Would you be okay with declawing if...

[dark_waltz]

Originally Posted by buffyfan

The owner was elderly and whose skin didn't heal properly from the scratches? Softclaws didn't work.

The owner has AIDS or is in other ways immunocompromised and loves the cat but cannot keep it with claws due to risk of infection.

The cat is attacking small children

The cat is very aggressive and feliway and other methods have not helped

the owner wants to euthanize due to scratching behavioral problems

In a word No. Luckily here in England its just not done, (well not to my knowledge)
vets are trained rather too highly over here to take part in that sort of thing
( they are better trained than most doctors

)

 

[jcat]

Originally Posted by buffyfan

In a study in Germany (where declawing is illegal) of 1177 cats, the second most common owner behavioral complaint, second only to states of anxiety was scratching (15.2% of cats). For 125 cats the owners had attempted to correct the problem, 60% had partial success with environmental management or aversion conditioning, but only 10% were able to completely resolve the problem.

I live in Germany, and am also a member of German cat forums, and would like to make two points. 1) Although Soft Claws are available here, primarily online, a great many cat owners (and vets) aren't aware of this option. 2) It's not at all common, IME, for cat owners to clip their cats' claws, and I have often seen it characterized as "cruel" in cat magazines and books. In other words, those attempting to correct the problem frequently aren't exhausting the options available.

 

[arlyn]

Sorry, I could never support declawing for the owner's sake.

Adopt an already declawed cat and rehome the one with claws.
Surgeries in general are much, much easier on kittens than on adult cats, I could never dream of putting an adult or senior cat through that trauma just to keep it with me.

My oldest is thirteen years, if something happened where her claws were a libability to my health I would rehome her, or pay a large sum of money to place her has a sanctuary resident cat.

It is precisely because I love her that I would rather see her go elsewhere than be put through that kind of pain and trauma.

 

[yorda]

Originally Posted by buffyfan

I just can't grasp why vets would declaw if they felt that it was inhumane. You could make the argument that the increase in revenue is worth it but I'm not convinced. There are probably some vets out there that declaw for increased $$ but I can't see that with all vets. It just seems that cat owners take a more extreme stance on declawing than vets themselves and that just doesn't really make sense to me.

I have to wonder if vets would have a different opinion of declawing if they were the ones that had to deal with the cats that developed problems afterwards. Instead those cats are dumped in shelters or euthanized when problems develop, so they do not get to see the trends in the reason for surrender of those declawed cats.

Another thing to consider: if the vet truly doesnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t feel declawing has negative side effects, then they arenâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t likely to attribute any problems that start after the declaw have anything to do with the procedure and may misdiagnose and mistreat the problem. (That or being sued because the potential side effects hadnâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]t previously been disclosed to the owner). One of my “kitty nieces†stopped using the litterbox after her declaw - and even though her declawed paws clearly bothered her (she would chew and rip at them), the vetâ€[emoji]8482[/emoji]s solution was to heavily drug her for an “anxiety problemâ€. Not once did he mention paw sensitivity issues- which turned out to be the true cause to her problem and was easily fixed by finding a softer litter.

 

[eburgess]

It's up to the owners, if I or someone in the house has an auto-immune disease, clotting problem, I would most likely have it done.

If the cat is simeply attacking people, I would have it removed

 

[rosiemac]

Originally Posted by Epona

As it's illegal here, it wouldn't make any difference whether I was for or against, in none of those situations would it be an option anyway!

We seem to get by ok without declawing at all, in any situation.

Amen to that

But even if it was allowed in this country i still wouldn't even in those circumstances listed.

 

[gizmocat]

You describe a home with an immunity-compromised and elderly person who also has small children running around. It sounds as if this is very stressful for the cat as well as the owner.
The cat is ten years old and unlikely to be rehomed easily in a shelter and it's probably too old for such a traumatic operation.

I'd first take it to the vet and see if it has a medical condition. Then, I'd place the cat with a relative of the elderly person. That way they will be able to see it and run little risk of scratches or bites.
If the cat is scratching or biting its long term owner it is probably responding to stresses in the house, and it probably isn't the best sort of pet for an ill person.
I'd get the owner a guinea pig or hamster that can't cause any damage, won't attack anything, and will be a nice companion for a few years.

I own a declawed cat and feel that though I'd never do this operation on a cat now, I do not see anything wrong with owning one that was 'done' years ago. But a declawed cat can still bite.

The ill person should get a smaller, safer pet with no sharp claws.

 

[lorina]

Cat's teeth are a lot more dangerous than it's claws. Would anyone suggest extracting all a cat's teeth if it were aggressive or if it's owners had health issues?

I'm not 100% opposed to declawing. Maybe 99% opposed, but not 100%. If it's a matter of the cat having a safe, loving, indoor life without claws, or being tossed out on the street or euthanized, I'd rather see it declawed. But I'd never declaw one of my own.

And the thought of declawing a 10 year old cat? Yikes. Just the anesthesia is a major risk at that age. And the recovery time? Double yikes. Kittens bounce back pretty fast, but an adult or elderly cat would be in pain for a month or more.

If someone wants a declawed cat, there's plenty available for adoption at any time.

 

[ruthie70]

If a person truly loves their pet they would not deliberately choose to cause it such extreme pain. Just wanting the cat's companionship is not a good enough reason - not by a long shot! Personally, as with humans, I would prefer to have my cat put to sleep rather than have it suffer so much. That would not of course be my first choice - we have here in Richmond a beautiful cat's shelter run by volunteers. It's a beautiful place - a kitty paradise, lots of space, gardens, little cottages with overstuffed chairs - lots of human interaction and loving care. That is where I got my Annie in the first place.

 

[goldenkitty45]

No, but if they wanted to adopt a declawed cat that had been done, that would be fine. Just don't be declawing another cat - there are plenty out there that have been done.

 

[gizmocat]

To return to the topic:

Declawing this cat will only make it frightened and angry. Since it's already pretty stressed out, it's better to rehome it and get the immuno-compromised person a new, quiet pet that won't run around on the floor. Any children visiting the pet should be instructed not to scream at it or frighten it, no matter what it is.

 

[denice]

Declawing a cat at this age will only increase the negative behaviors that it is already displaying. The only cats that seem to be okay behavior wise with declawing are ones that had it done as kittens, not that I am in favor of declawing kittens either. I just don't think it is a viable option at all for an older cat.

 

[kittydad]

it is funny, everytime I come to this site, and even look at this threat, maggie is in my lap looking as well. Personally, I am of the opinion to exhaust all other options including a vet visit, before looking at this option. That includes rehoming. I am the type of person that tries everything in my power to correct a situation before going to an extreme as one being discussed here.

Suzie was declawed when I got her, and even though she had no claws, she did try to scratch the furniture. Even though I admit it was nice that she had no claws, it was done before I got her, so it never really crossed mt mind. Maggie, I have to teach to no use her claws as much, but seeing as I have only had her a few days (this being day 4), that training will come over time. But i will not declaw her, the potential harm far outweighs the benefits IMO.

Please, for the cats sake, look at the other options, and go from there. If worst comes to worst, rehome the cat, but exhaust all other options before using extreme measures. I personally use less intrusive methods, and progress to more intrusive as the others are not working if necessary. I do not use the most severe right off the hop if a less severe option is available nad will work.

 

[ping]

I have not read the whole thread so this may have been asked already. Has the owner had these problems for the 10 yrs she owned it? If so has it always acted this way? If so why is this a problem now, what has changed to create this problem?

In any event no I would not declaw the cat. I think either re-homing the cat or teaching the woman how to clip the claws is a more appropriate course of action.

Originally Posted by buffyfan

The owner was elderly and whose skin didn't heal properly from the scratches? Softclaws didn't work.

The owner has AIDS or is in other ways immunocompromised and loves the cat but cannot keep it with claws due to risk of infection.

The cat is attacking small children

The cat is very aggressive and feliway and other methods have not helped

the owner wants to euthanize due to scratching behavioral problems