Declaw or Not?

[misterwhiskers]

Have you looked into places that could maybe do reconstructive paw surgery one your cat? I heard this is done both for big cats and domestic cats you could look into the paw project on facebook and get some info if you might want to do this and if you still have the cat. I would like to note that this should not be used as a excuse to get a cat declawed i.e oh I'm going to declaw my cat and I can get reconstructive paw surgery done later on. Declawing should be banned everywhere!

Reconstructive surgery? What can they do?

I looked up the Paw Project. Now I'm crying. I wish to god I hadn't panicked, but at the time I was clinically depressed, being stalked, and feared for my kittens life. I was not thinking clearly.

The Paw Project looks great, but on a quick read I saw nothing about reconstructive surgery for house cats. To be hinest, i'd almost hate to have to put him through that again, esp as an adult. He can walk normally, but hard jumps (4 feet or more) can cause him to limp.

 

[morganalefae]

misterwhiskers,Go post on paw projects facebook page and ask about it. I have seen stories on there that talk about cats that have had this surgery

 

[misterwhiskers]

misterwhiskers,Go post on paw projects facebook page and ask about it. I have seen stories on there that talk about cats that have had this surgery

I will thank you. I hope the OP does as well.

 

[catsrworld]

I do try claw covers. But when he batted his paw at me he had one claw cover off.  Do you think I should clip his claws and put covers on them just to be safe.

 

[molly92]

 
I do try claw covers. But when he batted his paw at me he had one claw cover off.  Do you think I should clip his claws and put covers on them just to be safe.

Yes, trim the tips of his nails first, and check his paws occasionally to see if any of the covers have fallen off. They should fall off/be replaced every 4-6 weeks as the nail grows, but if something knocks one or two off sooner you can reapply a new one. If you're diligent about that I don't think anyone could be concerned about the cat being dangerous, although like most people on this thread, I doubt he poses that much of a threat to begin with.

 

[Willowy]

The "reconstructive" surgery for de-clawed cats isn't really reconstructive. It actually removes MORE bone, it just fixes a bad de-claw that left painful bone spurs. If the cat doesn't have bone spurs it won't fix anything.

I believe there's a powerful video on the subject on youtube, but I don't know the name. Try doing a search for it on youtube. If you show that to your housemates they may get the point.

 

[talkingpeanut]

I do try claw covers. But when he batted his paw at me he had one claw cover off.  Do you think I should clip his claws and put covers on them just to be safe.

I think clipping his nails and claw covers would certainly help. The other thing that's important to keep in mind is respecting your cat's boundaries. Without meaning to, you said you may have made him feel uncomfortable and trapped. If you learn to read his physical cues I don't see why you should be in this position again.

 

[fyllis]

While I think Soft Paws (vinyl covers) are a great idea, I'm not sure I understand the true need for them. You clip the claws before applying them... so, if the claws are clipped, what's the need?  Keeker has a tendency to love running past me and playfully jumping up my arm and grabbing me, which used to end up with me having gouges and scratches down my arms. I just clipped his claws this afternoon and even when he swipes at me I can't feel a thing. He gets a manicure about every 2 weeks or so. 

 

[moonshine3]

I too played with the idea of declawing my cat that had agression issues but after finding the reason for the aggression we were able to stop the behavior. Long story short she was being treated horribly by one of my children. Sometimes it can be harder to train a child than a cat. She used to attack my head if i got anywhere near her but i noticed her agression cues and could move out of her bubble. Now the child no longer treats her with cruelty at all and she has returned to my sweet lap kitty with some minor tics that i have learned to avoid (like trying to get my cell phone from under her fat belly). When i invade her comfort zone i get clear warnings. She is saying "look mom i dont want to hurt you but i am not happy with you and claws are my best defense against anything". She swishes her tail,growls,and then when i am not listening she hisses to get my attention. If she has done all this and i dont stop what is upsetting her she will then strike. She hates her claws clipped but i force it on her for everyones sake including her own. She feels better after a good trim even if she wont admit it.

 

[rpandcat]

I'm totally with @Moonshine3. There is always a signal. Dogs, cats, horses--animals almost always have warnings long before they act in what seems to be an aggressive manner. Cats are not random--the people around you --maybe they can be educated to understand that cats do not act randomly, but pretty darn systematically.

When I got my cat, the person I was with didn't want me to get her spayed or microchipped, saying that those things were cruel. I "bargained," and got her spayed. And then I took her in and got her microchipped. He wasn't a good person (as evidenced by other things). He cared about how HE felt, not about the well-being of the cat. Me--don't be like me. Don't cave to people who aren't interested in your animal's well-being, but are interested in quick solutions.

Another thing to try with the scratching. I think people try this with biting--is to make the high-pitched "You've wounded me" sound.

Also, I would wonder about your cat physically. Sometimes cats are really sensitive to people approaching them because of pain.

 

[morganalefae]

Dumb question for you how do you know the people you live with are not making the cat mean so you will have him declawed? just asking because there are cruel people who lke hurting animals specially when that animal is thought to be helpless i.e no claws to scratch their eyes out with. plus he may have under lying health issues that should be looked into/taken care of before anything else you could also look up jackson galaxy he deals with problem cats if you will and every cat he has helped either has a health issue or it's the humans fault for not reading the signs or providing something the cat needs.. try getting cat wand toys and play with him as he will focus and put his energy into going after the toy as he may just have loads of energy that is coming out as bad behavior.

 

[catsrworld]

I know my housemates aren't like that they wouldn't do that.

 

[morganalefae]

But yet here you are talking about declawing your cat because the people you live with say you should. If they would not hurt your cat why do they want you to hurt it by declawing it thus causing more issues then the odd slash out when you yourself admited you think you got to close and he did not like it thus he took a swipe at you. Like I said also get a vet to look at him to see if their maybe a health issue that may be causing agression if not try getting more toys,scratching post and wand toys etc that way he will burn his energy off with those and be able to scratch to his hearts content. Honestly tho DO NOT DECLAW it is the worst thing you could do "for" your cat and later on when he could be crippled and in pain you will wish that you never did  because a large percent of cats if not all cats that go through the declawing "process" end up living in pain. They also have their paws and legs bandaged really tight after the process and some bleed for hrs/days from the wounds even tho the bandages are that tight they also run the risk of really bad infections.

 

[moonshine3]

Part of my training with Savvy was the loud pain cry. I used it on the kids and it worked when they were babies and thought cats are at LEAST at smart as my older childern (if not smarter lol) so it couldn't hurt right? Well it helped a lot.

 

[catsrworld]

they still think he is dangerous.  They are practically ignoring this.

 

[molly92]

Who owns this cat? If it's yours and yours alone, then they really have no say, especially because he's never actually really hurt anyone! If they're that worried about children, then just keep him in a separate room when children are over.

 

[moonshine3]

Personally i am really glad i never declawed any of my babies. My mother took my kitten to have it declawed when i was a kid and later took my baby to the pound where she was DESTROYED because no one wanted her but me and she was "damaged" by the declawing because she walked funny. That was devastating to me. The worst part was that i was a kid and had no say. My mom still declaws and then gets rid of the cats because they are "bad". I turned her in once when i was about 20 but nothing was ever done to stop her. We dont speak. Florida at least where she lives doesn't have a law against declawing or ear and tail clipping on dogs. I hate these practices and believe they are wrong. I dont think that anyone should declaw or clip animals.

 

[moonshine3]

Another approach for the ones insisting you mutilate your baby.....in some countries they will chop off your hand for stealing, this is like chopping of a small child's hand for accidentally taking food when he or she is starving. Very drastic measures in both instances. Please help your house mates understand or you can always find an apartment of your own to share with your fuzzy buddy.

 

[hatchytt]

I wouldn't declaw Hecate. I'm actually afraid to trim her claws. I don't know how and I'm afraid I'll hurt her. I'd rather simply deal with the occasional scratch. She never means it. She just plays a bit rough.

 

[morganalefae]

 
they still think he is dangerous.  They are practically ignoring this.

I personally would tell them to bugger off they have no right to pressure you into doing this. with that said were are you from i.e country or state? because like I said in a pervous post alot of places will not declaw cats.

honestly rehome the cat instead of declawing it at lest then you would have done everything you could to make sure he was not cruely treated. You housemates sound like uneducated unfeeling jerks and I'm glad I'm not having to deal with them because I would go and give someone a swift kick in the pants! but that is me.. u could always move out if u live with them or u can try and throw ur housemates out if its ur house and find new house mates.

if they are ur "friends or family" eh well same still applies they should not force u into harming ur cat as for small kids like I said with any animal u need to watch kids around! some animals just dont like kids just like some adults! why do u think some ppl that dont have kids have a animal? they are easier to deal with!