Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I have two cats and declawed both front and back claws when they were eight weeks old. It's the only way I can live with cats. It doesn't mean I don't care about my cats it's just the opposite. My cats have never stepped one toe outside the house, they are strictly indoor cats. They are up to date on their inoculations get fed premium cat food, have a million toys, beds and cat condo's and are the most loving animals.
I also have two dogs and my one dog always wants to play with one of the cats and he is always getting whacked in the snoot by the cat. I'll be damned if my dog is going to have a blooody scratch everyday on his face.
In addition I don't want my house ruined. I like a nicely decorated house. I live for me, not for my animals.
Also another point you have to consider is that people who declaw their cats tend to take good care of them. Their cats are not roaming the neighborhood getting into fights with other cats, getting lime, hiv or God know's what. Also the risk of getting hit by a car is gone.
Now I fully expect to be bashed for this post, but I know I'm not alone on this viewpoint.
I'm very interested in the discussion about declawing both front and rear paws. james 203 says it's a bad idea doing all 4 because the cat depends on its rear claws for stopping ability and to avoid slips. The cat keeps getting hurt and falling over. What do you think about this argument? I've never been on this deal before so I don't know whether you're able to contact me using my regular email. If so, please do. It's bartleyb@ecentral.com.
My mom is a vet and I'll tell you, declawing a cat can cause mental anguish to the animal. Many cats develop serious behavioral problems if they are de-clawed, such as peeing outside litter boxes and such.
If for whatever reason you decide to do this, PLEASE do NOT de-claw your cat on the rear paws, as the cat depends on the rear claws for stopping ability and to avoid slips. I have delt with a fully de-clawed cat we adopted and it was a disaster as the poor cat kept getting hurt and falling over.
One last thing: LEARN about your cat. There are TONS of books on cats today. Watch if your cat likes to scratch horizontally (like the carpet or rug) or vertically (couches, posts, etc). If you teach your cats and provide them with a scratching posts, you will have a cat that has a place to scratch and a friend who canfeel good about him or herself!!
Thanks for reading. PM me any cat questions and I'll forward them to my mom via e-mail.
I'm confused about the whole question about declawing both front and rear claws. NYTom says no problem. I'm not sure what you mean by the cat needing the rear ones for stopping ability and to avoid slips...the cat keeps getting hurt and falling over. I've got a small apt. The only place in my apt. without carpeting is my bedroom. Do you mean the cat would get hurt jumping off my bed or just what. I'm new to this thing, so not sure if you're able to email me directly. If so, please send me an email at bartleyb@ecentral.com
bbuw - you should be aware of the fact that declawing cats is prohibited in many (if not most) parts of the civilized world. This may have a reason. Just think about it.
IMO, people who can't live with a cat with claws should probably rather have a gold fish or two.
I am from Germany where animal protection is a very big thing. I never knew anything about declawing until I came to the US. And I was shocked and could not believe that people can do this. Well, I do not wonder anymore when I see how people treat their animals here. Of course not everybody.
Declawing is one of the worse things I've ever heard about. Don't do that to your cats. Their claws are for them like hands and feet are for us. Do you cut the hands of a child because it messed up some of your furniture. Do you cut the hands of a person who hurt another one? I owend cats my whole life and they never scratched my furniture because I gave them love, attention, and a lot of scratch posts. Then they are not even interested in furniture. And by the way: even if something happens with your furniture you should not think about declawing. If your furniture are more important than the cats do not get these wonderful animals. How can you declaw only because of some stupid furniture? Human beings destroy the world, kill each other and do other horrible things. Isn't it much worse than to have a little kitten that discovers the house? It is also their nature and they need the claws to protect themselves and to climb up the trees. If you do not like it why do you have cats?
It is also their nature and they need the claws to protect themselves and to climb up the trees. If you do not like it why do you have cats?
I, personally don't advocate declawing of cats. I have three cats that have their claws intact. I also have scratched up funiture.
I also have never heard about declawing until I moved to the US.
But I don't agree with your logic that it is bad because it is in their nature and that they need their claws etc.
It is also their nature to have reproductive organs and reproduce.
It is also their nature to mark their territory (tom cats).
It is also their nature to be in heat (rollige Katze).
It is also their nature to roam and kill prey.
Most modify or restrict their cat to make them good pets. This includes removing the uterus or removing the testicles or confining them to the indoors in the city.
All of those can be considered cruel but they are accepted.
My sister in law had a declawed cat. The cat appeared happy. He was an indoor cat without the need for claws to climb trees or for defense.
I think de-clawing is lazy and disgusting. All you have to do is clip your cats claws every few weeks. I think a lot of people do it without looking into it then they regret doing it.
All you have to do is clip your cats claws every few weeks.
I don't agree. I clip my cats' claws once a week as close as possible without hurting the quick and they still manage to completely shred their scratching post (and my sofa).
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.
Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
I realize my post made it sound like that!
Just think about it. 
cruelty
