Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
you only hear negatives when you work in ashelter, 95% of the cats in our shelter wer declawed adults who were brought in for behavioural problems and litterbox issues.
were not a big city, nor a large shelter and we didnt cover a large area...but of the cats in our shelter most were adults and most of them had been declawed.
its not media propaganda, theres medical evidence suggesting declawing is NOT good for cats.
besides how would you feel if someone came along and amputated the ends of your fingers and toes because they didnt like how you used your nails?!
they dont just remove the claw, they remove the last joint of the toe, also cutting through tendon and ligaments.
All things go great until they don't anymore. Tail docking and ear cropping for dogs and cat declawing are considered illegal and forms of animal abuse in other countries and in some states. Progress is slow, but hopefully someday we will all get there. We will no longer have Boxer puppies with raised ears so they can be cute, or Cocker Spaniel puppies going through the pain of having their tails chopped off.
In some very rare instances I can see allowing a cat declaw. But these are rare and extreme cases. Sadly I feel there is no meeting of the minds on these debates - people either believe it is a horrific mutilation of their pets or they just don't believe there is anything wrong with it.
For me, personally I have had 2 cats that were declawed - one is now a bridge kitty, one I still have. I believe her declaw is a main reason for her behavior issues. She changed and became very shy and fearful aggressive very shortly after her declaw. You will never convince me it wasn't because of this surgery. She lives with 3 cats with claws (kept well trimmed) and we have NO problems. It takes responsible ownership as does everything else. Their teeth have done more damage to myself and my furniture than their claws! LOL I will never have another cat declawed.
I think that those of use that do not believe in declaw cannot argue and push our point onto those that think it is not harmful. It is as with anything else. Share the information and hope to make a believer and a convert for the sake of the kitties. Arguing will never get you anywhere.
Sadly I feel there is no meeting of the minds on these debates - people either believe it is a horrific mutilation of their pets or they just don't believe there is anything wrong with it.
You've got that right. As far as I'm concerned, there's no other side of the issue. It's a barbaric procedure with no purpose other than making the pet owner's life a little easier, right up there with removing a dog's voice box so you don't have to hear them bark.
Anyone who does this is just a monster, and I have no problem saying so.
Totally agreed. And just so Zenith knows that not all of "us here" are crazy cat zealots:
When I brought my cat with me from Boston to my parent's house after college, my mom hated the idea. She was convinced she was deathly allergic to cats. My cat convinced her otherwise. She was, however, convinced that the wallpaper was deathly allergic to cats, and told me either I got rid of my cat's claws, or I got rid of the cat. Those were the options, if I wanted to continue living in their house til I was back on my feet financially and could afford rent somewhere.
And so - I got my cat declawed. She was sore for a day, and she was right back to "kneading" the walls the day after that. The only difference, was that her behavior didn't rip the wallpaper. She then acquired a new behavior - sitting on my chest when I was laying on the couch after supper, and "happy-pawing" my neck. I'd heard of this, I'd heard it was a common cat behavior, but she had never done this to me before. I was elated. She would occasionally gnaw my wrist, but she had done that for the year and some months that I had her before she was declawed too.
My next cat, I got while I still had my first, and obviously it wouldn't be safe to have a declawed cat with an intact, active, and rambuncious kitten. So I had my kitten declawed at the same time she got spayed. She didn't ever acquire the happy-paw behavior, but she never got into the whole biting thing either, and she was pretty well adjusted and lived a long healthy life. My first lived to 18, my second lived to 17.
Since they both died within a few months of each other, I had to get another cat. I was catless, and it didn't seem right. So I got another kitten, had her declawed and spayed at the same time. Again - no odd effects, no infections, no limping, no problems at all. She gnaws, and I encourage it because it's a fun game and it's instinctual for her to gnaw. But she never bites, she's never ill-tempered. I had another cat while I had my third, but that one was sickly when I got her - she was already declawed and spayed when I got her, and I was never able to return her to decent health and she died of complete renal failure last year.
I've lived with a bonafide "cat lady" where we had between us 27 cats - including my first two. Most of hers were declawed, none of them had psychological or physical problems as a result of declawing. I think most of them were a bit wild but that was because it was a small condo and she was pretty batty to expect that many animals to dwell in a small condo and NOT get wild.
I've seen some pretty horrific tragedies revolving around declawing, and I don't doubt for one moment that these tragedies are true. I'm sure they are. However, I've experienced for myself, and so has my sister, and so has my mom (she ended up adopting her own brood), and so have countless friends - that declawing doesn't always come with tragedy. In fact it seems to me that this is not a common thing - however, the victims of botched declawing or poor healing are the ones who people actually hear about. You don't see websites devoted to successful declawing. Just like you don't see a whole lot of websites devoted to successful birth control. Lawyers don't advertise on TV with graphic images of how many people were HELPED by antidepressants - the headlines don't tell anyone about all the successful uses of oxycontin.
You only hear about the negatives, because it makes good press, and it's great for pushing an "anti" agenda.
Sigh...all those cats..mutilated. All those cats. People who defend decalwing and intend to keep doing it as long as they have cats, are never going to admit there are any problems. (I am not stating that as fact, it is my opinion )
I highly doubt your cat was "in pain for a day", after having ten amputations. I'm sure the pain lasted much longer, even if you used the "laser method"
One declawed cat does not mean all cats in the household have to be declawed. Cats who live together don't "need defense" from one another, and there is no reason to not have the two together.
I don't understand how anyone can do it. It is a blind spot of mine, I cannot see any reason for it, ever.
I would have informed the parent that I would keep the claws trimmed and covered with nail caps and pay for any damage, and then see to it that my already well trained cat did not cause any damage.
You claim the first time you did it you had this "reason", but after that you kept doing it.
Poor kitties. It puts a pit in my stomach thinking about them.
I hope people will read the link and rethink the "spay and declaw package". That, above all, disgusts me like nothing else, that vets offer, offer, a spay and declaw package.
Last edited by catsmom21; 09-03-2011 at 03:17 PM..
When my husband and I were at the pet hospital one day, years ago, we were waiting to take our dog home after a procedure. We heard a cat screaming, howling. Wow, we thought, what's going on. They told us cat had just woken up from being declawed. OMG, we were beyond words. My husband said never, never would we declaw a cat. Not that we ever did consider it, but it was just a horrible thing to hear.
I've had 4 cats and they did claw up furniture on us, but not the rugs--thousands of dollars before we got smart and just bought a different surface of furniture pieces. They liked the nubby type to claw so we got a smooth type material and never a problem. I had to put thought into what to buy that they wouldn't like. I put towels on other furniture in the den they liked to claw.
PS Z3NITH, the original poster was very clear all along that she would not declaw. Someone who refuses to declaw even when she's feeling desperate is someone I have respect for.
It also sounds like she's going to take the excellent advice people her gave to heart, and I bet she and her kitty will develop that bond after all, once there is no more resentment about the carpet edges.
Z3NITH: Just remember: don't expect instant results. Provide the extra scratchers, do the shelves on the wall if you can, cover the edges at the wall for a while to make them inaccessible, and when she tries to find a spot, re-direct her to her new scratching things.
Also incorporate the new kitty furniture in the Games you play with her, so she knows the things are HERS. Then she will claim them and mark them by scratching on them.
I've just had another thought! It's possible the previous tenant had a cat or two. That carpet may have been scratched by other cats, and she is trying to mark over it. I suggest doing a good cleaning all around the carpet edges with an enzymatic cleaner. Remove the scent of a possible other cat.
Last edited by catsmom21; 09-03-2011 at 03:30 PM..
A lot of people who rent apartments also are in transitional periods of their life. If you decide to declaw a cat, you must realize that the cat will always be an indoor cat and you need to care for that cat for the rest of it's life. So be certain that you are in a position where you can care for that cat for at least 15, maybe 20 years
You have removed its ability to defend itself, so you can never let it outdoors (no, not even for just a few hours because some sexy guy is coming over and you think he hates cats). if you decide to move and take the cat to a shelter, they'll have a hard time finding a home for it so you're probably condemning it to death. Shelters can't give declawed cats to just anyone--for example, if you have a cat with claws and are looking for a second cat, you won't be allowed to adopt a declawed cat because it can't defend itself.
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
)
