I have done both ...
We clipped our old cats nails and she never scratched any of us. As she aged, she scratched furniture and things less so I didn't clip her nails for years before she died.
The cat we have now had his front paws declawed before we got him. He still hunts, has been in the odd tussle with the neighbour's cats ... and he does just fine. He's a pretty big cat and doesn't like grooming. I'm not sure I'd be able to clip his claws. I'm glad I don't have to.
I am against any unnecessary discomfort or pain for any animal. I would hate to see your cat in pain or having to have any amputation. I would also hate to see your kitty back in the shelter where it will end up God knows where.
Do whatever you are willing to do. Clip, cap, or whatever else? Fantastic - you are a great and patient pet owner and she is lucky to have you!
Are you willing to live with a sometimes mean cat? If you are, thats great too. If you aren't, declaw. It IS better than getting rid of the cat.
I agree with what some of the above posters said...I am against any unnecessary discomfort or surgery for an animal, BUT, if the alternative is returning the cat to the shelter, most likely that'll be the end of the cat's life...which is far, far worse than even an elective surgery. So I'd give alternatives a try, including the caps, and if there is no alternative that allows you to also keep the cat, then opt for declawing.
I am a vet assistant, and i have seen many declaws preformed. Basically the cats claw is clipped off right before the first joint, and then the paws are wrapped tightly for about 24 hours. After the wraps are removed, the cat is placed on a white towel to see if there is any seeping of blood. The cats are asleep during the proceedure and for most of the remaining day. Most of our kitty patients go home the next day with no problems. And most dont seem to be in any pain or really sore. I wouldnt reccomend getting an outside cat done though. It is really up to you. Since he stays inside thats good.
I am against de-clawing. It is DEFINITELY inhumane there are so many other solutions to scratching. Not only will you cripple your cat for life, the cat will probably develop other behavioral problems. A lot of cats that are de-clawed start having litter box problems. Others become mean and start biting. Cats walk on their toes and when they are de-clawed every step is painful.
Please don't have this done! De-clawing is outlawed in a lot of countries because it is inhumane. Vets who de-claw only do it for the money. There is absolutely no benefit to the animal. You can easily train your cat to stop scratching!
Don't declaw your cat. It can be very painful, and there are cats who do not recover in the same way, physically and emotionally. My mom had her cat declawed, and ever since, she's been a big time biter. Since she feels fairly defenseless, she bites, hard, and with little to no warning. If your cat is already somewhat physically aggressive, biting could become just as big of a problem as scratching is now.
I would suggest trying the caps. I've heard a lot of people have success with them. Also, ditto on keeping the claws clipped close.
Does he give any warning about clawing? It could be that he has gotten overstimulated and that's why he will suddenly bite while cuddling.
Have you tried a Feliway diffuser? It seems to help anxious cats stay more relaxed at home. It could help keep him from feeling as stressed out.
How old is your step daughter? Does she come and go frequently? Cats don't like change, so it could be that her changing presence makes him a bit nutty.
It is a painful surgery, with the risks of permanently altering a cat's personality. Please do not go that route unless you have thoroughly exhausted all other options.
I would definitely try a few things before declawing.
1) Clipping the nails. I've been clipping my cats nails since I've had them and they don't mind. I sit in very good light, squeeze their paws until the claw pops out, and trim the end (you don't want to cut too far down, that's what the light is for, so you can see the ends of the nail easily).
2) Feliway or some other kitty calming stuff. When we were moving, we got a Feliway diffuser that plugs into a hallway to calm down my anxious kitty. It was spendy, but it was great for a couple of weeks.
3) Positive reinforcement - I bought some bonito fish flakes at the pet store which my cats LOVE. When they were very young, I started taking them over to the post and getting them to scratch, then giving them a fish flake. Now, they run over to the post, looking over their shoulder so I'll come give them a treat if they scratch. They also run to the post if I shake the fish flakes and ask them "what does a good kitty do?"
4) Negative reinforcement - water bottle, can of pennies. If the kitty scratches, squirt or shake the can loudly. Say NO. My kitty Diego loves to tussle, but ever since he was young if he starts to bite or scratch too hard I say NO loudly and remove my hand. Now, he normally keeps his paws velvety and just mouths me when we play (he occasionally gets over excited and must be told no, but then he's "sorry" and licks my hand to apologize).
They are tiny caps that you apply. They work like a charm. At first my cat wasn't thrilled with them, but she's been wearing them for just about 2 years, and doesn't even mind getting them put on anymore. They can also be found on eBay for cheaper, and I just get nail glue from the drugstore.
I would try other ways before I resorted to declawing. Is there a reason the cat JUST randomly started acting out?
I'm interested that so many people have commented that they are against declawing but support it if it's the only option besides taking the animal to a shelter where it will likely be killed.
I live in a community with a no-kill shelter, and all the surrounding towns and communities have the same. I guess I have always taken the no-kill Animal Humane Society for granted. Don't they exist around the country too?
Walking2lose, the fact of the matter is that a lot of those kill shelters end up full and can't take any more animals. I know a couple of months ago, we found a stray cat and I called no-kill shelters within a 100 mile radius of my house, and none were able to accept another cat. Sometimes no-kill isn't an option, unfortunately.
Last edited by Pint Sized Terror; 01-31-2011 at 10:55 AM.
No kill shelters exist everywhere but they're FULL.
We had a momma and three babies turn up in our yard last fall. They were clearly inside cats who had been dumped because they were DETERMINED to come in our house and not at all afraid of us.
Every place we called (and we called everything within a few hundred miles) said they had six month waiting lists, even if we were willing to make a huge "donation" to help with care. I was in a panic because it was about to start with cold weather. Someone finally gave us the number for a lady who worked with a no kill foster program and we basically begged her and then took them in for her to see them. We were lucky in that she took to them immediately so she kept the mom and agreed to foster the babies herself till they could find a home.
It took about a month for us to find someone to take them, even with us offering to donate a lot of money PER CAT to cover food, vet, having them fixed, etc. It's not as easy as just "take them to the no kill shelter" there's a lot of begging and luck involved.
Even then a lot of cats will live out their lives in the shelter. There are so so many more cats than homes.
Aside from all that, I still say try everything in the world before you resort to declawing.
Yep - basically, a shelter that is "No Kill" is almost always going to have to turn animals away. Either you euthanize animals because you don't have space, or you turn people away when you run out of space...but no one has unlimited space to accept unlimited animals.
I always felt that so-called "kill" (AKA standard) shelters got a really bad rap. Anyone can be "no kill" with selective intake. For example, the shelter where we got our dog was "no kill" because they only ever accepted animals that were originally adopted out by the shelter, or that were imminently and immediately adoptable with no training or medical treatment required. They did not accept ANY dogs or cats with behavior or medical issues of any kind unless they originally adopted that animal out, required a rigorous behavioral and medical intake to ensure the pet was adoptable, and charged significant fees for surrendering a pet...this in addition to rejecting a pet because they're full, which is common. Sure, once the animals GOT IN to the adoption program, the shelter kept them until they were adopted (and our dog was an example of that, since she was in the shelter for 9 months, almost unheard of in shelters. She was an owner surrender originally adopted out by the SPCA, so they took her even though she did have some mild behavior problems. Had she not been originally adopted out by that shelter, they would have rejected her)...but pets with any medical or behavioral issues are turned away, even if the shelter has space.
"Kill" shelters, though unappetizing and upsetting for animal lovers, are necessary to take all of the animals that space and behavior issues make unacceptable to a "No-Kill" shelter. And in most cases, a standard shelter (like the county animal services shelter, which almost all counties have) is mandated by law to take all animals brought to them, so they just don't have the option to be "no kill". No one at those facilities relishes the idea of putting an animal down. But if you're taking all animals in need of shelter, either by choice or because you are mandated by law to do so, there is no way to do that without euthanizing animals for space, behavioral, etc issues.
Last edited by mandalinn82; 01-31-2011 at 12:30 PM.
Your kitty can still be declawed, although the vet I work for, prefers to do them very young. You might check and see if anyone in your area does laser declawing and check that out.
Since kitty was under the recliner, did your stepdaughter jiggle the chair and scare him? Perhaps he's been trapped under recliners before. Plus she had food, another possible trigger. Better to eat at the table.
If you don't want to declaw, like many have said a good scratching post and keep those little claws trimmed.
One other thing, always disinfect those scratches ASAP! Cat scratch fever is real, just not an old rock and roll song.
