# Declawing Cats **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [September 17, 2005, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158 "2005-09-17T23:29:44Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Foaming\_Cleanser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Foaming\_Cleanser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foaming_Cleanser)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 11:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/1 "2005-09-17T23:29:44Z")
[DISCLAIMER] This is in response to the cat threads in MPSIMS; it does not refer to any of the OPs there, in particular Shirley Ujest, who saved a cat from:[/END DISCLAIMER] Fucking sadistic bastards who declaw cats. You’d better hope Og doesn’t exist. Declawing a cat is the same as [lopping off your fingers](http://www.kittenrescue.org/declaw.htm) at their first joints. > [@](#): > > ‘The operative removal of the claws, as is sometimes practiced to protect furniture and curtains, is an act of abuse and should be forbidden by law in all, not just a few countries. It is shamefully cruel. It leaves the cat with no means to defend itself, other than trying to run until it drops. It cannot climb a tree. It cannot threaten an enemy. it is horribly crippled on purpose, and any veterinarian who does such a thing should be drummed out of the profession. Shirly Ujest, the love and respect you give your cat may be the first it has experienced. If it cowers and tries to run, you’ll know why. Please think twice before letting it out of the house. Any predator could make short work of it. ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 11:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/2 "2005-09-17T23:43:35Z")
If you have cats that spend any time outdoors, then you shouldn’t have them declawed. OTOH, if your cats NEVER go outside, then I don’t see a problem. My stepdaughter’s cats (who never go outside) were declawed over 8 years ago and they got over it in a very short period of time. If you want indoor-only cats and you don’t want to declaw them AND you don’t want your stuff clawed, DO NOT GET THE CATS IN THE FIRST PLACE! Cats sharpen their claws out of necessity and won’t _always_ use that nice sharpening post you have provided no matter how much you try to train them. ---
**Author:** ![akwally1](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/akwally1/32/3220_2.png) [@akwally1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/akwally1)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 11:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/3 "2005-09-17T23:45:52Z")
Ummmm…link to the thead in question? I’m against declawing cats in general, but if they are in an indoor environment, and they don’t have \*\*need \*\*for the claws, I’ve heard that that the modern methods are much less cruel than their predecessors and don’t detract from a cats life. Wally ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 11:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/4 "2005-09-17T23:49:19Z")
> [@akwally1](#): > > Ummmm…link to the thead in question? > > I’m against declawing cats in general, but if they are in an indoor environment, and they don’t have \*\*need \*\*for the claws, I’ve heard that that the modern methods are much less cruel than their predecessors and don’t detract from a cats life. > Wally [An interesting, but certainly not definitive, website](http://www.marvistavet.com/html/body_declawing_and_its_alternatives.html) ---
**Author:** ![Foaming\_Cleanser](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/f05b48/32.png) [@Foaming\_Cleanser](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Foaming_Cleanser)\ **Post date:** [September 17, 2005, 11:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/5 "2005-09-17T23:51:26Z")
My apologies for forgetting the [link.](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=335289) ---
**Author:** ![davenportavenger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/5f8ce5/32.png) [@davenportavenger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/davenportavenger)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 12:48am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/6 "2005-09-18T00:48:42Z")
If the choice is between saving a cat’s life by bringing it into a family that wishes to declaw it, and killing it because there are too many cats in shelters, which is the less-cruel option? Sure, you can say that people shouldn’t adopt animals if they don’t want every part of the animal, but considering that we’re running into a crisis of having too many unwanted animals, I think anyone who saves an animal’s life by adopting it is doing a good thing, and the bad thing of declawing doesn’t take away from that. And also, you could say the same thing about spaying and neutering. Can’t you just keep your cat inside and deal with her heat and his spraying? The reproductive system is an even more “essential” part of a cat than its claws are, and the personality changes that result from fixing are greater than the ones resulting from declawing. Maybe people should just suck it up and deal with ripped furniture, but if the choices are declawing or death, I think I know which is worse. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 1:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/7 "2005-09-18T01:00:26Z")
Uh. The cat came declawed from the lady I got him from. I would have not declawed it as I have mice in my barn and garage. So Tiger is only a house cat now. A house cat that suffers the indignities of playing baby and getting dressed up so purty. And it is only his first week at Chateau Ujest. ---
**Author:** ![Cerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@Cerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerri)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/8 "2005-09-18T01:01:23Z")
Another vet’s opinion on declawing. [http://www.thepetprofessor.com/articles/article.aspx?id=378](http://www.thepetprofessor.com/articles/article.aspx?id=378) > [@](#): > > How about the cutting off of the finger bit? Comparing the first joint that we amputate in a declaw operation to the first joint of a human finger. Well, I know some of you will find this difficult to mentally grasp, so I’ll use some examples: > > Horses hooves are very different from human fingers. > > Bear feet and claws are different from human fingers. > > Racoon fingers happen to be similar to human fingers. > > Sheep feet are different from horse hooves, racoon hands, and human fingers. > > Here it comes… > > Cat paws are very different from all the above. They have retractable claws that stick out, and unlike human fingers, we can snip them off without cutting through the tender pads that correspond to our fingertips. Cats are different than humans, and when the declaw procedure is professionally done, it would be more accurate to compare the pain and possible surgical complications to the removal of a cyst or bad tooth. Not pleasant, but not terrible at all when done with modern methods. Although, I must admit, prior to the common use of local nerve blocks (in addition to general anesthesia) and post op pain medications, this procedure must have hurt moderately for a couple of days. And prior to the use of surgical super glue, post op bleeding was problem and the sight of blood is disconcerning to many people although not necessarily painful to the cat. With the advent of new surgical techniques, use of surgical glue instead of painful stitches, nerve blocks, and laser technology, the procedure isn’t anything as painful as it used to be, recovery times are much quicker and as a result of surgical improvements, I really can’t get that worked up about the topic. Much like ear cropping and tail docking on dogs, this is a subject people tend to feel very strongly pro-or-con about. That being said, none of my three cats are declawed, and wouldn’t really ever consider declawing one of my cats, present or future, unless I’d exhausted all the usual alternatives to prevent furniture from being destroyed and cat scratches inflicted on family members. My cats don’t ever go outdoors either. Though, as far as the “lack of defense” point…cats really only use their front paws to “challenge” an opponent. They fight with the _back_ claws and teeth (that “rabbit kick”), and the back claws are almost _never_ removed when a declaw is done. We plan on adding a Great Dane to our household next year…and we don’t plan on cropping it’s ears either. Not grossly opposed to it, just don’t see the need for a household pet. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/9 "2005-09-18T01:04:07Z")
> [@Cerri](#): > > We plan on adding a Great Dane to our household next year…and we don’t plan on cropping it’s ears either. Not grossly opposed to it, just don’t see the need for a household pet. Dane’s are awesome dogs. Just awesome. And I like them floppy eared. ---
**Author:** ![Eve](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Eve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eve)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/10 "2005-09-18T01:05:12Z")
Once a year, like clockwork, we have this same thread. Nothing ever gets solved, no one ever changes their mind; names get called; eventually everyone goes “fuck _you!_” “yeah, well fuck _you!_” and the thread dies away. Can’t we just pretend that’s already happened and _drop_ it? Or link to one of the other hundreds of pro- con- declawing threads? ---
**Author:** ![Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d26b3c/32.png) [@Mr.Blue\_Sky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mr.Blue_Sky)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/11 "2005-09-18T01:09:34Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Can’t we just pretend that’s already happened and _drop_ it? Or link to one of the other hundreds of pro- con- declawing threads? I agree, but, unfortunately, this is one of those subjects where logic is swiftly ignored. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/12 "2005-09-18T01:11:12Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Once a year, like clockwork, we have this same thread. Nothing ever gets solved, no one ever changes their mind; names get called; eventually everyone goes “fuck _you!_” “yeah, well fuck _you!_” and the thread dies away. > > Can’t we just pretend that’s already happened and _drop_ it? Or link to one of the other hundreds of pro- con- declawing threads? But we are human beings and we need to be able to say “fuck you!”/“yeah, well fuck you!” to \*someone \*at least on a yearly basis. (Besides, like I said in another thread…isn’t telling someone to get fucked a lot like saying “Drink Dom Perignon, you sonofabitch!”) 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Cerri](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3bc359/32.png) [@Cerri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cerri)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/13 "2005-09-18T01:11:47Z")
> [@Shirley Ujest](#): > > Dane’s are awesome dogs. Just awesome. **And I like them floppy eared**. [hijack on] Hee hee, me too. _grin_ We’d really like to get a Mantled or a Harlequin, I like the look of them a bit better than the fawns…though merles look cool too. [Some great pics of Mantles and Harlequins, as well as Merles…and all floppy-eared!](http://www.6stardanes.com/colors.html)😃 [hijack off] ---
**Author:** ![Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/eada6e/32.png) [@Go\_You\_Big\_Red\_Fire\_Engine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Go_You_Big_Red_Fire_Engine)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 1:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/14 "2005-09-18T01:11:49Z")
> [@Foaming Cleanser](#): > > You’d better hope Og doesn’t exist. Declawing a cat is the same as [lopping off your fingers](http://www.kittenrescue.org/declaw.htm) at their first joints. Fighting ignorance. Yup. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![dre2xl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/34f0e0/32.png) [@dre2xl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dre2xl)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 1:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/15 "2005-09-18T01:18:19Z")
I have 2 cats. One of them got extremely ill and tested positive for FIP. To protect the life of my other cat, I gave him away to my parents… they accepted him on the condition that he’d be declawed, and he did indeed get declawed. I’m a heartless bitch that way, making a decision between his life or his claws. ---
**Author:** ![Nanoda](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/ce73a5/32.png) [@Nanoda](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nanoda)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 1:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/16 "2005-09-18T01:28:03Z")
On the one hand, **Eve** is 100% right, and anyone starting a thread about the topic is a dipstick looking for a trainwreck. On the other hand, my imagination is bad, so I’m going to have to post an actual “fuck _you!_”. So there. 😛 ---
**Author:** ![SnakesCatLady](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4af34b/32.png) [@SnakesCatLady](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SnakesCatLady)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 1:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/17 "2005-09-18T01:59:00Z")
Sometimes elderly people need to get their cats declawed for their own health - older peoples skin can tear like tissue paper under sharp little kitty claws. I’ve never been a big fan of declawing (two of mine were declawed when I got them) but the surgical glues have made a huge difference in the recovery of cats I’ve personally seen. Much of the problem pre-surgical glue came from the cat chewing at the stitches. Now there are no stitches to chew, so healing is uninterrupted. The scratching instinct is still there, however - you should see Yogi get his 8-toed feet to going on a cardboard box! I’ve carefully explained that his toes are not going to get any sharper, but cats never listen. ---
**Author:** ![Shirley\_Ujest](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/45deac/32.png) [@Shirley\_Ujest](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shirley_Ujest)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/18 "2005-09-18T02:37:01Z")
[Hijack] I would just like to take this time and give anyone out there that hasn’t had a big hearty **fuck you** in awhile ( if ever)a **Big Hearty Fuck You** . There. That should just about do it. Everybody copacetic? [/bye jack] ---
**Author:** ![EddyTeddyFreddy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eddyteddyfreddy/32/18796_2.png) [@EddyTeddyFreddy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/EddyTeddyFreddy)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/19 "2005-09-18T02:45:09Z")
I propose hijacking this thread away from declawing cats over to cropping dogs’ ears and tails, as mentioned by **Cerri**. At least the pro-declawing folks can point for justification to the salvaging of furniture and by extension feline lives. I see absolutely no purpose to canine ear and tail docking beyond human vanity. ---
**Author:** ![OtakuLoki](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ac8455/32.png) [@OtakuLoki](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OtakuLoki)\ **Post date:** [September 18, 2005, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158/20 "2005-09-18T02:46:01Z")
> [@Eve](#): > > Can’t we just pretend that’s already happened and _drop_ it? Or link to one of the other hundreds of pro- con- declawing threads? Why do you hate America, **Eve**? 😃 (With apologies to **Miller** ) As for those of you thinking about Great Danes: Have you considered just how big those dogs are? The head, over here, will be behaving very nicely. While the tail, seven feet away, is sweeping all the knickknacks off the display case. I’m not suggesting they’re bad dogs. But their sheer scale can be a problem. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/declawing-cats/322158.md?page=2)