I need Declawing info!

[iris_surreal_euphoria]

Ok, I have never ever considered declawing a cat. I always worried about the what if's- like what if it got out, got lost and had to survive....

But here's my situation now. I have had Lunar for four years now. (adopted him as soon as he was weaned) When he was 2 weeks old I learned he was a quarter bobcat. Explaining the HUGE claws, giant paws, stubby tail and tips on his ears.

As he grew he became more like a dog than a cat.

He requires acceptance. His idea of love is "making biscuits" for hours on my chest.- Problem? CLAWS!

He gets SOOO sad when I tell him no.

Also, at times he plays too rough and if he gets in trouble he becomes aggresive.

My boyfriend and I are looking into getting him declawed.

Here's where I need your help!

Would you do it? Has anyone had any bad expirence with declawing? Will he be depressed?

The vet will be using Lasers if we decide to go through with it.

BTW---- Lunar is indoor ONLY!

Thanks in advance!

[KatieMae]

My sister has all 3 of her cats declawed... One, a 20lb lump who occasionally gets a wild hair up his butt and flies around the apartment.. Another, a neurotic tabby (who I bought for her) who's nothing but energy, and the 3rd a really old cat who hides from everyone... It never affected them at all, actually, and the best part is, they can't hurt you!!!

[OSUJillyBean]

Most vets will not declaw a cat after it's a year old. If your vet is willing and you believe it to be the best option, then go for it.

However, I want to ask if you truly know what declawing is? It removes not only the claw, but also the first joint of the cat's "finger". When the job is botched, a cat can become "clumsy" because it is painful to walk on the affected limbs. Some people call this practice "mutilation" but it still a common practice.

However, if done properly, the cat should act the same as always.

I didn't have my cat declawed but instead have taught her not to claw me. If she bites, I will stick my finger in her mouth to gag her just slightly. If she claws , I raise my voice and smack at her paws. If she keeps at it, she gets locked in the bathroom for a short time. There's also the squirt-bottle method where you spritz your kitty when it misbehaves. They hate it so it's a good deterrent.

[Nynx]

There's some talk about these claw covers on a few threads. Here's the link to one of them.

I found a great alternative to declawing! UPDATED

Some people say that de-clawing is in-humane as its sort of like amputating the first "cat knuckle" or something like that. My cats have claws and one does scratch the furniture up, but we've just accepted it. Personally, I wish we had never taken the second cat in. He can be super rag doll and lovable and then the next minute he acts like a bat out of hell... Cats. *eyeroll*

[jkj10209]

I realize since he is half bob cat that he may very heavy or larger than a normal cat thus the additional weight can play a role in the recovery process. The laser system is alot easier on the cat then previous surgery methods. I feel that declawing an indoor only cat is humane and in some situations necessary. The larger the cat then the longer the recovery time and he may even have times in the future when his paws feel sensitive and limps occassionally after jumping off the counter top or something. JMO

[iris_surreal_euphoria]

See, this is last resort. If you squirt lunar with water or yell at him for clawing- he hisses and attacks. You cannot punish him any other way other than locking him away for a bit. He is sorry afterward but with his huge claws, we've been getting cuts on us that are DEEP when we have had to restrain him. He has actually attacked an aunt of mine too b/c she smelled like a ferret.

He's not an ordinary cat at all... He's a little quirky but I love him dearly.

My vet didn't mention anything about an age... He is four. I worry he would not be able to adjust to not having claws.

Oh yeah, I like the idea of claw covers but could not get those on unless he was sedated! He'd get scared and I would get stitches.

[iris_surreal_euphoria]

Ok-- WHOA I just researched this and wow. I will not be doing this unless the laser surgery is really different than the "traditional" method. Reading about it, it sounds like mutilation!

Does anyone have expirence "trimming" a cats claws????

[ruffian]

We (well I should say my hubbby) trim our cats all the time. However, if you don't think you can get false claws on, I don't see trimming as being much less stressful. We wrap the cats in a towel or old bathrobe, but they have been done since they were kittens and more or less accept it.
I have known many declawed cats and they recovered quickly and did not seem to have any undue effects from it, but they must remain indoors.
I love the sound of your Bobcat, but given his size and behaviour I think I would be declawing.

[Orchid]

Originally Posted by iris_surreal_euphoria

Ok-- WHOA I just researched this and wow. I will not be doing this unless the laser surgery is really different than the "traditional" method. Reading about it, it sounds like mutilation!

Does anyone have expirence "trimming" a cats claws????

Hubby trims our cat Radar's claws with a regular nail clipper; he just sits on hubby's lap, hubby squeezes his paw to make the claws stick out, and he trims them. Radar is a pretty easygoing guy though unless you are trying to give him a pill.

[NoniMe]

I have a herd of cats - 8 to be exact. I am a stauch opponant to declawing (incredible issues for them, and handled/trained properly, no real need), and developed many methods of handling my herd's cumulative 160 claws.

I trim. I trim a lot. It's rather easy once you get the hang of it. The trick is to desensitize them to the handling of their paws. I fondle their paws all the time, and I don't always trim. So they've become used to me playing with their paws, and extending their claws, whether or not I trim.

I use a claw trimmer, which can be found in your local pet store for less than $10. I place the kitty on my lap, love on them until they're drooly or sleepy, and then do one paw, one claw at a time. Quick snip, and they're done. Don't cut too far back; it will hurt them, and they will not be pleased. But take off the clear parts to the opaque part, and you should be fine.

When I have a cat that is insistent on making buiscuits on my head, chest, back, or whatever, I grab a pillow or old shirt, place it under their paws, and away they go; I'm protected, they're content and bonding with me. Life is good. I have a cat who makes buiscuits in my hair, and then tries to suckle my earlobe through that. She's about 14 years old, and she has had some really rough times in her life. So I let her...because I know it's comforting for her and helps her handle stress.

If Lunar is a bob, he will need things to climb...preferably not you. I'd advise getting a really tall cat tree - I have two large ones, both over 8 feet tall. He'll use them as a scratching post, a hidey hole, and a perch. Cats feel more comfortable when they can see their entire domain, so being up high is a good thing. Just give them opportunities to do it without the post being the china hutch.

And lastly, get some of those cardboard scratch toys. They're cheap, easily replaceable, and a wonderful thing the cats adore.

If you have any questions, please feel free to ask me. I've had rescues come through that are declawed, and their issues are many...including not using the litter box because it literally hurt them to get into the box, and stand on the clay/crystals/dirt/shredded paper/whatever else.

Please reconsider declawing...more often than not, it causes more problems than you started with, and there are other ways to handle it.

Best-
Noni

[Melissa_PQHorse]

I too strongely suggest alternatives to declawing. I worked in a vet clinic for many years and neither way is pretty and reguardless of what people tell you it is not a happy thing for the cat. I'm sure you would function fine with all of your fingers removed to the first joint but that doesn't make it a good thing.
I have three cats and trim their nails regularly. If their 'happy paws' get to be too much for me I slide a towel or something underneath.

The claw covers are easy to use and come in some cute colors.

[iris_surreal_euphoria]

Thanks guys! No declawing for my little "Nooney nay" (lunar). We will find better ways to deter the scratches. Thanks for all the advice though. I knew there was a good reason it kinda freaked me out to get him declawed. Besides, what if he ever got loose? He'd be defenseless!

[iris_surreal_euphoria]

Here's some pics of Lunar and his room mate Quiet. Quiet was rescued from Gatlinburg TN 2 years ago. She lived in our hotel room with us for 3 days! She was too young to hardly eat until we introduced her to a chicken nugget.


Looney is such a ball of love.

[ThatsAlly]

I assist in declaws almost every day. I used to think they were rotten, but I've gotten better with them (just dont ask me about tails/ears!). My general feeling is you get a cat. You know they have claws. Deal.
Yes, you remove the last bone in the 'toe' - you have to or it can grow back (we've seen a few done by new vets that needed to be reoperated on).
We use the nail trimmers to do it. Laser surgery is expensive. Too rich for our blood.
We make sure to use a tight torniquet to help stop bleeding, but older cats who have had their claws for a while tend to bleed more (ask your vet, but they might lie. My personal surgery experience says yes, they bleed more) and they act different for a while. Like if you forget your watch, you keep looking at it, tho its not there.
Those caps things dont work in my opinion. I worry about cats/dogs swallowing them if they come off. Plus, who knows if they are comfy.
My cat tried to claw the couch at first. It took three different type of scratching posts before he found one he likes. (tall, vertical, sisal rope - he didn't horizontal, cardboard, etc). I rubbed cat nip on it, and he loves it now.
Dont get me wrong, not everyone gets a happy ending. If you feel like you cant live with it, then go ahead and get it done. The vet should keep the cat overnight, and send you home with antibiotics. And make sure to change the litter to paper (shredded) or commerical litter like Yesterdays News or Feline Pine for 2 weeks.

[Bella's Favorite]

Originally Posted by OSUJillyBean

Most vets will not declaw a cat after it's a year old. If your vet is willing and you believe it to be the best option, then go for it.

However, I want to ask if you truly know what declawing is? It removes not only the claw, but also the first joint of the cat's "finger". When the job is botched, a cat can become "clumsy" because it is painful to walk on the affected limbs. Some people call this practice "mutilation" but it still a common practice.

However, if done properly, the cat should act the same as always.

I didn't have my cat declawed but instead have taught her not to claw me. If she bites, I will stick my finger in her mouth to gag her just slightly. If she claws , I raise my voice and smack at her paws. If she keeps at it, she gets locked in the bathroom for a short time. There's also the squirt-bottle method where you spritz your kitty when it misbehaves. They hate it so it's a good deterrent.

With my cat, the spray bottle didn't work. So, I had her declawed. It does like JillyBean said remove their first joint of their paw. The vet advised me not to let her jump too much or hold her for about a day or two. Also so their succers (SP) don't get ruined vets reccomend that you shred newspaper in their boxes. As far as if she gets loose, a declaw is normally only their front paws. My vet would not do an all four declaw for defense purposes. They adapt to it. I don't like the idea of a declaw, but Libby is very paw shy. I couldn't get near her with a claw trimmer for anything. I tried scratching posts, however, the carpet was looking very good from her standpoint. My other cat actually loves to sit and have her nails filed. I file instead of trim, I think it is easier, longer yes, but easier.

[sherriawright]

Whoa!! Did you open a pandora's box or what? Declawing a cat is like training a horse, everybody has a opinion and it's up to you to decide what opinion you wish to take. I've worked at a vet's office for the last 5 years and before that at a no kill animal shelter. First off, in the 5 years I've been working there, I've seen maybe 5 cats out of all that we've declawed actually bled. There is more blood spaying them then declawing them, that is, if it is done correctly. There are no special wraps, no stitches, we use glue, and no special litter. The only restrictions are no jumping down and no locking in cage or strange room as they might try and scratch out. What you need to do is talk to your vet and find out exactly how the surgery is performed. If they are the type of vet that is still using stitches instead of glue, then find a new vet. I have all my cats done when they are altered and have had no problems. I even had a 14 year old done when I gave her a dental, no problems.

As the other vet tech stated, I'd rather declaw a cat then declaw or dock puppy tails! We just snip them off, no pain killers at all!!

Sherri

[SheZAAM!]

In addition to the mutilation that is declawing, it also frequently causes a cat to stop using the litter box. I learned this when I worked for the humane society. It doesn't happen in every case, but EVERY time someone gave up a cat because it stopped using the litter box it was declawed....EVERY time. And when we got one of these cats, we'd have to put it to sleep.

[AlbertaGirl]

I've heard a few times that some declawed cats get meaner with their hind claws and teeth...

I used to trim my cats' claws, either with human clippers, or the pet ones I used for my dogs. My cats weren't as big and sometimes mean as yours can be, but they would fight me to trim them too. I used a towel a few times, but after an escape from that, I would sometimes put a sock over their head - might sound mean, but it was not tight on them, fully breathable, and JUST while I did their nails! After a few times with the sock, they realized it didn't hurt, and would let me hold them in my lap, extend the claws and trim them. One cat would growl at me the whole time - lol - but that's about it.

[ToveroMom]

Well yep everyone will have an opinion and for them that is the answer.
I have had one done and he suffered no urge to not use a litterbox and he healed up in a few days. They used surgical glue and it was without problems..
I used to work with PAWS-a rescue group and you would[or maybe not] be surprised at how many cats were dropped off because the cats had damaged furniture/carpet.
I don't know what the answer is for everyone-but I do not feel like I mutilated my cat.
Velcro had to be declawed or I could not have leased a place to live...then we both would have been homeless.
You cannot make the decision for anyone else..and raging about mutilation is not going to change their minds. It is a procedure done under anesthesia and one with a very high recovery rate.
JMO

[Melissa_PQHorse]

Toveromom. While I do not condone the procedure at all and I do think it should be banned I don't necessarily say all the owners who choose to do it are bad owners. My brother has declawed nearly all his cats (dispite my urging for other options). Something to note however is as the cat ages it is more likely to develop artheritis in its paws due to declawing.

That said I strongly urge anyone considering declawing to look at all other options first.
I have three fully clawed cats and they are incredibly good about not scratchign anything but the cat toys. All my wood products, my couch, everything is still pristine (besides the cat hair *sigh*).
After you wash dozens of cat toes down a drain you never forget it.