Are you for declawing the cat or not

Some people prefer cutting their cats claws to prevent them from scratching on things. On the other hand, other people thing its inhumane to declaw cats and are against it. I don't believe in it because cats use their claws to hold on to things. What are your thoughts in this, are you for or against declawing of cats?

 

Nobody should declaw a cat. That's a defense, and it affects them psychologically to remove it. It can also make their feet sensitive and affect whether they like to use the litterbox. I would never declaw my kitteh. Breeders usually recommend against it and will often take a cat back if the owner declaws it (assuming they find out).

 

I would never declaw a cat because it just leaves them defenseless. I know that some people want to declaw their cats to save their furniture, but if that is the case then those people just shouldn't have a cat in the first place. There are other methods and easy to use tools that help you trim you cat's nails. I think it's totally inhumane, but I think people should do their research before getting it done.

 

I'm definitely against declawing, but I think it is better to educate people about it and how much pain and trauma it causes the cats than to argue about it. I also do hold the view that if someone has to choose between declawing and abandoning the cat, then maybe declawing is the better option. For example, a child or teen who has a cat but the parents say it's either declaw or bring the cat to the pound. I think the child should try to talk to the parents about it, but sometimes it doesn't work. To say that "people who declaw shouldnt be pet owners" as I have heard some people say, is just not realistic. A cat with a 99% happy life and no claws is way better off than a cat abandoned to a shelter and killedor left on the side of the road to fend for itself.

 

I think there's probably a way to avoid declawing, especially if someone wants an outside cat. Declawing might make a cat harder to adopt-out. I just don't see the point in hurting a kitty like that and for what, to save furniture? Silly. Get the kitty a scratching post. Cats who are declawed are probably likely to bite more to make up for the lack of claws.

 

I'm against declawing because it interferes with a cat's ability to climb, walk safely and protect themselves. Our cats go outside, so they really need their claws. You can train a cat not to scratch furniture if you're concerned about it, but removing their claws is just cruel.

 

You make some good points Alli, I would also prefer to see a cat adopted instead of sent to be killed and think that they should be educated instead of being written off as horrible people. I was fishing around and found that WebMD has a good list of pros and cons on this subject:

http://pets.webmd.com/cats/guide/declawing-cats-positives-negatives-alternatives

I think I'll bookmark this site to send to new pet owners!

 

I am totally against declawing cats - it is totally unnatural and unfair. Cats need their claws for climbing and scratching and I imagine they would be quite lost without them. Can you imagine being without your fingernails??

 

I agree with all the above, you should never declaw a cat. I saw a documentary about rescued tigers who were declawed as well and the physical and mental pain they were in was very disturbing to say the least! If you don't want the risk of yourself or your furniture getting scratched, don't get a cat. Even if you have good scratching poles and such some cats will still turn to your couch or wallpaper. Either embrace it or don't start it at all.

 

We did declaw our indoor cat, but not our outside cats. The outside cats need the claws to protect themself, and climb.

 

No way. Never declaw a cat. If a person can't stand a cat's scratching, there's a very simple solution. That person shouldn't keep a cat at all. Either that or find a breed that's naturally clawless, if there is such a thing.

 

When I was a little girl my parents did declaw our 2 cats we had. But back then declawing appeared to be the in thing. One of our cats back then was an indoor/outdoor cat and she appeared to do find. Bear in mind this was back in the late 70's early 80's. Now that I have my own cats know what I know now I would never declaw a cat.

 

When they declaw a cat, they don't just take the claws, they take off the entire first knuckle of the toes, so I'd never declaw my cats.

I have slipcovers on my furniture, and then put more fabric under the slipcover on the spots where they like to scratch most, to reduce the possibility that they'll damage the upholstery under the slipcovers.

I'm also thinking of switching some, if not all, of my carpeting for that ceramic tile that looks like wood. It lasts longer and looks neater, will clean up from "accidents" more easily, and will reduce scratching.

They also make plastic claw covers for cats. They're a pain to apply, but they keep the claws from damaging the furniture, and they come off when the cats shed their claws. I don't have any on my current crop of cats, but I used them all the time with previous cats, and they worked great.

 

I think it's easier just to train a cat to use a scratch post. Find one they like to scratch and they will do it on their own. I encouraged my cat to scratch on the post by doing it myself and he copied me. He's a really smart little guy.

 

It's very cruel to declaw a cat. If you research it, you will see that declawing a cat isn't like taking the fingernails off of a human, it's the equivalent of amputating half the finger off. If they just took out the claw it would grow back which is why they do that. It's very, very painful and traumatizing for cats. I'd rather have scratched up furniture (which won't happen if you train them right) then a traumatized cat.

 

Right. Our cats are nearly as precious to us as our children. Maybe, sometimes even more precious. To declaw a cat would be equivalent to pulling out the nails of our children. This is a horrible method of torture practiced in ancient China.

 

Here is an image of what is removed during declawing:



That is the actual bone

Here is a billboard demonstrating the same idea:

 

I am definitely against declawing unless there where some dire, life threatening ( to the cat) medical reason for doing so. It is cruel and inhumane to declaw a cat.

 

I used to think it was a good idea when I was younger until I saw a cat after, and learned what they actually do to them.. they cut off part of their bone!

Now that I know that, I will never do that! My cat scratched things a lot, but he's still young... just keep your cats nails clipped so they aren't as long, but then they still have them so they can climb things, and don't have to go through the pain of de-clawing.

 

People that put furniture over cats should get a dog, or maybe a pet rock. De-clawing is inhumane and should not be done. It can also cause cats to stop using the litterbox properly as well as behavioral issues.