Pro declawing cats?

Before this thread gets off an running, mikea861 you will find the members are overwhelmingly against declawing. Also, the official stance of this site is "don't declaw". You will hear stories and strong opinions.

As a reminder to everyone else....let's keep this thread respectful and clearheaded. The OP has not said he will declaw his cats, he is seeking information. If you decide to post to this thread, please keep your post respectful.

I personally do not agree with declawing but this is just my personal opinion and I don't wan't to get into any kind of argument. I feel that its unnecessary unless there is a medical problem and extremely painful. To me its like removing all your fingernails and toenails but like I said thats my personal opinion.xx

Actually, in fact, it is more than the removal of the claw, sadly. Mike, it is actually a toe amputation. From what I understand the vet does it with a dog toenail clipper, but I could be wrong about that part of it. Maybe others who work with vets can shed more light.

There are lots of strategies to try to deter scratching.

Ouch, ouch, ouch, why the heck would you put your fur baby through something like this?? Like I said a medical problem is different, my rabbit had to have his toe amputated last month due to a very bad infection and that must have been bad enough for him.x

I think you need to look at WHY you feel a need to declaw? The US is one of the only countries in the world where declawing is legal, and even then, cities are starting to ban the practice. Everyone else in the world finds a way to stop the cat scratching, or just deals with the consequences.

You will find strong opinions against declawing, I can tell you that now. What I recommend is putting a post in the behaviour thread about how to train your cats to not scratch the furniture. Start clipping their claws regularly, and get them used to that. If you do those couple of things, then there is no need to get this unnecessary surgery that can have so many horrible side effects.

Welcome to the forums! If you're having problems with your cats scratching, I would post a question about that - and people will be able to help you correct the behavior. Good luck.

Watch this video, it shows the declawing proceedure. You can easily see that it's not just the claw that gets snipped off, but it's basically the equivillent of your finger being cut off at the first knuckle. There are MANY other options out there rather than declawing.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=niMgBGfMgFc

Theres no way I could even attempt to watch this, ok I love scratching Billys belly and hate it when he attacks me with his claws but would never de-claw him, thats just nature, but I'll still give him a good belly rub lol.x

Mike, I've been meaning to post a few pictures of my boy Max. When I first adopted him back in 2000 I had him neutered and de-clawed. He is now 10 years old and walks on the wrist (or the ankle) of his feet. Max does not walk on the pad of his feet. Instead of a nice round pad and foot he has a very long and narrow foot. I will take a few photo tonight to show you what my experience with declawing has done.

It was complete ignorance on my part. All of our cats growing up were declawed and it was the "right" thing to do. It was the worst mistake I ever made. I will never declaw another cat again.


I now have 11 cats and not one of them us my furniture to scratch on. We have 7 cat tree around the house, inside and out for their scratching pleasure.

Mike, you will hear a lot of opinions from different people about declawing. On TCS, you will hear basically the same thing, DON'T declaw. TCS is an anti-declaw site. Most of us on here are strongly against declawing, it is an unnecessary surgery to change scratching behavior, which can actually cause MORE behavioral problems that it is supposed to "fix". If you are having scratching problems with your cats, take a look in the Behavior forum, there is a lot of information there on how to stop your cat from scratching inappropriate places. Many people whom you will talk to in real life who have declawed their cats will tell you it is ok, but there are a lot of problem declawing can cause, most of which you probably won't hear.

I will share some stories with you. My mom got a kitten in 2000. She was the sweetest thing. After my mom got her declawed, her demeanor changed A LOT. She was always hiding, hissing at people, everything. It took her 5 months to let me pet her, and another 6 months before I could hold her. She was very very aggressive. She developed litterbox problems. My mom dealt with her problems for YEARS. My mom took her to the Humane Society when she couldn't deal with it anymore. They called her a few days later and asked her if she wanted the cat back. Because they couldn't get near her to examine her, they couldn't put her up for adoption, my mom couldn't take her back, and they put her down. It was an unnecessary loss of a life, which could have been prevented if my mothers furniture wasn't so important to her. My mom then got another really sweet kitten. I BEGGED her not to declaw this cat, tried to tell her ways to redirect this kitten to the scratching post if she began using the furniture. My mom refused to listen, got her declawed, and now you can't go near her. She is afraid because her defense was taken from her.

Another (happier) story. When my Mittens was with her former owner (my boss), she was going to get Mittens declawed. When I told her what is actually done during the procedure, my boss decided against it, and just got her spayed. But, Mittens DID have a scratching problem, and was destroying my boss' furniture. My boss brought up a scratching post she had from her RB kitty Meow. She taught Mittens how to use the post. Now Mittens is with me, and guess what? Mittens NEVER, EVER EVER scratches the furniture in my house. She always uses her scratching post, religiously.

ETA: I forgot to mention that if you take your kittens to the vet, you can have the vet clip their claws for you. You can ask them to teach you how to do it yourself, so you don't have to take them everytime it needs to be done. You can go to Walmart or Petsmart and get a nice pair of clippers and once you learn how to do it, its easy to clip their claws, especially if you start out doing it while they're young. My cats don't like it, but I didn't start doing it until they were about 6 months old, actually Mittens was older than that. I do theirs every couple of weeks. And because I know what I am doing, I can get them as short as I can without hurting them.

Yes it is a partial amputation. I watched my vet do a declaw procedure once. She does not like to declaw and will suggest many alternatives for people who want to have it done (I know she recommended Soft Claws for one client and she actually put the Soft Claws on for the owner regularly) but if the person insists she will do it.
There are several ways to do it, but the usual way with a guillotine style nail clipper or similar tool, they pull back the 'sheath' and then cut off the tip of the toes at the last joint. So basically it is like having the end of your fingers/toes cut off at the last joint.

As mentioned there are a lot of alternatives you can do, including Soft Claws. Personally I have found that if I give them plenty of appropriate places to scratch and keep their nails clipped my cats pretty much leave the furniture alone (all 7 of them!)

Please read this thread & re-consider declawing.

I have a cat that is declawed - he came to me that way as I adopted him when he was 2 years old.

The one thing I have noticed about Peedoodle is that he bites. A lot. If he is grumpy or does not want to be touched, he will bite and he bites hard - I have had to go to the doctor once because he bit me so hard that I bled quite a bit. I feel that his teeth are his claw substitutes - he doesn't really have any other way to stop whatever is bugging him because if he scratches someone, it won't hurt.

"Declawing" a cat is not the removal of the claws. It is not like pulling out your finger nails. The claws are attached to the skeleton of the cat via tendons, so in order to remove the claws, the entire last joint of the toe must be amputated.

Cats do not walk on their feet. Occassionally they stand on their whole foot, but they walk on their toes.

It would be as if people walked only on their toes, and we had to have the last joint of our toe removed - and we're still expected to walk on our toes despite having that joint amputated.

There have been studies done on declawing. There are many threads here where it is discussed and the facts have been presented. Here is one such thread: Just a question to start a discussion.

Here is a summary of the discussion as it related to declawing a cat:


Declaw Surgery

Health Benefits of Declaw Surgery
None

Health Risks of Declaw Surgery
Lameness/Arthritis
Claw regrowth
Infection

Behavior Benefits of Declaw Surgery
Cats can no longer scratch humans or damage walls, furniture or accessories

Behavior Risks of Declaw Surgery
Litter box avoidance
Increased aggression (biting)

Other Risks/Benefits of Declaw Surgery

Other benefits: None.

Other risks: It should be noted that in a study published in JAVMA (referenced before), cats subject to declaw were at increased risk for relinquishment to a shelter for behavior problems (54%) vs. non-declawed cats (29%).

Alternatives to Declawing
Claw clipping regularly
Training - providing adequate scratching surfaces
Nail caps


The fact is that you put your kitty at risk for long term complications or behavior problems that include:

peeing outside of the box
biting
claw regrowth
Long term problems from either infection or pain


Most cats do not scratch inappropriately if given a little guidance from us.

If you want to not deal with working with your cat at all, you can use nail caps. They need to be reapplied - I'm not sure how often. I think every month? A number of people on this site use them and can help with questions.

Clipping claws every two - three weeks will help prevent damage.

And knowing that cats love to stretch when they wake up, strategically placing appropriate scratching devices - and figuring out what types of surfaces on which your cat likes to scratch - and whether they prefer vertical, slanted, or horizontal scratching will normally limit or eliminate any problems with scratching furniture. Our cats ALL love this scratcher: http://www.petco.com/product/4476/Co...Scratcher.aspx

Here are a number of different types of scratching board-type items:

http://www.petco.com/petco_Page_PC_p...294960311.aspx

Here are different types of scratching posts:

http://www.petsmart.com/search/index...ch%20post&sr=1

Natural scratching post alternatives:

http://www.naturalscratch.com/

Decorative scratching post: http://www.luxuryhousingtrends.com/a...designer-scra/

Here are all kinds of cat scratching posts, condos, jungle gyms:

http://www.cozycatfurniture.com/

There are SO many products out there, so many alternatives.

A cat naturally wants to scratch. A cat naturally wants to climb. We are perfectly capable of accomodating these needs in the animal we love without harming or potentially deforming our pet.

Further, just in case you are not aware of this product, Feliway can be used to help preven inappropriate scratching. The product was designed to help prevent inappropriate peeing (outside of a litter box), but it also helps prevent unwanted scratching. This is because it is a synthetic hormone that mimics the "friendly" markers in cats' cheeks. Cats are all about scent - and an area sprayed with Feliway is the wrong "scent" for territory marking - which is what peeing, pooping and scratching are. Spraying places and furniture with Feliway will help prevent unwanted scratching. Here is a link: http://www.catfaeries.com/

Best of luck, and I really hope you decide not to declaw your cat.

I lost the declaw battle when I was 11 to my mother... the information was not nearly as readily available . RB Kandie lived to be nearly 19 and was a WITCH of a cat ... She bite and used her back claws( front de claw only) to harm... I often said to Mom that any time Kandie drew blood it was her fault for declawing her. When Kandie was about 10 Mom finally learned what a de claw was and regretted doing it ... I have five cats : two of which are semi feral and all have there claws ... some furniture has some marks but for the most part they use there posts

Since becoming an adult and getting cats on my own. Out of the 4, 3 were declawed by previous owners. One is no longer with us, but never really had issues. The second is pretty much a normal cat, but when he was declawed his paws were done really short--hence he has a tough time grabbing toys. I have to be careful when playing with wand toys because he can get easily frustrated. The third, also still with us, had to have basically a "redeclaw" of one toe because of claw regrowth. Nabu (and his deceased littermate) both had infections when they were first done. I had been given their vet records when I got them. Stimpy was a stray at the shelter, so we didn't have his records. Nabu also has much more advance arthritis for his age (he's 12 yrs old) than he should.

Our "kitten" who is 1 1/2 yrs old now, has all of her claws (because that's how she came to us) and has been a breeze. She leaves the furniture alone. We have lots of posts (her preference is plush carpeting) and cat forts for her to scratch on. She's always pretty much left the sofa alone--it's microfiber, not sure if that's why. Her weakness is the area rug. We have hardfloors, and except for 1 area rug and a couple throw rugs there's nothing on them. We redirect her, but in all honesty it's a second hand rug & even if I had a new one I wouldn't be terribly upset at the occasional scratch (she easily redirects to her post that's on the area rug).

I think the key is finding the right texture & angle they like to scratch on.

The best suggestion so far. Ask away, people have some pretty creative suggestions when it involves correcting a problem behavior.

I have seven cats indoors, including three hyper kittens. No problems with furniture (though I use covers because people are messy...). The cats all have their cat furniture they can shred - and they're happy with that.

Not much to add to what has already been said except, please please do not have your kitties mutilated.

26 or more countries around the world have outlawed declawing (or never had it to begin with) 6 cities, so far, in the USA have banned declawing. The banning of declawing is finally starting to come to this country and I pray it is nationwide, soon.

Most people who advocate for declaw will not admit their cats developed problems so any statistics are skewed.

Please, do your kitties a favor. Don't harm them unnecessarily. There are other alternatives to declawing such as scratching posts, sprays and even a product called "Soft Paws". They are little nail caps that adhere to the cats nails and then shed off along with the nail hull. It's cheap, easy to apply and saves your kitties from pain and suffering.

Not to mention, declawing can cause litter box or behavioral problems. I certainly hope you weigh the options before seeking out such a drastic measure. Your friends maybe have had good luck with it, but it's not always pretty.. And you never know, your cats could have a bad reaction to it.. emotionally or behaviorally. There's always a possibility.

I think this sign says it all:

Go PawProject! They have been doing such an awesome job!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Polkie and Temper were declawed just because they came to me that way when I adopted them as adults. They were awesome cats but I always felt that they were missing a vital part of themselves. They were the first cats ever that I had that had that deformity. It's not fun to watch a cat trying to leap or jump and missing terribly because they don't have a vital part of their anatomy anymore. My current two cats are very much clawed and believe it or not, do not claw everything in the house. They only scratch their scratching post and their cat tree. I think you will have a more confident and "complete" cat. Cats do know where they are allowed to stretch their claws. Mojo, my kitten, learned from his resident "mommy" Dusky where he can scratch to his heart's content. Please don't declaw. Give them a safe place that they can exercise their wonderful claws and teach them gently. You'll be glad, I promise!

Just chiming in with my two cents....please don't de-claw!

Just like eveyone else is saying, it is a horrific surgery, the cat is deformed for life. When you take the claw(1st joint of the toe really) they can't stretch properly. When I was a child (8 years old) my parants had our cat's declawed. Every day I saw them walking with their little, stunted front legs, I was so sad. I will never have any of my cats declawed.

There are many altenatives, the trick, IMO and some other have said as well, is to find a material that the kitties like to claw (some are picky), and then get scratching posts made of that material.

I really hope you come back and read this thread, click on some of the links that others have posted, and good luck.

Perfection.


Before I brought Molly home, my mom said they'd have to be declawed. I didn't really understand what it was so I did some research and found out what really happens when you declaw a cat. I was horrified and told my mom that no way would my kitten be declawed. I told her everything I read and about the videos I watched, and she was just as horrified as I was. I am so grateful for this site and others out there I read or my kitties might have ended up without bits of their toes.

I've learned even more about it since then and I have to say, please don't declaw your cat. It's a horrific surgery and I hope it's not legal in the US for much longer.

That's the best billboard I've ever seen. And I agree with it completely. Declawing is a horrific procedure that should never be done unless medically necessary.

Personally I would NEVER EVER get my cats declawed. Period. Well...one situation I MAY understand. That's if you or somebody on your family is on blood thinners and a tiny scratch could turn into a big problem. Having said that, let me put in my vet tech two cents.

I work as a vet tech at a feline only clinic. We do declaw simply because we know we do a good job. Our vet nor anybody else working there declaws their own cats. We have a clinic cat that is declawed and our vet has a declawed cat, but they were adopted as adults. It's VERY easy to botch a declaw causing even more pain, so we'd rather know it's done as best as possible. I'll give you a run down of what happens with laser declawing. I have never seen it done "the old fashion way" so I'm not going to post about something I don't know. I see probably 2-4 declaws a week and the first 2 days after (they stay overnight two nights) and any follow up visits.

After their pre-anesthetic and they're tubed and prepped this is what happens. We use vice grips (most vets do) to extend the claw. It is then lasered off at P2 (the second joint). We then use surgical glue to close, some vets use sutures. It's really a simple surgery concept wise, it's just hard to make sure you get all of P2. If you don't then you can see regrowth, which can be as bad as it sounds. Anyway. We then use a therapy laser which reduces inflammation and speeds up healing. They get a therapy laser treatment the following two days.

Sometimes things go very smoothly. All closures stay closed and they seem fairly painless. Two weeks and they're all healed. Other times (probably 1/3 of the time) one or more closure open. This is very common with younger cats who are still in their crazy kitten phase and try to dig out of their cage/rearrange everything in there . Sometimes you come in the next morning and their cage looks like they have a massive injury there is so much blood. We have to reglue the closures. We've had to do this up to five times before. Other times the cat doesn't pull the glue out (which they're supposed to do) and it will only partially close and infection will set it. Nastey. We have to usually sedate them again, pull the glue out of the half healed pus filled bloody openings, clean the wounds, and reglue. And pray they don't do it again. This is common in cats declawed over a year of age. It can end up being a terrible experience for your cat with continual vet visits and obvious pain. Not to mention, rechecks and antibiotics/ ongoing pain meds means more expense for you.

With the use of the surgery laser, it is much less barbaric than it use to be (you know the geateen (sp?) style nail clippers for 100 lbs dogs...yeah, that's what was used, clinics without surgery lasers still do this), but still can be a very painful experience for your cat.

There are many alternatives. First off teaching (or trying to teach ) proper scratching behavior. Have several different kinds of scratch posts. Trim your cats nails!! If you do it from when they're kittens, it's as easy as pie. Also, Soft Paws is an option. They don't last too long, but it's better than declawing no question.

Anyway...hopefully this helps you understand what declawing actually involves.

I'll add in my 2 cents

Just before I was born my mom and dad got their first cat and had her declawed (front end only). Suki had so many complications following the surgery. Infection and pain. She had to have 2 of her toes completley amputated. It was a very long and painful recovery process. I do remember that she bit more often than any of the other cats.

My mom felt so guilty for having the procedure done and vowed never to declaw another cat again.