another declaw question- please help!

[familytimerags]

Originally Posted by Jen

That is great though! I wish all people would insist on spaying the cats before letting them go. 6 weeks is fine to spay as long as the cat weighs 2 lbs. But at 6 weeks, the kitten should still be with it's mother. But that makes me happy to see people refusing to give up their kittens until they are spayed. Too bad he wanted her declawed too...

Jen, I agree completely.

Pediatric spay and neuter is completely safe and ethical. However, I am saddened to see someone wanting a kitten declawed or any cat for that matter.
IMO, declawing is NEVER acceptable.

 

[andelawhi]

Sorry I have not replyed in such a long time. I really had no idea this thread was still going!

To whoever asked- we do have quite a large scratching post for the kitties and they love it!

Here's an update. We did try superglue with the soft paws. It seems to have worked alot better than the glue that came with the caps. I did talk to my husband about the declawing more and told him that thinking about scedualing them for one was just making me sick to my stomache. He said if I was that upset about it than to just not worry about it, and that we wouldn't have to have it done.

There is only one problem I'm found with the soft paws- the day we were moving, we went to breakfast and came back, and it looked like Luna had gotten one of her paws caught on something and the claw looked like it was ripping away from the surrounding skin! She had blood all over her little hand.

She didn't act like it was bothering her an we went ahead and moved. We've now been moved for a week and one day with the new furnature. Some of the cats soft paws have fallen off and when they go to scratch something they actually scratch it. Other than a couple of times, they haven't even thought about touching the couches. At the time that they did- we hiss at them and they stop. The only thing they do scratch at is an old desk chair we have that we don't really care about anyway, so we just let them do it. They are perfect little angels! They've adjusted so well and are really happy with us. Thankyou for all of your support and advice. I love this place!

 

[zissou'smom]

I knew your husband would give in once he realized that it was really upsetting you! A lot of people just don't realize that you don't have to declaw a cat.

Sounds like everything is going well! That's actually the best way to train your cats, to discourage them when they've just discovered something, like your couches. I'm sure everyone will live in harmony.

One really good thing about softclaws is you can use them during training and then you don't have to use them forever. If you want to though, they're inexpensive and as the kitties get used to them they stop trying to get them off.

I'm glad you're enjoying your new place!

 

[jaycee]

Originally Posted by GoldenKitty45

There are health benefits to spay/neuter a cat, but NO health benefits for declawing.

The only thing I tell people is to try EVERY thing to train a cat first. If all fails and you have to resort to declawing, then you'd better plan on keeping the cat the rest of the cat's life no matter what problems occur.

A lot of ads in the papers for rehoming a cat say "declawed"....hmmmm wonder why they need to get rid of the cat now - cat was not causing problems BEFORE the declawing. Many cats in the shelters are declawed...hmmmm wonder why they are now in the shelters?

My first cat was declawed, by order of my parents for me to keep him. After surgery I cried to watch Mitten try to walk and keep meowing in pain. While he was one of the exceptions in declawed cats and didn't have litter problems or biting problems; what I witnessed told me to NEVER do that to a cat again.

In cat shows (some associations allowed declawed cats to be shown) - I've seen many HHP's act up and try to bite, etc. The majority of these cats ARE declawed ones.

i disagree with the thought that the reason there are declawed cats in shelters is the owners gave them up because of behavioral problems as a result of declawing. there are more cats with claws in shelters than declawed ones. couldnt it just be possible they are all there for the same reasons? owners had to move and couldnt take cat, they just plain didnt want it anymore, got married and cat didnt get along with new cat, any number of reasons. why are you just assuming that every declawed cat in the shelters are there ONLY because they are declawed. same goes for the newpaper ad argument.
gosh, i could say, hmmm... wonder why there are cats with claws in the shelters, maybe if their owners had declawed them they wouldnt be here for tearing up furniture, hmmmmm.

 

[jaycee]

Originally Posted by Dryde

My two cents:

He was to have her spayed at 6 weeks. Hi, sorry, no thanks. Needless to say, we passed.

whats wrong with spaying a cat at 6 weeks? shelters do it all the time.

 

[zissou'smom]

Jaycee, this board is heavily against declawing. You are likely to be met with not-so-kind comments if you keep posting things like that. This is the second thread you've posted in where the original poster didn't want their cat declawed and you post defending declawing. It seems almost like you want an argument.

Your points are directly contradicted by things I've already said in this exact thread. Your opinions are not supported by the facts.

 

[jaycee]

Originally Posted by Zissou'sMom

Jaycee, this board is heavily against declawing. You are likely to be met with not-so-kind comments if you keep posting things like that. This is the second thread you've posted in where the original poster didn't want their cat declawed and you post defending declawing. It seems almost like you want an argument.

Your points are directly contradicted by things I've already said in this exact thread. Your opinions are not supported by the facts.

no Zissou, i do not want an argument as that is the one thing i love best about this site is that the members dont stoop to picking at and fighting with one another. im sorry you dont agree with my opinion but i do believe i have the right to express it as you do yours. i would also like to point out that i did not post in this thread defending declawing (although since you brought it up, yes, i do believe its not as bad as a lot of people make it out to be). i simply disagree with the statement that declawed cats are in shelters merely because they are declawed. please show me facts that support that.

 

[zissou'smom]

Please refer to the numerous posts both I and others have made in this thread with the very facts I'm talking about in them. Here is a quote from one of them:

"1/3 of cats have a behavioral problem after a declaw, a fifth have long-term complications (this is NOT the same as immediately after the surgery, such as bleeding or pain. These are complications that arise after years, or last for life). Cats are more likely to be surrendered to the shelter for aggression and peeing/pooping outside the box (problems that arise more often in declawed cats) than for inappropriate scratching (3%)"

I don't think people should be charged with a felony for declawing their cat or anything. But it is cruel, mainly because it is a painful thing for your cat to endure simply for the convenience of the owner. Any surgery is cruel if the risks outweigh the benefits, and there are NO benefits to the cat and there are lots of risks.

Many veterinarians do declaws only because they believe that their owners will throw them out or have them put to sleep if they are not declawed, and yes, a cat who is declawed but has a home is better off-- maybe-- than a homeless one. But if declawing can cause homelessness, well then, even that "benefit" is overshadowed. I'm glad the cats that you have had declawed haven't experienced any problems yet. But there are numerous anecdotal stories on both sides.

Yes, you certainly do have a right to express your civilized opinion. I just don't think a thread started by someone seeking help on how to convince either their parents or their husband to not declaw is the correct venue for debating it.

I would be happy to carry on the same civilized debate via pm if you would like. It's just that the vast majority of people who are reading this thread will be overjoyed that LunaLou's husband has decided not to demand declawing, and that should be the focus of this thread.

 

[jaycee]

i was simply replying to a statement made by another poster, i wasnt advocating or trying to start a debate on whether or not declawing is acceptable. my post had nothing to do with whether or not declawing is acceptable and i did not take a stance either way. yes, if you would like to have a respectful discussion on that, i would be happy to via pm. but in all of my responses to you, i have not tried to start any such discussion so im not sure why you are insinuating thats what im trying to start here.