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OK...somebody`s GOT to tell me "WHY"??? - Page 2

post #31 of 45
7/25/07 at 6:48am
I guess you could say the adoption group where I volunteer promulgates the idea of clipping claws.

We get so many adopters who are on the fence about declawing their kittens. So we spend a lot of time with every adopter, whether they are adopting a cat or kitten. The bottom line is if people want to lie on their application they can probably get away with it.

So we make a big case for regular claw clipping along with other activities as a humane and reasonable way to keep from scratches and shredded furniture.

We show them how easy it is to clip the claws, and we do it right there with their kitty. We have them practice on cats at the show. We show them the cardboards that cats love to scratch on, and we tell them about the scent glands in their paws and how the kitties aren't always out to scratch as much as they are to leave their scent which only they can smell.

I don't clip my kitties' claws but there is a good case to spread the word to the general population so they don't just amputate them.
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post #32 of 45
7/25/07 at 7:48am
I've never clipped because previous cats have been both indoors and outdoors, and I find that cats only scratch you when you do something to p**s them off. At first I got a few scratches from Harry until he learned to retract and now he NEVER puts his claws out at me. Yes he does scratch the furniture but I knew this would be something that would happen if I planned to get a kitten.

I'm not against clipping in any way; I just don't do it myself.
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post #33 of 45
7/25/07 at 8:06am
To be honest, I'm surprised that so many people clip their cats' claws. I had never seen a need for it, or even thought about it, until a few years ago. After all, cats don't have nails that keep growing longer, like people or dogs. They aren't meant to wear down. My cats learned not to scratch me or the furniture without too much trouble, and I figure the occasional accidental scratch is just part of owning cats.

However, when I adopted a 5 year old retired breeding cat who had always had her claws clipped, I soon found out that her claws would grow too long and snag on things if they weren't cut. My theory is that claws are damaged by clipping and don't grow and shed normally afterward, so you have to continue clipping them. JMO. I would not clip a cat's claws unless that particular cat shows a need for it.
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post #34 of 45
7/25/07 at 8:29am
I clip PHX's claws whenever I notice they need to be cut. If I don't he gets them snagged on the carpet, bed, blankets, me, etc. I wouldn't want him to get them caught on something and tear out and bleed!

I think if your cat is indoors, you should clip them! It doesn't really take all that long, and PHX doesn't even care if I do it. I usually do the front paws one day and then the back claws the next... It's really no big deal!
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post #35 of 45
7/25/07 at 12:07pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dragoriana View Post
I would've assumed as a cat owner, you might already know the answer
That's not necessarily true. When we got the cats, the shelter told us / showed us how to clip their claws, but they didn't tell us why and I didn't ask. I gave it a go with no success whatsoever. Once I read up on why, and talked to the vet, we decided not to clip (despite their being indoor cats). If I ever see them having a problem getting snagged on things, I'll rethink. Otherwise, except for the first couple weeks while Swanie was still young and I was still stupid, I haven't had a scratch on me from them. As for the furniture, Swanie will occasionally scratch the back of the sofa, but I figure, it's only furniture ..
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post #36 of 45
7/25/07 at 3:10pm
One other thing that is not mentioned. If you are a show person, you are REQUIRED to clip nails before a show. Maybe I'm just in the habit of clipping and can do just about any one's cat

But with my experience in the accident with the kittens and the one almost blinded; I'd really hate for those of you that don't clip to experience something like that!
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post #37 of 45
7/25/07 at 3:43pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by momto3cats View Post
To be honest, I'm surprised that so many people clip their cats' claws. I had never seen a need for it, or even thought about it, until a few years ago. After all, cats don't have nails that keep growing longer, like people or dogs. They aren't meant to wear down. My cats learned not to scratch me or the furniture without too much trouble, and I figure the occasional accidental scratch is just part of owning cats.
I have to disagree with the statement about cats not having nails that keep growing. Now, it's not a normal thing to see, but I'll never forget one cat that came into a grooming shop that I was working in a few years ago. This older couple came in with their large black and white long-haired cat asking to have his nails clipped. They had recently got the cat from someone who had him for several years and was unable to keep him. Anyway, they noticed him having a problem walking, so they checked and his nails were so long that they were, literally, curling back into his feet. We were able to get them clipped, and you could just see how much better he felt. I had never seen that with a cat before. It happens with dogs, but I'd never even heard of it with a cat. So, even though it may be rare, it can happen. I'm still not sure how his nails got that long unless the previous owners never allowed him to do anything, but somehow it happened.
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post #38 of 45
7/26/07 at 4:51am
Quote:
literally, curling back into his feet
I can tell from the angle of two of Fang's nails that they would grow into his pads if left unattended.
I never clip the back toes, just the front. They chew off the back nails themselves.
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post #39 of 45
7/26/07 at 5:26am
Cats that go outside wear their claws down by walking on hard surfaces and climbing trees. Indoor cats dont get an opportunity to do this which is why most need their claws trimmed. As they get older, their claws tend to grow longer so it's best to start when they're young, imo. I dont' recall there ever being an issue when Jaffa was very young, but for many years now I've trimmed claws. Jaffa's back claws are now very long (so that he can't fully retract them) so I'm having to be a bit devious now about getting them trimmed (I normally only do front claws - I live alone and Jaffa hides when I have visitors so I can't get someone to help) - I got 2 done last night when he was sitting on top of something with them overhanging.

I do it partly so that they don't hurt me as much when climbing on and off my lap, but also so that they dont hurt each other when they play rough. Jaffa's get caught on the sofa throw when they get too long and that distresses him a bit when he can't instantly free himself.
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post #40 of 45
7/26/07 at 5:57am
I don't think clipping the claws damage them. Every cat care book I have here (and I have a few) advocate clipping the claws on a regular basis.

Oh and not all cats claw a person because they are mad at someone. Ping does it when he plays with our feet. Thats really the only time. And I attribute that to him not being raised with his mom or litter (not my choice).
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post #41 of 45
7/26/07 at 9:30am
I'm not disputing that some cats need to have their claws clipped, I just don't think they all do, or that anyone should feel like a bad pet owner if they don't do it. My current two cats have been indoors all their lives; one needs her claws clipped, the other doesn't. I have had cats since I was a kid and all but one maintained their claws at a normal length without any help.
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post #42 of 45
7/26/07 at 9:55am
If you could see my arms and legs right now you'll KNOW why I advocate the clipping of ALL nails (front AND back)!

Just last week I was grooming (read bathing and drying) a friend's Maine Coon and we decided NOT to clip the back nails...big mistake!! I have two lovely "holes" where my skin used to be just above my knee!
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post #43 of 45
7/27/07 at 12:36pm
My cat's favorite place to be is sitting on someone's chest and kneading them. She is a heavy cat, and if her claws are not clipped it is VERY painful to have her kneading your chest! (or any other area..) I trim her claws so that they don't have lethal points on them, and so I don't sit there going "OW! OW! OW! OW!" whenever she kneads me, which is pretty much every day... Trimming also keeps her from causing damage to anything else she scratches, such as the rug, or my dogs! :O
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post #44 of 45
7/27/07 at 7:50pm
It's very true that cats claws can grow too long and become embedded in their little pads. It's a very painful thing. Ask anyone who works in an animal shelter... they'll tell you stories of this and other things happening when they have received some neglected animals. In fact the other day when I was watching animal cops, they showed some dogs that came from the home of a hoarder. The dogs nails were so long that the dogs were very uncomfortable and could hardly walk.
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post #45 of 45
7/28/07 at 10:39am
I was a dog groomer for 9 years, and have seen numerous cats (and dogs) come in with their nails curled into their pads. I had a cat myself that did that, I took her to the vet and they cut the nail off right at the base (it was a dewclaw). It grew back inside her leg and I had to have her entire dewclaw, bone and all removed.

My mom has a cat that won't sharpen his nails on anything. As a result all of his nails are double sheathed. It's a huge PIA to clip them, he bites like crazy, but it has to be done. His will grow into his pads in a couple weeks if we don't.

I clip my cats nails when I think of it. If I see them clawing at my furniture I clip them. Plus they scrap sometimes and I don't want them to hurt each other. Or the dogs if they get swinging at them. I've also had cats get their nails caught and rip their nail out from panicking.

If your cat doesn't need it's nails done, that's great. I'd love to not have to do nails on my cats!

My brother had his cat declawed, and while I'll admit I do like the soft little feet, I don't like how the cat doesn't like to jump down from surfaces, and if he does, he does this weird hop thing afterward. I think his feet are tender from it, and it's been about 2 years. Plus I've found that declawed cats tend to bite more. And I would much rather get scratched than bit!
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