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Declawing contract?  

post #1 of 66
4/12/06 at 9:55pm
Thread Starter 
I've read that someone that adopted a kitten had to sign a contract saying they will not declaw the kitten. Is this something that's done everywhere??

I've never adopted a kitty from a shelter, so excuse the naiveness...lol.

I'm not for declawing...just curious. It's something I haven't heard before.
post #2 of 66
4/12/06 at 9:57pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by maherwoman
I've read that someone that adopted a kitten had to sign a contract saying they will not declaw the kitten. Is this something that's done everywhere??

I've never adopted a kitty from a shelter, so excuse the naiveness...lol.

I'm not for declawing...just curious. It's something I haven't heard before.
Hmm, I have never heard that before, at least around here. They just make you get the animal spayed/neutered before you take it home.
post #3 of 66
4/12/06 at 9:59pm
yep, I had to sign it for both my cats.
I think its pretty cool that they're doing that. Not only does it protect the cats, but it keeps people from adopting them that aren't prepared to handle the difficulties of having a cat.
post #4 of 66
4/12/06 at 10:25pm
Several shelters around here do that.

And Many breeders do as well. I know with my persian babies I had to sign one. I dont declaw anyways. Against it. And against the way its offered as a side dish type thing at alot of places.

My kittens will be sold with the same contract.
post #5 of 66
4/12/06 at 10:59pm
Breeders have been doing this for years. It is very good to know that shelters are catching on.
post #6 of 66
4/13/06 at 4:54am
I've heard of it at a few places
post #7 of 66
4/13/06 at 5:26am
I've heard of this too. Unfortunatly, my mom is going to want me to get the stray declawed if we keep her. This is only because my mom is moving into a house and has bought all new furniture and such. Is there an alternative to declawing?
post #8 of 66
4/13/06 at 5:55am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soka
I've heard of this too. Unfortunatly, my mom is going to want me to get the stray declawed if we keep her. This is only because my mom is moving into a house and has bought all new furniture and such. Is there an alternative to declawing?


Yes. There is nail clipping and teaching how to use a scratching post, and there are Softpaws: www.softpaws.com
post #9 of 66
4/13/06 at 6:03am
I got my two from different places [JJ from the Humane Society and Jack from a private rescue] and they both had 'no declawing' in the contract. i wouldn't dream of declawing. I know how much it hurts when I trim my own nails down too far, or when the cuticle rips [oooowwwiiiieeeeeee!!!!], so I can only imagine what it would feel like for a cat to have their claws taken from them... much more pain... In both of my cases, there's also the 'claws' (me writing a pun w/o coffee... man) of 'keeping the cat indoors' which i'm also fine with... I grew up with outdoor kitties [my dad's fault], and so many perished by car or other outdoor things... I have no problems keeping mine indoors... though I'm tempted to harness train them once we're in Portland. I dunno. It's a thought.

Amanda
post #10 of 66
4/13/06 at 6:06am
I like the SoftPaws. I might look into that. The only question is, won't the cat chew them off?
post #11 of 66
4/13/06 at 6:15am
Honestly, Soka
They try, but more often then not, the kitty will only be able to remove them when they shed the outer layer of their claw (which happens naturally)At which point, the claw has grown from when you cut them back and it's time to retrim and recap anyway.
post #12 of 66
4/13/06 at 7:19am
We do that at the rescue I work for.

Leo didn't have one, though. He came from a very traditional shelter.
post #13 of 66
4/13/06 at 7:25am
Its illegal here, and i feel it is wrong to de-claw in any event
post #14 of 66
4/13/06 at 8:42am
I wish the U.S. or even some states would make it illegal to declaw. We don't do it to dogs..well maybe some, but still, it's not common to do it for dogs and theirs HURT! Cats, you get scratched and you go on with life.
post #15 of 66
4/13/06 at 8:54am
Quote:
Originally Posted by Soka
I've heard of this too. Unfortunatly, my mom is going to want me to get the stray declawed if we keep her. This is only because my mom is moving into a house and has bought all new furniture and such. Is there an alternative to declawing?
if this is really an issue, look for one that's already declawed. i adopted Chip a month ago, & he was declawed & neutered. just check with the shelter to see if the declawed animal has any litterbox issues - sometimes this is why they're up for adoption. trust me - that is worse than any damage they might do to the furniture with their claws
post #16 of 66
4/13/06 at 9:59am
I had to sign such a contract when I purchased Sadie from her breeder. Throughout my life, I have always had a declawed cat and I was reluctant not to declaw Sadie. However, I've given her a good scratching post and she's taken quite a liking to it, and is leaving all else (ie curtains, couch, etc.) alone. After giving the whole declawing thing much thought, I think it's much better to take the time to train your cat so that they understand the house rules. Also, don't forget to trims your cat's nails on a regular basis. Isn't it better that you should feel the pain of training your cat, rather than your cat feel the pain of declawing??????
post #17 of 66
4/13/06 at 10:06am
Well I really want to keep the stray. She's stolen my heart. So I will definatly look into the caps for her.
post #18 of 66
4/13/06 at 10:26am
You know I was just thinking the other day how used to cats with claws I've become. My Smokey was a 4 paw declaw (I was 12 when we got her so I had no say in what happend) and now I've got 4 with claws & alot of the cats at the shelter have claws. For the most part if the cat is friendly you don't get scratched all that often. It really hellps to keep the claws clipped. My cats are all very good about scratching on what they should. I've got 3 differnt scratchers with the sisal rope (they love that) and 3 of those boxes with the cardboard. The only room in my appartment that doesn't have something for them to scratch on is the bathroom.
post #19 of 66
4/13/06 at 12:08pm
I have.... I had to promise the girl I adopted Limerick from that I wouldn't declaw him. I told her that I can't make a promise like that. Limerick scratches where he should so he never did get declawed. I really don't like the idea of those contracts. If you have an animal that needs a home and you have found a good home for that cat, let the family or person make that choice on their own. Of course you can express your opinion that kitty should not be declawed if that is your position.... But that's just me.
post #20 of 66
4/13/06 at 12:16pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by eburgess
I have.... I had to promise the girl I adopted Limerick from that I wouldn't declaw him. I told her that I can't make a promise like that. Limerick scratches where he should so he never did get declawed. I really don't like the idea of those contracts. If you have an animal that needs a home and you have found a good home for that cat, let the family or person make that choice on their own. Of course you can express your opinion that kitty should not be declawed if that is your position.... But that's just me.
Not to start an argument... But is it ok to debark a dog, or defang a dog or cat? Just because it fits better to the humans life? To allow declawing can cause serious health effects, if not immediatley then later in life. Are you against spay/neuter contracts too? It is for the better good of the health of the animal. I would only want an animal to go to a home where the health is #1 priority and declawing is not healthy, that is not an opinion, that is a fact.
post #21 of 66
4/13/06 at 12:27pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolarityBengals
Not to start an argument... But is it ok to debark a dog, or defang a dog or cat? Just because it fits better to the humans life? To allow declawing can cause serious health effects, if not immediatley then later in life. Are you against spay/neuter contracts too? It is for the better good of the health of the animal. I would only want an animal to go to a home where the health is #1 priority and declawing is not healthy, that is not an opinion, that is a fact.
I completely agree with you! Isn't it better that the human should feel the pain of training their cat, rather than their cat feel the pain of declawing??????
post #22 of 66
4/13/06 at 12:51pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by eburgess
I have.... I had to promise the girl I adopted Limerick from that I wouldn't declaw him. I told her that I can't make a promise like that. Limerick scratches where he should so he never did get declawed. I really don't like the idea of those contracts. If you have an animal that needs a home and you have found a good home for that cat, let the family or person make that choice on their own. Of course you can express your opinion that kitty should not be declawed if that is your position.... But that's just me.
I've heard that declawing an older cat (over 1-1/2 to 2 years) is harder on the animal than declawing a younger cat. So often adoptions are of older animals, which makes the declawing process even worse.

I can't really offer a fair opinion, though. My couches have been filleted by various kitties, and I feel it is mainly my fault for not spending more time training them. Now that I know the downside of declawing, I won't do that to an animal. (Did it once, years ago, not knowing the potential downsides.)
post #23 of 66
4/13/06 at 12:56pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by SolarityBengals
Not to start an argument... But is it ok to debark a dog, or defang a dog or cat? Just because it fits better to the humans life? To allow declawing can cause serious health effects, if not immediatley then later in life. Are you against spay/neuter contracts too? It is for the better good of the health of the animal. I would only want an animal to go to a home where the health is #1 priority and declawing is not healthy, that is not an opinion, that is a fact.
Exactly! I couldn't have said it better.
post #24 of 66
4/13/06 at 12:58pm
For me it was a choice, have nice things or have cats. It may sound bad, but in my mind there is not competition the cats win hands down. The problem with declawing is that it often leads to other behavioral issues (such as peeing outside the box) that will cause a cat to be rehomed anyway. So I say let the poor thing keep it's claws & find it a home who will allow it to keep it's claws.
post #25 of 66
4/13/06 at 1:00pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by RubSluts'Mommy
I got my two from different places [JJ from the Humane Society and Jack from a private rescue] and they both had 'no declawing' in the contract. i wouldn't dream of declawing. I know how much it hurts when I trim my own nails down too far, or when the cuticle rips [oooowwwiiiieeeeeee!!!!], so I can only imagine what it would feel like for a cat to have their claws taken from them... much more pain... In both of my cases, there's also the 'claws' (me writing a pun w/o coffee... man) of 'keeping the cat indoors' which i'm also fine with... I grew up with outdoor kitties [my dad's fault], and so many perished by car or other outdoor things... I have no problems keeping mine indoors... though I'm tempted to harness train them once we're in Portland. I dunno. It's a thought.

Amanda
Amanda, they don't pull the claws out - they cut off the toes up to the first joint. Imagine having your fingers all cut off to the first joint!

We have two cats with intact claws - they have a scratching post and were trained to use it. I have nice furniture and they do not scratch or claw our furniture. I believe it is our duty as responsible pet owners to teach our animals rather than opt for the easy/lazy way out of declawing, de-barking, or whatever the heck else is going on these days. It also takes only seconds to clip kitty's claws once a week.

If cutting off the cats toes so they won't scratch where they shouldn't is acceptable, then perhaps removing someone's tongue if we don't happen to like what you say should also be acceptable. Seems extreme to me but hey - same thing IMO.
post #26 of 66
4/13/06 at 1:04pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rang_27
For me it was a choice, have nice things or have cats. It may sound bad, but in my mind there is not competition the cats win hands down. The problem with declawing is that it often leads to other behavioral issues (such as peeing outside the box) that will cause a cat to be rehomed anyway. So I say let the poor thing keep it's claws & find it a home who will allow it to keep it's claws.
Yup! I wouldn't ever declaw a cat because I love cats, but I also believe that many times (there are exceptions) it does cause behavior problems. For instance I only personally know 3 declawed cats. ALL of them bite. I have had many cats - all with claws. NONE of them ever bit anyone. I see a correlation here.

Refusing to sign the no-declaw contract would definately be a deal breaker.
post #27 of 66
4/13/06 at 1:07pm
Quote:
Amanda, they don't pull the claws out - they cut off the toes up to the first joint. Imagine having your fingers all cut off to the first joint!
I knew that... I just wasn't 100% awake when I wrote it... I would never do that to my cats... and I strongly discourage anyone I know from doing it. I shudder to think what it feels like. The only times my two dig their claws into my cheap furniture is when they lose their balance [goofs] and try to hold on... I'd rather have happy cats and cheap furniture than expensive furniture and cats in extreme pain.
post #28 of 66
4/13/06 at 1:13pm
Hmm I've noticed something. A cat with claws will opt to use its claws in defence, a lot less painful for a human if they happened to get scratched. A declawed cat will use the only thing it has left, its teeth, which hurts a lot more than a scratch. Hmmm. No declawing for me.
post #29 of 66
4/13/06 at 1:19pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by Rockcat
Yup! I wouldn't ever declaw a cat because I love cats, but I also believe that many times (there are exceptions) it does cause behavior problems. For instance I only personally know 3 declawed cats. ALL of them bite. I have had many cats - all with claws. NONE of them ever bit anyone. I see a correlation here.

Refusing to sign the no-declaw contract would definately be a deal breaker.
while i certainly don't endorse declawing, i have not seen this - & i've known 5 declawed cats. one would bite, but the others - it had to be pretty bad before they would - & even then it would be a gentle, warning bite first. Pixel & Mouse didn't bite at all, but i never gave them real reason to. Pixel doesn't even bite when i'm medicating her & holding her mouth with my hand.
post #30 of 66
4/13/06 at 1:34pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by laureen227
while i certainly don't endorse declawing, i have not seen this - & i've known 5 declawed cats. one would bite, but the others - it had to be pretty bad before they would - & even then it would be a gentle, warning bite first. Pixel & Mouse didn't bite at all, but i never gave them real reason to. Pixel doesn't even bite when i'm medicating her & holding her mouth with my hand.
My niece's cat bit my mom while my mom was watching the house. She was sitting on the toilet at the time not even bothering the cat.

My DF tried to pet a friend's cat. She took a swipe at him and tried to bite his hand. Fortunately he pulled away quickly.

Another woman I know constantly jokes about how mean her cat is and how often she bites. When I met the cat, she walked right up to me and hissed. I didn't SEE her bite, but there is no doubt in my mind that she would have bit me if I didn't back off. I've been told she bites on a regular basis.

Just my personal experience. It is only 3 cats, but I do believe their behavior has a LOT to do with them being declawed. It could be a coincidence, but compared to the cats I know who don't bite, I have to believe declawing is at least part of the cause. (just my opinion) If someone declawed me, I bet I would bite too.
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