I don't feel strongly at all...I don't have cats and am not generally a cat person. I do however like all animals. From what I have read declawing is bad for cats. I'm sure you already know all the reason why. However, there is a solution to protect you and your house. It's called soft paws and its vinyl tips that go over your cats claws. To me it sounds like the perfect solution.

trinigemini, I'm aware of soft paws but it involves glue. Maybe it's easier than it sounds.

Thanks,
Carla

I think declawing is cruel and would never do it.My daughter in the other hand has had 4 or 5 cats that were declawed with no problems,physical or psychological,so I guess it is a matter of what you feel comfortable with.
I have had a lot of cats over the years and never really had much of a problem with clawing the furniture as long as they have a place that is theirs to sharpen their claws.I have used the spray bottle,a rolled up newspaper(swatted near the cat to make noise)a cola can with marbles or coins inside pitched close to the cat when it starts to claw where it isn't allowed.Lots of deterrents can be used successfully but you have to be consistent.I think there is a tape of some kind that you place on the area to keep them from clawing also.I have heard that the soft paws are pretty easy to apply but I don't know how well they stay on.Maybe worth a try.

Get your cats scratching posts, and put a cat condo by the window.

There are no pros (for the cat) in declawing. Only 10 amputations, ensuing pain, often infection, and not knowing what happened or why.

I am going to try other things. I agree;declawing is unnatural and cruel. The only thing I'm really worried about, aside from being hooked a couple times; is one leather couch. I have it covered but it's going to take something heavy duty. She doesn't scratch it but lands on it and plays on it. She has also started to "play" with the dogs and I don't want a vet trip for an injured eye.
I guess I will get some nerve pills for me and cat or just me, and try trimming the nails again. And more scratching posts.

Thank you all,
Carla

I hear you about the leather couch. We just got new furniture and I quizzed the sales man about the durability of it. Of course he said it is more durable than fabric. The dog lays on it and the cats walk on it without a problem. Unfortunately 2 of the cats got into a tussle on the recliner and that left some pretty good scratches. Oh well... A little olive oil on a paper towel rubbed on the scratch makes it almost disappear.It is just aging a bit faster that what we would have liked.
The dog claimed this one for himself

Katharina, cute dog. I like the color of your paint.

Carla

The only experience I can share is that, years ago, I was given a cat that had been de-clawed.

In spite of some good qualities, she bit, hard and often. I am very good with cats and never had one that bit like she did before or since, so I have to think this was her compensation for lack of claws.

We have three cats at the moment, and all have claws. None of them bite us. Our hard leather armchairs show no marks. We have a slip cover on the soft leather sofa. Canvas drapes. I trim their nail tips every couple of weeks. They know they will get a treat afterward, so they put up with it.

There are always options to manage different kitties needs to pounce or scratch -wheather it is more stimulation like a post/tree house, keeping their nails trimmed down, or conditioning to keep them away from certain pieces of furniture.

I was a big skeptic of soft claws. It didn't make sense to me and I didn't like the idea of giving my cat 'fake nails'. I was sure my kitty would obsess and chew his feet. I bought our 1st set last Nov and I really regret not doing it sooner. They are fairly easy to put on. If you can clip your cats nails, you can get them on. Many vets offices around here also sell then and will do it the application for a small fee.

I fill the tips up with glue (it comes with a special fine tip that fits into the little nail caps), line them up, grab the kitty and pop them on. I then lavish my cat with chin scratches for a minute or two until the glue has set. He has no idea what just happened and off he goes. ;)

He does not notice them at all. He "scratches" the chairs still but causes no damage. Also he has good traction when galloping around the house playing. I'm a big fan now.

The first set of soft claws I applied stayed on 4 weeks, the 2nd set has been on 5 now. They shed as the cats nails grow out. The package comes with 40 tips, so 1 set will last a long time.

I was a vet tech. The kitties wake up, work on taking the bandages off, and lick their wounds. Then they go home. Look some people will tell you it is mutilation and they are traumatized forever, I dont think so. What about animals which loose a leg - or 2, they do just fine (loosing 2 legs and hopping around still aamazes me) animals are resilent. HOWEVER cats CAN be trained. this will save you money, and the risk of complications or infections are none...try one then go to the other if the first doesnt work...good luck

Mazer, but what about doing this to a dog? Amputating 10 toes? Also: leg amputations are not done without great thought or need.

My friend has an ornery cat who scratched next to the things - the many things - she put out for her to scratch on. Declawing was out of the question. She got the Soft Paws, and they worked! Stayed on for 6 weeks! However, they must be checked each week to keep the claws from growing around the pads.

So like most pet responsibilities, it requires some sort of maintainence.

If my warkitten Puja was that kind of problem (scratching inappropriately) I would at the very least need help, if not anaesthesia, to cap her claws! But since she was akitten, she had a very good role-model (Sofie) and would do what Sofie did, scratching the many cat trees and condos in the house.

I have also found that with babykittens just starting to explore, if you bring them to the proper scratching source and you scratch, making that pulling noise, they will be stimulated to scratch there. I never tried this with an adult cat, but it is worth the try.

It is ( de clawing) one of the reasons I think europe is better then America - In most of europe the practice is banned as it should be or only done under extreme circumstances. That and a lot of employees get treated better, a month off is common in a lot of jobs!, parents who have handicapped kids in some areas stay at home with kid get paid by the government/no pcas!

In gen its better ethically if no other option is there other then de clawing to painlessly end the cats life then condem it to one of pain/fear and suffering or/and endanger people through biting/ cat bits are serious MUCH worse then scratches.. (On the surface a cat bite looks less serious then it actually is the fangs go deep)

Its kinder( for the cat/not the lives it will produce) to never spay/neuter your cat, or do it a a later date, then to de claw it IMHO, hormones and sex are a part of nature, losing primary defenses and toes are not.( note both are terrible but de clawing is worse as it cannot be repaired/ a full tom/queen can at any time be fixed, and boom, issues go away.)

Thank you all.

Carla

Cats have claws. It's who and what they are. If you can't accept that as part of their being, then you shouldn't be a cat owner.

It's like wanting to own a bird, but deciding to clip their wings off. Mutilating an animal for your "convenience" is bad pet ownership, and downright cruelty, IMHO.

Both of my babies have their claws. Sometimes I would LOVE to just yank them out myself when I discover a new favorite scratching place. BUT cats scratch, fact of life. I have given them ample appropriate scratching options, and the best I can do is correct them when they use my couch or carpet instead. We have two cats and two dogs - and the dogs have never been injured by the cats. Cats don't generally claw at the eyes.

One poster mentioned a de-clawed cat biting - my calico is a biter, she'll bite before she claws anything/anyone. She prefers to use her teeth for some reason.

On the other hand - we had two cats growing up that my parents chose to de-claw. They're now 18 and 16 years old and have never had any behavioral issues what so ever. They're healthy, happy, they don't bite, or eliminate inappropriately. And they even can still catch mice if they ever get the chance.

But that said - you'd be hard pressed to find a vet who is even willing to de-claw cats anymore. Atleast here anyways - as it is cruel and unnatural. I wouldn't do it.

Don't give up on nail trimming. I take my cat in the bathroom with the clippers and bag of treats. I dump treats on the floor and while he is eating I bend over him and pull up one paw at a time and clip away.

My cat has medium long fur so it is no easy task to see the nail.

Basically, he is willing to put up with it because he knows he gets lots of yummy treats.

Doing it while he is asleep or on a lap (not much a lap boy anyway) has never worked. It's all about distracting with the treats.

Lots of appropriate places to scrap available is key. When he was a kitten and scratched his cardboard box thing I'd always give him a treat as reinforcement. He now knows it is "his."

Good luck!

Oh boy! I posted a site on this one time because we were given a little female rescue that clawed everything! I posted on here asking for advice and had my head handed to me!!!

I met with our vet and discussed all the options and what happens if we declaw and in the end we decided to declaw. The best thing we have ever done. They DID NOT amputate her toes the removed the claw and deadened the nerves so the claws will never grow back.

We live in the country and every cat I put outside it gets eaten by coyotes. So I figured this was much less traumatic and safe for her than putting her outside.

She had never acted up or been anything but a love since the surgery. She loves to play and swat at us. She still "claws" at the furniture so I am sure we would have been in a mess at we not done it.

Good luck in whatever you decide just make sure you have a long talk with your vet to insure everything is done correctly.

I used the "adopt a declawed cat" loophole, and Odessa is my third declawed cat. She is as sweet and gentle as the declawed cats I've had. My other two departed declawed were also sweeties...no biting. On the other hand, my stepson's declawed cat was a bit of a nipper...but Buddy was that way before he was declawed.

The vet techs & assistants I've spoken to have indicated that the amount of pain inflicted depends on both the method and the vet who does the procedure.

L

rivkadr, one doesn't clip 'their wings off', but simply cuts a few of the primary feathers. When done properly, a clipped bird doesn't look 'mutilated' at all.

The main reason for attending to this task is to prevent loss or injury of the bird.

rhizo_1, I'm not talking about cutting primary feathers or standard clipping. I was trying to making an analogy (which apparently went over your head), by drawing a comparison between full removal of basic body parts on animals (hence "clip wings off", not clip feathers off).

If my point isn't clear, it's like owning a dog, and removing their vocal cords (dogs bark). Or owning a fish and removing their tail, so it can't swim. Or owning a rat and removing its teeth. All different species come as they are -- for us, as humans, to surgically alter them because we can't be bothered to train them or because our furniture is more important to us is outrageous. If you can't accept a cat (or any other animal) as it is, then you shouldn't own one, it's as simple as that.

Oops...I meant to say in my last post that my declawed cats were as even in temperment as the cats I've had with claws.

One more thing...all of my cats (with and without claws) are/were indoor, hi-rise, city cats. The only time they ever go outside is in their carrier to the vet. If there is ever a chance...even the most remote possibility...that your cat goes out of doors, it is indeed putting her in a life-threatening situation to take away her main defense.

Agree with you 100% rivak. People can loose fingers or parts of them and adapt- it doesn't make it right or fair. Cats will not use their claws on people without reason- in gen. Protect furniture and you have no issues.

As far as getting eaten by coyotes its nature,thats better then supporting such a nasty surgery, its a part of nature and its probably only a minute of terror and then its over the price we pay for having outdoor cats.. Better that a cat get eaten by a coyote then ground up into pet food after being dosed with drugs that tint the meat.

Carla, when kitty plays on the leather sofa, shake a can of coins at her/him. My 2-year old cat likes to run and ricochet off the back of my love seat. A few shakes of the coins and she has quit.

that too is a good idea.

socks, thanks but I think it's too late to correct. However, I have ordered soft paws and have hope this is a solution. Again, I really am against declawing, it's my daughter that wants it. She is young and doesn't fully understand. But it's expensive too and she would have to foot the bill and I can't see that happening.

Carla

Carla, my old guy had some allergy/skin problems on his face last year and was ripping his face to shreds with his hind claws. We weren't real optimistic, but decided to try soft paws on his hind feet. First off, we had trouble finding them because none of the pet stores in town has much luck keeping them in stock- that's certainly a good sign that people like them!

We ordered them and they were very easy to put on and did the trick. I was surprised that he didn't seem to notice them. Some people complain that the opaque ones are harder to use initially because you can't see how much glue you've put in, and they suggest starting with the clear ones.

I hope it turns out to be your solution. We were pleased with them.

good job, its nice to hear stories like hat.

I meant 'That not "hat" lol.

My dh is fussy about the house, and when we got a kitten, wanted him declawed as soon as possible. I convinced him to give SoftPaws a try, and used them for several months. One day, though, I came home and noticed blood all over the blinds, and a trail of blood leading back to our kitten. At the time, I thought that the SoftPaws were uncomfortable and drove him crazy so that he was trying to get them off. (I now realize that it is more likely that he clawed at the blinds to see outside, and got a nail stuck, then panicked). Several of his SoftPaws were ripped off, and his nails were bleeding.

He was due to be neutered, and I let dh talk me into having him declawed at the same time. Many of my friends had their cats declawed and said that it was no big deal.

He has grown up to be a really nice cat - playful and affectionate. I don't think that declawing him changed his personality. My only real complaint about him is that I have tried EVERYTHING to keep him off the kitchen counters and he still sneaks up there.

Still, I regret having him declawed, and would never do it again, so please, be patient with the SoftPaws. It may take a little time to get the hang of it, but it will be worth it to know that you are caring for your cat in the most humane way possible.

Its kinder for the cat, (not the new lives), IMHO to have an intact cat then to de claw it. Sex and hormones are just a part of nature, having your front toes chopped off isn't, de clawing is purmanent, intactness can be fixed when condictions($$/living arrangements) improve.

All you need to do is vacinate it( male or female) for everything under the sun and have a bunch of new homes lined up for litters if its a female. that and keep away from the house, so you don't get spraying issues

Note its awful, the both of them, but I'd rather work with nature then against it.

I'm a vet and I do declaw cats.

The surgery involves cutting off each finger at the first knuckle. Complications involve not taking enough off and the claw grows back (which can take years), cutting off too much causing more pain, bleeding, infection, and phantom pain. In some cats with phantom pain, they never truly recover- they become fearful or aggressive, they can become urine sprayers which is extremely difficult to correct, and other undesirable behaviors. I have to say it is rare though.

The biggest mistake is declawing an aggressive cat, because unless you are also going to remove all their teeth, you'll end up with worse problems when they start biting the crap out of everyone.

The younger and lighter in weight the cat, the better they do in general. Fat older cats tend to be painful longer.

I would make sure your vet has done a LOT of declaws and is very comfortable with the procedure. We have had vets who don't do a lot of declaws and because of that, almost always have complications. Also make sure they have an appropriate pain protocol. Our patients are given pain meds for 1 week following the procedure; anything less is not enough IMHO. They should keep the cat at least overnight and make sure the bandages are removed for a couple of hours before you pick up your cat. The cat will clean off the glue/blood for a while. Some cats get obsessive about cleaning their paws and end up with infections- you'll need to watch for that. Also you have to change the litter to paper until the paws heal because clay based litter will get stuck in the surgery site and cause pain and infection.

Generally, I try to talk people out of chopping off toes when possible. Some people don't know that you can trim cats' claws (really, people are stupid), others don't know that you amputate the digit, others think that all cats that live indoors have to be declawed or if they have a declawed cat all others in their house must also be declawed. None of those things are true. I am much more willing to declaw a cat after the owner has exhausted all other training methods including soft paws, or if they have a medical condition which makes claws dangerous (I have a few clients like that). I personally would never declaw my own cat if I could have one (husband is allergic) any more than I would clip my bird's feathers or debark my dog. I feel that if I am not able/willing to have the animal as they are made, then that is not the right species pet for me.

a painless final injection is MUCH more humane and safer on people then de clawing( cat bites are serious and, the vet did explan the pain involved), we PTS both to stop pain and stuffering and to control a dangerous animal- note I'm sure its the ignorance of humans that are the causes of roughly 70% of de claws, most of the cats are just unlucky enough to land in that suitation.

or why don't you just release your neutered/spayed cat over at a barn somewhere. I'm sure a farmer could use a mouser,.

As long as its fixed it would be kinder IMHO. The very few Cats that have behavior problems that are so bad that they require de clawing are probably better off living as altered feral- semi ferals- away from people

My cat of 2 years attacked my daughter's face in the middle of the night.

It was either get rid of the cat (years of therapy for my kids) or declaw the cat (Years of therapy for the cat.)

Family vote, cat was declawed -

We felt sad, but people first.

Cats attack with teeth, too. So now what are you going to do?

I've decided not to de claw just in case we want to end this thread.

Carla

I think thats a very good idea

A 2 year old cat that attacks people is better off as a feral, You oviously didn't do something right. My cats would never do things like that, and one of them a highly domiment aggressive cat.

wow - pretty presumptuous to assume that the cat attacking the girl's face in her sleep was our fault- but okay.... Let's assume you or your cats are superior to me and mine, and we'll get along fine.

We adopted the cat from animal control. Three years now since the unfortunate surgery, not an issue - I suppose if she starts biting, we'll cross that bridge when we get to it.

Real friendly folks around these parts, I see....

Sorry I didn't mean to upset you I didn't know the story behind.

Okay, the fact the cat was a rescue seems to me that it was nothing you did,but whatever the previous people did.

Rescues can have all kinds of problems. As for "years of therapy" kids and cats are very adaptable, you could have found a better behaved cat for the kids and took the mean cat out to a barn, managed colony and released it. Being fixed it would have never been able to add to the surplus population crisis we have. I hope the cat doesn't bite, I've known De clawed cats that do not bite but out of 3 de clawed cats I've met 2 bite.

www.Softpaws.com is good for next time

I wish luck with whatever happens

I have had both declawed cats, and cats that I clip.

No temperament issues between them.

No side effects.

No biting. No litterbox drama, nothing.

I think Meghane gave a well-thought-out response to your question, and has some good technical points in it for you to consider.

I have not used softpaws.

I have one cat now that HATES clipping but we have persisted in being the 'alpha' in the situation and it's been doable.

My other cat just lies there and lets us clip away.

There is one small clawmark on my new leather couch left at a time when my hates-clipping kitty was a bit overdue. Hers have always been razor sharp.

I know there are emotions running high on this issue. But I do not have firm feelings either way.

I went the clipping route because I signed a commitment contract at adoption to not declaw, in the case of my older cat, and I'm a woman of my word.

You should do what's right for you, which none of us can judge, and you're a good parent to your babies no matter what you choose.

I declawed 3 of my cats back when there wasn't too much talk about it. It was widely accepted 10-13 years ago. My oldest cat developed arthritis in the joints that were severed during the process. Eventually he got cancer in one of the joints and had to get his finger amputated. "Winky" passed away. My 2 remaining declawed cats are about 12 years old and both of them limp. One has arthritis in her front paws and the other has "regrowth" of the nails under the skin. Both are in pain. I feel horrible for them. My youngest cat is now 3 years old and he still has his claws. I clip them every week and we've never had a problem with him shredding our furniture. We give him a scratching post which he uses faithfully. The only time cats scratch is when their nails are too long. They are actually trying to shorten their nails when they do that, they are not trying to sharpen them. My recommendation is not to declaw, just keep the nails really short. Hope this helps.

Every cat I've ever had has been declawed, and I have no regrets about having it done. It truly is a personal decision as well as a hot-button with some people. I tried the Soft Paws. They didn't work. No matter what we did, they wouldn't stay on.

To the poster who said you're taking away a cat's defense when you declaw them, I'm sorry, but you're mistaken. Cats don't fight with their front paws; they fight with their hind claws, which is why those claws are also much thicker than the front claws. None of my cats have had behavioral issues, so having them declawed didn't cause the trauma a lot of people would like to believe it does. No flaming, please. It's my opinion:-)

I decided against de clawing.

Carla