Declawing contract?

[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.

 

[catloverin_ks]

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.

 

[eupnea]

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.

 

[scamperfarms]

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.

 

[gayef]

Breeders have been doing this for years. It is very good to know that shelters are catching on.

 

[katiemae1277]

I've heard of it at a few places

 

[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?

 

[commonoddity042]

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

 

[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

 

[soka]

I like the SoftPaws. I might look into that. The only question is, won't the cat chew them off?

 

[turtlecat]

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.

 

[lionessrampant]

We do that at the rescue I work for.

Leo didn't have one, though. He came from a very traditional shelter.

 

[vampirecat]

Its illegal here, and i feel it is wrong to de-claw in any event

 

[lunasmom]

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.

 

[laureen227]

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

 

[sadie's mom]

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??????

 

[soka]

Well I really want to keep the stray. She's stolen my heart. So I will definatly look into the caps for her.

 

[rang_27]

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.

 

[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.

 

[solaritybengals]

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.