Dilemma regarding declawing. Desperately need advice

Alittle background first. I have a daughter, Olivia that just turned 3 this past May. She was born at 30 weeks and 2 months after she was born she developed NEC. I don't know how to spell the full name but it is basically when the small bowel dies. She was left with about 50 cm, I believe after the operation. A year after she was born she had a liver transplant due to TPN toxicity. TPN is a double edge sword. It is fed through a central line in Olivia's chest. It helped keep her alive but long exposure to it can hurt the liver. Her permature liver couldn't handle it. She is doing very well now we have some feeding issues but for the most part she is doing well.

Now for the dilemma. I asked her transplant doctor is it was ok if we brought a cat into our family. He said yes. There would be no problem. Might I say he NEVER mentioned anything about declawing. We have had our kitty now for almost a month. When we saw our Dr. for Olivia's check up, she mentioned she has a kitty and how much she loves him. Then he asked me when I was going to declaw him. I was taken back a moment. Confused and said to him that he never mentioned that he would have to be declawed. He said yes he did and I have to have his front claws removed due to 'Cat Scratch Fever'. (To think I thought that was only a song)

I just found out today...or rather earlier today and I am soooo bummed. I don't want to get him declawed. I think that is so cruel. But I am so attached to him. I love him so much. He's my precious little boy and I can't imagine giving him up. But if his claws are a danger to my little girl, I have to address that. Apparently Soft Paws if not an option because I already asked. Can anyone please, please help me figure out how to save his front claws without giving him up. I have to say that I am being selfish in that I do not want to lose him. I just love him so much. He is so affectionate and loving and just a pleasure to have around. He follows all over the house and likes to groom me as well He is more than just a pet. He is apart of my family. I do clip is claws when they need them. But again, that's not enough either. I am stuck between a hard place and a rock. If I had only known I would never had gotten a kitten. Please, help me.

Thank you,

Diane

First I thought - this one I cannot answer, as I live in a country where declawing is forbidden by law. But I got interested and searched the internet and found this

http://www.kcom.edu/faculty/chamberl...e/catfever.htm

Somewhere far down it says that declawing makes no difference! But read it yourself and perhaps discuss it with another doctor too, not just your regular one.

Hope it works out so you and your daughter can keep the cat.

Hi Diane Marie! That doctor should have been more emphatic about the declawing issue considering it was going to affect his patient. What a...!
Anyway, I am for no declawing NO MATTER what. I agree with Anne G and you should do some research about the disease. You seem to be doing the right thing by keeping the kitty's claws trimmed and your home and surroundings clean. Ask other doctors for second opinions. I really hope you can keep your kitty as he is now! He sounds like a wonderful cat!

There IS an alternative to declawing, your cat won't be able to scratch your daughter. The answer is softpaws

http://www.softpaws.com/

I hope you can consider this. The softpaws will just have to be applied, and when they fall off, they can be reapplied and there is ample supply in the kit in which you can order off the net.

I hope this helps. I know you said that you asked, but you should ask a vet and not this doctor.

I agree that you should definitely seek a second opinion and other options before you consider permanently deforming your precious boy and forcing him to undergo this physically and emotionally devastating procedure. Thank you for loving him so much that you have chosen to seek advice!

Diane,

Your concern is a valid one as it affects your little girl's quality of life. My sister got cat scratch fever a few years ago and almost lost her right arm because of it. It is my understanding that not all people are susceptible to it though, and there is a blood test that can be done to see if your daughter has this vulnerablility. At least, this is what I heard the doctor's told my sister. She had the vulnerability.

Keeping your kitten's nails trimmed, will help. Buying hardwood scratching posts Natural Tree has some good ones, will help, as hardened wood will blunt the claws. Walking the cat outside on a harness and lead, on concrete, will also help blunt the nails.

Not playing with the kitten with your hands or feet will help. Use interactive toys that will run the energy level down a bit and also getting the cat neutered will help.

IF the procedure is done by a competent vet and done the right way, the cat will generally be okay. But if something goes wrong during the procedure, your cat could develop bad behavioral issues, including biting, which is worse than if he scratched your daughter.

The alternative if the doctor is pressing you to get the cat declawed, is to find an alternate home for the kitten and get a cat that is already declawed- there are a lot of them in shelters all over the United States.

I hope this helps to relieve your anxiety- I wish you and your family the best-

I'm sorry about what you face now, with the doctor urging you to declaw. There are alternatives, I'm sure others have mentioned.

But, I am actually (sorry if this is wrong) Curious about your daughter? Did she have to have a colostomy or anything? I was born with an immature colon. The doctors at the time (mid 70's) didn't diagnose it properly, and gave me a colostomy for a 'quick fix'. Well after lots of surgeries in between, the ruined my chances of ever concieving. I no longer have a colostomy, but the scar is there. ANd I still have problems eating, I have a very weak stomache, and I am very prone to constipation. My lower bowels hadn't even had a chance to work from about 2 months to 1 and a half years old. When they actually fixed the problem, and then un did my colostomy (I am under the impression that colostomies aren't reversable... ???) My lower bowels took a while to work.

I wish you best for your feline, and especially your daughter. I feel for her, and the possible problems she may face in the future. My main problem were adheisians... basically scar tissue that formed as a result of my many surgeries. My internal organs were clumped and glued together from that. I had a lot of internal problems growing up. Well at 21 I had an exploritory surgery to find out why I was in so much pain. Turned out al my internal organs were clumped together, and not at all where they SHOULD be. My doctor cut away the scar tissue, put my organs in the proper places, and found out that with two 4 inch cysts near my ovaries, and everything being clumped together, the cysts had grown, and crushed my ovaries, as well as my organs crushing them, so they never matured properly. I am doing better now, however I still have little problems. I hope modern medicine is more modern, less butcher than it was when I was a baby, good luck to your daughter in her health.

I hope a happy medium is reached with your cat's claws. Soft paws sounds good, thinking about it for my three girls.

Did the Dr. ever said why soft paws aren't an option?
As for declawing, my vet here tried to convince me to do a laser declaw, it apparently is better for them than regular declaw and less painful for the cat if the vet knows what he is doing. I have decided not to do it, and I am trying to get my cat to paw at his scratching posts instead of my rugs.
As for cat scratch fever, I never even heard of such a thing, and my cat has been scratching me a lot. It's probably only dangerous to sick children?

From what I understand about cat scratch feaver is that some people get sick from a cat scratch, some don't. My dad's girlfriend's daughter got it when she was a teenager from her own cat. I think it has to do with people's make up or something... ???

Well, it's not the end of the world.
If there is no other choice, IMO, it's better to declaw the cat when he is still young.
The vet could neuter and declaw at the same time so cat doesn't go under anestesia unnecessarily.

Diane Marie,

My daughter is also disabled, though she still has her liver, thank goodness. Her entire bowel is non-functional, though, and she also eats through a feeding tube (Mickey Button) as well as many other problems.

You MUST try soft paws! They're wonderful! Cat CANNOT SCRATCH with these things on. I understand your fears and your doctor's fears, but he is just ignorant of the alternatives. You don't need to amputate your kitty's toes, just get some soft paws and make them work.

Also, you might want to implement the One Hand rule that we use here. My daughter is older and in less danger of becoming sick now (she's 10 ½) but the rule still stands for other kids and for 2 of our 3 cats. Kitties can only be loved with one hand. The kitty is much less likely to scratch if it's just being pet.

Good luck!!

Diana-Marie

I am so sorry to hear this.

There is a website that talks about Cat Scratch Fever. The doctor that wrote this article also talks about how infection can occur even without a cat scratch. The link to the article is here: http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/health/csd.html

I recommend getting a second opinion for your daughter, and also consulting with a vet.

Please let us know what happens.

Originally Posted by loverly7

I am so sorry to hear this.

There is a website that talks about Cat Scratch Fever. The doctor that wrote this article also talks about how infection can occur even without a cat scratch. The link to the article is here: http://www.winnfelinehealth.org/health/csd.html

I recommend getting a second opinion for your daughter, and also consulting with a vet.

Please let us know what happens.

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Hmm.
Here is a quote from that article "Onychectomy (declawing) is also not recommended, since infection can occur without a cat scratch."
The article recommends to wash any scratches with soap and water and teach children not to tease cats. It's also says that cat scratch fever is usually caused by young kittens, not adult cats.

Originally Posted by allissa

Well, it's not the end of the world.
If there is no other choice, IMO, it's better to declaw the cat when he is still young.
The vet could neuter and declaw at the same time so cat doesn't go under anestesia unnecessarily.

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Excuse me, but what do you mean by "unnecessarily"?

I am not an advocate of declawing. I dont like it at all. But I had to have it done for Miikka. The operation was done 1.5 weeks ago. She has FULLY recovered and has learnt that her claws are gone. She is strictly an indoor cat so I dont have to worry about her need to protect herself.
Its quite nice having those claws gone. We can now play without me getting hurt, she can still climb, jump, run and play. After the spay and declaw I have noticed that she is a nicer, calmer and seems to be happier cat. She spends more time in my arms and on my lap purring, and kissing.

Aside from the whole procedure and everything, if you need to get this done instead of giving up your cat, I would much rather declaw than give up a cat.

I just wanted to post the part of the TCS guidelines that addresses declawing:

The majority of our forum members are anti-declaw. Please do not declaw your cat. Declawing is a cruel and unnecessary procedure that is outlawed in most Western countries. It causes the cat tremendous pain and sometimes leads to major behavioral problems. Please note that the majority of cat owners find declawing to be very offensive. We encourage open discussion on all issues, but if you support declawing on the forums, expect some harsh criticism.

Diane, I commend you for doing all you can to avoid declawing your kitty. There is a great thread about alternatives here.

Originally Posted by yayi

Excuse me, but what do you mean by "unnecessarily"?

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The cat will go under anestesia because of the neuter anyway, so, if declawing is done at the same time, the cat will not have to go under anestesia twice.

Yes and be in twice as much pain!!.

Please don't declaw.

My stand is simply this... nature gave them claws. Nature made their claws come out of their bone, rather than a cuticle(sp?). I have heard there are good vets that do a nice clean, not as painful declaw job, and I've heard some that do a butcher job. Some cats adjust well after a declaw, some never recover (mentaly).

When I play rough, or invade my feline's space, and I get scratched... No biggie. It may hurt & sting some, but it goes away. As with stubbing your toe. As a matter of fact, I got the deepest, longest scratch the other day. It WASN'T from any of my cats. I walked too close to someone playing an acoustic guitar, my arm got caught by a piece of string that was poking out, and it gave me a scratch.

It isn't so much of indoor/outdoor declaw or not, We had an indoor/outdoor kitty that i addopted that was declawd. She didn't seem bothered by the lack of her claws at all. BUT after getting attacked twice (I think a dog), she started staying closer to home. It wasn't out side I was worried about really. When I addopted her, she lived in a house with 6 kids!! 2,3,4,7,8,and 9!!!! And these were roudy kids, who's parents were partiers. That cat was tormented horribly. I really think if they hadn't declawd her, those kids would have known NOT to do some of the things they did.

As it was, she spent most of the day GONE while the kids were home. And came in to eat her catfood thrown on a paper plate. And drink from what ever glass was left out with water in it. She didn't have food and water dishes... POOOOR GIRL BUT... it took over 2 years for her to really get used to people after that. She's great now. Happy, Sweet, loving. Not that I am saying that kids should be scratched. They shoudln't, but I would like to think that had she had claws, those older kids (the 3 younger left her alone) might have been a little more respectful of her space, than they were.
NOT to mention adults!!! I've had a few friends bring over people they knew from time to time, and ended up leaving with scratch/bite marks.

If people roughhouse with my cats too rough, I warn them. 'IF you get bit or scratched it's your own fault.' When they do... oh well........... I scoop my feline up, and take her away from them. Mystyc is the only one who will scratch and bite, the others will run away. I just think that (not including reproductive organs) animals should be left the way nature intended them. But that is me Thanks for listening.

Originally Posted by rosiemac

Yes and be in twice as much pain!!.

Please don't declaw.

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Umm...Only if the surgery is done by a total incompent.

No matter what surgery is done, there should never be excessive pain.

Spotz