Edlyn and I have a cat, a big fat male cat named Jane (long story). Jane is declawed (he stays almost exclusively indoors). We are about to bring him a new playmate, a six-week-old kitten named Runt (he was the runt of the litter) whose sex we don’t yet know. Unless there is some compelling ethical reason not to, we are going to have him or her declawed. Is it too early? If so, when is okay? If we should not, then why not?
Thanks.
if you don’t want claws, don’t get a cat.
declawing cats is a ridiculous practice.
they are cats. they have claws. that is how it goes.
When we adopted our cat from the shelter we were told that as part of the declawing process the tips of the cats toes are actually removed, which is not only horrifying, but considering they use their feet to cover their waste, etc it leaves them open to all sorts of infection. This also leaves the cat unable to protect itself if it gets out of the house accidently. We trim our cat’s claws with a clipper and he has a scratching post. We’ve NEVER had a problem with him scratching where (or who) he’s not supposed to.
I am going to be in the minority here, and I am prepared for the flaming.
Get the cat declawed as soon as you get it fixed. Declawing under general anesthesia isn’t as bad as what people think. I was, in fact there in the operating room when both of my cats were declawed. Yes it does indeed remove the first phalange. However, cats recover very quickly from the surgery, and don’t seem to miss them. If the cat is to remain exclusively indoors, I highly recommend it.
Well, since one is already declawed, it’s probably best to get the other one declawed, sorry to say. (If one has her claws, and the other doesn’t…).
Then again, I’m totally against it. We had a declawed cat when I was little who used to punch me…seriously! Of course, it could’ve been that I followed her EVERYWHERE…but I’d reach out to touch her and she’d start batting my face…sometimes, she scratched me with her BACK CLAWS…ouch!
Declawed cats are also more likely to bite…
However, you CAN get claw covers from your vet…seriously!
Ask about it!
hmm… am i the only one who finds this a foolish statement?
Very foolish. Not to mention cruel and insensitive.
I told you I was prepared for the flaming.
My cats both sharpen their “claws” on the furniture. Thus they don’t seem to miss them.
My friend has a stray that adopted him. The cat was declawed (we figure probably abandoned when someone moved, as he was neutered too) and the cat can not only climb trees, but is also a hell of a mouser. Thus he doesn’t seem to miss them.
Call me cruel if you like, but both of my cats are from the county animal shelter. I wouldn’t have either of them if I’d had to worry about mom’s new furniture.
I am happy that they are declawed.
Why insensitive? Is there an angry declawed cat reading my post?
if anything, i would see this as proof that they do miss them.
you have to remember that they are cats. they are not tiny furry humans. cats have claws. if for some reason you can’t accept that, then it is not a cat you seek.
Why would that show that they did miss them?
Personally I would like every stray cat adopted. If that means declawing. So be it.
#1)I don’t believe the cat can climb a tree with no claws.
#2)If I were to cut off your fingers and you learned to get along without them, it would be asinine for me to say “Oh, she doesn’t seem to miss them!”
**
That is so sad. It really, really is. With a little patience and training you could have the same result without maiming something. It’s not that you’ve had it done that bothers me so much, it’s that you don’t even feel bad about it, and consider material posessions more important than a living creature.
We pondered this question when we adopted our 2 cats, 3 years ago. I questioned my sister, who is a vet, as to the real dangers and as to whether any personality differences might occur. Her opinion is that it is not terribly painful, and the cats do not seem to be psychologically affected, provided it is done before 6 months of age. A full grown cat will have much more post-operative pain and a longer recovery simply because its larger size puts more weight on the paws as they are healing. She does not recommend declawing after 6 months.
We decided to go ahead and do it when they were neutered. Both were jumping off the furniture within 24 hours. Neither is a biter. They do “punch” when they play/fight with each other, but not with us.
voguevixen wrote: considering they use their feet to cover their waste, etc it leaves them open to all sorts of infection. There is concern about infection immediately after the surgery. Your vet will suggest that you not use a clumping litter; (which might get trapped in the healing incision) ours suggested a brand made from recycled newspapers.
Libertarian wrote: he stays almost exclusively indoors If he is declawed, he should really not be allowed to go outside. He cannot defend himself properly and he cannot climb trees (at least as quickly) to run away from a threat. Our cats never go outside. We live on the second floor of a 2-family house, so we would not be able to hear a cat at the door. We cannot install cat doors because our neighborhood has a problem with rabies in racoons, which have been known to come in through cat doors. We knew that they would never be able to go out, and this was important in our decision to declaw. It seemed less cruel to declaw than to force them to adapt their natural scratching behavior (which is necessary to file down the claws as they grow.)
As far as the declawing process being cruel and unnatural…well, perhaps. On the other hand, keeping a cat indoors and feeding it (rather than assuming it will hunt for its own food) is pretty unnatural too. Domestic cats are just that-domesticated-no longer meant to live in the wild. Claws are there to catch prey and defend against other animals. If there are no predators, and no prey, there is no need for claws. I’m no ready to anthropomorphosize enough to assume that a cat will “miss” them, any more than he will miss his testicles.
So first I’m a liar, and then I’m a fool.
Well I PERSONALLY have seen that cat climb trees. He still has his back claws, and he scoots right up.
It wasn’t MY furniture. I lived with my mother. My cats are fat and happy over ten years old. Both of them would be DEAD if I hadn’t taken them. No they don’t bite, no they aren’t neurotic.
They DON’T have their “fingers” removed. They have the first joint removed. I’m sure I’d muddle through if I had the first joint removed. I wouldn’t be very happy about it, but I’d live. Since I have seen my sister’s three-legged cat happily toddle along with a LEG missing I’m sure they do just fine without claws.
If you value your furniture more than your cats, then declaw them, by all means. They’ll muddle through. It’s much easier than training them not to scratch, which might take some of your time and attention.
Also, don’t feed them, because they have a malicious tendency to turn catfood into catshit, which kinda smells.
You might also want to cut your kids feet off; makes it easier to keep track of them. If you do it when they’re young, they don’t seem to miss them.
remember what you just said. better yet, think about what you just said.
i’m sure this wasn’t done for the convenience of the owner. the two are hardly comparable. don’t be ridiculous.
i will say it again… you don’t want a cat. you want a ball of fur that doesn’t have claws. a cat does not fall into that category.
haha. category.
My cat did, even with no claws and juvenile arthritis. She used to bring down full grown rabbits, too. However, if I got a cat today I would not get it declawed (maybe if I absolutely positively could not train the cat not to claw the furniture–maybe). I believe they only remove the claw now, though, not the first knuckle, although I could be wrong. My cat was declawed up to and including her first knuckle (this was about 18 years ago, give or take), and it gave her funny little floppy-paws. Poor kit. But the declawed cats I see nowadays have paws that look and act like normal cat paws, just sans claws.
by the way, a phalange is not a joint.
a phalanx, rather.
By all means declaw your cat. When he’s recovered you can blind him as well.
I will believe it then (coming from Gaudere ;)) But I’ll let lissener’s post speak for me on the rest of bio-brat’s hamhanded rationalizations.