Selective declaw for polydactyl

[Freddieandchip]

Does anyone have experience with selective declawing for polydactyl cats? My mom has a polydactyl who we rescued as a kitten. She never fully warmed up to people, she loves my mom but she is very anxious in general and will not let any other person touch her. Her claw between her regular paw and her extra toe becomes overgrown sometimes. My mom had someone who was coming over to clip her nails but she moved away. We haven’t been able to find anyone else and we aren’t able to do it ourselves (the cat is extremely scared of people, the person who was cutting her nails was very experienced so she was able to do it quickly). My mom is now having to take her to the vet every few weeks which is extremely stressful for her. She hides for days after and it’s very difficult for both her and my mom. She’s going to the vet on Monday and I told my mom that she should ask the vet about selective declaw but she is very hesitant. She declawed cats in the 90s before she knew how bad it was and she feels so guilty about it so she is very worried about doing anything similar but I do think that it would help in this situation just because of her cats anxiety level. If anyone has any experience with this I would really appreciate your advice

 

[Mighty Orange]

Declawing a cat is the same as amputating a finger. Look into vet applied nail caps.

 

[Freddieandchip]

Declawing a cat is the same as amputating a finger. Look into vet applied nail caps.

I’m talking about one claw that becomes overgrown, not all of her claws. I have seen vets recommended this as an option for cats with this issue. If you read my post you can clearly see we just want what’s best for her

 

[Cf24248]

My mom has a cat like this. She has thumbs, but then little nub toes waaaay in the crease of the thumb that's very hard to find. The claw grows FAST, and if you don't clip it it'll grow into the foot because of how steeply it curves.

Honestly - I wouldn't ask for a declaw of that toe, I would as for a total toe amputation. It would remove the toe and not cause the problems that declaw does. It sounds like - if getting that nail clip truly causes that much stress - that would be better for kitty in the long run.

 

[Freddieandchip]

I’m talking about one claw that becomes overgrown, not all of her claws. I have seen vets recommended this as an option for cats with this issue. If you read my post you can clearly see we just want what’s best for her

The nail clip is not going to stop her claw from becoming over

My mom has a cat like this. She has thumbs, but then little nub toes waaaay in the crease of the thumb that's very hard to find. The claw grows FAST, and if you don't clip it it'll grow into the foot because of how steeply it curves.

Honestly - I wouldn't ask for a declaw of that toe, I would as for a total toe amputation. It would remove the toe and not cause the problems that declaw does. It sounds like - if getting that nail clip truly causes that much stress - that would be better for kitty in the long run.

thank you for the advice! The main reason I’m considering it is because I feel like the vet visits every few weeks would traumatize her, especially because she only feels safe around one person, I would feel terrible if it affected her relationship with my mom and she started to trust her less. This has been going on for years now and we only just started talking about removing the claw all together because I just feel like the more she goes through the nail clipping the less trusting she gets.

 

[Freddieandchip]

The nail clip is not going to stop her claw from becoming over

thank you for the advice! The main reason I’m considering it is because I feel like the vet visits every few weeks would traumatize her, especially because she only feels safe around one person, I would feel terrible if it affected her relationship with my mom and she started to trust her less. This has been going on for years now and we only just started talking about removing the claw all together because I just feel like the more she goes through the nail clipping the less trusting she gets.

Unfortunately she used to like me but since I don’t live with my mom and I always come over to help clip her nails or get her in the carrier, she associated me with negative things and now she’s terrified of me, I feel so bad

 

[Cf24248]

Unfortunately she used to like me but since I don’t live with my mom and I always come over to help clip her nails or get her in the carrier, she associated me with negative things and now she’s terrified of me, I feel so bad

Yeah, I get that! My big male cat Ori is a very anxious cat who is REALLY skittish with other people. Going to the vet is incredibly traumatic to him. If I had to bring him regularly for nail clip I would absolutely ask about toe amputation - I can't imagine how poorly his mental health would be with regular vet trips. I've just recently managed to get his anxiety under control, I would not be willing to undo that lol. I think it's a humane and reasonable option for the kitty in question and would be better in the long run.

 

[carebearbaby1]

I just did this with my poly boy. He was out for his neuter so we declawed that one toe. It doesn't touch the floor and they don't walk on it so it shouldn't cause any issues like declawing used toes. My vet uses a surgical laser scalpel. Very little blood and fast healing. He doesn't even miss that nail.