Declawing

[Ceinwen]

Yay or nay?

I've got a four week old kitten, and I've read lots on the internet by way of information (both pro & con) re: declawing...

Just wondering what everyone here thought??

ETA - yes, I know four weeks old is wayyyy young to be apart from mama. This little one was rescued from the trunk of a car, abandoned with her sibs.

[Porcelain Interior]

Nay, most cat people find declawing terribly abusive and cruel.

I would never do it.

If I felt the need to I wouldn't have a cat.

[gingerstar]

No, please don't!
Declawing a cat is actually cutting off the first part of their "finger" - not just removing the claw, but actually taking part of the bone and all - because that is where the claw forms. Look at your finger, and imagine cutting it off at the first knuckle.

I found that keeping my cats claws neatly trimmed was sufficient, but many people love SoftPaws. It is crucial to have a good quality trimmer, and make it a positive experience. My cats never minded, lots of petting and a few yummy treats help.

[Ola_]

Definitely nay, I agree with what the previous posters said, it's not just removing the nail but the actual knuckle.

The good news is that since you have her so young you can start getting her used to having her nails clipped and teach her acceptable places to scratch. I hear that some cats have definite preferences in terms of scratching surfaces so having different ones available for her should help too.

[lifeguard]

Nay. I've honestly never really felt a reason to declaw & we've had cats my whole life. If you give them things they are allowed to scratch it generally is not a big problem (although I'm sure some of this is in part to individual temperaments).

[phatchristy]

I've had cats the vast majority of my life and have not had any reason to declaw. I have a scratching post and a sisal scratching mat over here, they seem to like that.

I'd get kitty used to weekly nail clipping right now, too bad she wasn't with her momma and siblings for at least another month. There can be some behavioral issues sometimes when they're separated this young.

As for declawing, declawing cats do have more behavioral issues. They tend to be more agressive, and bite more as using their claws (the first line of defense) is gone. They also have a much higher incidence of litter box problems, as the actual act of using a litter box can become painful. Also, as an older cat they are likely to suffer severe arthritis as the center of gravity and where they apply the force as they walk is altered.

[Baby_Cakes]

Big huge NO! It's very painful for the cat, and can cause many behavioral issues down the line. Cats nails are easy to trim, so there is really no need for this surgery. It's very cruel and totally unnecessary. I hope you choose not to do it!

[Mama Mko]

Definitely NO.

[lrlittle]

Another no. It's horrible. It's actually illegal to do in some places. England, I think?

[somegirl99]

No.

[EarthsSpiral]

Another voice of reason here: NO! My family has done this in the past to our pets but I didn't let it happen to our newest baby kitty (about 4mo old now). We have a scratch mat and he seems to like it when I put cat nip on it.

[KMK_Mama]

My two cats ARE declawed in the front (they are 8ish) so I did it before I knew anything about it. I don't know that I would do it now though....I had no idea what it entailed until recently.

[katelove]

I don't have any new info to add just wanted to be another emphatic NO vote. Fortunately this awful practice is illegal in Australia.

[liliaceae]

No!!!

[Kirsten]

No, no, no.

[Noelle C.]

Last resort only, and only if soemone in the household has a medical need for it, such as someone with a very bad immune system for whom a scratch is VERY bad. Otherwise skip it and try things like Soft Paws. Cuter, cheaper, easier all around.

(I'll never understand why people tend to be adamantly more against declawing than tail-docking, ear-cropping, and dew-claw removals. None of it's pleasant, all of it is pricey, and all of it is usually done for some superficial reason.)

[somegirl99]

Originally Posted by Noelle C.

(I'll never understand why people tend to be adamantly more against declawing than tail-docking, ear-cropping, and dew-claw removals. None of it's pleasant, all of it is pricey, and all of it is usually done for some superficial reason.)

I'm against all of those as well as de-barking.

[swd12422]

Another nay. It's actually the secondary reason we don't have cats. (Primary is allergies, but they're under control now.) I'm pretty ignorant of how you teach a cat to only scratch certain things, and my only experience (other than taking care of strays for short periods a couple of times) is second-hand through friends and coworkers who freely share so many horror stories about where the cat pooped, what it destroyed and the scratches all over their arms, so I had been thinking this is all normal for cat owners and SO not for me!

So even with my distaste for them as pets, I'd NEVER mutilate a cat just so I could have one (pooping issues aside). Or any other animal, for that matter. I just think it's cruel.

[kittywitty]

Originally Posted by Noelle C.

Last resort only, and only if soemone in the household has a medical need for it, such as someone with a very bad immune system for whom a scratch is VERY bad. Otherwise skip it and try things like Soft Paws. Cuter, cheaper, easier all around.

(I'll never understand why people tend to be adamantly more against declawing than tail-docking, ear-cropping, and dew-claw removals. None of it's pleasant, all of it is pricey, and all of it is usually done for some superficial reason.)

I don't know anyone against declawing how are for any of those things. Never met one. Actually, never even met a pro-declawer who is for those things.

Soft Paws and clipping nails are easy and humane. I would never, ever, ever, in a million years declaw a cat for any reason. I've been blessed to have dozens of cats throughout my life and never had a declawed one. Occasionally you get a scratcher who destroys your couch in a day, but then again, my kids have done substantially more damage than my cats ever could in a shorter amount of time and I'd never de-hand my kids.

[MissMaegie'sMama]

Only in certain instances. Like a PP said, if someone in the family has immune system issues and having the cat declawed would be the only way the cat could be kept in the family safely, then I think that's a better option than having to rehome the animal. Declawing just so the sofa won't get scratched? Prevention is better in that regard. However, I have never had luck keeping Soft Paws on a cat's claws- mine always chewed hers off, so I gave up using them.

One of our two cats is declawed- he has been DH's cat since DH was in high school (the cat is 15 y.o.). My ILs declawed the cat to save their furniture. FWIW, he seems to be oblivious to the fact his front claws are gone and is a very typical cat in every regard.