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Benefits of declawing kittens?
Jun
26
2012
We have 2 kittens that will be 6 months old at the end of this month. I want to have them declawed because they are climbing up my curtains which is pulling the hardware out of the wall, they are shredding my carpet and scratching my leather sofa. I’ve tried the water squirting trick, tape, cotton balls dipped in nail polish remover and placed where I didn’t want them to scratch and none of this is seeming to work. It is causing a lot of stress between my husband and myself. He wants to get rid of them and I don’t. We have 3 kids who adore the kittens. My solution is to get them declawed. I’ve read all of the negative aspects online and it worries me that if I do get them declawed it may create a whole new list of problems. So I ‘m hoping to hear some positive sides of declawing, about kittens that didn’t develop litter problems or biting problems etc. I don’t want to get rid of them for my children’s’ sake.
Best answer:
Answer by veganforlife08
DONT DECLAW THEM!
how would you like it if i ripped ur fingernails out?
wouldnt like it too much, huh?
if ur furniture is that important to you dont have pets
Answer by Dave87gn
I would never declaw a cat, I think its mean, and you would leave them defenseless if they ever needed them.
I regularly snip my cats claws to a blunt edge,,,so problems
She’s a 100% indoor cat
Answer by fishable12
many people like myself find declawing any animal cruel. What are you going to do if it runs away? It will have no form of protection from ANY creature.
Add your own answer in the comments!
Tags: Carpet, Cats Claws, Cotton Balls, Curtains, Declawing Kittens, Fingernails, Furniture, Hardware, Indoor Cat, Leather Sofa, Litter Problems, Lot, Nail Polish Remover, Negative Aspects, Pets, Sake, Stress, Trick Tape
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Answer #2
Could you think of something positive to say about pulling your finger nails out by the root? There is nothing positive, declawing hurts cats, if you are having a problem (which you should have thought of before you got cats) consider getting their nails capped.
Answer #3
instead of declawing, they have tips that can be put over their claws so that they are unable to tear things up. Since they are so young, they will probably grow out of it if you remain consistent. This is much more humane than premanently disfiguring them
Good luck
Answer #4
I declawed a 1 and 1/2 year old cat and I’ve not had any problems. My mom has declawed at least a couple of her cats and hasn’t had any problems. However, I do not recommend it. I have a 6 mo old kitten. My husband has threatened it because of her going after the couches. I bought a catnip treated scratching post. Have you heard of soft paws? It’s something you slip over or on their claws? It might be worth a shot. What about cardboard scratching boards? What about cat furniture where they can climb and scratch?
My husband is going to make one with some leftover carpet that we have for the kitten. We have 2 cats that are both declawed. No problems. But I feel bad. I have made a vow to not do it again. They still have the desire to scratch. It is painful for them.
edit: I would invest in some good quality cat furniture. My mother was taking care of my brother’s kitten while he was at basic training. She had a blast climbing up and scratching the cat furniture she has. She didn’t go after the couches that often. She also kept her in a separate room when they were not home. She had food, water, a litter box, toys, bed, window, etc.
So far with our kitten, we just correct her when we catch her. It seems to happen when she is revved up. I play with her often. A few minutes here and there, tire her out.
Kittens love to play so make sure that they have plenty of toys and places where they can scratch and claw. It’s a natural reaction for them.
edit: One of my cats that was declawed by her previous owner is a biter. She bites long and hard. She is a persian mix. My other cat wants to bite but she’s not very good at it.
One of my mom’s cat that is not declawed is really great with her claws. She doesn’t bite or scratch. She only uses the scratching posts. She was a brat when she was a kitten. I say that with humor. She’s very cute. She had a lot of energy and loved to play. She is very smart. My mom clips the cats’ toenails regularly. That smart cat lets her know by biting them in front her of her. It’s her signal, time to cut my nails. She has another cat that still does go after the furniture but only when she’s upset. The furniture is covered by heavy blankets. My mom babies her so she’s less upset. She’s a nervous nelly. (calico)
Get to know the kittens’ personalities.
What we do: Yell. Clap. Make some noise. I will go to the kitten and try to pick her up. She’s great in that she will stop and look at me. She’s a very sweet kitten. She doesn’t bite or scratch. She has made the motions but it’s very weak. She lets go and doesn’t cause any damage to the skin.
Keep trying. My mother who is a vet tech asserts that you can train a kitten. You just have to be consistent and keep at it.
Tell your husband to relax. Get a game plan and keep at it. Kittens are like children. They forget. You got to keep teaching them. They will get it.
Answer #5
Benefits to you or benefits to the kittens? There are no benefits to the kittens. Quite the opposite. Pretty selfish, don’t you think?
Do you realize what goes into declawing? It’s not a simple removal of the claws but a full blown amputation of healthy toes. Declawing a cat means removing the entire first joint/bone of each toe. It’d be like cutting our fingers off at the first knuckle. Declawing causes extreme pain to the cat and often problems down the line (litter box issues from associating the litter box with pain after surgery, personality changes/biting/and skittishness from having their first line of defense removed, arthritis from having to learn a new way of carrying their weight etc.). I hear people say all the time “better declawed than in a shelter”, but in actuality many declawed cats end up in shelters anyway because of the behavioral problems many experience after being declawed.
Did you know it’s illegal and considered inhumane mutilation in most countries outside the U.S.? I’ve personally observed a declaw surgery at a vet and it’s not a pretty sight to watch a vet take guillotine nail clippers and lop off parts of toes… very barbaric looking (laser removal has less healing time and pain, but really isn’t that much better in the long run). Please don’t put your furniture over your cat’s wellbeing, it’s just selfish. Declawing has no benefits to the cat, only the owner. There are numerous alternatives including scratching posts and surfaces, sticky tape, deterrent sprays, Soft Paws nail caps, and nail trimming. Please read more on this awful procedure before you consider it:
http://www.declawing.com/
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=001
http://www.felinefuture.com/health/declawing.php
http://www.softpaws.com/
Seriously, rehome the kittens with someone who isn’t going to chop off their toes if you aren’t going to try the alternatives. Your kids will live, and the cats will get to keep their toes intact.
Answer #6
I have worked in Emergency Hospitals across the US for over 25yrs and never without several cats in my life(over 40yrs). I have never found any reason I will defend for declawing a cat other than a true medical one. And in all of that time there has only been perhaps 3. Although you are upset right now, I can assure you that yours are not on that list.
PS: MY solution – Get rid of the husband… LOL
Sorry.
Answer #7
Well, I know for sure I’ll get a ton of thumbs down for this, but I will answer your question honestly. My boyfriend found a kitten that was about 6 weeks old under his car at Lowe’s, and it decided to adopt us, LOL… I have a little apartment, and I never plan to let my cat outside, even when I have a house with a yard. My kitten was always getting into trouble with his claws, even getting one stuck in my armchair for hours while I was at school. Spraying, sticky paws, and other alternatives, like Soft Paws weren’t doing the trick either. The cat would just climb when we weren’t around to spray him, rip the Sticky Paws off the couch by licking the edge until he could bite it and peel it away, and he chewed Soft Paws right off his nails. After talking to my vet about the pros and cons of declawing, I decided to have him declawed when he was neutered. That way, he only had one surgical procedure. It cost very little more than the neuter.
We had to change the litter to Yesterdays News, which is made from old newspaper for two weeks, and I HATE that litter (it doesn’t clump or have any odor control), but he quickly adjusted. He never used anything but his litter box, either. Also, now we can play a lot more than we used to because he doesn’t hurt me with his claws. He has no behavioral problems and bites no more than he did before his declaw. (He gives us love nips and sometimes bites lightly when he wants to be left alone.) The one thing about declawed cats is that you can’t ever let them outside because you’ve removed their primary defense mechanism. My vet told me that declawing isn’t as cruel as people make it out to be. She promised me that if it wasn’t humane, she would not do it. And to be honest, my cat doesn’t seem to care! We paid extra for more pain medication after the procedure, though, because I felt really bad about causing him the extra pain. At any rate, I know all the bleeding hearts on here will skewer me, but I wanted to answer you honestly because I’m pretty sure most people on here won’t. I have several cat-owning friends who also have declawed cats, and they have had no problems with their cats, either. I think people just like to tell you all the horror stories to try and dissuade you from a practice they believe is cruel to cats. I think you should talk to some vets and cat owners and try to make your own educated decision, instead of believing only the narrow opinions you will get by asking a question in this forum. Good luck!
Answer #8
Does you cat have alot of opportunities for clawing on something else. Like a scratching post. They sell alot of scratching alternatives that contain catnip that attracts the cat. Put them in different parts of your house.
I don’t believe in declawing so I can’t give you benefits. I know it is fustrating. Talk to your vet. He may have some suggestions.
Answer #9
The only positive side to de-toeing is that it makes quite a bit of money for the few vets who still perform this horrid procedure.
Kittens will scratch, and so will cats. If they don’t have an acceptable surface to scratch on and climb on, they will use your furniture and draperies. Try buying them a cat tree that they can both climb and scratch. Cardboard scratch boxes (cheap – you can get them at WalMart) are another favorite. Think of how destructive your children would be if they didn’t have an appropriate outlet for their energy – it’s the same thing with your kittens and scratching.
If you declaw, then you have to answer these questions. What will become of your kittens if they *do* develop one of the side effects you’ve heard about? What will you do if they suddenly decide that the litter box is to be avoided at all costs, and decide to pee in the corner of the living room instead? What if they have a big behavioural change, and become aggressive or withdrawn and lethargic? What if they have recurring infections in their toes and you have to keep taking them back to the vet? If your answer this is that you will keep them no matter what, then good for you. If your answer is that you won’t keep a cat who pees out of the box, or now bites the children, then off to the shelter it will go where it will be quickly euthanized as no one walks into a shelter and asks for a cat who bites, or who pees outside the box, even if it’s got the “bonus” of being declawed.
If you can’t abide a cat that claws your furniture, and can’t take the time and effort to train them to scratch an appropriate surface, then please rehome them now. It will be much easier to place them, claws intact, than after any worse behavioral issues surface. Cats have claws just as surely as they have ears and tails.
Answer #10
Lets see, you could take your curtains down and replace them with cheap ones that cost much less than a declawing operation, or you you get your cats toes cut off at the first joint and take a high risk that the cats will begin to bite your kids and urinate all over the place among other things…I vote for the curtains, or finding someone else who wants cats, which most people realize have claws before they adopt them, and get a teddy bear or something.
Seriously though, this subject is just very upsetting. Declawing isn’t even legal in a lot of countries. You actually sound like a nice person other than the fact that you are seriously considering it. Please, I urge you not to do this, it isn’t worth the risks and it would be better for the cats to be somewhere else if you can’t live with them without amputating them. Think about what you would be teaching your children either way, dominance and cruelty over another species for aesthetic convenience, or the unselfish true kindness of giving something you love up so that it can have a better life?
Answer #11
well your cat gets to limp around in pain from having the first knuckle of their paw cut off. and if it ever gets out its dead because it has no way to defend its self. sounds good to me
Answer #12
It really isn’t necessary to declaw your kittens. You can either try soft paws claw covers or better still, you can teach your cats to use a scratch post.
Cats have got scent glands on their paws, so when they begin to scratch somewhere it leaves a smell that they need to top up from time to time. This is why cats always scratch in the same places, and why it’s worth persevering with encouraging them to use a scratch post instead.
They also have preference for the types of textures they enjoy scratching. You’ll need to offer them a few alternatives; sisal post, corrugated cardboard, wooden log etc., until you find out what they like.
Part of their desire to scratch is to mark territory (both visually and with paw scent) so you need to provide at least one scratch item per cat.
You need to temporarily cover up the furniture to conceal the scent that keeps attracting them back, and put their scratch post directly in front and encourage them to use that instead. Your children could get involved by trailing toys or pieces of string over the scratch post so that the kittens have to grab for it with their claws. Learning is always easier when it’s fun and playing together will strengthen the bond between your children and kittens. Remember to reward them food treats and lots of praise when they use the scratch post. Once they’ve begun to use it on a regular basis it will have their claw scent, and they will continue to scratch there.
This link has helpful advice on training cats to use a scratch post and how to trim their claws to limit accidental damage.
http://www.catscratching.com/
The web site below has an article with lots of advice on ways to prevent cats from scratching furniture, doors and wallpaper.
http://www.celiahaddon.co.uk/pet%20problems/cats/frameset.html
Be patient as some cats learn quicker than others. Just remember that literally millions of people worldwide have taught their cats not to scratch furniture, and if we can do it, I’m sure you can too.
Answer #13
Every cat I’ve owned I’ve had declawed. Never had any problems, neither has any one I’ve known that has cats.
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Answer #1
i have a cat that has been declawed for 2 years and have encountered no problems and she stopped ripping up our sofa, and curtains