De-Clawing?

Alright, My dad wants to have the new kitten declawed when shes old enough... I've never heard of it but apparentally its quite popular, on the other hand, I find it quite morbid and was surprised it was legal... bit barbaric isn't it? Anyways does anyone have any alternatives and any links of why de-clawing is bad/should-not-be-done so i can help with my argument. Thanks!

 

Please don't let your dad declaw her! :cry: I only have time to post this one link right now. I'm sure you'll have a lot more posts, though.

http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/

 

the way that it was explained to me...is that it is an amputation...of the first digit...which is like having part of your finger amputated. it is illegal in some countries to declaw.

neither one of my cats are declawed. people declaw because they dont want their furniture ruined by scratching. you can train a cat to a scratching post.

it would be like a toddler that gets into everything...we dont cut their hands off just because they spill things on the floor...or get into things we dont want them to. :shock: :roll:

....oh dear...i just looked at the first three pictures of that link that chessmind posted...oh my God....how awful...i have never seen the pictures before of it...if anyone gets their cat declawed after looking at those pictures...needs to consider not owning a cat, and get some therapy for sadistic tendencies. that was simply awful... :cry: :cry:

 

Yeah, declawing is nassssty. If you search the web for info about why declawing is bad, you'll find a lot of info to use on your Dad. Take a look at this.

You can teach your cat to redirect her instinct to scratch, you just have to have patience. And having the right tools really helps too. You should get her a couple of these cardboard scratching pads and locate them strategically throughout the house. Cats usually can't resist digging their claws into them:



In addition to the horizontal kind, you ought to get a vertical one too, like a wood post covered in sisal. It helps to rub catnip on both kinds to get her interested, and then when she sees how great it feels to scratch on them, she won't need the catnip anymore.

When your cat starts scratching somewhere inappropriate, try to get the message across that she should be scratching on her pad/post instead by saying "hey, that's now where to scratch, use this instead" and gently laying the pad/post in front of her.

I put the scratching pads in some of her "high traffic" areas, like in between the living room and the kitchen where her food bowl is. So as she passes by, as she does many times a day, she'll often make a pit stop at the scratching pad, scratch a bit, then continue on her way. It's a part of her routine now.

You could also get this stuff called Sticky Paws, it's a clear double-sided tape that you strategically apply to surfaces that you don't want her to scratch. Good pet stores carry it.

You can also try keeping her nails trimmed, but only after you have been shown how to do it by your vet or another professional. It's easy to cut too far if you don't know what you're doing and they bleed easily. But if your cat goes outside at all, you should never trim her claws.

Anyway, the point is that there are lots of alternatives to declawing. When our kitty came to us, I thought we were going to have a big problem with her scratching the couch and carpet, but it's not much of an issue anymore.

Good luck!

 

Declawing is cutting off part of the toes that contain the nails. The amputation is barberic and unjustified. I've done that with my 1st cat when I didn't know anything about cat care and I've regretted it ever since. None of my later cats are declawed. There are alternatives. Behavior modification is the key. Think about using water spray bottle, distraction, scratching posts. Double sided stickies on sofas and chairs (initially), etc as teaching tools. Your dad wouldn't want part of his fingers and toes chopped off so why should Lucy's? I'm sure any guy that is willing to take in a poor little hungry stray can be pursuaded not to declaw your kitty. Obelix, gather your research info and give your dad a good presentation! I know he can be convinced, he seems to be a very nice guy! :m10:

 

Ditto on what everyone has said.
I have never had a cat of mine declawed, although, my Husband's cat Anna was declawed...because apparently she ruined a couch he got when she was about 2 years of age (I find it deplorable that people declaw kittens but more so when older cats are declawed.)

Anna wont let you touch her paws....

If you start with your young kitten training it to a scratcher, conditioning him/her then they shouldn't scratch that much. Also, starting young you should cut their toe nails being very very careful not to cut them too short. I've been doing Hunter's since we got him and he is very cooperative. I usually do it when he is really really calm, sitting on my lap, I start rubbing his paws and then I take out the clippers. He doesn't even know the difference.!!!

 

ewww declawing is so barbaric and cruel. European countries have outlawed it I wish the US would.

Also on top of what everyone else is stressing a declawed cat is very prone to developing behavior issues and also litterbox issues as sometimes due to the pain when using the litterbox after the mutilation they will associate the litterbox with the pain and stop using it. Shelters are full of declawed cats who developed litterbox issues.

Also it has now been found out that many declawed cats develop spinal problems later in life as they have to walk differently than they would if they had claws.

I have one declawed cat (I didn't do it her former owner did) and it so sad to see her fall off things cause she'll jump up and miss and can't rely on her front claws to help her grip. She also can't grip onto the wand toys like my other cats so she just sits and watches them play but she gets discouraged and walks off.

Educate your dad into other methods to help control the clawing rather than declawing. It's a horrible thing to do to a cat

 

I don't have too much to add. I just wanted to say that the local animal shelters here won't let you take home a cat if they know you are going to declaw them. They are very big on educating people on non-cruel, alternative ways to get cats to scratch where they should.

If I remember right, I had to sign a waiver on my last cat promising that she woudn't be declawed.

My friend recently got three cats and had them all declawed. :x
I found out through her mother that she did this because she knew I'd be very, very upset if I found out. I spent weeks trying to help her find ways NOT to declaw her cats.

Well, I saw her cats last week. They're in a lot of pain. They can't take stairs for two weeks and have to be kept in a room because of this. The one cat keeps licking his paws and getting them infected. He how has to wear a collar to keep him from his paws. They have to use special litter, also. The people she got them from said that declawing cats can lead to litter problems and biting problems (since they can't claw?)

I love my friend to death and she takes great care of her cats. But, I don't agree with what she did (and she knows it).

I really hope your cat doesn't face the fate of declawing.

Good luck.

 

my rescue shelter made me sign a waiver to...that i would not have mikey declawed. i have only seen him try to scratch once...that was yesterday. i just put a throw over the chair... :wink:

and i just think that if you go back to the question: is an inanimate object like furniture more important than a life...and if the well being of your chair is more important than the well being of your kitty...you shouldnt have a kitty. period...end of report.... :roll:

 

lynnhaz, I have to agree with that. I have to admit that I have a clawed-up chair (but that's it... why the chair, I don't know).

But, it's the price I pay to have happy, healthy, loving cats. I think it's a very small cost.

(I tend to drape blankets over the chair where the cats scratch. It looks funny, but works pretty well).

 

Geez, I wish I knew about the draping part. The 2 corners on our old sofa were destroyed by Monty and Milo and Vene. Luckily I had spare cloth to patch them and I placed scratching posts in the corners now which work great.

 

one of my biggest arguement on the declaw issue is (like others here have stated) if the furniture means so much someone is willing to let their cat's paws be mutilated; if there was a fire which would you save first - the precious furniture or the mutilated cat.

I have a clothes hamper in my bedroom that my cats have trashed...I keep it in there cause they continue to use it and no one can see it.

I have a cat tree with a sisal base and they use that all the time. I'm always vacuuming up shed nail claws cover thingies.

Rather than spend the money on declawing that money is better spent on various types of scratching posts.

 

I would never declaw.

My cat does scratch, but 90% of the time he's scratching his post. Yes, it took 3 posts to find the right one, but once he got this one (covered in rope) he began using it regularly. One trick I discovered to help him learn to use the post is to put a cat treat on top of it.

He does scratch my couch sometimes. But in his case its not a scratching instinct. I'm certain he does it becuase he knows that it gets me running and he just wants the attention. He only does it when I'm on the computer (for some reason he doesn't really like that room). To keep this under control I take him to petsmart for a nail trim every month. They do an excelent job and its only $12.

 

Well I've done my best to non-rudely seige him with information...But hes always had this sorta thing that if anything is organised enough to be agenst something like this then theirs coo coos behind it (make sense? didnt think so...) This "soft paws" thing grabbed my attention but Im not quite sure if its comfortable for the cat/kitten when their claws and extended... But since its an indoor cat I was always thinking have her nails trimed/dulled would also be a nice alternative. Hes queesy so if he does look at some of theese sites im sure it'll change his mind. Thanks so much everyone, wish me luck!

 

let us know how it goes...and please share Lisa Violet's info with him. Education is the best way to make someone see. If one more person becomes antideclaw it'll move on. I've changed a few minds on this and hopefully someday declawing will go bye bye in this country too

 

I agree with the others.
Here is one more good site with detailed info and a diagram:
http://maxshouse.com/Truth%20About%20Declawing.htm

Here is a link with photos on how to trim cats nails:
http://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/ClientED/cat_nails.asp