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Go to LittleBigCat.com and read Declawing a rational look. Then read- should De clawing be banned.
Vets who push declaws are in violation according to the article.. Of course there are many things a vet will do thats not in the cats best intrest, lol Such as get you to buy expensive garbage foods, or over vaccinate.
Anyway I'm off my soapbox now... Cant wait for it to be banned everywhere the only thing I think would be better then this would be a spay/neuter law..
My mom's cats have 0 problems with balance. They love to climb & spend a lot of time on the top bunk in my sister's room. No problems ever climbing, slipping, falling, ect. They really are just normal cats. They run & jump & play. Seriously, the things you guys are talking about makes me think there are some really horrible vets out there. Female dogs & cats have invasive surgery for the spay procedure, and suffer a fraction of the complications you are describing. I'm aware of the joint you are speaking of, as I am a studying to become a taxidermist and am currently learning about anatomy. I actually have a bobcat claw sitting here
After personally seeing how my mom's two cats reacted to it (basically no negative reaction whatsoever) I have no second thoughts about getting our cat declawed (if he can be). My mom also has a cat that is not declawed, because she was older when adopted. Our vet will only preform the procedure on young cats, and I agree with that philosophy. If we cannot get Loki declawed before he turns 12-18mo, we will not have the procedure done.
I don't think something like soft paws would work for Loki, if I understand it correctly, because he has very unusually shaped paws. He actually has and extra half paw attatched at each of his front wrists. The extra half paws even have tiny half pads on the underside. So he basically has three extra toes on each front foot.
This is why I don't know if he will get the declaw procedure done, because he has a unique bone formation and walks, runs, jumps & climbs differently than your usual cat. I will not have it done if I or the vet thinks it will cause stress on the unique structure of Loki's front legs. Another option I am going to discuss with the vet is only having his primary front claws removed and leaving the extras intact.
The soft paws go on the actual claw, not the paw. As long as his claws are normal, there shouldn't be a problem.
Declawing really DOES affect their balance. You might think your mom's cats have zero balance issues but they do. Think of it like this...when a declawed cat jumps down, it sounds like a very hard, loud landing. They are missing their first knuckle which they use to absorb the landing. When a cat with claws intact lands it is a much softer and more quiet landing. Think about it...if you were missing your toes and jumped down it would affect your balance. I'm not trying to tell you what to do, just sharing some info I've learned through the years. I had a cat declawed in 1992, the last one I will ever have declawed. Once I learned that they remove the knuckle...that was it for me.
A lot of the feral cats people catch in traps are actually homeless de clawed cats dumped and allowed to go wild. I cant blame the cats... I'm sure most cats would rather go wild and keep their claws then suffer like that. Some cats are probably better off neutered/spayed and wild, because of the way people can be. Black cats are a good example... they don't adopt easily... and can be mean ( all of the ones I've met had a vicious streak, mine is vicious with other cats)... mine is nice with people but still no matter how nice they are there's the hype about witches and satan,ect./
Most vets don't tell you the truth about it because its the almighty dollar.
The soft paws go on the actual claw, not the paw. As long as his claws are normal, there shouldn't be a problem.
Declawing really DOES affect their balance. You might think your mom's cats have zero balance issues but they do. Think of it like this...when a declawed cat jumps down, it sounds like a very hard, loud landing. They are missing their first knuckle which they use to absorb the landing. When a cat with claws intact lands it is a much softer and more quiet landing. Think about it...if you were missing your toes and jumped down it would affect your balance. I'm not trying to tell you what to do, just sharing some info I've learned through the years. I had a cat declawed in 1992, the last one I will ever have declawed. Once I learned that they remove the knuckle...that was it for me.
By now everyone has heard the arguements for and against declawing. It is a brutal operation, I agree. I have had cats my entire life. My current cats are declawed. When they pass, I will not have cats again since I am retired and on a fixed buget, I cannot afford new furniture. I have other friends who feel the exact same way. More cats will end up being put to sleep.
We have 4 indoor only cats from all walks of life.
Knowing how a cat will more than likely behave naturally... a home should be "cat friendly." It isn't any different from child proofing a home when having young children. (Except it is much easier to train a human. )
Because I see how many cats wind up dead, I say if you can't re-home them and your father won't allow them there without declawing, declaw them.
It's not the first thing I'd want done, but it's better than being killed in a shelter. And believe me, right now finding a home for a cat is nearly impossible. I've got several people who have been trying to save cats and kittens and can't find them homes. They have no option but to drop them in shelters if a rescue can't take them. I have no room. I've got easily 40 kittens from 6 weeks to 9 months courtesy listed on my website. I'd say maybe 2 will find homes. The others will ultimately be euthanized. Is that better than being declawed?
It's no different than dogs having their dewclaws removed or tails docked. Not something I"d do or something I'd prefer, but if it helps them get and keep a home, I"m all for it.
Because I see how many cats wind up dead, I say if you can't re-home them and your father won't allow them there without declawing, declaw them.
BINGO.
As far as my own cat- I will look into soft paws and maybe give them a try if declawing dose not work out because of his special feet (though I would rather declaw). I am not doing this for the sake of my furniture, the cat dose not really claw the furniture. I'm doing this because the cat is playful and hyper (which I wouldn't change about him) but he has already managed to snag my dog's eye and damage it- I do not want my four year old to go through the same thing. We rescued this cat from an owner who lets his cats run unspayed, unvaccinated all over the neighborhood where my mom and dad live. There are skunks that roam the same area and we are in a rabies endemic part of the state. The cat's future was not bright- get hit by a car? Die of a horrible disease? Breed & mate & make more little kitties who will probably end up dead? When we brought him home his coat was covered in grease and oil from sleeping under cars. It would have been nice to take them all home, but room for one is all we have. There is no spay/neuter law here & the owner is not really breaking any laws (there is no "cat at large" violation, unlike for dogs). I don't think that living a life of comfort and pampering and love -without claws- is a bad trade off for the life he could have looked forward to on the street.
You can tell me all about how you feel declawing is cruel and wrong, ect. I look only to the proof I can reach out and touch- the two cats living at my moms house that are happy, healthy and well balanced. They have never had any problems related to decalwing. They were also rescued strays, and they have lived out there lives in comfort and happiness, rather than dead on the street or stuck in a cramped cage at a shelter. I trust my vet and he has never once pushed procedure or medications on me. I switched to him from a vet that claimed it was best to remove the dewclaws on ALL dogs. Something my current vet told me did not need to be done unless the dog had "floating" dew claws (no bone) that were at risk of snagging on things and ripping.
I think it's great that most people out there can provide homes for cats where declawing is not needed. But don't shun people who can offer a great home for a clawless-only cat who would otherwise probably face the needle.
Having a cat declawed does not necessarily save it from the "needle". There are plenty of declawed cats already in shelters facing euthanasia. Every day on Craigslist there are declawed cats being given away. Declawing is not a solution to save cats. If someone is worried about their dogs, children, furniture, what ever reason they give to justify declawing, then maybe a cat is not the right pet for them. I'm sorry, but there is nothing anyone can say to me that makes it ok. I am horrified that I had that done to one of my cats. Today, most vets discourage declawing and I would never use one who promoted it.
I do not shun people who have the procedure done. A lot of people just don't realize or have the information entailing what an actual declaw operation is. For years I thought just the claws were removed, once I found out they amputate the first knuckle, that was it for me. I feel so bad for all the declawed cats that have been surrendered. They're former owners probably declawed them for various reasons...then they didn't keep up their end of the commitment...to keep the kitties safe and taken care of. Sad.
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Such as get you to buy expensive garbage foods, or over vaccinate. 
I feel so bad for all the declawed cats that have been surrendered. They're former owners probably declawed them for various reasons...then they didn't keep up their end of the commitment...to keep the kitties safe and taken care of. Sad.
