Squishy finally going to the vet!

strange_wings · Feb 17, 2008

Take her to your vet and let them put the soft claws on her if you can't.

Think about this - Unless you declaw every single foot she will still scratch and snag things when she runs, it's often the back feet that scratch/dig in when a cat is launching themselves from a surface when they jump. Declawing all four feet will be a death sentence to her is she gets outside - even the best owners can't say that escape will never happen.

She will eventually calm down as she ages and stop racing around as much. We've all toughed out energetic kittens and young cats. Declawing is a drastic and permanent solution for what is a simple phase in a cat's life.

kelicat · Feb 17, 2008

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Take her to your vet and let them put the soft claws on her if you can't.

Think about this - Unless you declaw every single foot she will still scratch and snag things when she runs, it's often the back feet that scratch/dig in when a cat is launching themselves from a surface when they jump. Declawing all four feet will be a death sentence to her is she gets outside - even the best owners can't say that escape will never happen.

She will eventually calm down as she ages and stop racing around as much. We've all toughed out energetic kittens and young cats. Declawing is a drastic and permanent solution for what is a simple phase in a cat's life.

So very well put.

I have had cats that have bitten me when I've tried to trim their nails. My ginger boy Bailey was one of them. Positive reinforcement and patience has gotten him past it. I can now trim all four feet with no issues.

Try to do just one nail at a time. Enlist someone's help to hold her. Remember, the looser you can hold them the better they will be. Most cats do not respond well to firm restraint. I had one that was so bad a few years ago, that my husband would hold her and hold a can of tuna for her to lick at while I quickly would trim a nail or two. Gradually, she was fine!

Please please reconsider.... she is so much more important, she is worth the patience and time to work with!! Ask your vet to apply the soft paws.

Please...

carolpetunia · Feb 17, 2008

Hon, nobody thinks you're a bad person -- it's the declawing that's bad, and we're only trying to demonstrate that to you, in the hope that we can persuade you not to do it.

Please look back at the posts... you'll see that many of us (not me, I'm sorry to say, but many others) were thoughtful enough to say upfront that it's obvious you love your kitty and want the best for her. And how could you not? She's heart-meltingly beautiful!

But most people really don't know what declawing is, how it affects a cat, or that there are good alternatives. So everyone jumped in to give you that information, so you might not do something you would regret. It was not meant as an attack on your character.

And y'know, even with six cats, our carpet is fine -- little bits of fuzz do come up, but not enough to do visible damage, and this carpet has had cats all over it for almost seven years now. Maybe the problem wouldn't be nearly as bad as you fear.

What will ruin carpet, though, is a kitty who doesn't use the litterbox... and a great many declawed cats develop that problem. They often become fearful and hostile, too. Declawing often changes a cat's whole personality... just as having a painful, irreparable deformity would change that of a human.

Please don't take offense -- none is intended, not even by those (like me) who get so emotional about this that we forget to be diplomatic. We're only trying to help you keep your precious girl healthy and happy, as we know you want her to be. I'm sorry your feelings were hurt.

jen · Feb 17, 2008

Originally Posted by hammyandwaf

I am sorry you all think i am such a bad person. But squishy does use her scratching post. But the problem lie in the fact that she loves to run around the house. She loves to run full speed. What problem that causes is a trail of carpet snags everywhere she runs. I have clipped her nails and fought her getting bit and scratched to do it. So what would you like me to do start locking her in a cage so she cant run. Start hitting her because she wants to run. She never goes outside, she loves to play. I play with her all the time but she still likes to run her marathons and without locking her in a cage or smacking her (which i REFUSE to do either one) there is no way to stop her from running. And frankly i dont want to stop her. So now what do i do? Let her destroy an apartment that i do not own, that i will have to pay extra for when i move out. She will not let you clip the nails without a fight so therefore there is no way she will let you put on soft claws i have already considered it a ton. So you all can tell me how to fix it. You all want to be harsh and tell me i dont love her or am going to mutilate her how do i fix it so she can still be happy and run as fast as she can thru the house.

Just keep at it, keep clipping the claws and she will get used to it eventually. Wrap her in a blanket and have someone hold her so you can clip the back claws. I can't imagine how a cat can snag up the carpet just by running. I have 6+ cats here and my apartment is fully carpeted, I rarely clip the back claws and my carpets isn't shredded. That doesn't even make sense really. One of my cats HATES having her legs touched let alone trying to clip her claws. I used to have to do one claw at a time until they were all done, but I rewarded her with treats and now, she does still whine and growl occasionally but she deals with it and I can clip all her claws at once and then she still gets treats afterwards. She was a feral alley cat who would launch attacks at us when I first got her. It is not impossible to clip claws. Plus there is also Soft Claws. Absolutely no reason at all to declaw. And no one said anything about you hating your cats or anything, it is just unethical to amputate its claws for your convenience.

EnzoLeya · Feb 17, 2008

Originally Posted by strange_wings

Take her to your vet and let them put the soft claws on her if you can't.

Think about this - Unless you declaw every single foot she will still scratch and snag things when she runs, it's often the back feet that scratch/dig in when a cat is launching themselves from a surface when they jump. Declawing all four feet will be a death sentence to her is she gets outside - even the best owners can't say that escape will never happen.

She will eventually calm down as she ages and stop racing around as much. We've all toughed out energetic kittens and young cats. Declawing is a drastic and permanent solution for what is a simple phase in a cat's life.

I agree with taking her to the vet to put soft paws on her if you can't do it yourself. Cats have adverse reactions to being declawed and you will be looking at paying much more in damages if you do declaw her. They aren't ever the same after you declaw them. My mom declawed my kitty when I was young.

Also as for the carpet. You can get carpet runners or rugs. Carpet runners are VERY inexpensive. We have a few and they are $8 for a 2x6 foot piece.

Please think of other options!!!

We aren't trying to be mean, just explain declawing.

bonnie1965 · Feb 17, 2008

Aw Daphne, its okay. No one here wants to make you feel badly.

Declawing really isn't the answer though. Landlords will get much more upset with having to replace tile and carpet that smells of cat urine than a few snags.

With Seb and Daphne, I started clipping the tips of their nails just one at a time. Usually, I try to get them when they are sleeping or drowsy. Even if you get just one nail per day is a great start

When you get to the 10th one, just start again. When you are petting her, make sure to stroke her paws so she learns that it feels good and doesn't always mean the clippers are coming. I had to do this with my two. They aren't really ga-ga over me messing with their feet, but they trust me now.

Please do reconsider. If you do change your mind about the removal of her toes, make darned sure the vet knows this - so they don't accidentally go ahead and do it, since they already have it on the paperwork.

I know you love Squishy - she is so adorable and so full of energy. This phase will be over soon and she will be so much more mellow. I still have some tiny scars on my thighs from Daphne's kitten days. I smile when I see them remembering how kitty crazy she was.

Its wonderful you are getting her spayed! She will be much healthier and happier without cycling in and out of heat.

bnwalker2 · Feb 17, 2008

No one wants to make you feel bad. A lot of us here have witnessed first hand what can happen to a cat that has been declawed. There was a time that I didn't know declawing was bad. It seemed that everyone was doing it and I didn't know it was a big deal. I was just uneducated... I didn't really know what the procedure entailed. Luckily, I never had any of my cats declawed before I found out about it.

Then I started working for a vet. I usually worked out front at the desk, but if they were short on help the vet would ask me to assist with surgeries. One day I was asked to assist with a declawing. I got to see it happen right in front of me, and I was absolutely horrified. I quit that day. I knew that I never wanted to help with a procedure like that again.

I understand your concerns. I currently have 7 kittens under a year old (plus 5 foster kittens, some of which we may be keeping). I know how active kittens can be and how much they can get into. I have tons of scars from them and will probably end up with tons more before they calm down!!

We know that you love Squishy and want to do what's best for her. And it's wonderful that you're getting her spayed!! Just please reconsider the declawing.

going nova · Feb 18, 2008

Hi.

I just wanted to opine and share my experiences with you, please do not feel that I am judging you or otherwise.

Although some replies were emotionally charged, I believe that no one said that you're a bad person, to lock her in a cage, to hit her, or to let her destroy the apartment. (Please don't do any of those things).

Many people here have seen cats go through agony as a result of the declaw process, and are passionate about preventing a painful situation for others. I hope that you will not turn away from any good advice that anyone has to offer because of personal offense. Ultimately, it is the cat's health that is important!

My mom has a 15lb cat, Grim. He is a big boy with big claws. His claws are so big that they don't fully retract! My mom, like you, is a renter who was concerned about the carpet, screen door, etc. We tried to clip Grim's claws, and the first few times I came out with more than a few battle wounds! He was so afraid, that he pooped right when we were clipping his claws! It took a while, and he still doesn't like it, but now my mom is able to clip his claws on her own.

For a while, she also considered having him declawed. But when she found out that kitty's digits would be removed at the joint, she reconsidered. It really is a painful process for kitty, and these surgeries do not often turn out well. Behavioral issues could also arise even if kitty suffers no extended damage after the initial surgery. These could include litter box issues, in which case the remedy might be worse than the illness, so to speak.

Please do reconsider the de-clawing. I know how you feel about having to pay apartment damage, but I feel that de-clawing is not the best solution, overall. (I rent too, and as a grad student I'm always on a budget. I don't like paying extra either... so much that we don't wear shoes in the house, so I understand!) Is it possible that you could have a friend help you out with clipping the claws, or putting on the soft paws? With a little bit of patience, I'll be you could become a pro at the clipping and/or soft paws! It won't happen suddenly, it'll take some time... but it's not impossible.

BTW, before my mom became a claw-trim expert, she had the vet do it once every few weeks for ~$7. If you choose to do this yourself, maybe you could wrap most of kitty's body in a towel to protect yourself from kicks, maybe wear long sleeves? You could also try it when kitty is sleepy, or feed snacks afterward to condition her to like it, or at least not be as afraid of the nail clipping. (I also liked the suggestion about carpet runners!)

rosiemac · Feb 18, 2008

No one is trying to make you feel bad. Were an educational site and all people are trying to do here is educate you with the facts of declawing

Please, read through what everyone has posted along with their stories, especially Whitecatlovers links on Bea, because that little girl really suffered

We don't declaw in the UK and theres no one more houseproud than me. I have two leather sofas just over a year old that have been caught my their claws, but they can be replaced, a cats claws can't

tobi · Feb 18, 2008

Hello!

I live in Australia and I had never heard of declawing until I came to this site, so I can't say I've experienced its effects firsthand.
What I can say is that I am the cleanest, most obsessive person I know when it comes to my house. I'm also a student, who is on a tight budget. The way I deal with the carpet in my room (the rest of the unit is wooden floored) is to lay down rugs and mats. They look good and can work wonders for protecting carpets.
Also, Squishy is a little kitten, so she'll definitely outgrow her running. Do you have a scratching post or a whole cat tree? With the money you spend on declawing, you could get her a cool big cat tree thing... but maybe you have that and that doesn't entertain her enough.
I really do understand where you're coming from. Completely. And when I first heard of declawing I thought "what a good idea!" and then read about it... So I'm definitely not judging you at all, you obviously love Squishy and oh my god she's gorgeous!

If I were you I'd reconsider declawing a lot... and for me it's hard to imagine something a vet would do to be "cruel", so I'll put it like this: Squishy might come home and be a totally different cat, peeing and pooping on your carpet (trust me, that smell doesn't come out easy) and really... get her declawed and she most likely won't ever run across your carpet again. It'll hurt her too much.

If you get a friend to help you clip her claws and put on softpaws early, she'll get used to it. The first few times there are bound to be battle scars. But I guarantee you, in about 6 months time you'll be able to do it without a hassle.

Good luck with your decision, and I hope it all works out for you =]

A lot of these responses are harsh, but I think they're just trying to be informative... And looking out for the care of Squishy is all they were trying to do

cobbybear · Feb 18, 2008

Declawing is an outrage and should be illegal worldwide. I never even knew it went on until I visited this site and can't believe anyone would put their poor cat through something like that. I have 3 cats myself and they do have a scratchpost, but sometimes they will try to have a scratch on my furniture and have caused minor damage, but I would never consider taking their claws from them. I knew cats had claws before I brought them into my home and wouldn't have got them if I had a problem with it. What do you do if a dog chews your furniture, take all its teeth out. I'm sorry if it sounds harsh but the claw thing is just not done here and I thinks its disgusting that its done anywhere. Please don't do it to your cat, she certainly won't thank you for it.

urbantigers · Feb 18, 2008

You know, if you put the money you would spend on the declawing op into a savings account, you could probably afford to replace the damaged carpet when you move out of your current apartment. Just a thought.

littleraven7726 · Feb 18, 2008

Is it berber carpet? That stuff snags no matter what. We have that in our apartment, and it snags pretty easily. Our cats run around all the time, and I know they didn't do it. With regular carpet they do just fine. My cats still have their back claws and I rarely clip them, yet they don't damage the carpet and furniture.

My cats are front declawed, but we still had to train them to use scratching posts. They were messing with my hubby's speakers a few years ago.

My cats were front declawed by previous owners and don't seem to have issues. But we all know cats are good at hiding things.

There are things you need to know when you have a declawed cat.

You must always use a clumping litter. Regular clay litter can hurt their paw pads (which can lead to litter box avoidance). You see, a normal cat walks on their toes. When they are declawed, their toes are removed and now they walk on their pads. So walking on coarse litter is like walking barefoot on a gravel road. And if you've ever done that, you know how painful that is.

Declawed cats have a tendency to bite first ask questions later. We've had a couple incidents with people being too rough with my cats and them biting. (we don't wrestle and get rough with them)

Please try the soft paws if the claws are snagging.

Is your Land Lord requiring the declaw? If it's not in the lease or on some document you signed, they can't make you. My sister had a LL try to pull that on her when she got her first cat. It wasn't in the agreement, so she didn't have to declaw her cat.

kaete · Feb 18, 2008

I totally sympathize with you when it comes to clipping nails! Kit is a terror when it comes to that. At least, he used to be. There needed to be 2-3 people at the vet's office to keep him under control!

I figured out the easiest thing in the world, though. Wait til he's asleep!

Kit is just a kitten, like Squishy. When I want to clip his claws, I wait til he's in a nice, groovy, deep sleep, and then I sneak up on him with the clippers and do however many I can get done before he wakes up and gets mad at me

Then I wait til he passes out again, and I do the rest, or however many I can get to. It takes a little patience and flexibility, but it sure beats fighting him to do it, and it beats declawing by a mile!

Nobody thinks you're a bad person. We all have trouble with our kits' claws sometimes, and it can be frustrating. But be creative, be flexible, and be patient, and I bet you can solve the problem without hurting poor Squishy's toes.

white cat lover · Feb 18, 2008

You've been on.....but haven't commented in this thread.

I do hope you understand what you are doing.

That I don't care how good your vet is.....what happened to Bea, the re-growth of the claws, can happen with a declaw done by any vet. Read up on all her behavioral issues....is it worth the risk? No.

laureen227 · Feb 18, 2008

i hadn't posted yet, altho i've been reading...
anyway, i currently have 2 declawed cats & 3 clawed cats. actually, my declawed male has done more 'damage' than any of the clawed girls. he was declawed by a former owner, & does have some litterbox issues... he has a tendency to poop on my bed occasionally. my entire home is vinyl flooring - a good thing, since he's also peed outside the box a few times. he's also a biter.

my declawed female has no litterbox or biting issues, but she does walk kinda funny... i never noticed it until i had clawed cats to see the difference. i declawed her [& her littermate, Mouse] at the time of their spay [10 years ago] before i realized that they really wouldn't do any major damage [i was a renter at the time].

one of my colleagues at work said her parents declawed their cat, & her personality changed drastically. she became a very timid, fearful cat.
Squishy is so cute & lovely, & i know you enjoy her personality as it is. i know it's hard to clip, sometimes [did Firefox's this week for the 1st time w/o having to wrap her in a towel! & i've had her for 9 months!] but if you're determined, you can do it.

glitch · Feb 18, 2008

Yes, Hammeyandwaf have been on and no, they will not come back to that thread.

I also think that enough info has been added already that maybe you could let up off of her! This isn't an easy decision that she has to make!!

I do believe that there are plenty of horror stories on here to make her feel terrible, so just ease up on that, give a girl a break.

Im pretty sure her landlord requires the declaw.... so the question is??? Would there be enough room in the cardboard box for all of them???

I have IM for myspace too! Ill send it yo ya! I miss you!!!

laureen227 · Feb 18, 2008

Originally Posted by glitch

I'm pretty sure her landlord requires the declaw....

odd... mine didn't require that, they just required i pay for any damage. not only damage the cat ~~did, but damage, period. i don't think they would really care, they just want someone to take responsibility for repairs.~~

going nova · Feb 18, 2008

Originally Posted by glitch

Im pretty sure her landlord requires the declaw.... so the question is??? Would there be enough room in the cardboard box for all of them???

I didn't see that the OP ever mentioned the landlord requiring her to de-claw. I have never heard of a landlord or management company requiring pets to be de-clawed.

Aside from the usual "pets allowed" and "no pets allowed" I've heard of the following restrictions:

- "pet deposit" (On average, it is a few hundred dollars on top of the original deposit.) In some cases it is refundable, and in others it is not.
- "pet rent" Pet rent might be something like $15-20 per month extra.
-Current vaccinations (this makes sense)
-Weight limits (mostly applies to big dogs in small apartments)

Would this be a requirement from an individual landlord? I would imagine that a management company would be more interested in financial responsibility for damages of any sort.

***Edit: I did a quick google search and found examples of properties that required spay/neuter, and recommended the de-claw, but did not require it. Has anyone actually had anything about de-claw included in their lease? Perhaps this question might be better suited to the other thread, "Do you believe in declawing?"

bonnie1965 · Feb 18, 2008

Originally Posted by hammyandwaf

I am sorry you all think i am such a bad person. But squishy does use her scratching post. But the problem lie in the fact that she loves to run around the house. She loves to run full speed. What problem that causes is a trail of carpet snags everywhere she runs. I have clipped her nails and fought her getting bit and scratched to do it. So what would you like me to do start locking her in a cage so she cant run. Start hitting her because she wants to run. She never goes outside, she loves to play. I play with her all the time but she still likes to run her marathons and without locking her in a cage or smacking her (which i REFUSE to do either one) there is no way to stop her from running. And frankly i dont want to stop her. So now what do i do? Let her destroy an apartment that i do not own, that i will have to pay extra for when i move out. She will not let you clip the nails without a fight so therefore there is no way she will let you put on soft claws i have already considered it a ton. So you all can tell me how to fix it. You all want to be harsh and tell me i dont love her or am going to mutilate her how do i fix it so she can still be happy and run as fast as she can thru the house.

Going_Nova, you are correct. There is nothing here about the landlord requiring it. I guess I assumed. This is nothing that some persistance and dedication won't fix. A few more months of crazy kitty, learning to clip nails and that would all be taken care of. No reason to declaw.

Maybe its an SO thing?

Squishy finally going to the vet!

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