HELP! I need to know about cat declawing!?

Question

I adopted Fred 1 month ago. He is 11 months old. When I first got him he hid all the time but he has finally started to come out even though he is still kind of spookie. He is really bad about kneading his claws on the couch and my WATER BED! I want to have him declawed but I dont really know much about it. I am afraid that if I have him declawed he will start hiding from me again. I am wanting to know the pros and cons of declawing? or personal experiences? Thank you!

Answer 1

http://www.declawing.com/

Answer 2

Don't let him in the room with the water bed if he is trying to tear it up. but never, ever declaw your cat. imagine living without fingernails. would you want to live like that. if he's tearing up furniture and stuff, go get his claws trimmed. try squirting him with a squirt bottle filled with water when he does that or smack him when he does that. don't hurt him but firmly. tell him that he can't do that.

Answer 3

I know you love Fred, but could you consider getting a regular mattress for the sake of his paws? Please read this information and then decide. Our current cat is not declawed and thank goodness I educated myself and decided not to do it. During his later kittenhood, he had an accident and had hip surgery. If he didn't have his claws, his leg might have been amputated. Thanks to his claws, he can walk and balance even without that total hip joint. They also need it for grooming and self-defense.

Years ago I had a cat declawed and she would never let us touch her paws after that and she suffered socially and was extremely shy.

Great alternatives to declawing are using "Scratch Not" on the furniture and Fred will get used to avoiding those areas.

Offer lots of scratching options like corrugated scratchers (flat and slanted), the posts (carpet, sisal, real wood). Our cat likes vertical and horizonal surfaces. He likes carpeted posts & corrugated boxes. He doesn't like the sisal at all bc I think it's a bit prickly. Each cat varies in their preferences.  

If your bed is really important to you, then I suggest you find a good home for Fred where the family understands the importance of not mutilating a pet for convenience's sake.  I'm not trying to sound mean, but just to cause you to think about the priorities of a living friend, Fred, or your bed of choice.

http://www.declawing.com/htmls/declawing...

Answer 4

Well I know a lot of cat lovers are not going to like my answer but here goes anyway...I was never one to declaw my cats years ago, now I do.  I have had way to many things ruined by kitty claws.  They take the first part of there toe off, just below their nail.  I know, I know.  I always feel so bad for them in the beginning.  You need a special kitty litter for a week or more, till they heal up, like yesterdays news.  You try and keep them as quiet as is possible for that week, or at least a few days..   In a week or more they are back to normal.  Once they heal they are fine.  But my cats NEVER go out, they are only indoor kitties.  Never get it done and let your cat out, it does take their defenses away.  I've always had my cats done at time of spaying.  Talk to your vet about it.  

Answer 5

well if you are ABSOLUTLY SURE he will remain an inside cat then make sure he is older than 6 moths (which he is) and it will be fine. he wont remember it b/c most vets put the cat on meds so they are sleeping during operation. so he wont even rem it.

Answer 6

Look at your hand. See the knuckle attached to your fingernail? When they declaw they remove that whole knuckle. Are there valid reasons for having it done? Sure. Is protecting your waterbed one? I really don't think so.

You can use the caps, or keep his nails cliped very short, there is even a filing device that will do it for you (Peticure). Good Luck!!

Answer 7

Declawing is inhumane and should be outlawed.  In fact it is in many countries!

They actually remove part of their "fingers"!  Imagine trying to walk properly if part of your toes were removed.  Not going to work too well eh?  Cats suffer from arthritis and other joint pain when they are declawed.  

Cats scratch...They do it for a REASON.  They use that to "mark" their territory.  Guess what happens when you take that away from them?  Yeah, they pee and p**p on things instead.

Guess what cats use for defense?  Yup...their claws.  Guess what happens when you take them away?  They BITE....ALOT!  I can't even get CLOSE to my dad's cats they bite so much.  (both are declawed).

Bottom line...There are NO pros to declawing your cat.

What you can do:  Buy several different types of scratching posts (carpet, sisal and cardboard).  Use a water bottle when he is scratching where he isn't supposed to and LOTS of positive reinforcment when he's using the scratchers.  Keep your kitten's claws trimmed.  One, he'll get used to it and two, if he does scratch he won't be able to do that much damage.

Don't do it!!!  And finally (please don't take this the wrong way) if you value your furniture over the well being of your kitten, find another home for him. Don't be that selfish.

Answer 8

Declawing is terribly cruel, if you look at your hands, it's basically like amputating your fingers from the first knuckle up...and because cats are tiptoe walkers, this can prove to be extremely painful.  Some cats who have been declawed, stop using the litterbox, because it's painful to dig through the litter, and many become extremely aggressive because they don't have their primary means of defence, and often become biters.

I would suggest that you rather try clipping his nails, and getting him a big kitty tree to use.  Then, get some anti cat spray, and spray your couches and your bed, another thing to do is to put double sided tape on the surfaces that he scratches, as they don't like this sensation.  Every time he scratches your couch, just go pick him up and put him against his tree. He should get the hint.

If he doesn't though, you can buy a product called soft-paws, which is basically like a little soft cap that you glue over his nails, and it lasts for a few months.  You can get them in funky colours too!

Please don't have him declawed...it's really not necessary!

Answer 9

Declawing is an excellent way to prevent your kitty from destroying your furniture. And they will do it and it gets worse as they become adults The cat of course has to be an indoor pet, with cats that are also declawed. Their defense is their claws.Without them they can be injured. You wouldn't want that. So even with other cats, both should be declawed. It obviously has some pain involved as it's a surgery.The vet will prescribe medication. They recover quickly and well.Mine always did anyway.Scratching poles don't work, and they don't remove the knuckle either..They remove the whole claw, including the quick.There is bleeding involved but they are bandaged and the vet takes care of all of this if he is a good vet...

Answer 10

Well don't do it. :/

Get him a scratching post woman!

And get rid of your water bed!

Use a mattress!

Any cat owner would know that!!

De-clawing hurts A LOT.

Answer 11

Let me tell you about the kitten that was declawed at my work this morning.  I went to give him water and a litterbox after he woke up from the anesthesia.  He had pulled/chewed off one of his bandages and was working on the other, and there was blood splattered all over every surface of the cage, the cage door, and the wall beyond.  I only wish I had taken pictures of it.  We had to keep him overnight because of the bleeding, and when I left he was holding one paw up and wouldn't step on it.  This is with pain medication.

I could also tell you about the cats I've seen who have had second surgeries because a claw grew back, and grew into their paw pad.  One had toes amputated even further to try and fix the problem.

There is NO medical reason for a declaw.  It's painful and can cause permanent issues.  There are alternatives such as training and Soft Paws, but they do require effort.  I hope you feel your cat is worth that effort.