De-clawing cats

[Mme Erzulie]

Discuss. I'll impart my own wisdom later, when I have more time.

[jamesM]

Totally against it, it basically maims your cat and can have a severe effect on their wellbeing and personality.

[Chaldanya]

I didn't realise there was anything to discuss; I'm even against trimming my cats' claws because they go outside and would have nothing to defend themself with in case of a fight.

Declawing is just cruel - it basically maims the cat (amputation). After this procedure they can have problems walking.

N

[Adz of CCAA]

Totally against it, it basicaly maims your cat and can have a severe effect on their wellbeing and personality.

I didn't realise there was anything to discuss; I'm even against trimming my cats' claws because they go outside and would have nothing to defend themself with in case of a fight.

Declawing is just cruel - it basically maims the cat (amputation). After this procedure they can have problems walking.

N

I agree.

I have two cats who live indoors. And although their claws can be annoying I would NEVER EVER even think about de-clawing them!!!

I have been thinking about trimming their claws, though. Because they can't/don't wear off their claws as they would/could outside and they use them all the time on me, even if they are good (they are good most of the time).

But I've never done it because of the stress it would cause them.

[Mme Erzulie]

Please. Declawing has caused many a happy cat with a scratching problem to keep its home, rather than to be abandoned outside or put to sleep. Modern surgical methods (laser) heal quickly, and pain management works wonders.

In case you trot out the old chestnut about the fact that it is the last joint of the cat's toes, and would a human ever do that to themselves, I can tell you that they can, and they do. One of the most popular foot surgeries in the US for women has been to remove the last joint of the pinkie toe and even the 4th toe for women to fit into extremely pointed shoes.

Declawing - without it, my rescue cat would have been eaten by an alligator, rather than brought home by Darling from a hunting trip.

So, yeah, I'll add what is essentially cosmetic surgery for cats onto my list of good things in life.

This is the post (in the "Good things in life" thread) that I took exception to.

I still don't have a lot of time, I'll weigh in more in-depth when I do (hopefully later today).

[MinDonner]

Obviously, women choosing to mutilate their own feet for some twisted sense of fashion is in every way comparable for someone chopping up their own unconsenting pet for the sake of having pristine furniture. Yeah.

[Artas]

Please. Declawing has caused many a happy cat with a scratching problem to keep its home, rather than to be abandoned outside or put to sleep. Modern surgical methods (laser) heal quickly, and pain management works wonders.

:shocked:

In case you trot out the old chestnut about the fact that it is the last joint of the cat's toes, and would a human ever do that to themselves, I can tell you that they can, and they do. One of the most popular foot surgeries in the US for women has been to remove the last joint of the pinkie toe and even the 4th toe for women to fit into extremely pointed shoes.

:shocked: :shocked: :shocked:

[Guest Raidne]

We have two cats, and only one has claws. Call it inhumane, but I shudder to think of what would have happened to all the people our dear (satan) kitty has mauled over the years if she was fully armed.

[snake]

As a person who does not have a cat and pretty much despises them, I have no problem with de-clawing cats.

Then again, I never was one to get much attached to pets and I don't place much value on the lives of non-human animals.

[Lany Freelove Cassandra]

We have two cats, and only one has claws. Call it inhumane, but I shudder to think of what would have happened to all the people our dear (satan) kitty has mauled over the years if she was fully armed.

Our cats were around very small children, and if they scrached up my infant, they would have been gone so we had our past cats declawed.

I have since learned of a better solution, and my next kittie will have soft claws.

[Galactus]

Declawing is just cruel.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

We don't declaw. We clip their claws and boy is that fun to do.

[Vrana]

Personally I think any procedure that will alter the personality of your pet, or permanently damage them to your own convenience seems cruel.

I'm not really up for keeping pets at all, but I don't begrudge people who do as long as they take care of them to the best of their ability.

Question? Doesn't spaying or neutering (or whatever the term is) your pets also alter them significantly?

[kve]

Question? Doesn't spaying or neutering (or whatever the term is) your pets also alter them significantly?

Yes; Basically you get a more gentle pet.

From Wiki:

Sexually dimorphic behaviors such as mounting, urine spraying and some forms of male aggression (relating to females in estrus) may be reduced due to the decrease in hormone levels brought about by neutering. This is an especially significant benefit in male cats due to the extreme undesirability of male cat sexual behavior for pet owners.[21] Most animals lose their libido and females no longer experience heat cycles, which are sometimes considered a major nuisance factor. Personality changes may occur in the animal.

[Chaldanya]

1) what Min said

2) really arguing that de-clawing is the same as neutering?

3) the following countries don't allow de-clawing by law and they seem to be doing just fine:

England, Scotland, Wales, N. Ireland, Germany, Austraia, Switzerland, Norway, Sweded, Netherlands, Denmarkd, Finland, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Poland, Greece.

Plus consider this: if the cat doesn't have claws it still has teeth and the pressure and frequency of biting increases in some cats after declawing

N

ETA: Your wish is my command, Mash!

[Altherion]

Question? Doesn't spaying or neutering (or whatever the term is) your pets also alter them significantly?

"Spaying" and "neutering" are polite terms for the removal of an animal's reproductive organs so yes, this will definitely have an effect on their behavior (probably one orders of magnitude greater than de-clawing them).

I think a lot of shelters de-claw cats (as well as spay/neuter them) so as to make them more attractive for potential adopters. We got one of these (i.e. she was already this way) and she doesn't seem to be in any pain because of it. The only caveat is that one has to be careful when playing with her: her front paws have no claws, but the back ones do and I don't think she understands the difference.

[Adz of CCAA]

It is not allowed to de-claw cats in Germany. It's deemed to be cruelty to animals.

Only if there are medical reasons is it allowed in the concerned claw(s).

ETA

deleted a word (apparently)

[Kymeera]

I believe it's a personal decision with nothing inherently wrong in it. However, all declawed cats should strictly be indoor cats for their own safety. As a kid growing up, most of our cats were declawed. There was never a change in personality, and after a few days of discomfort they were back to normal. My current cats still have their claws, and I have no plans to have them declawed. They do scratch up the furniture, but it's something I just deal with.

We don't declaw. We clip their claws and boy is that fun to do.

I've trained my cats to be pretty quiet for nail trimmings. After the trimming I give them treats. They still squirm a bit, but it's gotten to the point where if they see me carrying the clippers they get excited and follow me because they know treats are incoming.

[mashiara]

3) the following countries don't allow de-clawing by law and they seem to be doing just fine:

England, Scotland, Wales, N. Ireland, Germany, Austraia, Switzerland, Norway, Sweded, Netherlands, Denmarkd, Finland, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Poland.

Add Greece to that list as well.

We have two cats and I'd never consider having them de-clawed, I think it's cruel and unnecessary. We do trim their nails every now and then but not to protect the furniture or ourselves (anyone who has decided to live with a pet must be ready to make some sacrifices) but rather so their nails don't get snagged in various blankets and other items. If they weren't indoor cats I wouldn't even do that.

I can't speak for anyone else but I didn't spay my cat until she was nearly 4 years old. I saw her suffer every time she was in heat and I even tried to have her mate with a friend's cat but she just wasn't into him. So I finally gave in and spayed her and I think she is probably a lot better for it now. Did it alter her behavior? Well, I've heard spaying is supposed to make cats more docile and fatter and neither of those things have happened in the 6 years since.

[Chaldanya]

We have two cats and I'd never consider having them de-clawed, I think it's cruel and unnecessary. We do trim their nails every now and then but not to protect the furniture or ourselves (anyone who has decided to live with a pet must be ready to make some sacrifices) but rather so their nails don't get snagged in various blankets and other items. If they weren't indoor cats I wouldn't even do that.

Absolutely. Our old sofa was clawed to buggery because we didn't much care about it. We got a new leather sofa about 15 months ago and it's got a couple of pulled tags on it but we trained them as soon as it got there not to claw and they don't...

I can't speak for anyone else but I didn't spay my cat until she was nearly 4 years old. I saw her suffer every time she was in heat and I even tried to have her mate with a friend's cat but she just wasn't into him. So I finally gave in and spayed her and I think she is probably a lot better for it now. Did it alter her behavior? Well, I've heard spaying is supposed to make cats more docile and fatter and neither of those things have happened in the 6 years since.

This is true for us as well. We didn't spay Pug until she was 1 and we saw her go on heat a couple of times. The meowing wasn't an issue but she was just so uncomfortable and couldn't settle anywhere she plainly didn't know what was going on so we spayed her sooner rather than later (when she started to go outside). Her personality didn't change in any way except the usual lessening of kittenish behaviours.

N