My mom wants to give the cat away because of what happened last night... - Page 2  

Lucy bites because she was declawed. And it may have something to do with why she has inappropriate urination problems too.

Please do some research before you voluntarily have another cat mutilated. Declawing of cats is outlawed in 26 countries around the world. So far only 6 cities in the USA have banned declawing but it's a start, it's coming. I hope you will reconsider.

Declawing an adult cat is very unlikely to solve behavior problems, in fact it will make them worse.

yes, i do know the pros and cons. and no, it's not just for my furniture. for children and elderly as well. it's also a theory that declawed cats don't spread disease as wwell, less likely to scratch a dog or other cat in the eye (tho they still could with back claws but less likely), cat's with claws can still bite, and i have no problem with being diligent about keeping the cat in.

i could see the claws being super important if they went outside (my friend lets her cat out all the time and he doesn't have from claws and he's running out of lives) but my cat can still run, climb, play, throw toys, bat at toys, you name it, just as well as a cat with claws and doesn't get her front claws stuck in blankets or the carpet when she's "kneeding" them like my cousins cats.

i feel a little like the "if furniture is that important important you shouldn't have a cat" statement is like saying "if furniture our something really nice in your hosue is important to you, you shouldn't have kids; todlers or teens" or "if your car is imprtant to you shouldn't drive on the interstate"

she was 3 or 4 months old when she was declawed. i would NEVER declaw an adult cat. and i'm not sure why you think i would! or why i would think it would "solve a problem"

i remember reading about your issues w/ your cat and you didn't say your cat was declawed...

Do you actually realize that when cats are declawed they are amputated down to the entire first "knuckle"? Imagine having your fingers all cut off to the first knuckle and having to live that way forever. Of course you would still be able to bat toys around, but it wouldn't really be too comfortable, would it?

I'm not trying to fight here, but like otto said there are many, many sites we can point you to that describe the horror of declawing. While it may still be legal almost everywhere in the US, any decent vet would NEVER recommend it. Declawing is actually illegal throughout most of Europe because it is so inhumane. Cats who have been declawed often have biting and litter box problems that you have described YOUR cat as having. Cats use their claws to stretch, to exercise and to groom, their claws are not disposable items.

I agree, if your furniture and household items are that important to you, you probably shouldn't have kids. How are cats different? I do have to admit that I'm scratching my head a bit at the car comment though... you can't really compare a cat to a car. You purchase a car to get you from one place to another, and of course there's the inherent danger that you will get into an accident. When you take a car on the road you are putting yourself and your car at the mercy of all the other drivers out there. When you have kids or pets, YOU and you alone are making the choice to put your furniture in danger.

This is what declawing REALLY is:
http://community-2.webtv.net/stopdeclaw/declawpics/

http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/declawvettch.html

http://www.declawing.com/htmls/declawing.htm

http://vetmedicine.about.com/cs/beha...lawdilemma.htm

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They remove bone. It is the equivlent of removing your finger tip at the first joint.
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Declawing is illegal in:

England
Scotland
Wales
Italy
France
Germany
Austria
Switzerland
Norway
Sweden
Netherlands
Northern Ireland
Ireland
Denmark
Finland
Slovenia
Portugal
Belgium
Spain
Brazil
Australia
New Zealand

Source: http://www.declawing.com/list.html

There's a lot of very good advice here. I'd like to reiterate: clip her claws (don't declaw) and check out if the younger brother's antagonizing her - that's a really common dynamic between young kids and pets; and learn to recognize the signs that your cat is getting overstimulated.

Well, the toddlers/teens arguments kind of works as an argument against declawing. You wouldn't mutilate a child for life just because they were being a child. Furniture is inanimate; cats aren't.

You know how maddening an itch is if you can't scratch it? I think that's what it must be like for cats with no back claws.

Most cats can be taught to let you clip their claws regularly, even adult cats. (They may not like it, but they'll let you.)

Maybe your friend should be reported. Letting a cat without claws run around outside seems like some kind of cruelty. The cat's a sitting duck for anything that wants to attack her.

I don't know what issues you are talking about. My cats are not declawed, nor do they have behavior issues.

I raised one unsocialized cat who sent me to the ER a few times, but I wouldn't have dreamed of having her toes amputated. I taught her how to behave with love and kindness, patience and consistency. She's very sweet now, though she does have boundaries the other cats do not have. I respect her boundaries, and all is well.

My comment:

Was directed to the OP, as you suggested they declaw their cat, and I said it will not solve any behavior problems, it will make them worse.

3 months or 3 years, it has no justification to me, you have had the cat mutilated for human convenience, because someone was too lazy to bother to train the cat properly. And that is why she bites. as you described in one of your first posts, and probably why she has inappropriate uirnation issues, as stated in your other thread.

As was already suggested, if you must have a declawed cat, please consider getting one already done from a shelter, the shelters are full of them, because people decide after they mutilate their cats, they don't want them after all.

i have never heard of a vet taking all 4 out. my own cat has her back claws. just not her front.

i have no todler/teen argument. i was just saying how the one person said people who care about furniture shouldn't have cats. almost every one cares about their possesions in one way or another. you buy nice things and want to keep them nice. it would be irresponsible to buy something and then be all "i don't care what hapens to this". their vet knows he goes out w/o his front claws b/c he's been in many fights and needed to be taken to the vet. when her kids open the door, the cat gets out. when her husband gets home, the cat gets out b/c it's dark, the cat's black, and he has his hands full. she doesn't enjo the fact that the cat goes out but he;s sly and finds a way.


animal control even knows he gets out and doesn't have claws b/c a neighbor of theirs accused him of breaking thru their screened porch and attacking their cat.

yes, i am aware of what it is. my mom asked the vet when i got her in highschool b/c she thought they just pulled the claw out. i don't know. you wouldn't have fingernails so it would be difficult to pick up coins. but you would still have all your fingers, they'd just be shorter. if i had to lose a limb or something, i'd opt for fingertips. you could still function.


if you have drexel herritage furniture, yes. don't have kids, cats, pets, boyfriends, or even friends for that matter be/c the price of it is craaaazy. but everyone should take pride in what they own.

***i am NOT comparing a cat to a car. i am comparing her statement to that statement... it seems silly to me. it seems silly to me that so many people think their hard working money is so disposable. i understand that you're putting your car at the mercy of the other drivers and i understand that you have to teach pets and kids not to do things. my point was strictly that is seems so nuts that someone would basically say "let them ruin something". "you shouldn't care".

i didn't mention it to her to "solve a problem" per se, but it takes the scratching it out of the equation.


so does she have a uti, stress, or b/c she doesn't have claws. haha. she's peed TWICE. both were from traumatic events. not because she's mad at the world.

yes but we don't walk on our fingers. Cats DO walk on their toes. Declawing cripples them and changes they way they have to walk, causing much pain and arthritis as they get older.

A closer comparison would be to cut off your heels, since humans walk heel first, basically. But cutting off your toes would give a fair example, also.


Cats are tainable. My cats do not scratch the furniture, they scratch their scratchers, because they have been trained to scratch where they are supposed to.

Just assuming a cat needs to be declawed before even making any effort at training is so....archaic. Barbaric. Please, if you must have declawed cats, go to the shelter and adopt them already declawed. You'll find plenty to choose from.

I know you feel persecuted, but this board is, by policy and by patronage, very antideclaw. I know if I went and spoke my mind on a Pro-Sarah Palin board, I'd get a lot of flack for my opinions.

Maybe it boils down to this: Some things ARE mutually exclusive. Maybe two of those things are perfect furniture and cats. So you might have to choose one and forego the other. If you come down on the side of having a cat, maybe buy less expensive furniture that you can replace earlier than you would if you didn't have a cat. (I've found Ikea armchairs - and I think they make sofas -- are a good combo with cats. The frames are wooden, so just the cushions have to be replaced once in a while when the cats have had their way with them.)

i don't think you understand that I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS ANTI-DECLAW WHEN I SAID THAT snd that I APPOLOGIZED! it doesn't say it's anti-declaw in big bold letters anywhere. and why does no one see a problem with breeding cats when millions die a year in shelters!

of course if you go to a pro- palin board knowingly and say something negative, you'd get a back lash...

BUT I DIDN'T KNOW AND I SAID I WAS SORRY!!!

You did apologize, I'm sorry I didn't acknowledge it.

However you continue to argue in favor of declawing, so I will continue to counter your arguments, as there is no argument in favor of declawing I will accept, except in extreme circumstances, such as the health of the cat is at stake (infected claw, for example).

If I can change even one mind, my time is worth it.

The other topics are not under discussion here, if you wish to discuss them, please do feel free to start your own threads on them.

you maybe sorry but you are pushing the issue of declawing look at the pictures nd think would you like all your fingers at the first knuckle so you couldnt scratch or nose or peel an orange thats basically what you do to a cat, in pain for the rest of their lives because its painful to use the litter tray and feel the need to bite instead of playing

Please see the rules at this link:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15184

i'm not exactly argueing for it... people just keep asking my why! so, i give them my position. i would have dropped it entirely had i not been continuously chastised! so i would think you get what i'm saying with those few statements.

i ONLY adopt cats in need of homes (granted i only have one and i adopted one right before high school that had to live at my grandmother's house) and would def adopt a cat that would already be declawed if given the option over having to do it to them.

thank you for your apology of not seeing my apology... lol.

again, please read the rules at this link:

http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15184

<edit> in case you missed it, my last post on the previous page links you to the section in the rules stating our anti-declaw position. It's #3, just below #2 about spay and neuter.

People are supposed to read the rules., that way they know what they are getting into.

I'm sorry, I didn't realize that.

thank you for giving me that link. i would have figured it would have been under the name of the site. like "the cat site: an anti declaw site" or something of that nature. i hadn;t yet gone to the introductory forum and planned on going to it later on. i otherwise wouldn't have known. thank you.

you're welcome. for the link, and to TCS.

I am pretty sure that you have to agree to the rules when you sign up for TCS by clicking "I agree."

I *think* lol.

Hi there and welcome to TCS!

I guess it's hard for our members to see your argument clearly since this was the first thread you ever came to and posted. I also find it interesting that your cat may be having peeing problems (just read your thread) perhaps your cat feels threatened by the puppy without her claws?

I also have a problem with you coming on here and abusing breeders. I know that I as a breeder am not responsible for the millions of homeless cats. It's more everyday people who have cats who are just slipping out of their owners homes, and people not getting them desexed. There is always going to be a demand for pedigree cats, so we must accept this and it's better to have responsible breeders like myself who either desex before the kittens leave home (preferable) or have a desexing contract.

Declawing is essentially a moot point here at TCS. Unfortunately there will be very few people here who agree with you. My "hard earned money" doesn't go into things like couches or carpets, it goes into my cats diets, combs, flea treatment etc so that argument doesn't sit right with me.

I've also kept indoor only cats for 14 years and in that time have only ever had 1 female cat escape. It's interesting that I live with 6 other people in a 7 bedroom house and no indoor only cat has ever managed to escape - to me cats aren't sly, in your example a kid or something must be letting it out or there is a door being left open.

I hope you stick around and join the cat lounge for some lighter reading

Sam

wellington cats;

not to keep ringing on a bell, but if you had seen my 2nd post on this thread, you would have seem my appology along with my very very brief statement and the ending of it. i haven't been the one to keep bringing it up. i'm not trying to make an arguement to get people to or not to declaw their cats and i'm sure as heck nt trying to get anyone to agree with me. that would be like me trying to get someone from the other political party to be a member of my political party. and i agree that it is moot. people direct questions at me which i respond to. again, i'm not trying to get anyone to agree with me.

i didn't come on here strictly to bash breeding. that just sort of happened. i still think it's wrong however. i understand demand and that you alone are not responsible for the millions in shelters, but that still doesn;t make it right imo. if you add all the cats bred on purpose durin ghte year and are purchased, those people could all adopt from a shelter and could make a dent in the ones that get euthanized. you can get a BEAUTIFUL cat from the pound. and it can be purebred. often times it's just feral cat with feral cat... that make another feral litter. and so on and so on. whn you adopt froma shelter or a rescue organization, you MUST have the cat fixed. so it can't be people who rescued their cats and let their cats out...


i'm glad that you put so much money into your cats. i do as well. i wont take her to the vet in the neighborhood, i take her 20 miles away and pay 3 times as much for premium care. she has more toys than the neighbors 3 dogs combined the total of her food and treats cost about 100 a month. so if you're trying to incinuate that i don't put enough money towards her, than i do not appreciate that. att 22, way more money goes to her than most does to my friends animals that are my age.

my friends cat is sly. he can be 10 ft away or on the landing of the stairs and you can open the door just big enough for you to get thru, and he'l manage to get thru it.

after about 24 hrs of the neighbors dog being in the house and barking at lucy, lucy was back to her old self and back to playing peek-a-boo with the puppy. we've decided to keep the house free of the neighbors dog and not have many people come in for a while.

Have you seen the pregnancy section? Take a look how many kittens are born in there compared to the breeders section.

Many people don't adopt from shelters, they get 'free' kittens from friends, neighbours, the newspaper.
And not all shelters desex before adopting out.

This thread has gone off topic and so it will be closed.