Declawing Advice... Please no mean comments!!

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mrs.harris

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I have had Layla for a little while now and I have been trying to train her to stop scratching people and furniture to no avail. My husband is at his wits end and is demanding that she be declawed. I understand why he feels this way as she has drawn blood from some of her scratches before and at this point I feel that I have no other choice than to declaw her. She is an indoor only cat, so she will not be outside trying to fend off an attacker. I know that most cat owners disagree with this practice, and I understand that, I am not exactly excited about having it done, but I need advice on how to help Layla afterwards. Any advice will be appreciated, but I do not want any judgemental remarks please.
 

pami

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This site is a serious ANTI- declaw site .... and only offers other alternatives to having her declawed ........... have you read the info on what it entailes to have her declawed? And the behavorial problems that follow most declawed cats? From inappropraite peeing/pooing?

You will then just have other problems to deal with instead of scratching. Have you considered soft claws?
 

icklemiss21

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Soft claws wont stop the scratching but they will stop the damage and bleeding, so do try that before you even consider declawing

Also, some cats who are declawed and have a tendancy to scratch turn to biting and hurt people more
 
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mrs.harris

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I have, but Layla is a smart little thing and she will have them off in a split second. I know this is a de-clawing site, but it is also an educational site where people can ask questions regarding their cats. This happens to be something I need to know about b/c he's saying declaw or re-home. I love her she will not be re-homed. Simple as that.
 

pami

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But you are asking advice for aftercare of a proceedure ........

Let me ask you this ........ if you were given the choice to rehome her or declaw her, why is it that you would choose the declaw?
 

my cat mellow

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This is a big thing for me and my husband to, (we argued so much in the first 2 weeks I was reduced to tears, and Mellow hasnt even scratched anything up)I have said to him I would rather take Mellow back than get him declawed. Try the Soft claw option, where you put the rubber caps over the claws, it works quite well, I worked out its best to put them on Mellow when he is half asleep and he doesn't realize what I am doing LOL! http://cgi.ebay.com/Soft-Claws-Nail-...QQcmdZViewItem This is some doft clws I found on ebay to show you, I got mine at petsmart tho.
I googled declawing as My hubby was saying that I was crazy to listen to a bunch of crazy cat people (sorry TCS
) and I couldnt find any positive reviews. It does seem a rather nasty procedure, My friend had both her cats done b4 I new her, and she said instead of clawing things they bite (including the carpet)! its easier to cover claws than to cover teeth.....
 
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mrs.harris

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She is my baby, I would be so sad without her! I love her!! If she is declawed she will still be with me, not someone else.
 

rosiemac

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Originally Posted by Mrs.Harris

I know this is a de-clawing site, but it is also an educational site where people can ask questions regarding their cats.
No, were "anti" declaw
Originally Posted by Mrs.Harris

I love her she will not be re-homed. Simple as that.
Then if you love her look into the alternatives by having a read of the links i gave you before doing anything drastic
 
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mrs.harris

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And no, my husband does not irritate her or provoke her. I was sitting still one night and she latched onto my leg so tightly I had blood running down my calf, and another time my husband was asleep and she jumped on his face and cut him up before I got her off.
 

my cat mellow

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Originally Posted by Mrs.Harris

I have, but Layla is a smart little thing and she will have them off in a split second. I know this is a de-clawing site, but it is also an educational site where people can ask questions regarding their cats. This happens to be something I need to know about b/c he's saying declaw or re-home. I love her she will not be re-homed. Simple as that.
Mellow had his first lot off too, USE TONS OF GLUE, it soon stopped Mellow
 

pami

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Please understand this is coming from someone who deeply loves cats ....... if those are your only 2 choices ...... then please choose the choice that is less harmful for her. The choice you are making is the one that is less harmful for you.

Originally Posted by Mrs.Harris

She is my baby, I would be so sad without her! I love her!! If she is declawed she will still be with me, not someone else.
 

rosiemac

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Originally Posted by Mrs.Harris

I was sitting still one night and she latched onto my leg so tightly I had blood running down my calf .
I've got a 4 month old kitten and you should see the mess he has my legs in through putting his claws in, and this has been ongoing since he came into my home at 10 weeks but it hasn't been done on purpose.
 

my cat mellow

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Here is a list of questions and answers form the website...
http://www.softclaws.com/faqs.asp



3) How long do they last and how often do they need to be reapplied?

Once the nail caps are applied they remain in place for approximately 4-6 weeks. They will fall off with the natural growth of your cat's nails. We recommend that you check your cat's nails periodically because usually just one or two fall off at a time and these can be easily reapplied.

Each kit contains 40 nail caps and will last approximately 4-6 months per cat.

Note: While the vast majority of cats acclimate to the claw covers within minutes, some cats may require an adjustment period. Cat's fastidious natures sometimes causes them to groom the claw covers excessively at first. This may result in one or two falling off. No problem. Just check the claws daily at first and if one is missing, simply replace it with another from the package. Thus, the first package may not last as long as subsequent packages. Again, most cats do not even notice they are wearing them after the first 30 minutes.

A good tip is to feed your cat his or her favorite food after applying the Soft Claws. This serves as a good reward and also diverts their attention away from their new acquisition. Some people find it easier to apply the Soft Claws when their cats are sleepy.
 
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mrs.harris

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I know she doesn't do it on purpose, it doesn't really bother me, but he gets very ill about it.
 

emmylou

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You're just assuming that the cat will be able to get the Softclaws off. But you don't know this. I think you absolutely owe it to the cat to give the Softclaws at least six months to work before you do anything drastic.

Your cat isn't different from any other cat that uses softclaws. If you decide that that's going to be your solution and you apply them properly, they will work and you won't have to declaw the cat.

You should also do things like giving the cat more scratching posts (I think it's important to try all three textures — carpet, cardboard and rope — since individual cats may love one but avoid the others) and try to train her out of attacking humans (by saying "no" loudly and locking her in another room for 10 minutes after she does it, or by throwing a toy to keep her from "hunting" the humans).

Also, how old is this cat? If she's young, this behavior is probably temporary, only kitten playfulness... cats settle down a lot once they're two or three years old.
 
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mrs.harris

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I am looking at the softclaws right now! So thank you to those of you that suggested them, especially Mellow. I wasn't exactly sure of how they stayed on, so I am going to try them.
 

capt_jordi

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I regret every day getting Joey declawed. Not only because the vet did a horrible job of it, but because of the pain he is in some days. It hurts him to use the litter box, he has a claw that they didnt get the root out or something so it grows up and we have to keep it clipped, he also has 1 claw that they completely MISSED! His paws got very badly infected after the surgery almost to the point of amputation. His toes have callouses on them and he will bite if you even think of touching them. I didnt know what the procedure for declawing was, or I would have NEVER let it happen no matter how much he was scratching. We spent a lot more money on him because of the declaw, and are going to have to spend more to get that one claw fixed.
Be happy that there are these items like soft paws out now. They are a great alternative! Go get some and try them out.
 
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