Declawing opinions?

[Jenny]

Ok, this may be a touchy subject, but...

How do you all feel about declawing cats? We have 3 cats and 2 are declawed on their front paws. Mac (our oldest) isn't yet, but will be shortly.

We didn't have any problems with our other 2. Since they are completely indoor cats, I wasn't (& am not) worried about them being outside and not being able to climb & escape dogs or whatever.

Just wondered what your opinions were...

[jw]

Hi Jenny -

I had a cat when I was a little kid, he was declawed...I don't know the pros/cons of it, but hopefully we can get another person that can give you a better answer!

I actually like cats...but :bax: does not...so, I am at a loss for advice! :D

[Hol]

From what I read and have heard, yeah, it is a bit of a touchy subject. Patty and Carol can probably give you better opinions than myself.

I had many cats as a kid. We lived in farm country and they were outdoor kitties, so they definitely needed their claws.

Come to think of it - my vet's office has cats who live there and they are declawed. Possibly so as not to harm any of the canine patients. LOL

Dunno, Jenny. Hope some other cat owners chime in to help ya out.

:wavey:

[patty]

i can`t help with any physical reasons/health pros or cons just my own opinion. i will not declaw my cat or any future cat. i don`t believe it`s necessary and i`d rather have my animal protected "just in case". i have had cats all my life and the one i currently have is smudge 1/2 himalayan 1/2 sealpoint siamese. he`s 8 and is fully clawed and i`ve never had a problem with him ruining anything, except his 8 ft cat tree which is as old as he is :) it needs to be replaced. in training, (i`ve had him all his life) what i did from kitten on was squirt him with a spray bottle filled with water when he did something i didn`t like while i said "NO". i`ve always had a scratching post for him and he uses that to scratch and climb. never have had a problem :)

[Jenny]

Originally posted by patty
i can`t help with any physical reasons/health pros or cons just my own opinion. i will not declaw my cat or any future cat. i don`t believe it`s necessary and i`d rather have my animal protected "just in case". i have had cats all my life and the one i currently have is smudge 1/2 himalayan 1/2 sealpoint siamese. he`s 8 and is fully clawed and i`ve never had a problem with him ruining anything, except his 8 ft cat tree which is as old as he is :) it needs to be replaced. in training, (i`ve had him all his life) what i did from kitten on was squirt him with a spray bottle filled with water when he did something i didn`t like while i said "NO". i`ve always had a scratching post for him and he uses that to scratch and climb. never have had a problem :)

We tried that with Ben, who we got as a kitten and it didn't work. Although he really doesn't have a scratching problem. But since we rent (can't buy, no credit & not going to be in this place long), it is MUCH easier to find someplace nicer to rent if your cats are declawed, since they won't have to worry about them tearing up the carpets. :shrug:

[patty]

if you`ve got 2 cats that are already declawed and one is going to be done soon i`m not sure i understand your question. are you asking for future reference? there are probably lots of articles on the net, i just haven`t researched it because i don`t feel i need to because i won`t declaw. if you`re weighing pros and cons i`m sure you`ll find lotsa stuff out there :) good luck :) i can imagine finding an apartment, it`s hard with animals. when i got smudge the place didn`t allow pets. you should of seen me hinding him and keeping him out of the windows, it was quite challenging at times. LOL we didn`t stay there long either, we bought our house shortly after we got him.

[patty]

http://amby.com/cat_site/declaw.html#issues
http://www.cvm.uiuc.edu/petcolumns/showarticle.cfm?id=137

[Jenny]

Originally posted by patty
if you`ve got 2 cats that are already declawed and one is going to be done soon i`m not sure i understand your question. are you asking for future reference? there are probably lots of articles on the net, i just haven`t researched it because i don`t feel i need to because i won`t declaw. if you`re weighing pros and cons i`m sure you`ll find lotsa stuff out there :) good luck :) i can imagine finding an apartment, it`s hard with animals. when i got smudge the place didn`t allow pets. you should of seen me hinding him and keeping him out of the windows, it was quite challenging at times. LOL we didn`t stay there long either, we bought our house shortly after we got him.

hehe I just was curious as to everyone's opinions. My hubby & I know how they are declawed and weighed the pros & cons before having Ben declawed shortly before our son was born. :)

And yeah, most of the apartments we are looking into only allow 2 cats. Shhh! ;)

[patty]

your secret`s safe with me, i won`t tell!! LOL how old is your son?? i`ve got a 7 year old boy tyler, and a 4 year old girl autumn. no more...i`m done!! LOL they are the loves of my life :)

[Jenny]

Originally posted by patty
your secret`s safe with me, i won`t tell!! LOL how old is your son?? i`ve got a 7 year old boy tyler, and a 4 year old girl autumn. no more...i`m done!! LOL they are the loves of my life :)

hehe I have a 5 year old. :) I know what you mean about how you feel about them!

[Anne]

Touchy subject - well. Maybe. I hope noone is offended by what I write. :) Declawing is nothing but animal cruelty. I think it's absolutely terrible, and I am very happy it's outlawed in most parts of the world. As for the reasons - well, there are many good websites on the problems with declawing, so I won't go into detail.

I have three cats, all strictly indoor, and we don't have a scratching problem at all. The cats have scratching posts that they enjoy using, and they have never clawed on anything else. We clip their claws when they get too long - usually every two weeks or so. They never hurt us, or eachother.

Really, I think the "problems" with letting cats keep their claws are often very exaggerated. However, if scratching truly is a problem, then I imagine something like Softpaws might work. (Although I can't really imagine there being a problem in the first place if you keep the cat's claws trimmed.)

[jw]

Originally posted by Anne
Touchy subject

Hi Anne! Don't be a stranger!

I tried to go to your website but it seems to be down today? :confused:

[Boof]

I have two cats and I clip their nails about twice a month. Once you take that hook part off, the nails can't really do much damage.

When I was younger my cat was declawed. I honestly don't remember if it changed his personality or not. I just know I feel strongly enough not to do it to my current or future cats. The shelter I volunteer at won't adopt cats out to homes that plan to declaw.

For me clipping their nails is no big deal and a sensible, much kinder solution.

[Anne]

I think the server was just being down for maintenance - the site works now :)

take care everyone!

[morning_bee]

I would never declaw my pets. I have seen the surgery, and I agree that is is cruel and inhumane. We use SoftPaws on our Cleo, and I would definitely recommend them. They are fairly inexpensive and not too much of a hassle, but even if they did cost a lot I would buy them because I would never put my cat through the pain of having her "fingers" cut off.

~Mel