Declawing

[Charlies'_Angel]

Hi Everyone,

I was just wondering at what age is it to late to declaw a cat without them being too emotionally scarred?? I have a male kitten and an adult female; the female is declawed, she is now 13 years old. I was going to leave my kitten with his claws, but he is climbing the walls, destroying furniture and such, but the biggest thing is that he is clawing my older cat and I don't think she can take much more of it. I've tried spraying things, I've tried spraying him, he has his own cathouse thing that he can claw/climb/sleep in/on. So I don't kow what else to do...I'm def. open for suggestions. He is about one year old give or take a few months (he was a stray so I'm not 100% on his age)
Thanks everyone,
Alicia

[lovemydusty]

Well I've never gotten a cat declawed, not that I have anything against it either. But my grandmother got "custody" of my cat when I moved out of state for a few months. She got him declawed when he was about 2 years old and he's been fine. I've heard that sometimes they get more aggressive after declawing, but I've never seen it myself. Hope this helps some!

[Cappysmom]

I had my first cat declawed when she was about a year old. I had the same problem with her scratching all of my furniture even though I had a beautiful scratching post. You know it is funny, she still scratches my furniture without her claws.

[NoniMe]

Please don't declaw. It's amputation of the first knuckle of their 'finger', and will leave emotional scarring, as well as physical issues; most cats have residual pain from the amputation, as well as emotional issues including issues with the litter box.

Further issues include not being able to defend themselves with their claws, so they resort to biting. And a bite, be it on another cat or on you, is definitely worse than a scratch. They cannot climb things to escape other problems, and if they're outdoor or indoor/outdoor cats, they have no real way to escape predators other than bite. They WILL resort to biting to defend; that is far less desireable than clawing.

Keep his claws clipped short, and you won't have nearly the scratches you have now. And BTW, the scratching and 'fighting' is normal...he's one year, give or take, and that's prime playtime for cats. Also, make sure he has some stuff for him to scratch; that's a natural instinct for cats, and they do need an outlet. If you need some help with that, let me know. I clip 8 cats' claws on a regular basis...it's not hard, it's not painful if done correctly, and I've even taught my 78 year old mother how to do it.

Your older cat can handle the fighting...I have cats of all ages, and the only three who 'wrestle' are approximately the same age. The older ones have 'taught' the younger ones respect. One of the things that works well with older cats is giving them 'escape' hatches. I have several cat trees, and Charlotte, my oldest (probably around 14-15), is nearly always curled up on the top level. She can easily protect herself up there from my rowdies, and does on a regular basis. They've learned to leave her be.

Is your male neutered? I can't imagine he isn't, being about a year old, but I just wanted to make sure he was. If not, that will go a looooooooong way to getting those kitten crazies under control...but time is also needed for that.

But I can't stress enough that declawing is something which should not be done. I know some folks will have other opinions, but having rescued cats for years, I'm so against declawing that it's not even funny. I see it as abuse, plain and simple, and it often creates additional issues rather than solve them.

Best-
Noni

[pasomystic]

Well said NoniMe.

[farmergal]

I agree with NoniMe. I'd rather you neuter if you have not all ready done so and trim his claws. A cat with trimmed claws is very much like a declawed cat and it is less painful for the cat and easier on your pocketbook.

Before you go to the expense please try clipping his nails and see if that makes a difference. I think you will be delighted with the results. I have an indoor cat that I trim on a regular basis. Once a month she gets a nail inspection and trim as needed. I trim all of my kittens nails. Don't want my kids to get cat scratch fever and the kittens become much tamer quicker when trimmed.

[farmergal]

If your not sure how to trim his nails

http://www.catscratching.com/htmls/article.htm

[Mav2007]

I agree. Declawing reminds me of unneccesary plastic surgery. It causes pain and mostly for vanity reasons. There are other ways around it. Keep the nails clipped, get those little nail cap things to put over the nails, and provide adaquate scratching posts. I used to have three indoor cats, none were declawed and I never had any problems with clawing furniture. When they are kittens they play and that's to be expected, so keep the nails short and you'll have much less damage. Eventually he'll settle down a little.

As for the kitten clawing the older cat...well, if she had her claws, she'd be able to defend herself better. However, I doubt he'd do any serious damage to her and she can still tell him when she's had enough by smacking him with her paw.

[DustyTrailsHorseRescue]

Originally Posted by NoniMe

Please don't declaw. It's amputation of the first knuckle of their 'finger', and will leave emotional scarring, as well as physical issues; most cats have residual pain from the amputation, as well as emotional issues including issues with the litter box.

Further issues include not being able to defend themselves with their claws, so they resort to biting. And a bite, be it on another cat or on you, is definitely worse than a scratch. They cannot climb things to escape other problems, and if they're outdoor or indoor/outdoor cats, they have no real way to escape predators other than bite. They WILL resort to biting to defend; that is far less desireable than clawing.

Keep his claws clipped short, and you won't have nearly the scratches you have now. And BTW, the scratching and 'fighting' is normal...he's one year, give or take, and that's prime playtime for cats. Also, make sure he has some stuff for him to scratch; that's a natural instinct for cats, and they do need an outlet. If you need some help with that, let me know. I clip 8 cats' claws on a regular basis...it's not hard, it's not painful if done correctly, and I've even taught my 78 year old mother how to do it.

Your older cat can handle the fighting...I have cats of all ages, and the only three who 'wrestle' are approximately the same age. The older ones have 'taught' the younger ones respect. One of the things that works well with older cats is giving them 'escape' hatches. I have several cat trees, and Charlotte, my oldest (probably around 14-15), is nearly always curled up on the top level. She can easily protect herself up there from my rowdies, and does on a regular basis. They've learned to leave her be.

Is your male neutered? I can't imagine he isn't, being about a year old, but I just wanted to make sure he was. If not, that will go a looooooooong way to getting those kitten crazies under control...but time is also needed for that.

But I can't stress enough that declawing is something which should not be done. I know some folks will have other opinions, but having rescued cats for years, I'm so against declawing that it's not even funny. I see it as abuse, plain and simple, and it often creates additional issues rather than solve them.

Best-
Noni

I agree, I worked at a vet clinic many years ago and it was shocking to me to see th cats suffer. In Germany declawing is considered animal cruelty and against the law, and I have to say, I'm glad.

[ruffian]

I just want to post support for Charlie's Angel

I would just as soon not declaw and have watched my leather couch take the damage because of this decision. This is in spite of frequent nail trims, two scratching posts, false nail tips and lots of attempts at behaviour modification.

Yes declawing is extreme, but sometimes it is the only option, if you've tried everything else and esp if the older female (who is declawed) is bearing the brunt of his behaviour, I would do it. Several of my family members have had it done, even on older cats and it is surprising how quickly they recover.

It goes without saying though, that a declawed cat must be an indoor cat and if there is any chance of them getting out, don't do this.

[Brandy]

I'm kind of on the wall on this issue. I have six cats; five inside and one outside. Two have their claws. I have had no problems with my cats that are declawed; they are the happiest and sweetest ones. One clawed cat is inside the other is outside. The one outside is outside because he was a stray that took to my dog; they are best buds. He has all but destroyed her wooden parts of her hutch with his claws though. There was no need to remove his claws; plus they keep the husky in check if she wants to play too rough.
The inside clawed kitty had a rough start, came to the clinic as a wee 4 week old bobbed tailed with minimal anal tone. Well I got him all better and he is 100% 1 year old. Since we were not sure he would survive, declawing him was not even a thought. The only reason he still has them now is he hasn't harmed any of his roommates. He has scratched some stuff, but its only materialistic things.
I also had a cat (snowball) when I grew up that was a stray that came as a four paw declaw (we didn't have the declaw done). He was amazing. He could climb any tree and could catch anything (mice, squirrels, raccoons, possums, birds, etc.) I remember one morning I was out on the front lawn and out of nowhere he came flying up into the air and caught a bird. He passed away at 17years old, maybe older; he lived outside his whole 15 years with us, but once he went into renal failure, I wasn't about to watch him wether away. He was one great cat.
From what I have seen as a vet intern, the younger you get it done the better, be it a declaw or dewclaws on dogs. From my count, half the cats that came in are young ones and done as a precaution to potential damage. The other half are older cats that are with the elderly clients or cats that are polydactyl with ingrown nails. Owners that come in wanting to declaw due to behavior we advise them to try clipping them or have us do it, but if they are completely out of control we would rather declaw them then fight them every couple of weeks completely stressing them out and really applying emotional damage.
But with all that said and that was a lot, it’s your decision. Try clipping them first or use those caps, you can always declaw if all else fails, but you can't reverse it.
This is just my thought/opinion; take it as a grain of sand.
Good luck.

[paso_lover]

I do not believe in declawing a cat as it is their way of defending themselves. The way I see it if one of my cats ever gets out, he at least has a fighting chance.

Now with that said, I got a 5/6 yr old barn cat from the SPCA 6 yrs ago. This cat came from a farm where EVERYONE kept droping off their cats. When the little ol' lady finally called for help the final count was 80 + cats (and she had them all fixed). Lucky and another were the last 2 to find homes. I had him about 6 months when I bought all new furniture and he thought they were 1000 dollar cat scratches just for him. I could do nothing to stop him (and I did try), so I called the vet and told him the story. Declaw the cat or he goes. My vet too is a pretty firm believer in not declawing (and we weighed every option)but in this case he knew I had no choice and he would rather NOT see the cat back at the pound. Yes it sucks, yes it hurts like he** but sometimes it is the best option for the cat.

[kshnooks]

I don't think declawing is ever the best option for the cat as no cat would ever willingly want one of their defensive mechanisms removed. I am against declawing, however I am not going to hiss at anyone who does it. I just know I never would even if my furniture was getting torn to shreds.

I agree that as a 1 yr old, the cat is just starting to get out of the kitten stage, its something that he might grow out of. Also, he may not like the scratching surfaces that are available to him. Have you tried the cardboard scratchers or sisal rope? My cats have carpet, sisal and cardboard available to them to scratch and all are scattered about the house. They do not scratch the furniture, either. As for antagonizing the older cat, he may need more playtime, unless the clawing is agressive. Do you play with him on a daily basis? If you do decide to declaw, PLEASE make sure he remains an indoor cat.

[Charlies'_Angel]

Hi Everyone,

Thank you for the replies. I would like everyone to know that Zues is an indoor cat 100% and he has also been neutered. I didn't have his claws taken when I had him fixed because I figured it was better for him and I to am not a fan of declawing. Please don't bash me for getting my older cat done it was 13 years ago, we were new to cats and many people told us to do it, plus she was a bit of a terror towards people. She has had no problems...until now. She is def. not a fighter and thats why I'm considering getting Zues done because she tries to fight him off but he just doesn't get it!! He is a very large kitten to say the least, so to say that its equal competition is not even fair. I DO know what the procedure involves I have read up on it, weighing my options and such. He does get his nails trimmed on a regular basis, I don't think it does much except he doesn't get caught on things and he doesn't climb the screens as often. I don't really know what else to say.

This procedure is going to cost me $413.00+GST so it's not as if I'm jumping into it without thought, as sad as it is thats pretty well half my paycheck. It's money that I could be using to pay other bills. Anyways's thank you again for all the replies so quickly.

-Alicia

[Cappysmom]

I almost didn't post because I knew everyone has strong views on this. I declawed my first cat for the very same reason as she was destroying my brand new furniture and I trimmed her nails constantly. I also bought her several scratching posts and put them by the furniture so she would use them as well and she didn't. I still didn't have her declawed when she ripped my drapes. The final straw is when she scratched my 3year in the face and my husband called the vet himself and booked the appointment. Our daughter was born with a strawberry hemogoma and when she was a toddler , she was outside when a cat came over and scratched her right on her strawberry and it ended up getting an absence (sp) so my husband has zero tolerance for my daughter getting scratched in the face. It is a very personal decision and you have to weigh the pros and cons. Both of my cats are indoor cats and they are very happy.

[Freedomnchrist]

I think we all have strong views on things and that makes people afraid to post sometimes.

It shouldn't be that way but it is.

This is one of those subjects where yes it may be wrong...but many people do it...and many people have success with it.

Still does not change the fact that it is a painful process.

[GodsGifts]

I am 100% against declawing. I've had my cat for 8yrs...at first he started clawing furniture when he was a baby, but I taught him to use the scratching post by giving him lots of loving when i saw him scratch the post. Now at 8yrs old when he sees me and wants lovin he goes to his post and scratches.

IMO i think you should exhaust all other options before even seriously considering declawing. I agree with Noni...it is an amputation. Picture your hands...it's the first knuckle of your fingers. IMO I would want to keep them

[Orchid]

Have you considered a tendonectomy? You would still need to trim his claws to keep them from overgrowing but it would eliminate his ability to extend them. It's not as dramatic as declawing. I'm not a fan of either procedure but tendonectomy is definitely easier on the cat.

[Lady_MCSE]

I had all three of my boys declawed when I adopted them.

Because they were shelter kitties, their exact ages are not known. Tigger was believed to be "1 year old," and I'm pretty sure that was about accurate. Boxer looked to me to be a full adult cat, but knowing how much he grew after I got him, I"d say he was under 1 year for sure. Pluma was definately a full adult. The vet first estimated 5 years, but every time the same doctor sees him now, he seems surprised at how good his teeth look for his age (I'm guessing the age estimate was off).

Soooo, in all three cases, I had no major complications or changes in behavior, or noticable psychology problems.

The one thing I would be VERY concerned about would be not the declaw procedure itself, as much as the fact that is a full anaesthetic procedure. Your older cat may not be up for it, and if you asked your vet, he\she might even refuse just on that point alone. Older cats are at higher risk of kidney and liver malfunction, and decisions to put them under for any procedure have to be taken seriously. One of my vets insisted on doing a full blood panel a week before any planned procedure, to ensure no preexisting conditions.

[Charlies'_Angel]

Lady_MCSE,

No worries, my older kitty was done when she was about a year old, she's now 13 years old. I'm just looking into getting my kitten done, he's approx. a year old give or take a few months.