Cat declaw or not?

[gorillahung]

I posted about my new kitty. I'm facing a big decision on whether to have her declawed. I know it sucks for the cat and I honestly would feel guilty but then there's the practical reasons to do it. I have a new leather couch that she scratches and she keeps climbing my legs, LOL. Seriously, should I have her declawed or not?

 

[AFeedz]

Why don't you go read your other thread about your cat and see what we said.

Getting your cat declawed is fucked up.

 

[musclemom]

Absolutely Not!!!

Okay, I'm breathing ... look, I've got SIX cats, they all have their claws. I have two scratching posts in the house (Top Cat brand, see the other thread). Scratching up the furniture or people is not an issue, they use the posts. I do have a few that are constantly getting themselves caught up on the comforter on the bed, my husband and I trim their front claws once in a while, takes us all of five minutes.

Just read this article, DECLAWING: What You Need to Know it's not that long, follow the links in the article, educate yourself. Declawing a cat is roughly equivalent to amputating the top joint of a human's fingers. Many cats use their claws to pick up things, some simply enjoy giving themselves manicures, I've seen cats overshoot a jump and the only thing that saved their lives was their claws hooking onto something.

You declaw a cat, you run the risk of it becoming traumatized. The biggest thing is you've now removed their primary defense mechanisms. A declawed cat's go-to maneuver to protect itself is biting. Virtually ALL declawed cats that end up in shelters are euthanized because they are very difficult to adopt. Your cat may come out of surgery just fine, but more than 1/3 of all cats that are declawed recover from the surgery screwed up somehow, they get twitchy, they stop using the litterpan predictably, they become withdrawn, they become aggressive. You have no guarantees.

Just get the damned scratching post I recommend, get the one with the sisal base: Sisal Cat Scratching Post by TopCat Products

Get a pair of claw clippers that look like this and start trimming the kitten's claw tips:

You'll have no problem. Here's instructions on how to trim cat claws: How To Trim Your Cat's Claws - Including Photos | Cat Care Articles

The article I chose has the best close up photos of what you want to trim off and what you want to avoid. I personally don't care for human cuticle trimmers because they can crush the claw, I bought a pair of the small scissors I have pictured above and use them ONLY for trimming claws, I've had them for years. You really don't need to trim claws more than once a month and there is no reason to trim rear claws.

Your best bet is a good scratching post (cats have an instinctive need to scratch and even declawed ones will peform scratch behaviors, the key is to redirect their instinctive behavior in acceptable manners) and once monthly front claw trimming sessions. You have a pet, you need to care for it, with dogs you need to groom, bathe, clean ears, clip claws, maybe even drain anal glands. With cats its just grooming and maybe claws (if their ears are dirty there's something going on, and they take care of their own anus).

 

[smurf2]

Basically No.
Its brutal.
Get plenty of scratching posts.
The end.

 

[WoodyO]

I say do it.

 

[gatemoney]

Absolutely Not!!!

Okay, I'm breathing ... look, I've got SIX cats, they all have their claws. I have two scratching posts in the house (Top Cat brand, see the other thread). Scratching up the furniture or people is not an issue, they use the posts. I do have a few that are constantly getting themselves caught up on the comforter on the bed, my husband and I trim their front claws once in a while, takes us all of five minutes.

Just read this article, DECLAWING: What You Need to Know it's not that long, follow the links in the article, educate yourself. Declawing a cat is roughly equivalent to amputating the top joint of a human's fingers. Many cats use their claws to pick up things, some simply enjoy giving themselves manicures, I've seen cats overshoot a jump and the only thing that saved their lives was their claws hooking onto something.

You declaw a cat, you run the risk of it becoming traumatized. The biggest thing is you've now removed their primary defense mechanisms. A declawed cat's go-to maneuver to protect itself is biting. Virtually ALL declawed cats that end up in shelters are euthanized because they are very difficult to adopt. Your cat may come out of surgery just fine, but more than 1/3 of all cats that are declawed recover from the surgery screwed up somehow, they get twitchy, they stop using the litterpan predictably, they become withdrawn, they become aggressive. You have no guarantees.

Just get the damned scratching post I recommend, get the one with the sisal base: Sisal Cat Scratching Post by TopCat Products

Get a pair of claw clippers that look like this and start trimming the kitten's claw tips:
http://video.zootoo.com/prod/147000/thumbs175/prod_147623.jpg

You'll have no problem. Here's instructions on how to trim cat claws: How To Trim Your Cat's Claws - Including Photos | Cat Care Articles

The article I chose has the best close up photos of what you want to trim off and what you want to avoid. I personally don't care for human cuticle trimmers because they can crush the claw, I bought a pair of the small scissors I have pictured above and use them ONLY for trimming claws, I've had them for years. You really don't need to trim claws more than once a month and there is no reason to trim rear claws.

Your best bet is a good scratching post (cats have an instinctive need to scratch and even declawed ones will peform scratch behaviors, the key is to redirect their instinctive behavior in acceptable manners) and once monthly front claw trimming sessions. You have a pet, you need to care for it, with dogs you need to groom, bathe, clean ears, clip claws, maybe even drain anal glands. With cats its just grooming and maybe claws (if their ears are dirty there's something going on, and they take care of their own anus).

holy shit@ 6 cats

 

[wootoom]

Where is jenscat

 

[gatemoney]

Where is mootoow?

 

[smurf2]

Where is jenscat

Yeah wtf!

 

[buddhabuilder]

Just get a nail clipper, scratch its belly while you clip away, the cat will be happy, your furniture intact.