No I haven't. My two kitties were spayed and declawed before I adopted them at the shelter. Indoor cats live much longer than cats who are allowed outside. The city I live in has a very strict leash law that applies to cats as well as dogs. My puppy had a scratch mark on his face from the back claws of my feisty kitty.

I haven't, but you could try the little stick-on cat claw covers while you research other options. Soft Paws is the brand someone on Pets forum recommended.

Why not trim them? I hold the cat firmly under my left arm and take a little fingernail nipper and put it on the whole claw then drag it to the end where it stops where the nail curves then press down on the clippers an it cuts of that end part- the sharp part . the clippers are the regular fingernail ones that fold up. I could never declaw a cat and if they lived outside and just came in o eat I'd never cut their nails

I have four inside cats - one was declawed before I got him. I keep their nails trimmed and give them scratching options (they love corrugated cardboard scratchers the best). I would never declaw an animal.

Using laser to declaw is not a new procedure. It is exactly the same as a regular declaw. If you feel you need to declaw a cat it's better to let someone else adopt the cat. It is cruel.
Donna

I feel like I was too hard on you with my answer. You can try using Soft Paws which work very well. Also, cutting the nails weekly works well too. Laser is the same as a regular declaw. It's just done with a laser instead of a knife. The healing is easier but it's still very cruel.
Donna

I have real problems with declawing cats. I always ask people if they'd chop the fingers off their kids if they scratched someone whenever they talk about it. It's the same thing.

I understand the consideration of one declawed and one not. I had the same concern when I was thinking about a companion for mine. The way it worked out another declawed cat needed a home so that was moot, but I wouldn't hesitate to get a clawed cat this time, depending on the temperament. One thing, a declawed cat will naturally bite more than a clawed cat which could be worse. And when they're playing, they usually don't use claws. Things can even out and they might just get along too. Trimming nails is part of the care.

I hope you reconsider.

Organic donna- you were not harsh at all and I am not thin skinned anyway. I'm asking because I have an indoor kitty that I declawed yrs. ago and just had a stray show up at my door. She's young and beautiful and I've fallen in love with her. I know she wants to come in and with our crappy weather lately, I hate seeing her out there miserable. She's somewhat skittish of the garage so she won't go in there. I would love to keep her as an indoor because I hate having her outside. Since my other one is declawed, I was wondering if there was a less invasive and traumatic procedure because I don't think I could ever declaw another cat again. I'm having her spayed Wed. and she'll also get the shots she needs. I guess I'll just keep her as an outdoor cat and hope noone's the wiser (leash law here, too). If she stays around the back yard, we're ok. Not much traffic here at all and my neighbors are good about outdoor cats. We'll see how she does...

As far as I know, the laser technique still removes the bone above the knuckle joint. The only difference between lasers and scalpels is that the laser cauterizes the tissue so there is less bleeding.

This is what the Humane Society has to say about laser declaw:

"Another method is laser surgery, in which a small, intense beam of light cuts through tissue by heating and vaporizing it. However, it's still the amputation of the last toe bone of the cat and carries with it the same long-term risks of lameness and behavioral problems as does declawing with scalpels or clippers."

We've had 13 indoor cats and only one was declawed (we got Boots from the shelter this way - after he was dumped by his owner because he began to bite. This is sometimes a side effect of losing their primary means of defense).

Clipping the claws is not a big deal once you get them used to it. You start with one claw at a time and work up. You also need tall cat trees with a combination of carpet and sisal as some cats have a scratching preference for one or the other. Also get a horizontal scratcher like the Turbo scratcher. Some people also use logs or unfinished cedar planks for scratching.

BTW, Boots being declawed had absolutely no problem living with 8 other clawed cats.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Humane Society of the United States

Orie, why won't you bring her inside? Are you afraid she would fight with your other cat, who would be defenseless w/o claws? There are techniques for introducing a new cat to the household. The number one tip is to isolate the new cat for a couple of weeks (no less) so your first cat can smell her but not have access to her.

If you ask at the Pets Forum, I'm sure you'll receive lots of advice on how to keep both cats together indoors. (And see Tally's experience above.) Good for you for having her spayed, etc. I hope you can take the next step and give her a home.

I have nothing to add about declawing cats, but we did just get adopted by a stray cat.

Since you are a cat person you probably know this, but I just thought I'd add that you need to get her tested for feline leukemia before you decide whether to bring her inside or not. Our vet told us that most stray cats have feline leukemia. Ours, fortunately, did not, she is now living large. She has been inside for over a month and still segregates herself in the pantry.

I presently have her inside in our Master Bathroom because we've had some very snowy and icy weather since Friday. I couldn't let her stay out there. She'd have been stuck without food because she tends to hide during rain storms under our neighbor's house. She would'nt have been able to get out for a couple of days. I have kept her away from our other cat for severasl reasons, esp. because she won't be checked out until Wed. Also, because our big, crabby boy is declawed. He's one very ornery cat. Not very friendly at all and will hiss at us and swipe just because we smell like the other cat when we handle her. She's no better when she smells him. I don't know that I'll have what it takes to try to make it work with 2 cats... esp. when they don't like each other and when only one is at an advantage with claws. I think I'd have her as an outdoor cat but I hate seeing her out there. My other choice is to try to find her a home. I think if I get her ready for adoption by having her spayed and given shots, that she'd be more adoptable. Wish me luck. Why is it that all strays come to my house? It must be the huge "Sucker lives here" sign on my roof....

I'm sorry to tell you this, but there is every possibility that your other cat is ornery BECAUSE he is declawed. It's not that way always, but not at all uncommon for a declawed cat to become ornery or nasty after being declawed because he has no other means of defense. If your new one (and I hope you decide to keep her) isn't an alpha cat, she is likely to not be dangerous to your current cat; she probably will cow-tow to his orneriness and be submissive to him. Or at least stear clear of him. I doubt very much that she would be a danger to him.

I'm hardly an expert, but have had an awful lot of cats and introduced new cats to other cats many, many times.

Please keep her, please don't declaw her, and please don't keep her as an outside cat (statistics have shown that outside cats have an average lifespan of 3 years). Let them work it out and don't hover over them worrying. They will work it out.

If you've only had her inside for a few days - you are way to early to predict how these two cats will react over time.

Of course they are going to hiss and swat in the beginning! That's no predictor of the final outcome.

New cats can be successfully integrated into a resident cat's household but it takes time and patience and the correct procedure to do it successfully.

You need to keep them separated and introduce them slowly by senses. First hearing and smell, finally sight. The new cat needs to be kept separated for at least a week, maybe 2.

You can do this! Your expectations are too high - this won't be immediate. I've done it many times. Each time is a little nerve wracking, but they are all living together peacefully and happily. Claws or no claws - it really makes no difference as cats rarely hurt each other. They can make a lot of noise when they have a disagreement but it rarely draws blood. It's mostly for show to see who backs down first. One they settle on who is going to be the top cat, they will find their places and cohabit peacefully.

You need to read about the procedures for introductions. Several articles are linked below.

Here is a link that might be useful: Introducing a new cat into your home

Thanks Tally. I am terrified to introduce the two. I think it's because I hate having 2 cats be so unhappy. You're beyond right that I'm expecting too much so soon. Just thinking about my 8 yr. old cat having his little kitty life disrupted tears me to pieces. Unhappy animals I can't deal with. And then I think of the poor little stray in my bathroom right now and it kills me to imagine her being thrown back outside... I am having a very hard time with this. It seems that every time there's a decision to be made about an animal, it sucks the life out of me. I just want everyone happy immediately! How's that for being unreasonable??!!

Elmo showed up Nov 2002. He and Ara didn't like each other but tolerated each other through their first winter. Come spring (they were both fixed!) something went amiss and I called the vet telling her to either drug the cats or drug me but SOMETHING in our house was getting drugged THAT day! LOL

Caught Ara first and took her to the vet. Vet gave them both Kitty Valium. Ara slept for about 3 hours, Elmo for about 30 minutes. Never had to give them any after the first dose. They still spat some but Ara sorta likes Elmo... only because he will bath her, lol.

she still hates Stewie but he doesn't care, he loves his big sis anyway.

Best of luck!
Janie

Orie, I've been there.

One of the greatest regrets I have involves a Siamese cat that adopted me several years ago. At that time, I just had the one cat and he was about 6 years at the time.

This Siamese cat just up and adopted me - waiting at my door each night for me to come home. I left a blanket out there and he slept on my patio every night. I really wanted to bring him in, but each time my indoor cat caught sight of him he started hissing and spitting. It scared and worried me, but I longed to give this little outdoor cat a home with me.

One night the Siamese cat showed up with a terrible lump under his jaw. I didn't know what to do. I worried all night and the next morning when I left for work, he was gone.

Well, he showed up the next night with the site shaved and drained, and with his owner who had taken him to the vet with a fight abcess. The guy said this cat is more attached to you than me. If you want him, take him. And I said "no", because I was terrified of how my indoor cat would react. And I regret it to this day.

If I knew then what I know now, I would have taken him in in a heartbeat. Yes they spit, and yes they hiss, and yes, sometimes even the fur flies. But they figure out how to to adjust to each other and I've never had one cat kill the other! LOL.

Cats adapt. They don't like change, but when they accept it and settle in, they're fine.

Sometimes I think the transitions are harder on us humans than on them. But that's because we project our human feelings onto them. Cats live in the moment. A hissy fit one minute, and sleeping side by side the next.

You can do this. You really, really can.

I'm probably the only fanatical cat lover around today who has declawed cats. I got my first generation cats declawed after they'd damaged a couple of apartments and I couldn't afford to keep paying apartment damage deposits at the time. That was about thirty years ago and it wasn't frowned upon so much as it is today. Those two cats lived a long, pampered life - never went outside - didn't have behavioral problems and weren't maimed or lame as a result of declawing. I got those cats as kittens but the next couple cats I got were strays. One I found - outside and neglected - and declawed. The next one I got at the humane society and I made a point of picking one that was declawed because I knew I would be responsible enough to keep the cat indoors and obviously a lot of other people aren't. My most recent cat I found as a stray and she wasn't declawed. I tried for a while with claws but she preferred scratching on my oriental rugs to scratching on any other device intended for that purpose and it was like torture to try to clip her nails. I did a lot of reading and clearly everyone is opposed to it these days but I finally went ahead with it anyway. I just think there are so many cats neglected and suffering - mine have a great life in every way - other than being subjected to declawing surgery. They're also subjected to spay/neuter surgery. All of my cats are loving, sweet, friendly, don't bite, and don't have behavioral problems. Maybe with enough TLC you can offset all that other stuff that supposedly happens. Or maybe mine are just so happy to be taken in off the street and out of the snow and cold that that offsets the impact of being declawed.

my cats are true bro and sister and don't like each other, lol...although they will eat from the same dish, they have taken over different areas of the house..ashley, the office, and jack the lr...

my first 2 cats got along very well (litter mates, too) but just don't know what went wrong with these 2...

i have a nifty little pair of cat claw scissors i found at petsmart. they have this oval space fitting around the nail. so cut from all directions...

i dread the day something happen to them...they're supposed to be my last pets...dh has tolorated my cats for the past 40 years but he swears no more after they've gone...sigh...

Bless you for caring about the poor stray kitty.

When we have brought a new cat into our home, a smidge of cologne dabbed right above the nose helped mask the new kitty smells a bit, resulting in less grouchiness.

We also kept the newcomer in the bathroom for a few days, as you are doing.

Another no-declaw here, but I also want to recommend that before you bring her inside you have her tested for Feline Leukemia (FeLV) and FIV. You wouldn't want to jeopardize the health of your current cat by unknowlingly bringing disease inside (FIV can be lived with much more easily than FeLV, but if they were to fight, then all bets are off). Your vet will also be able to tell if she's been spayed or not.

I truly hope it works out:-)

tally,
Your story is so sad. Did you ever see that cat again?

I have on cat that's declawed and the other has claws. The clawed cat is 13.5 pounds of muscle and could hurt me if he wanted to. The two cats play fight at times but he never uses his claws on my female cat. I used to put soft paws on him and now I cut his nails every week. He scratches my rugs a lot but I love him more than any of my possesions.
Donna

About 16 years ago, I had my 6 month old female kitten spayed and declawed. Seeing her try to walk on her sore paws made me decide NEVER to declaw a cat again. My cat passed away last year. I have another 6 year old clawed female. She uses a scratching post. If she happens to damage furniture (which she hasn't) , who cares? Not me, I love her much more than a couch or table. "Love people and use things."

All of your stories are wonderful. Your story is sad, Tally. My indoor kitty is presently having a fit because he can smell the stray (Cleo) on me. He'll hiss and growl at me when he smells my pants. It's funny but at the same time it gets me thinking "How in the world is this going to work when he behaves like this and it's only a smell and not yet the other cat 'in person'.... I'm going day by day. Now I just hope I can get her to the clinic on Wed. to get spayed. We have a lot of melting snow and refreezing the next morning. I'm hoping it's all mostly gone so I can get her there bright and early Wed. morning. I don't want to wait another day! I think I'm in for quite a nightmare. We brought in a kitty that was about 5 wks old over last summer. My dd fell in love with it and we figured we'd give it a try. Our vet had a bunch of them at the time so we tried for a week. Our cat became so aggressive that he'd try to bite us. He actually took to my MIL's ankle who was visiting at the time. It got so we couldn't even walk by him without him growling at us! Sunny, our cat, never even saw the kitty... it was just from the smell and the soft meowing from the kitty. We eventually returned the kitty to the vet. We checked often and she was adopted eventually. I think of this and then I think of an actual introduction of Sunny to Cleo and I panick inside. Ok, enough torture for now. I'm going to take it one day at a time! Hay Dios mio!!

orie,
What you are dealing with is re-directed aggression in cats. When I bring my female cat to the vet this happens with my male cat. The smells from the vet's office set him off. I can't touch him or he will attack me too. I have to separate the cat's and reintroduce them again. Your cat seeing the other cat outside and then smelling her on you is causing this to happen. You should remove the other cat from the window view of your cat. The more he sees the other cat out of the window the more aggressive he will be.
Donna

Here is a link that might be useful: re-directed aggression

Our cat is declawed and she's just fine. We adopted her two years ago and we had her spayed and declawed at the same time. The vet used the laser treatment and with that there was no blood and he DID NOT remove her first knuckle. She does just fine with our two puppies and they love to play with her.
If it means saving your furniture and keeping your cat in a loving home by all means you do what's best for you and your pet.
Good luck!

fireman's wife,
The only way to declaw a cat is to remove the knuckle. You cannot remove the nail any other way. I linked a picture of an actual declaw procedure. Please don't look at it if this will upset you. It is very graphic.
Donna

Here is a link that might be useful: Warning graphic pictures of declaw

I have two cats and they have NOT been declawed. We clip their nails every two or three weeks. Plus I have lots of the cardboard scratching boxes all over the house. Every room has at least two and the Living Room and our bedroom where they spend the most time have 4 or 5 each. We have no trouble with them scratching anything else. That is, unless we lock them in a room. They HATE closed bedroom or bathroom doors and will scratch under the door on the carpet to get out or to open the door.

Please don't declaw the kitty. It is such a painful experience for them. Plus, if they ever did get out of the house accidently and get lost, they would have no defense against other animals.

Why do you all think declawing is so cruel?...

I've had portions of my toenail permanently removed. It doesn't hurt (and it was fairly large sections. I suffered from ingrown toenails a lot) My big toenails are "skinier" than they were but I can still paint them and they still protect my toes.

Anyway it wasn't painfull and the root of the toenail is gone. Couldn't be much different than having a toenail removed

I have cats, indoor/outdoor, and I also don't believe in declawing. Until reading this I had no idea that declawing involved removal of the first knuckle.

I think having portions of toe nail permanently removed is slightly different that having a first knuckle removed. Believe me I know. I removed the first knuckle of my big toe 7 years ago with a lawn mower. Initial trauma aside, the healing process was slow and painful. I would imagine it would be the same for a cat.

Fortunately I've only introduced two cats that in the end never got along. For the most part, outside of the rare growl or hiss, they just learned to ignore each other.

Best of luck with you new sweetheart.

Alexis

Pattico, here are a few sites to look at to find out why we are so against de-clawing. It really can change your cat forever.

http://www.cats.com/article/catcare/grooming/the-pros-and-cons-of-declawing-cats/

http://www.declawing.com/

http://www.amby.com/cat_site/declaw.html

http://www.pawproject.com/html/faqs.asp

http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/ - this one has some graphic pictures of an actual surgery de-clawing a cat.

Sorry for the long post. This is just something I really feel very strongly about.

OK, I will step down off my soap box now.

Donna,
When I asked my vet if they removed her first knuckles when we took her in (this would have been a deal breaker if they said yes) he told me no that they use a lazer now to remove the nail and deaden the nerve ending. Her paws look like any other cats paws and it hasn't changed her in the slightest.

I've heard both sides of the laser declaw, most say that tho it is less painful with shorter healing time, that the third joint toe is still removed.

That said, I have 3 beautiful Maine Coon cats, they are all declawed. So were the five that preceded them and we have not ever had a personality issue with any of them. One of them had a nail that grew back, that was the only issue in 30 years that we had.

All the breeders knew we fully intended on declawing the cats, every one of them said the same thing, "there are worse things that can happen to a cat".

No one will ever resolve the issue on this board or any other. I made my choice, you made yours. I will not convince you to change your mind and you will not change mine. We reap what we sow.