Is there ever a justification for declawing? - Page 2

I have heard of that condition with the skin, and I do think it is justified, as it is beneficial to the cat - as long as all the other alternatives like soft claws have been tried. But, if they went with those and the cat was rehomed, what would happen if one came off while hte owners were out at work and she damaged her skin?? From what I have read about it, the declawing op wouldnt' be a risk, and esp not compared to the damage her claws can do to her.

Yes, in rare circumstances I believe there is. I however want to make it clear that I do not advocate declawing....nor do i declaw my girls. I use alternatives like scratching posts, etc and trim their nails...also, soft claws are wonderful too. However - there are few circumstances in which i believe it maybe an option.Here is what happened to my niece Taylor- when she was just a baby- we were all sitting down eating dinner. She was not bothering the cat nor was she making any noises or sudden movements- my sister's maine coon Alfie, blazed over to her in a split second and started to try and maul her- he was not provoked in any way. He clawed her face and body up soo badly that she had to be taken to the ER. Luckily, he did not blind her or do much damage by the time the wounds were cleaned off. She had numerous stitches and was very ill for a while there. The hospital was required by law to report this to animal services. Animal services came out and gave my sister two options- declaw the cat, or we will euthanize him. She chose the lesser of two evils at the time. Keep in mind- this was a few years back before soft claws were made- had it happened now- we would have used those instead most likely. So at the time faced with the two decisions- my sister had Alfie declawd. He went on to live for 18+ years with no problems or any other aggression flare ups. We don't know why he did what he did that day....but it was traumatic for all of us. Thankfully though- my niece still loves animals- she volunteers at the shelter regurally with me and she has 4 kitties, 2 dogs , a hamster and 2 ferrets- she was not turned away from animals thankfully after the accident. So although I do not advocate declawing, i do understand some rare and certain circumstances in which there are no other options and it will allow the cat to remain with its family and avoid euthanazie -such as in the case of alfie after he attacked my niece. I do not however believe that people should adopt a cat and then have it declawed if for no reason other than to save their furniture! Cats have claws and instincts- if you are not willing to accept that -do not own one. Jasmine was declawed "out of convience" by her former owners because they didn't want her to tear up their furniture I could just smack them for what they did to my girl- she is a good cat, and now she has back problems as a result of what they did when it was not necessary....she also walks differently than my other girls because her paws have been literally mutulated and cut off....it's sad. At least she's safe with me now.