Declawing Cats

[Mizzkizz7]

  I have been online doing research on declawing cats. Have thought about it but I don't know. I heard of people who have done it, and I have heard of people who are against it. Sometimes cats will scratch carpets, sofas etc, regardless of countless cat trees. I only have 1 cat tree, working on purchasing another soon.

[pstovall]

I've had only one cat, and she lived twenty years with all her claws attached!  We never had a problem with her having claws, but I can see how destructive they might be to objects, people and other animals, if the cat were aggressive.  I've pondered the question in the past, and considered the pros and cons, but never seriously thought of following through with the procedure.  I guess I have to agree with that old commercial, "You shouldn't mess with Mother Nature!"

[mnmaverick55410]

In the past I only had a problem with aggressive male Cats. The two female Cats I had were more reserved and stayed out of trouble. I adopted a 6 month old Kitten (Bella) in September and she turned out to be an aggressive female who gets into everything and attacks or climbs on everything. So yeah, the personality of the Cat has alot to do with it.

I've been thinking about declawing her since I got her, but it's a little late in the game now. She's about 9 months old.

They recommend between 3 to six years of age for declawing. 

[countrygirl12]

I have been online doing research on declawing cats. Have thought about it but I don't know. I heard of people who have done it, and I have heard of people who are against it. Sometimes cats will scratch carpets, sofas etc, regardless of countless cat trees. I only have 1 cat tree, working on purchasing another soon.

I have indoor cats and they are declawed. They only do the front. And it doesn't hurt anything. People are just looking for something to protest about. Or something to try to run somebody else's lives. I say if you do not want to declaw your cat then don't. But stop trying to tell others they are evil if they do.

Mine is declawed and still "scratches" on stuff.  If the claws were there my house would be destroyed. And my cats have an awesome life inside in the warm security of a constant shelter.

[countrygirl12]

In the past I only had a problem with aggressive male Cats. The two female Cats I had were more reserved and stayed out of trouble. I adopted a 6 month old Kitten (Bella) in September and she turned out to be an aggressive female who gets into everything and attacks or climbs on everything. So yeah, the personality of the Cat has alot to do with it.

I've been thinking about declawing her since I got her, but it's a little late in the game now. She's about 9 months old.

They recommend between 3 to six years of age for declawing. 

It has nothing to do with being aggressive.  Cats scratch to sharpen their claws.  I have never had a cat that was aggressive.

I don't know where you get your info on declawing at 3-6 years.  If you wait until they are 6 years old then you may as well not declaw them.  Most times people who declaw do it at the same time as when they spay or neuter.  That is closer to 4-6 months.

[Mizzkizz7]

I have been online doing research on declawing cats. Have thought about it but I don't know. I heard of people who have done it, and I have heard of people who are against it. Sometimes cats will scratch carpets, sofas etc, regardless of countless cat trees. I only have 1 cat tree, working on purchasing another soon.
Thanks for your advice. Did your cats have behavioral issues. Problems going to the litter box? Trust me I'm not going to listen to others.  I ordered some nail caps off amazon and he was really frustrated, moody and aggressive. He eventually bit most of them off so I just let the rest come off on their own. I'm still considering this but heard that they get moody when you declaw them because they don't have them anymore, they began to have behavioral problems. I'm going to do what's best for me. I plan on buying new furniture next year so this cannot go on.

I have indoor cats and they are declawed. They only do the front. And it doesn't hurt anything. People are just looking for something to protest about. Or something to try to run somebody else's lives. I say if you do not want to declaw your cat then don't. But stop trying to tell others they are evil if they do.

Mine is declawed and still "scratches" on stuff.  If the claws were there my house would be destroyed. And my cats have an awesome life inside in the warm security of a constant shelter.

[Mizzkizz7]

Hello everyone! When I use the Quote feature, I get tangled all up on the response. My response is probably underneath someone else or in the wrong area. Sorry for the confusion. Threads can be confusing sometimes.

[aflyingmonkey]

I"ve had my indoor cats declawed all my life & it doesn't seem like it ever bothered them.... and we had not only the front claws removed, but the back claws as well.

My current indoor cat is a Ragdoll... cost a fortune & he is not declawed & even though he gets his claws clipped & has scratch boxes everywhere, he can't help but stretch up on a piece of furniture & his claws pierce the fabric or bonded leather.  It's a battle & not worth it... I wouldn't hesitate to declaw my next cat -- they do it by laser at a vet by my house, so they don't have to clip the knuckle, so it's more humane if that is an issue for people.

Live & learn... all my cats will all be fixed & delcawed in the future.  They, too, will have an awesome pampered life living indoors clawless.

[countrygirl12]

Hello everyone! When I use the Quote feature, I get tangled all up on the response. My response is probably underneath someone else or in the wrong area. Sorry for the confusion. Threads can be confusing sometimes.

Yeah I see where that happened above and I can't see what you typed.

When you hit quote and get to this box be sure and click to make sure the cursor is below the [/quote] Even hit enter to move down a line or two.  And sometimes it is just stupid and still does it that way.

[countrygirl12]

I have been online doing research on declawing cats. Have thought about it but I don't know. I heard of people who have done it, and I have heard of people who are against it. Sometimes cats will scratch carpets, sofas etc, regardless of countless cat trees. I only have 1 cat tree, working on purchasing another soon.
Thanks for your advice. Did your cats have behavioral issues. Problems going to the litter box? Trust me I'm not going to listen to others.  I ordered some nail caps off amazon and he was really frustrated, moody and aggressive. He eventually bit most of them off so I just let the rest come off on their own. I'm still considering this but heard that they get moody when you declaw them because they don't have them anymore, they began to have behavioral problems. I'm going to do what's best for me. I plan on buying new furniture next year so this cannot go on.

I have indoor cats and they are declawed. They only do the front. And it doesn't hurt anything. People are just looking for something to protest about. Or something to try to run somebody else's lives. I say if you do not want to declaw your cat then don't. But stop trying to tell others they are evil if they do.

Mine is declawed and still "scratches" on stuff.  If the claws were there my house would be destroyed. And my cats have an awesome life inside in the warm security of a constant shelter.

None of my cats have had behavior problems.  They don't get moody.  My cats still do thru the motions of scratching like they are sharpening their claws but there are no claws there.  They don't care.  They do say for a few days when you first bring them home not to use litter in their poop box because the litter can cause an infection. You are suppose to use shredded paper.  I have never had any issues. 

[countrygirl12]

I"ve had my indoor cats declawed all my life & it doesn't seem like it ever bothered them.... and we had not only the front claws removed, but the back claws as well.

My current indoor cat is a Ragdoll... cost a fortune & he is not declawed & even though he gets his claws clipped & has scratch boxes everywhere, he can't help but stretch up on a piece of furniture & his claws pierce the fabric or bonded leather.  It's a battle & not worth it... I wouldn't hesitate to declaw my next cat -- they do it by laser at a vet by my house, so they don't have to clip the knuckle, so it's more humane if that is an issue for people.

Live & learn... all my cats will all be fixed & delcawed in the future.  They, too, will have an awesome pampered life living indoors clawless.

My vet would not do the back claws.  Mine didn't even act like the paws were sore when they came home.
I forgot we did do the laser. I does cost more but it is suppose to be a lot better for the cat. And healing time is less.

[haimsterette]

I have been online doing research on declawing cats. Have thought about it but I don't know. I heard of people who have done it, and I have heard of people who are against it. Sometimes cats will scratch carpets, sofas etc, regardless of countless cat trees. I only have 1 cat tree, working on purchasing another soon.

Okay, I'm worried by some of these replies, haha. If you really, genuinely care about your cat, I think you'll decide not to. Scratching is a natural, stimulating experience for a cat, and one I would argue is necessary. In my experience, if they go for an upholstered chair, for instance, in your presence, it may be because they want attention from you. Using throw blankets over targeted furniture, using repellent spray on the furniture, and providing scratching posts will help a ton. We have done all these things and seen a wonderful improvement. Put a cat tree within 6 feet or less of whatever your cat likes to scratch that you don't want messed up.

We had one cat, an elderly male, that was declawed by a previous guardian, and it left his toes disfigured. He still attempted to scratch and it was so sad to watch. Besides that, some of the other cats targeted him to pick on because they knew he couldn't effectively fight back. If you ask me, ripping an animal's claws out is really not a call for a human to make! Hope I've helped! (Don't forget -- you can also trim your cat's claws--carefully--using basic toenail clippers!)

[JediJohnnie]

Yeah, I don't believe in declawing cats. It's unnatural. I get the scratching is a pain in the neck, but it's not as abnormal is removing a part of their anatomy.

[MichelleHW101]

If you are thinking of declawing your cat the best person to ask is your veterinarian.  They would know if they type of cat(s) you have could tolerate such a procedure.  I mean it is a serious surgery where a cat’s toe bones and claws are amputated.  If the same procedure was performed on a human, his finger would be amputated at the last knuckle.  At worst there is chronic pain, lameness, bone spurs, necrosis, and nerve damage, aversion to using the litterbox (due to the cat’s pain in their paws) and increased biting (in compensation for the loss of claws).  That's why it's illegal in most European countries, as well as Israel.  Many Californian cities have passed declawing bans, including Los Angeles, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, West Hollywood, Burbank, San Francisco etc.  At best there is no real side-effect to the cat (that is physically visible.)  Again, only your veterinarian can really know and give you the truth as to whether your cat(s) should be declawed, but my opinion, do it if you think it will benefit your 'baby', not just to save your furniture because that's a risk you took by getting one.         

[countrygirl12]

I have been online doing research on declawing cats. Have thought about it but I don't know. I heard of people who have done it, and I have heard of people who are against it. Sometimes cats will scratch carpets, sofas etc, regardless of countless cat trees. I only have 1 cat tree, working on purchasing another soon.

Okay, I'm worried by some of these replies, haha. If you really, genuinely care about your cat, I think you'll decide not to. Scratching is a natural, stimulating experience for a cat, and one I would argue is necessary. In my experience, if they go for an upholstered chair, for instance, in your presence, it may be because they want attention from you. Using throw blankets over targeted furniture, using repellent spray on the furniture, and providing scratching posts will help a ton. We have done all these things and seen a wonderful improvement. Put a cat tree within 6 feet or less of whatever your cat likes to scratch that you don't want messed up.

We had one cat, an elderly male, that was declawed by a previous guardian, and it left his toes disfigured. He still attempted to scratch and it was so sad to watch. Besides that, some of the other cats targeted him to pick on because they knew he couldn't effectively fight back. If you ask me, ripping an animal's claws out is really not a call for a human to make! Hope I've helped! (Don't forget -- you can also trim your cat's claws--carefully--using basic toenail clippers!)

I and others really truly care about our cats. There is NOTHING wrong declawing them.  Cats do not scratch furniture or other things like door facings because they want attention from you.  Cats scratch to sharpen their claws.  Everyone does not want throw blankets all over their house.

People who declaw cats keep them in the house so there should not be too much of an issue with fighting with other cats.  And no it isn't like ripping your toe nails out.  Too many bleeding heart liberals with too much time on their hands. People sit around and think up all this stupid stuff to protest about. Like idiots trying to tell neighbors they can't have Christmas lights outside because they are offended.