problems with the cat and cat is happy but videos show opposite.  
My female cats never got outside once they get fixed. Hey why would they leave...living in a hotel with bed and breakfast pretty much, and with toys...queens!

Of course, I spay/neuter all my animals too, because the benefits for the animal outweigh the risks. Declawing, docking tails, and cropping ears doesn't benefit the animal, it benefits the human. Hence why I don't think it's necessary.

I don't understand declawing. Sorry. Why put an animal through that for your own benefit of protecting furniture I can't wrap my head around that. Cats come with claws and if you don't like it then maybe a cat isn't for you....? It isn't declaw a cat or they have to be dumped or put down either like those aren't exactly the only choices. I have a couple cats and I always have. I would never ever consider declawing and I have never had trouble with any of my furniture. It has never been hard to have them not scratch at stuff... All my furniture is fine.

Cats come with claws, uteruses, ovaries and testicles, and all seem to be removed by surgery, and for those who haven't had surgery, you or your cat will have a few uncomfortable days. I sometimes wonder about the idea that neutering or spaying is done for the benefit of the animal, since cats got along just fine before we started fixing them. Even today barn cats will live a long time without being fixed, and by a long time I'm talking ten years plus.  
 
Sort of off topic but maybe not. I sometimes do stupid things and some of those stupid thing have ended me up at the doctors to have toenails,or fingernails removed, now this idea was a little terrifying when the doctor first suggested that he was going to pull off a fingernail, and there might be the possibility that it would not grow back again. Now I'm not sure about the pain for the cat, but the first 24 hours are interesting, to say the least, when it happens to you as a person, but after that it's just a process of healing like any surgery, and you survive.  
 
Final thought, it's your cat, and if it is something that is allowed by law to be done, just make up your own mind with your own reasons.