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I have 2 cats, one was born Sept 2006 and one was born April 2007.
They are both "fixed" but not declawed.
I had read all the posts about how inhumane it is to declaw a cat, and decided to see if they would behave properly with my furniture etc.
I provided them with a LOT of scratching posts. I have 2 large cat trees that are 6 feet tall, and about 5 other different and smaller posts and pillars positioned around my place. I even have 2 placed directly in front of the couch and chair legs.
Well.... they were good for a while, but about 3-4 months ago, they started ignoring the posts in front of the furniture and started scratching at the furniture itself. No matter if I clapped loudly, told them no, spritzed them a bit with water or anything else, they still did it. Now my furniture legs are covered in holes and loose threads.
I have tried using the "Soft Paws" nail covers with no luck. I put them on and they chew and chew at them until they fall back off. I clipped their nailed every other day it seemed, though that doesn't really help with scratching furniture much. I've even tried putting little booties on their front paws, but that made it difficult to dig in the litterbox, and was pretty unsanitary. The Deterrent sprays had no effect, and both of my cats actually eat lemons when I try to use them to deter them from the furniture.
The last straw came the other day, when they decided to rip the bottom of my mattress open and shred almost the entire thing.
So, I've decided to get them declawed. I know it is both of them that are scratching things because I see them do it. Monkey see, monkey do.
I guess I don't feel that bad about it, because I have tried several other options before making the decision.
I will add that they are strictly indoor cats, so they don't have to defend themselves out in the wild.
I guess I just posted because I do feel a bit guilty about having to do it.
Now the only decision is this. Do I have them remove the claw and top bone, or so I have them just sever the tendon that prevents the claws from coming out. I don't see how the tendon thing works, because if try to scratch the furniture, won't the nails still make contact?
Anyone who would mutilate a cat just to preserve a damned piece of furniture doesn't deserve to have a cat in their house.
A chair, a sofa, or a mattress is just a bunch of wood, fabric, leather and plastic put together to support your ass and inflate your materialistic ego.
A cat is a living creature who is part of your family who loves you and deserves your love, he does not deserve to have his toes cut off or mutilated.
Would you cut off a toddlers fingers because he was getting into the cabinets and making a mess?
::sigh:: Before this starts, watts76, this will most definitely start a heated debate between pro-declaw and anti-declaw. Just a warning...
I declawed my cat for a large variety of reasons (not all of which included furniture... some were medical), which I'm not going to go into... declawing is largely a personal decision where you have to weigh the quality of life for both you and your cats with or without claws.
I will say though that my little one (declawed) is the happiest cat you will ever meet. She still "makes biscuits" all the time on the furniture and scratches to leave her scent like a normal cat. She purrs constantly, loves people, and gets along quite well with my new kitten. She's loving and, by all outward signs, a very happy kitty.
I've over-researched it on the internet as well as got several vet's opinions before I went ahead, but in the end, you know what will be good for you and your kittens. Just make sure to take all precautions to make them the happiest little guys and thoroughly understand the anti-declaw position so you make a completely educated decision.
I hope this helps? Please no one yell at me for declawing my little one... as I say, she's loving and happy, and I completely understand the anti-declaw position! It is definitely not to be taken lightly. Thanks guys!
Anyone who would mutilate a cat just to preserve a damned piece of furniture doesn't deserve to have a cat in their house.
A chair, a sofa, or a mattress is just a bunch of wood, fabric, leather and plastic put together to support your ass and inflate your materialistic ego.
A cat is a living creature who is part of your family who loves you and deserves your love, he does not deserve to have his toes cut off or mutilated.
Would you cut off a toddlers fingers because he was getting into the cabinets and making a mess?
And yet you make no comment about the cats being fixed. Its ok for them to have surgery to take away their ability to reproduce, but declawing is mutilating them?
Someone should have cut your fingers off as a toddler to prevent you from typing something as stupid as your reply to Watts76.
And yet you make no comment about the cats being fixed. Its ok for them to have surgery to take away their ability to reproduce, but declawing is mutilating them?
Someone should have cut your fingers off as a toddler to prevent you from typing something as stupid as your reply to Watts76.
You are comparing apples to tire irons. Spay/neuter surgery helps prevent a wide variety of health complications, including ovarian and testicular cancer. Declawing is certainly mutilation, and except for rare instances provides no health benefit. The procedure has been banned in several countries, and many vets will not perform this surgery without a medical need.
To the OP, have you tried double sided tape? It works every time. Kitties do not like anything sticky to touch their feet. Have you sprinkled a high quality catnip on the scratching posts to attract them?
The age of your kitties will make for a painful recovery, prone to infection.
Its ok for them to have surgery to take away their ability to reproduce, but declawing is mutilating them?
Someone should have cut your fingers off as a toddler to prevent you from typing something as stupid as your reply to Watts76.
If you don't see a difference between birth control and mutilation for convenience or materialistic priority, then you don't need to have anything cut off because it's already missing.
Anyone who would mutilate a cat just to preserve a damned piece of furniture doesn't deserve to have a cat in their house.
A chair, a sofa, or a mattress is just a bunch of wood, fabric, leather and plastic put together to support your ass and inflate your materialistic ego.
A cat is a living creature who is part of your family who loves you and deserves your love, he does not deserve to have his toes cut off or mutilated.
Would you cut off a toddlers fingers because he was getting into the cabinets and making a mess?
To the OP, have you tried double sided tape? It works every time. Kitties do not like anything sticky to touch their feet. Have you sprinkled a high quality catnip on the scratching posts to attract them?
The age of your kitties will make for a painful recovery, prone to infection.
It's funny you mentioned the tape thing. I have tried it, and believe it or not they love the tape. They try and try and peel it off and then walk around with it hanging from their mouths and play tu of war with it and roll around on it. These are not normal cats!
I have tried the catnip thing as well.
I also just wanted to mentioned that growing up, I had a cat that was declawed at the same age as the two i have now. Lazer was not an option at that time, and he lived to be almost 23 years old with no posture or medical conditions caused by being declawed. He actually just died of plain old age.
If you don't see a difference between birth control and mutilation for convenience or materialistic priority, then you don't need to have anything cut off because it's already missing.
If you don't see that your argument is nonsense because both are a surgery of convenience for the owner, then its obvious why your brain isn't getting enough oxygen and where your head is firmly planted.
Neither of my 2 cats are declawed. They took well to scratching posts and till this day have never scratched my furniture. I am not against declawing at all. I would consult the vet for the best method, just make sure only the front paws are done as you would leave them totally defenseless in case they got out and had to defend themselves.
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