Declaw vs retrain a 14-year old cat  

Someone here once posted about having their 13-year-old cat de-clawed. That cat died from it. I don't recommend any unnecessary surgical procedure for a senior cat, and especially not orthopedic surgery. I would hope that any ethical vet would refuse to do it, but some vets are only out for the $$$ and I don't know what kind of vet she has.

Of course I'm completely against de-clawing in any circumstance, but especially a cat that age. And if he's already cranky, losing his toes isn't going to improve that at all. In this situation I would recommend having multiple scratching posts of different materials (including a natural, bark-on log, if possible). And providing him with an outdoor enclosure may keep him from going entirely crazy.

Yes, please, please PLEASE encourage your friend not to declaw her cat. Show her pictures of what actually happens in the procedure (http://pawsneedclaws.com/), if you have to. Declawing is illegal in Europe and IMHO it should be illegal here too. People should not be allowed to mutilate their animals because they cannot retrain them. And keep in mind that like Willowy said above, the surgery is dangerous for a cat at any age, but a senior cat is much more likely to die from it.

If you've been here at TCS for very long, you know what actually happens when you declaw a cat. I won't spell it out for you. But you should spell it out for her.

I would suggest to your friend that she observe him while he is outside and try to figure out what he scratches on when he is out there, and try to replicate it in her home. If it's her wooden fence, bring in a 2x4, if it's a tree, a branch from that tree, etc.

Also, encourage your friend to get a cat tree, and some Feliway. Those 2 things can go a very long way in helping an angry cat be less angry.

Good luck, and give us updates!!

OMG- That just makes me ill to think of an elderly, senior cat being declawed. This will be a very brutal and cruel thing to do to this old cat. I doubt very much that this cat will even recover well from this kind of mutilation. Please try to convince your friend to research the impact of declawing any cat, let alone an elderly one. Also tell you friend, that this cat will most likely have litterbox issues and will be too old to recover from the pain of the amputation to ever use a litterbox again. So instead of scratched up couches, etc., she will have pissed on couches, etc. This cat will NEVER be the same if she goes through with this..... I am so sorry for this cat

Offering various surfaces or materials to scratch on and using Feliway to calm him indoors would be far more humane than taking the convenient and dangerous route of declawing him at his advanced age.
Have you suggested Soft Paws? A lot of people use them successfully.

She could also use a harness and leash to take him outside every day if he went stir crazy being indoors all the time. TCS has an article about leash-training cats, Cats on a Leash? and you'll find many threads discussing it if you search using the word "harness". At his age, a short jaunt around the yard once or twice a day so he can sniff around, watch birds, etc., would probably be enough to satisfy him.

 

How would she know if she has't even tried them? She would seriously rather put her cat through agonizing pain and a lifetime of debilitation, all in the name of some furniture (furniture that doesn't have feelings or emotions, I shouldn't need to point out). 

 

 

Quote:

 

 

Then she hasn't tried hard enough to teach him. She needs to get the right KIND of scratching post for Shadow and make it the most appealing thing ever (like with catnip spray or honeysuckle powder), and she needs to make the furniture less appealing to him (cover it with a sheet, use tinfoil or double sided tape, get a SSCAT cat deterrent).

 

 

Quote:

 

 

 

From this website (which you should beg her to read): http://www.pawproject.org/faqs/

 

 

 Is declawing with a laser better? What about tendonectomy?

 

 

Oh wow.... I would just start pumping everything you can find about declawing, laser's, tendonectomy to your friend. I am so sick to think what this cat might have to endure. I hope you have told her about this cat never using a litterbox regularly anymore too. Again, this cat is WAY to old to handle this and I would even think she won't be able to find a vet (an ethical vet) to perform that cruel procedure on a "senior" cat... And personally, this is just me, I would tell my "friend" that I will no longer be "friends" if she were to go through with something so brutal, I could never look at her the same way again. More vibes for this poor old kitty.

Declawing a cat is the same as if you hacked off all of the last digits of all of a human's toes.  It unbalances a cat's gait, traumatizes the cat psychologically, and often causes bite aggression, as it removes one of a cat's natural methods of self-defense.  It is illegal, as it should be, in over 37 more enlightened countries, and many municipalities domestically are following their lead in legally banning this barbaric, brutal and absolutely senseless mutilation.  Anyone who would even think of declawing a cat should not have the right to have cats in their care.  There are numerous scratching pads, posts and cat furniture choices to choose from, so that cats can exercise their natural need to scratch.  But it sounds as if this person should not have the care of cats at all. 

The "no posts because he's scratched the furniture for 14 years" part makes me think she's never even PROVIDED a scratching post/object for him to begin with...

Yeah. Like Lauren and others have said, I recommend you tell your friend these things, in this order:

1. Your cat will likely die from this procedure.
2. Even if your cat survives, he will be in a massive amount of pain for the rest of his life.
3. Your cat will probably get all sorts of infections from the declaw.
4. Your cat will not use the litterbox correctly.
5. Your cat will start biting people.
6. Your cat will not be able to walk normally.
7. You will spend more time, money, and emotional currency on a declawed cat than if you hadn't declawed him.

Many vibes for this poor kitty....

And to you, hopefully you'll be able to convince your friend!!!

My vet said to me that if you are declawing a cat to do it as a young kitten. The sooner the easier they heal. After a year he doesnt reccomend it as it is quite a traumatic experiance. I doubt a 14 year old could survive the surgery and if she did would have lasting mental repricussions.

She may as well just have him put to sleep instead of declawing him.  It would be much more humane. 

 

Seriously, for the cat's sake I hope she does not do this.  Also, if she were a friend of mine and had this done I would never speak to her again. 

 

If my vet told me she regularly did the surgery and/or recommended it I would find another vet.

You could suggest that your friend log on to TCS - we have TONS of information about the detrimental and negative effects of declawing. Lots of articles too. Might get her to see the light and forego even a thought about declawing. Here is the link : http://www.thecatsite.com/t/155451/declawing-resources

Even if she won't invest in furniture-style scratching posts, please encourage her to get cardboard scratchers.  They make flat ones and angled ones (they look like a ramp).  Most are under $20, and some are under $10.  Sisal-wrapped boards are another option.  Cats need to scratch, so providing someplace that's okay for them to scratch is essential to protecting the furniture.

What a sickening thread.  I hope Shadow will be OK.

Edited by CatMom2Wires - 11/22/11 at 2:41pm

I hope there isn't a vet that would declaw a 14 year old cat. I find it really odd it's not off the table altogether!

Exactly why isn't taking him to the vet every six weeks for soft paws feasible?
Edited by LDG - 11/22/11 at 6:04pm

I do agree. This thread has been bothering me since the beginning - the more I think about this person EVEN considering declaw at all - but on a senior cat makes my stomach turn.....

My vet refuses to declaw under any circumstance.

 

IF your friend insists on declawing the cat, ask her to consider a tendonectomy. Now i have only researched it, bt from what I can tell it is a lot more humane.

 

Tiny little incision, no amputations, sutures

 

Excerpt from site: http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/tendonectomy.php

 

"This surgical procedure is gaining popularity with owners who are concerned about the recovery period with a conventional declaw. Here, a ligament is cut on the underside of each toe to prevent grasping motions. The claws remain but the cat cannot extend them.

Because the incisions needed for this procedure are so small, the recovery is minimal. No bandages, no special litter, no blood spotting. There are no stitches to remove and the tiny incisions are closed in surgical glue."

 

They can't flex their claws, so they can't whittle them down - and will require life time nail trimming.

 

it is not something I would do, but if she is insistent on declawing and you cant persuade her otherwise, then suggest she find a vet that offers this.

http://www.pet-dog-cat-supply-store.com/tendonectomy.php

 

 

 

 

Not more humane at all, just easier for the human doing this to their cat to rationalize it as so. As I posted above:

 

 

 

So in that case, why not just go with the nail trimming and skip the mutilation? 

 

 

Whoops, double post.

From the other side of the fence, I know very many very happy well adjusted declawed cats, and believe that bandage and stitch free laser declaw surgery using medical glue and modern pain killers minimizes any trauma to the animal.  

 

However, I would absolutely not declaw a 14 year old cat.   For a lifetime now it has become accustomed to using its claws and is not likely to readily adapt to change, causing stress.   A 14 year old cat is not going to bounce back and heal in 24-48hrs like a little 4-8month growing kitten, increasing the chance for complications and prolonged downtime.   Anesthesia is also required, and again that carries risks and from what I've read is increased in cats that old and should be avoided when possible. 

 

I would anticipate that an old cat that has lived an entire lifetime outdoors will also be even more destructive indoors, and is not likely to take to training.   If he's cranky, he's also likely going to be like my friends cat that pretty much tried to murder us for even contemplating clipping her nails yet alone putting on soft paws.  

 

I'm usually against having outdoor cats, as I think its far too dangerous for one, but this is an old cat so used to that routine now I'd just let him live out his last years as he enjoys. 

 

If budget isn't a concern, they have very small GPS cat collars now, otherwise less expensive would be a radio frequency one like the loc8tor so you can at least cruise the neighborhood and track down mr adventure kitty assuming he's not going miles away.

Wow I hope she doesn't do it! Poor Shadow. I'm glad she has a friend like you, who is giving her lots of reasons NOT to do it. 

I agree wholeheartedly and would never ever put a cat through that.  But I also know that once an adult has made up their mind to do something despite all rational judgement and compassion and facts otherwise, then you do damage control.

 

I.e as an example - no kids should not be having sex. You teach them, tell them the reasons not to have premarital sex- and they do it anyway no matter what anyone says - they plan on it. Providing them birth control (which I know, a lot of controversy over providing kids bc) but-- I know that teens have already made up their mind to have the sex, so might as well do it safely to prevent unwanted pregnancy.

 

Of course the best scenario and outcome would be to persuade the OP's friend differently, but if they have made up their mind and are going to do it no matter what anyone says, then it should be a "lesser" approach. I am not condoning this cruel and horrible surgery on a cat and I wish it would all be outlawed.

 

And youre right, trim the nails and avoid the surgery.

 

 

 Oh and I might add that Smokie came to me declawed they declawed him as a kitten :( poor guy. Anyway, he is very aggressive with his teeth at times, where as Bandit is not declawed and won't be, he is aggressive at times but at least he feels in control with his claws;

Mollipop refused to use any kind of furniture-style scratching posts whatsoever. She does use the cardboard scratchers, especially the one that looks like a ramp.....I think it helped when I sprinkled catnip on the ramp and she was old enough to enjoy the nip. She uses the ramp cardboard now pretty much all the time, although every once in a while I'll catch her using the carpet right outside the bedroom door. But that's not that often...she's really good.

 

Tabby, OTOH, is a terror on paws. She has shredded the bottom of the couch and is working on the living room chair, too. We have the furniture swathed in double-sided sticky tape, so she just looks for different places to scratch. We have bitter apple spray, too, that we're using. We're going to get a SSSScat at PetSmart this weekend because we don't know what else to do. We keep working with her, but she's not easily trained, that's for sure.

 

The other five cats are declawed....I've never tried to hide it on this board. I have no excuse, other than my own ignorance. They've all been fine with no issues or litter box problems and we're lucky that they are. But we will never declaw another cat.
 

 

I've ignored this thread for days now because just the title freaks me out, and I don't need to go looking for things to upset me. There is plenty of stuff is around everywhere, all the time, in my real life and in the media that causes me distress. But here I am now.

Please prevent your friend from doing this cruel thing to her cat.

The answer, the permanent answer, is so easy and cheap. I
don't understand why more don't use it and recommend it.

I have now trained 7 cats to not scratch my furniture, at all, by using strips of Sticky Paws tape, made for this purpose. Don't get another brand, it won't stick well. Buy it at Petco or Amazon. Buy a roll of it (about $15). Vacuum the area where applying before you attach it. You only put it on the areas of the furniture where the cat likes to scratch.

You leave it on a couple months (for my very stubborn Harlow, I had to leave it on about 5 months). You must provide a variety of appropriate scratching surfaces as an alternative.

This will work! All 7 cats I trained this way were adults. They simply don't like the feel of the tape.

Declawing is violent, inhumane, and wrong.

Robin