Declawing my cat

[Norachan]

I get little scratches pretty much every day and I've never had any problem with them. Yet on the two occasions I've been bitten (Both times it was my own fault for trying to grab hold of a scared cat.

) I've had infections that needed to be treated with antibiotics.

As other people have said, anything that makes it more likely a cat will bite than scratch is a much greater health risk. I think declawing is a bad idea for the cats and their owners.

 

[jodiethierry64]

Yes my declawed kitty doesn't bite he chomps and he has chomped me to the bone he's such a sweetheart but when you need to get him into the carrier, to see the vet, he will put up s fight. He knows carrier = vet. It's my fault though and I deserve it. I Love him so much! :-) :-) :-)

 

[poppysmummy]

The question of de-clawing in this country wouldn't even arise as it's totally illegal. No vet here will perform such a procedure which should tell you somethingI also think it's extremely cruel. A cat has those sharp claws for a reason and that's defence in a fight. I'm sorry but I don't agree with what you are doing!

 

[konstargirl]

 
My vet brought up a very good point about why declawing shouldn't be outlawed: she has clients with illnesses in which a cat scratch could be potentially fatal like transplant patients, HIV, hemophilia etc. She said she would much rather declaw the cat and keep it in the home than to ban declawing which would lead to these cats being sent to shelters. Obviously most people getting their cats declawed don't suffer from these illnesses, but it is a consideration for not banning declawing completely.

Disagree! My friend is HIV + and I have Lupus( the blood problem of it) and we do NOT have problems when an animal bites or scratch us.

 

[tammyp]

I think that vet doesn't understand the typical behaviour of declawed cats...they tend to bite, as many have said here.  I'd be thinking a bite is just as, if not more, dangerous than a scratch, so it's illogical thinking.  And yes, people have serious diseases and still live happily with cats - we've been through leukemia and certainly didn't declaw!  It's not like our cats are living to come out and scratch us, so the risk is pretty damn minimal. People are far more dangerous - and likely to kill you when you have no immunity - than cats.

 

[Norachan]

I agree. Also I think that as vet's make quite a lot of money out of declawing cats they'll look for reasons to justify what they do. There is scientific research to back up all kinds of outlandish theories, but it doesn't make the theory true. You can "prove" just about anything if you want to.

Leave the claws on the kitties, that's where they are supposed to be.

 

[tulosai]

 
I agree. Also I think that as vet's make quite a lot of money out of declawing cats they'll look for reasons to justify what they do. There is scientific research to back up all kinds of outlandish theories, but it doesn't make the theory true. You can "prove" just about anything if you want to.

Leave the claws on the kitties, that's where they are supposed to be.

Yes, if any vet suggests declawing to me or advertises that they do it on their website I am out of there like a shot.  Some good vets I know do it in certain situations essentially because they know or strongly believe it is that or the owners will abandon the cat, and they'd rather the cat keep their home, but those vets don't advertise with any pride that they do it and would never suggest it to someone or just let someone do it without explaining what it is.

 

[segelkatt]

As I said before, my vet will do it if someone insists because he feels that if he doesn't do it they will take it somewhere else. This way at least he knows it has been done correctly and he schedules follow-up to make sure there are no complications. He also strongly counsels against it and explains what it will do to the cat. But some people are just more concerned about their furniture than about the cat.

 

[jodiethierry64]

I know my mom had her cat declawed ( please don't attack my mom. She is now deceased) Anyway because of being a severe asthmatic she was on prednisone for 3 yrs straight. Her skin was like tissue paper and she was bloated like someone in congested heart failure. She was affraid his claws would tear her.Well guess what? He became a biter who would chomp so declawing is pointless when you are medically fragile.

It would of been more medically beneficial , for him and her, to keep the claws. Just trim them often.

 

[stephanie42]

i won't go through the 'why you shouldn't declaw your cat' arguments, because obviously everyone has covered the major points and you've decided not to go through with it - good for you!! (and your kitteh!!)

i'd like to share some info on scratching.  my two oldest were never, every scratchers.  they had one standing scratcher, about 3' tall, and a few flat ones.  then one day, they started trying to scratch the back of my couch!  OH HECK NO!  i used a spray water bottle and a stern 'no' when i caught them in the act, then picked them up and put their front paws on something to scratch.  lots of praise when they started scratching an appropriate place.  

and then i started getting different scratchers.  one of mine HATES cardboard, but loves sisal rope.  it's also important to have something tall enough that your cat can really streeeeeeeetch out when clawing, like if they were outside scratching on a tree.  double stick tape, like others have said, is an excellent cat deterrent.  and of course, soft paws.  the colored ones seem silly to some people, but like another poster said it makes it SO EASY to tell when one's fallen off.

now i want to weigh in on the declawing-for-human-health-reasons that someone brought up: no.  i'm immunosuppressed and still love my cats - claws and all.  the most dangerous parts of a cat bacteria-wise are the teeth and the litter box.  my spectacular hubby cleans the boxes for me and i do all i can to not let them bite me, which is easy because they're not biters.  i am sure to trim their nails regularly - i aim for once a week, but it's more realistically once every other week - and if i do get scratched, i wash with soap and water immediately.  if it's a bad scratch, i'll put on neosporin and a bandaid for the first day.  declawing should be illegal in america, as it is in other civilized countries, unless it is medically necessary, as in the case of tumors or specific types of bone infections.

 

[mycatwasthebest]

I too had my cat declawed out of ignorance, I regretted it for over 15 years. her (natural) back paws were beautiful but the declawed front paws looked like they were put in a meat grinder. Only now am I thinking maybe that's why she bit so much.

and sorry, but if someone is so ill they can't be scratched by a cat chances are the cat is going to end up being rehomed anyway.

 

[teddytimble]

I am completely against declawing a cat, I think it is cruel, thankfully it is illegal in the UK.  My cats have clawed at furniture, made a hole in the end of my bed! and clawed at wallpaper.  If you have a cat and find them clawing stuff unacceptable maybe a cat is the wrong pet for you. They need their claws for so many things and to remove claws when the cat is doing something that is totally natural  behaviour to them is not right. Sorry to be blunt but I find this sort of thing so wrong.

I

 

[llinda]

I'm sure by now. You get the point no one wants you to declaw. I have covers on my furniture. And. It works fine please reconsider