Considering Declawing

[abyeb]

Please don't declaw! It's not just removing the claws, but actually amputating each toe at the first joint. Cats walk on their toes, so declawed cats shirt their weight back to their wrists causing early onset arthritis. Declawed cats have pain walking, and digging through litter, so the number one issue with declawed cats is inappropriate urination. Inappropriate urination is also the number one reason why cats are relinquished to shelters. In cities like San Francisco and Beverly Hills where declawing is illegal, the number of cats relinquished to shelters has decreased. Declawing is illegal throughout most of Europe as well.

I'd like to also share some personal stories with you about people I know who have declawed cats. One person, a mere acquaintance, declawed his kitten the first day he brought her home because the kitten climbed up his pant leg. He didn't even consider the fact that this young kitten would need a scratching post and cat trees. Since after the declaw surgery and still two years later their cat hides under the bed and needs food and water brought to her because it hurts her so much to walk.

I once met someone who was out walking her cat. She told me that she had recently rescued a declawed cat (who was at home at the time) who was so crippled that he couldn't walk, except for hobbling a few steps at a time.

A friend of mine obtained a Norwegian Forest Cat through a rescue organization. He had been declawed by the previous owners and was urinating inappropriately. My friend is so patient with him, putting a litterbox in every room with paper litter and cleaning up any accidents that stem from the declaw pain. A year later, she rescued a Maine Coon who had claws. Watching the two cats, one could immediately tell which one was declawed. It is also absolutely heartbreaking to see the NFC meowing pitifully at the base of the cat tree that the MC had just scaled. He knows that humans did something to him that prevents him from doing things that come naturally to cats.

These are just three accounts of what happens when cats are declawed. But I know that there are millions of stories across the US about cats in pain from having been declawed. Please, read through this booklet (which was brought to my attention by @otto): http://www.littlebigcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ADH2017.pdf, and watch The Paw Project. I know other TCS members have already told you about the nature of declawing and about suitable alternatives, and I'm sure that if you ever have any questions about teaching your cats to use scratching posts or finding toys for them, or anything really, you'll be able to find excellent advice here on TCS.

 

[moorspede]

I don't care that you didn't ask what I thought. You posted this in a public forum and I'm taking the opportunity to tell you that it is banned in many countries because it is cruel.

 

[5starcathotel]

I'd just add that declawing is a really tough decision. In my own situation, I'm currently caring for 4 cats...which is 1 to 2 more than I am really comfortable with. I have a dear friend that is willing to adopt one of them, which I think would otherwise be a good fit in her home, but last time we spoke she mentioned she would want to have her declawed. I was shocked. I've known her for 20 years, she's always had cats, and has never considered declawing before. But now she wants to buy some really expensive couches, and is thinking about having her own cats declawed.

For the time being, I'm keeping Blue. But if I ever reach a point where I just can't anymore, I'm going to insist on my vet doing the procedure. My vet only sees cats, and they have several cats roaming around the practice...so I'm confident that they would do the procedure with as little trauma as possible, with appropriate post-op care and pain management.

What I'm saying is, if you DO decide to declaw (and I hope it doesn't come to that), take some time, talk to different vets, ask for references, and be confident in your vet.

 

[ChaoticEva]

I am 100% against declawing, but I am not here to bash or judge you. Even my vet has declawed her cat because she has kids and she was afraid the cat would scratch the child (which is a stupid excuse in my opinion). She also declaws cats at her clinic. Though I am against it and would never consider it, it's not my business and not my money.
However, the suggestions given here are really good ones! Also, have you tried having boxes laying around? My cats LOVE to scratch card board. I know it sounds weird, but it may help! My 3 legged boy can't climb up the huge cat trees, so I have 3 large boxes laying around (I even have one that has toys taped to the top of the box so that he can go crazy in there) and he really enjoys starching the crap outta those boxes! Though it does make a mess, I don't mind. As long as he's happy!
Best of luck to you!

 

[abyeb]

I am 100% against declawing, but I am not here to bash or judge you. Even my vet has declawed her cat because she has kids and she was afraid the cat would scratch the child (which is a stupid excuse in my opinion). She also declaws cats at her clinic. Though I am against it and would never consider it, it's not my business and not my money.
However, the suggestions given here are really good ones! Also, have you tried having boxes laying around? My cats LOVE to scratch card board. I know it sounds weird, but it may help! My 3 legged boy can't climb up the huge cat trees, so I have 3 large boxes laying around (I even have one that has toys taped to the top of the box so that he can go crazy in there) and he really enjoys starching the crap outta those boxes! Though it does make a mess, I don't mind. As long as he's happy!
Best of luck to you!

I'd like to add on to ChaoticEva 's comment on why being afraid a cat will scratch a child isn't at all an adequate reason to declaw (I personally believe that there is never a reason to declaw), in declawed cats, biting increases. Cat bites are far worse than any scratch. You can search "cat bite" to see images (which can be quite graphic), which will show you how dramatically a cat bite swells.

 

[moorspede]

If people are so worried about their furniture they should buy an ornament or a stuffed toy. Protecting furniture is a pathetic reason to declaw a cat.

 

[Caspers Human]

I would try a single cut it out noise that you use for him, and then redirecting with a toy and some play.

There is one chair that Casper likes to scratch, occasionally, but he only does it when he wants attention.
He'll look right at us while he's doing it, as if to say, "See me? I'm scratching the chair!"

I give him the same tone of voice that you might use when you catch a kid with his hand in the cookie jar... "cas-PER! Are you scratching the chair?" That usually stops him. If he keeps doing it, he gets, "Casper! NO SCRATCH!" Maybe a clap of the hands. Nine times out of ten, just recognizing him is enough to stop it. He usually only does it for attention.

Afterwards, Casper comes over to where we are sitting to get a quick pat on the head.

In my experience, cats act out like that because they aren't getting the kind of attention they want. If they don't get it, they act like three-year-old children. If they can't have positive attention, they'll try for negative attention.

The next time you see your cat using a scratching post like the way he should, praise him and tell him, "Good Kitty!"
Pet him and play with him and wrestle with him a little bit. (If your cat is the rastlin' type.)

Cats operate on the Operant Conditioning Principle. (Action gets a response which, in turn, creates another action.)
Punishments like hollering, spanking or spraying with water rarely work on cats the same way they work with dogs. You can punish a dog and he'll still be your friend a minute later because dogs operate on the Classical Conditioning principle. (AKA: "The Pavlov Principle.")

Punishing a cat only makes the problem worse, most of the time.

The only time you should punish a cat is when it is doing something dangerous or when it is biting or scratching to hurt somebody. (Even then your response should be well considered!)

You have to learn how to out-think a cat but, also, consistency and immediacy are key.
The literal second you see a cat behaving badly, you MUST take action and you MUST take the same action every time.

Praise, pet, play and give treats each and every time your cat does something you want him to do.
When he does something you don't want him to do, scold ( with that "hand in the cookie jar" voice) then immediately give him something better to do then "Praise-Pet-Play" when he does the alternative thing.

Do it EVERY time, ALL the time and it won't take long to change a cat's behavior.

If you punish a cat inappropriately, you'll only touch off a "battle of wills."

 

[kittens mom]

Thank you for your suggestions, so should I not give him attention then when he does scratch the furniture?

Pick him up under the front legs and gently deposit him in front of a scratcher and if you have to move him back and forth , gently with a soft voice , to try and get the idea across and get his scent on it. BTW everyone's cat drives them crazy with some feline behavior. Declawing has a good chance of exchanging one set of bad behaviors for another. Yelling and screaming only feel good in the moment but they are behaviors that stress not only the cat you're mad at but the other one as well not to mention what it's doing to you. There are a variety of devices from mats that cats aren't supposed to like to walk on to cans of compressed air that puff at them. Along with all the other suggestions but none of them will work until you find that thing he likes to scratch on. Ours love the cardboard. BTW my cats all use the same scratchers without territory issues. the cardboard scratchers that are large and comfortable for sleeping get the most use. They sleep wake up and mangle them and then head for the food dish. If you notice that certain activities are proceeded or followed by scratching be ready to redirect.
Declawing is always wrong.

 

[jbd630]

Please don't declaw! It's not just removing the claws, but actually amputating each toe at the first joint. Cats walk on their toes, so declawed cats shirt their weight back to their wrists causing early onset arthritis. Declawed cats have pain walking, and digging through litter, so the number one issue with declawed cats is inappropriate urination. Inappropriate urination is also the number one reason why cats are relinquished to shelters. In cities like San Francisco and Beverly Hills where declawing is illegal, the number of cats relinquished to shelters has decreased. Declawing is illegal throughout most of Europe as well.

I'd like to also share some personal stories with you about people I know who have declawed cats. One person, a mere acquaintance, declawed his kitten the first day he brought her home because the kitten climbed up his pant leg. He didn't even consider the fact that this young kitten would need a scratching post and cat trees. Since after the declaw surgery and still two years later their cat hides under the bed and needs food and water brought to her because it hurts her so much to walk.

I once met someone who was out walking her cat. She told me that she had recently rescued a declawed cat (who was at home at the time) who was so crippled that he couldn't walk, except for hobbling a few steps at a time.

A friend of mine obtained a Norwegian Forest Cat through a rescue organization. He had been declawed by the previous owners and was urinating inappropriately. My friend is so patient with him, putting a litterbox in every room with paper litter and cleaning up any accidents that stem from the declaw pain. A year later, she rescued a Maine Coon who had claws. Watching the two cats, one could immediately tell which one was declawed. It is also absolutely heartbreaking to see the NFC meowing pitifully at the base of the cat tree that the MC had just scaled. He knows that humans did something to him that prevents him from doing things that come naturally to cats.

These are just three accounts of what happens when cats are declawed. But I know that there are millions of stories across the US about cats in pain from having been declawed. Please, read through this booklet (which was brought to my attention by @otto): http://www.littlebigcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ADH2017.pdf, and watch The Paw Project. I know other TCS members have already told you about the nature of declawing and about suitable alternatives, and I'm sure that if you ever have any questions about teaching your cats to use scratching posts or finding toys for them, or anything really, you'll be able to find excellent advice here on TCS.

Thank you very much for stories I really appreciate them!

 

[jbd630]

I don't care that you didn't ask what I thought. You posted this in a public forum and I'm taking the opportunity to tell you that it is banned in many countries because it is cruel.

Yes I posted it asking for suggestions on how to prevent him from scratching furniture so maybe you should answer what a person actually asked?? Do you think you being rude and judgmental would change my decision? No it wouldn't. So if you really wanted to make up my mind to not declaw you would answer the actual questions.

 

[jbd630]

I am 100% against declawing, but I am not here to bash or judge you. Even my vet has declawed her cat because she has kids and she was afraid the cat would scratch the child (which is a stupid excuse in my opinion). She also declaws cats at her clinic. Though I am against it and would never consider it, it's not my business and not my money.
However, the suggestions given here are really good ones! Also, have you tried having boxes laying around? My cats LOVE to scratch card board. I know it sounds weird, but it may help! My 3 legged boy can't climb up the huge cat trees, so I have 3 large boxes laying around (I even have one that has toys taped to the top of the box so that he can go crazy in there) and he really enjoys starching the crap outta those boxes! Though it does make a mess, I don't mind. As long as he's happy!
Best of luck to you!

Thank you! That is a great idea my cat does love boxes and I usually don't keep them lying around for very long but I will definitely try that

 

[jbd630]

There is one chair that Casper likes to scratch, occasionally, but he only does it when he wants attention.
He'll look right at us while he's doing it, as if to say, "See me? I'm scratching the chair!"

I give him the same tone of voice that you might use when you catch a kid with his hand in the cookie jar... "cas-PER! Are you scratching the chair?" That usually stops him. If he keeps doing it, he gets, "Casper! NO SCRATCH!" Maybe a clap of the hands. Nine times out of ten, just recognizing him is enough to stop it. He usually only does it for attention.

Afterwards, Casper comes over to where we are sitting to get a quick pat on the head.

In my experience, cats act out like that because they aren't getting the kind of attention they want. If they don't get it, they act like three-year-old children. If they can't have positive attention, they'll try for negative attention.

The next time you see your cat using a scratching post like the way he should, praise him and tell him, "Good Kitty!"
Pet him and play with him and wrestle with him a little bit. (If your cat is the rastlin' type.)

Cats operate on the Operant Conditioning Principle. (Action gets a response which, in turn, creates another action.)
Punishments like hollering, spanking or spraying with water rarely work on cats the same way they work with dogs. You can punish a dog and he'll still be your friend a minute later because dogs operate on the Classical Conditioning principle. (AKA: "The Pavlov Principle.")

Punishing a cat only makes the problem worse, most of the time.

The only time you should punish a cat is when it is doing something dangerous or when it is biting or scratching to hurt somebody. (Even then your response should be well considered!)

You have to learn how to out-think a cat but, also, consistency and immediacy are key.
The literal second you see a cat behaving badly, you MUST take action and you MUST take the same action every time.

Praise, pet, play and give treats each and every time your cat does something you want him to do.
When he does something you don't want him to do, scold ( with that "hand in the cookie jar" voice) then immediately give him something better to do then "Praise-Pet-Play" when he does the alternative thing.

Do it EVERY time, ALL the time and it won't take long to change a cat's behavior.

If you punish a cat inappropriately, you'll only touch off a "battle of wills."

Thank you so much for explaining all that, I am going to take that approach from now on!

 

[Geoffrey]

I am a human Doctor, not a vet. I was horrified to read that you were even contemplating declawing. Amputation of the first metacarpal bone, which is the bone which has been modified so that the toenails become a claw, is a really painful procedure as the cat walks on these bones. Declawing is the feline equivalent of amputating a human's first joint of the toes, removing the last joint of the hands and then making the human permanently walk on all fours on finger tip and on the tip of the toes!

That is why the feline will rapidly develop osteoarthritis, a very painful condition.

Please think on this.
Geoffrey

 

[talkingpeanut]

I'd just add that declawing is a really tough decision. In my own situation, I'm currently caring for 4 cats...which is 1 to 2 more than I am really comfortable with. I have a dear friend that is willing to adopt one of them, which I think would otherwise be a good fit in her home, but last time we spoke she mentioned she would want to have her declawed. I was shocked. I've known her for 20 years, she's always had cats, and has never considered declawing before. But now she wants to buy some really expensive couches, and is thinking about having her own cats declawed.

For the time being, I'm keeping Blue. But if I ever reach a point where I just can't anymore, I'm going to insist on my vet doing the procedure. My vet only sees cats, and they have several cats roaming around the practice...so I'm confident that they would do the procedure with as little trauma as possible, with appropriate post-op care and pain management.

What I'm saying is, if you DO decide to declaw (and I hope it doesn't come to that), take some time, talk to different vets, ask for references, and be confident in your vet.

I hope you will find a different home for your cat. Choosing the furniture over the cat, and requiring amputation, can't be worth it. It doesn't matter who does the surgery. We would be happy to help you find no kill shelters or resources in your area.

 

[maggiedemi]

I often wonder why all couches and chairs don't come with a washable cover that goes completely over it. The covers I have now still have space where they can get under it and scratch. Anybody know of one that completely covers furniture?

 

[orange&white]

I often wonder why all couches and chairs don't come with a washable cover that goes completely over it. The covers I have now still have space where they can get under it and scratch. Anybody know of one that completely covers furniture?

Cheap, king sized blankets from WalMart.

 

[maggiedemi]

Do they try to get underneath the blanket though?

 

[neely]

If people are so worried about their furniture they should buy an ornament or a stuffed toy. Protecting furniture is a pathetic reason to declaw a cat.

I had to laugh and grin when I read this because our former cat, Neely, who went to the bridge constantly scratched both ends of our sofa. Carleton, our present cat, never touched it and we were close to replacing the sofa with a new one. However, guess what? All of a sudden in the past week he started scratching the exact same areas. I got the double sided tape back out and then tried to narrow down the reasons he started scratching. Voila, it happens every evening close to dinner time. It's his way of saying, "c'mon mom feed me."

I understand that your cat is scratching the furniture more often than once a day like Carleton. I'm sorry that this behavior is upsetting you. Therefore, since you mentioned your cat has a sister that does not scratch the furniture would it be possible to try and engage them to play together whenever you see this behavior? I'm just trying to brainstorm ideas. Other members have given you some excellent suggestions and I'm glad to hear you are going to try them before taking the permanent procedure of declawing.

 

[orange&white]

Do they try to get underneath the blanket though?

I was (sort of) just kidding. Sounded like you wanted "nice looking" fitted covers, and I'm looking around at the cheap blankets thrown over everything.

Actually though, tucked into all the crevices, the kitten doesn't try to crawl under the blankets. Her preference has been to destroy the expensive wool area rug.

 

[maggiedemi]

Good idea. I'll have to find one big enough for the couch that would tuck under it.