# De-clawing cats (yes, here we go again) **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [July 16, 2005, 6:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821 "2005-07-16T18:29:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 4:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/21 "2005-07-18T04:15:38Z")
> [@SanibelMan](#): > > Isn’t there some sort of claw-covering nubbin you can put on their claws? My parents are considering this for our cat since she’s tearing the carpet on the stairs to pieces. I think [this thread](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=325484) is about what you’re talking about if you’re talking about the Soft Paws nail covers. ---
**Author:** ![PinkMarabou](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ec9cab/32.png) [@PinkMarabou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PinkMarabou)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 11:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/22 "2005-07-18T11:44:39Z")
> [@Magiver](#): > > I’m not advocating the procedure but if a cat is destroying the house it may be necessary. I’ve lost 2 couches and a mattress to one of my cats. It was not for lack of trying either. I have scratching pads and rugs that cat’s would die for and the little darling still goes for the furniture (she also uses the rugs and scratching pads). She’ll do it in front if me and then wonder where the magic shoe comes from. It’s been 10 years and she still doesn’t get it. My other cat learned not to do it immediately. > > I’ve seen cats that have been declawed and they seem normal in every sense. Other then the ghastly nature of the procedure it doesn’t seem to stop cats from being cats. I figure it’s way too late to declaw a 10 year old cat but I would consider doing it to a 1 year old that is intent on shredding everything. Well, we had our kitten done, front and back and I had to specifically ask them to include the back. It was a tough decision for me because I didn’t want to scar her for life emotionally or put a damper on her kitty-ness. I expressed my concerns to our vet and he said it’s come a long way since the time where they literally used nail clippers to amputate the last knuckle. He told me it was humane and they would be using a laser. She was jumping all over everything in one day. She had no problems whatsoever. We have two little dogs (3 pounds and 3.5 pounds with buggy eyes) that she could have easily hurt. My MIL’s little dog almost lost an eye to my cat’s mother. We also have berber carpet that we just installed less than a year ago, so we had to protect my other pets and our home. It was either provide a home for this cat or send her to the pound. She did great and is just as crazy as any other kitten. She still kneads and tries to claw the furniture without doing any damage. I’ve alwyas had declawed cats and it makes life a lot easier around the house for me. No huge, itchy welts on my skin from the scratches anymore and my doggies are happy and have all their eyes. YMMV of course. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 11:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/23 "2005-07-18T11:53:35Z")
> [@Phlosphr](#): > > Please Don’t do it unless you feel the cat is in serious jeopardy of hurting themslevs. Or others. My cat got declawed when he ran his claws across my babies face. Accidently - my son was learning to sit, the cat was nearby, the baby fell, the cat scratched. He still carries the scar - next to his eye. Another cat sent Brainiac4s cat to the vet several times for stitches. ---
**Author:** ![xbuckeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/9e8a1a/32.png) [@xbuckeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xbuckeye)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 1:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/24 "2005-07-18T13:03:05Z")
Some random facts to add to the stew: To declaw you have to remove the last joint, anthing else is worse than that. We used to keep the kitties for three days before sending them home, they were in bandages for those three days. After the bandages came off, there would be a period of OMG my feet feel weird, followed by a period of OMG I haven’t washed these things in three days! After that almost all cats are back to normal. Front claws are offensive, rear claws are defensive. Rears are usually not destructive in the home, except to leather, people, and other pets, so often the kitty gets to keep them. Declawing should be done as early as possible. Our guidlines were over 4# and under 6 months. Kittens heal faster and the blood and nerve supply is less developed at the site. My current cat was declawed, fronts only, when I got her. Her paws seem to bother her since she will go from sleeping soundly to wildly flipping a front paw. But, she was less that 4# when I got her and the paws were fully healed, so I _know_ they did it too early, but she was also already 6 months old, so I _know_ they also did it too late. Some vets are better than others, if you miss the joint, that’s when you run into problems. And here’s my random opinion: I like my declawed cat. Does she bite more? I don’t know, I didn’t know her with claws. She does bite and awful lot, but she was socialized as a clinic kitten, so that may not be due to the declaw. She is quick to roll over and use her rear claws. She _can and does_ open doors by hanging on the doorknob. She plays with her front paws more than the average cat and is very good with them. I don’t get my eyelids scratched in the middle of the night like I did with my fully clawed cat. It is easier to find an apartment with a spayed, declawed cat than with one that isn’t either or both. YMMV, I’d do it again. ---
**Author:** ![Padeye](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/a9a28c/32.png) [@Padeye](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Padeye)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 1:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/25 "2005-07-18T13:37:29Z")
I had a bad experience with a declawed cat, he couldn’t put his full weight on his front paws and that condition never got better. Our current cat, Dusty, has a modest clawing problem but I regularly clip her nails with little fuss. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/26 "2005-07-18T13:46:53Z")
If I nip the tips of my kitties’ claws off, will they still be able to climb trees? ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 1:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/27 "2005-07-18T13:47:57Z")
> [@SanibelMan](#): > > Isn’t there some sort of claw-covering nubbin you can put on their claws? My parents are considering this for our cat since she’s tearing the carpet on the stairs to pieces. I heard the nubbins don’t work. Most cats remove them within minutes (so I hear). Our cats destroy carpeting in a couple places, and we’ve just resigned ourselves to the fact that we’ll never have expensive carpeting. Don’t want to see the little softies go through pain. Poor little softies. ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/28 "2005-07-18T15:10:48Z")
> [@Dung Beetle](#): > > If I nip the tips of my kitties’ claws off, will they still be able to climb trees? Yes. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 4:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/29 "2005-07-18T16:57:12Z")
> [@Snakescatlady](#): > > Yes. I would say it depends on the tree. If you take the points off, a cat cannot dig into the wood but having clipped nails will still allow them to grab bark that sticks out. I say this after watching one of my cats try to scale some furniture after a clipping and lose traction. I’ve also seen a neighborhood cat fall off a tree trunk trying to chase a squirrel but I had no way of knowing the nail situation. ---
**Author:** ![Catfood\_Purrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Catfood\_Purrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catfood_Purrito)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/30 "2005-07-18T18:20:25Z")
Both of my cats have had their front paws declawed. It wasn’t my choice, I was living with my dad and in the process of finding an apartment when his new fiance moved in, she said she wanted my cats declawed to avoid damage to her hideous furniture, I said no way. She offered to make the appointment and do all the picking up and dropping off for them to get fixed (she doesn’t work), and when they got home, they’d been declawed too. I wondered why she was being so helpful :mad: Anyway, luckily it didn’t seem to affect them. They’ve never bitten, never seemed to be in any pain, and their personalities are exactly the same as pre-declawing. I’m still pretty pissed off about it, though. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 7:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/31 "2005-07-18T19:58:22Z")
I would have been, too. I do consider de-clawing a mutilation, and nobody mutilates my cats behind my back and hopes to retain my friendship. Have you managed to have a relationship with your dad’s fiancee? Cause I would have an extremely hard time getting over a violation of trust like that. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/32 "2005-07-18T20:11:53Z")
There is a procedure that severs the tendon so that the claw cannot be extended but leaves the claw in place, a tendonectomy.The owner must take charge of consistent clipping since the claws continue to grow. Excerpted from “Cats that Scratch, What Are your Options?” from the College of Veterinary Medicine, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign [http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/showarticle.cfm?id=301](http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/showarticle.cfm?id=301) \* A new alternative to declawing is a surgery called a tendonectomy. It is performed by making a small incision on the pad side of each toe and removing a piece of the tendon that allows the claw to be extended, thus preventing scratching. A tendonectomy can be performed on cats of any age. It is much less painful. Even older and overweight cats walk fine the day after surgery. There is also much less bleeding because no major blood vessels are severed. With a tendonectomy, the nails will continue to grow, but because the cat can no longer scratch, the nails will not be worn down. If the nails are not trimmed, they could grow in a circle and eventually grow into the pad of the foot, causing pain and possible infection. Owners who choose a tendonectomy must be willing to keep the nails trimmed so that this does not happen. Otherwise this procedure is just as effective as declawing. \* ---
**Author:** ![Catfood\_Purrito](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c6cbf5/32.png) [@Catfood\_Purrito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Catfood_Purrito)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/33 "2005-07-18T21:34:14Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > I would have been, too. I do consider de-clawing a mutilation, and nobody mutilates my cats behind my back and hopes to retain my friendship. Have you managed to have a relationship with your dad’s fiancee? Cause I would have an extremely hard time getting over a violation of trust like that. I maintain a civil relationship with her for the sake of my father, but I don’t seek out her company, and I trust her about as far as I can throw her. I did a dance of joy when they rescheduled their wedding for a time when I’d be 2000 miles away and thus unable to attend. Now I live 2000 miles away, and I rarely have to see the wretched bitch. ---
**Author:** ![FisherQueen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/58f4c7/32.png) [@FisherQueen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FisherQueen)\ **Post date:** [July 18, 2005, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/34 "2005-07-18T21:47:18Z")
> [@Kalhoun](#): > > I heard the nubbins don’t work. Most cats remove them within minutes (so I hear). Absolutely not true, at least in my experience. I use Soft Paws on my two cats, and they stay on until the outer casing of the nail sheds off- usually about six weeks for the cat who leaves them alone and three or four weeks for the cat who bites at them. They aren’t that expensive and last a long time, and they’re a great alternative to declawing, at least for me. ---
**Author:** ![Guinastasia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/guinastasia/32/5751_2.png) [@Guinastasia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Guinastasia)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/35 "2005-07-19T00:58:02Z")
When I was little, we had a cat that was declawed. But since her backclaws were still intact, she learned how to scratch with them. (Scratch people, that is). So it’s not like it did much good. ---
**Author:** ![psychobunny](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/54ee81/32.png) [@psychobunny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/psychobunny)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/36 "2005-07-19T01:45:59Z")
My babies are declawed, front paws only. They were drawing blood when they scratched me. I really didn’t care about the furniture. I did know, though, that I wanted it done the same time as the spay/neuter to save them additional anesthesia. To the person who said that the declaw was a more major operation than fixing a cat, I have to disagree. A spay is a major operation. My kitty’s abdominal incision hurt her but her paws never did. She was using her front paws as soon as she woke up. If you compare this to human medicine, a limb amputation is physically and surgically much easier and less dangerous than a hysterectomy. Yes, it has psychological implications, but you can’t ascribe human emotions to cats. As for letting cats outside, I consider cars to be the most dangerous to cats, and claws aren’t going to stop them from getting run over. I keep my babies indoors. I think in some cases the trauma of repetitively clipping their claws for years may be more stressful than the single operation in the long run. I also had my cats microchipped while they were under anesthesia. This is also arguably an unneccesary, painful procedure, but I think the benefits outweighed the risks. Feel free to have at me. ---
**Author:** ![Magiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4491bb/32.png) [@Magiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Magiver)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 3:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/37 "2005-07-19T03:01:08Z")
Never thought of the nail trimming trauma aspect of it. I can tell you emphatically that it was not a pleasant experience for either of my cats the first couple of times I trimmed their nails. I had to vise them between my legs and then explain to them I can swat back with significantly more force. It’s still not a pleasant experience for them but they tolerate it because they know they will get petted afterwards. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 1:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/38 "2005-07-19T13:17:39Z")
Eh, you people are amatuers—I had my cats’ legs chopped off. They roll around quite happily, and I can use 'em as bolsters on the sofa. ---
**Author:** ![vetbridge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5e925/32.png) [@vetbridge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/vetbridge)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 1:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/39 "2005-07-19T13:28:40Z")
> [@featherlou](#): > > vets don’t seem to be very honest with people about what’s really involved in the de-clawing, and I’m not sure why. Please do not include me in that group. Before declawing a cat, my clients have to sit through a discussion with one of my technicians, who describe the surgery in detail. They discuss common complications, and offer alternatives. For those few who still wish to have their pet declawed, I use a fentanyl patch for post op pain management and I charge far more than I used to. For those with a medical need for declaw (many HIV positive individuals have physicians who insist on it) I do declaws free of charge. As far as the laser alternative, the laser is just being used as a cutting instrument. It does offer less hemmorhage and pain, but that is about it. Why are lasers suddenly popular in veterinary medicine? Simple…the human market has been saturated, so suppliers have created another market for sales of the device. Most surgeons feel they are mostly hype, and do little more than add cost to a procedure. ---
**Author:** ![Kalhoun](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/3bc359/32.png) [@Kalhoun](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kalhoun)\ **Post date:** [July 19, 2005, 1:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821/40 "2005-07-19T13:58:35Z")
> [@FisherQueen](#): > > Absolutely not true, at least in my experience. I use Soft Paws on my two cats, and they stay on until the outer casing of the nail sheds off- usually about six weeks for the cat who leaves them alone and three or four weeks for the cat who bites at them. They aren’t that expensive and last a long time, and they’re a great alternative to declawing, at least for me. Hmmm…first good review I’ve heard. Maybe I’ll give 'em a try. My kids have rough cedar walls to scratch on, but they simply can’t resist the urge to destroy stuff. Are they hard to put on? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/de-clawing-cats-yes-here-we-go-again/312821.md?page=3)