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Is de-clawing cruel?

post #1 of 20
9/27/08 at 8:16pm
Thread Starter 
I love my cats and my newest edition winston loves to scratch things.. especially my record collection. There must be something about the type of cardboard or paper that the vynal covers are made of that he likes. Just this morning i walked in my room and he was going at one of my Eric Clapton records. At any rate he always scratches the records if i leave them out and i was thinking of getting him de-clawed. I tell him no always and remove him and put him on the floor. he just does not listen to me. i talked to my friend about it and she said it was cruel because then the cat cant defend itself from a dog or whatever, but he is an indoor cat... So.... What do you think?
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post #2 of 20
9/27/08 at 8:24pm
I do not want to be mean but it is very cruel.
My Aunt made that mistake and Randy fell and almost died because of it.
Most people here will agree with me.
Alot of cats that are declawed will start biting and chewing things also.
It is a very bad thing to have done.
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post #3 of 20
9/27/08 at 8:24pm
TCS is an anti-declawing site....

I myself could never imagine having it done to a cat. I fostered a kitty for 9 months who had been de-clawed wrong & her claws were growing back in. I wouldn't hesitate to say declawing ruined her life. She ended up being "re-declawed" because it was done wrong & she was in pain.

Try reading this thread.
http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...&highlight=Bea

You can also search the forums for "Bea" to read about all the issues we had.

Declawing is the amputation of the last digit of the toe. Like taking the tip off your finger, then walking on it day in & day out. There are alternatives, google Soft Paws...and search the forums. You'll find tons of advice on how to teach kitty where to scratch & where not to.
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post #4 of 20
9/27/08 at 8:25pm
If your child kept playing with things he or she shouldn't, would you cut off the ends of their fingers? That's what declawing is - amputating at the first joint.

It causes a lot of pain, they often start getting defensive and biting since they have lost their only method of defense, they can start peeing outside the litterbox because their paws hurt to scratch around in the litter tray, you can never let the cat be outside because they can't climb trees to get away from dogs if needed, and they have lost their main defense weapon, and you just don't want to see you cat go through all that just because you keep forgetting to put your things away.

Look into Soft Claws - they are vinyl nail covers that are glued onto the end of your cats nail which protects your things - it often gets them out of the habit of scratching as well.

Also make sure you trim the claws regularly, and make sure you have plenty of things that your kitty CAN scratch on around - small cardboard scratcher, large cat tree etc.

There's a lot of people who can tell you horror stories about cat declawing - it is a painful surgery and completely unnecessary, so please don't put your cat through it. If you can't handle a cat that scratches things, find a new home for your kitty, and go adopt a goldfish.
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post #5 of 20
9/27/08 at 8:26pm
I think you'd be hard-pressed to find any member here who didn't think it was cruel. It's basically a toe amputation.

My advice is to "cat proof" as much as you can. Make sure to put your albums away. Trim Winston's claws, or if you can't perhaps try soft claws.

Most cat owners have to accept a certain change in lifestyle, and a certain amount of material damage that goes along with cat ownership.
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post #6 of 20
9/27/08 at 8:31pm
I agree, putting the albums (and any other thing he may scratch) away is the best solution in keeping both you and Winston happy.
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post #7 of 20
9/27/08 at 8:47pm
Thread Starter 
Well thanks guys....You are right i just never thought of it that way...Ill take the albums to a friends house...
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post #8 of 20
9/27/08 at 8:52pm
Thank you for being open minded about this. Its a minor adjustment to make for the love a kitty, a happy kitty.

If you have pics of Winston, we love kitty pics around here.
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post #9 of 20
9/27/08 at 8:57pm
If you ever need any help with inappropriate scratching, or anything like that, head on over to the Behavior forum to post....we are always more than willing to help. And Winston will be much happier fully clawed.
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post #10 of 20
9/27/08 at 9:29pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Oci-lot View Post
Well thanks guys....You are right i just never thought of it that way...Ill take the albums to a friends house...
Thank you for not mutilating your kitty. It seems innocent , like the claws are just removed, like cutign off a nail. I was going to have a scratcher de-clawed till I did research on it. Nasty. Cut all your finger tips off then talk to me about de-clawing.
You are a good person for not just having this done to you cat!
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post #11 of 20
9/28/08 at 1:16am
it's also illegal in most countries outside of North America, as it's inhumane.
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post #12 of 20
9/28/08 at 1:24am
All I ever had to do with cats is give them a little love, few treats, catnip around a good sized scratching post and I never had an issue. Can take a few months for younger ones to get it down pat though.
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post #13 of 20
9/28/08 at 5:53am
Your cat might like this:
http://www.esmartcat.com/shopping/In...to_Scratch.htm
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post #14 of 20
9/28/08 at 6:39am
I am so glad you have decided not to do it. We don't have it in th uk as it so so cruel and awful, I can't believe they still allow it in the us. At any rate, it takes guys like you here who care about animal welfare to make that decision. A cat scratch post, maybe more than one would be good. I have one that is free standing and also ones that hang around the door handle that he can have a good scratch on. I have a leather couch and my kitty has scratched it but I don't mind it, its his too! Also, when you get the scratch post put your kits front paws on it so that kitty knows what its for and maybe spray some catnip on it to make it more attractive, thats what I did. You can also get different types of scratch post, ie, paper, carpet, stringy ones, loads, so you will be able to find one that suits your kitty. I nearly had a heart attack when I saw this thread, i am sooo pleased you are not going to have it done! I would hate to lose my mobility and fingers, so would kitty. Very very painful too. Thank you for doing your research, more people like you will make ours and kitty world a much better place, I applaud you
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post #15 of 20
9/28/08 at 7:05am
My cat forest get emotionally uspet. Something I have never seen a cat go thru do his extremes. If he doesn't get what he wants he first starts hyperventlating (sp?) then he runs to the carpet in the living room and starts ripping it out, if this doesn't work then he flushes the toilet.

Now, as far as our carpet goes. We just buy throw downs. We buy about two a year...

Oh yes. Anything thing to keep the beastmaster happy. But getting him declawed never crossed my mind.

I wouldn't detooth a dog, why would I declaw a cat?
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post #16 of 20
9/28/08 at 7:19am
They do not de-thooth dogs, but they do cut their vocal chords to stop them barking. WHy do people get animals and not expect them to act like what they are?? Dogs bark, cats scratch, birds screeeeeeeech, I could go on, But I am starting to cry.
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post #17 of 20
9/28/08 at 7:24am
Don't declaw unless you want your cat to stop using the litter pan and start using your clothes, bed, carpet, etc. Or become a fear biter.

Learn to trim nails once a week, get SoftPaws nail caps and get a good treehouse scratching post (minimum of 4-5 feet high).

But you don't have to take your record collection to a friend's house either. I would get a large file box or glass cabinet to keep/display the records in. Then your cat won't bother them any more.
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post #18 of 20
9/30/08 at 3:47am
I'm glad you've seen the truth about declawing. Winston will thank you

Maybe you should just put the records somewhere inaccessable (in a cabinet, maybe)? and get kitty a good tall scratching post or a cardboard scratcher. Cats need to scratch, both to keep their nails healthy and to communicate (even if there's only one cat, they still need to mark territory by scratching). If you get a post he should be able to stretch out fully when he scratches the top.
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post #19 of 20
10/4/08 at 11:42pm
It [robably does not need saying again, but yes it is mean. The scratching just means you need to play more and maybe buy another scratch post, tree
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post #20 of 20
10/8/08 at 9:50am
You don't need to take your albums out of your house. All you need do is put them away in a cupboard or storage box - someplace your cat cannot access them.

As the others have already said, de-clawing is a very inhumane thing to do to a beloved pet.
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