Declawing

[denyse]

I decided to declaw my female orange tabby Sunshine when I had her spayed and her collar came off today, and she is the same happy baby she was 3 weeks ago

 

[miagi's_mommy]

This forum is against declawing, but it's good she has the same personality and no ill effects.... we'd love to see a picture of her!

 

[talkingpeanut]

Why did you decide to declaw her, out of curiosity? It's not a minor surgery, regardless of what your vet says.

It's not just about immediate side effects. I would imagine that some will come up as she gets older, like arthritis. I sincerely hope that you will not abandon her if behavioral or medical issues do develop. And I also hope you will keep her inside 100% of the time.

 

[amethyst]

If done "right" (if you can really call any form of intentional mutilation right), and no nerves were damaged too much and it was clean amputations, the negative effects wont be seen right away. The cat can no longer stretch or walk normally ever again, and that very commonly causes damage over time, both to the soft tissue (muscles, tendons, nerves) and to the bones. So 3 weeks really isn't much time to say that amputating your cat's toes had no effect on her. Over time it can cause the cat to stop using the litter box, and become aggressive, among other behavior issues. As said now that you have mutilated your cat for your own benefit I hope you never abandon her due to the behavioral, mental, and physical issues that will likely result because of your choice. Unless there was some medical reason the cat needed part of it's toes amputated (ingrown claws, malformed or deformed feet, etc), declawing has no benefit to the cat, and a lifetime of no longer being able to be completely normal.

 

[mani]

Hi @denyse and welcome to TCS.

You are, of course, entitled to post about your cat's experience of having been declawed.  But it's also important to know what is stated in our Forum rules :

4. This website is anti-declawing. Understand that if you are pro-declaw in your posts, you will encounter opposition. Please learn more about alternatives for declawing here in our forums as well as on our website itself. Declaw - More than Just a Manicure.

I'm really glad that Sunshine is doing well and really hope it continues.

 

[Ladewyn]

I'm curious what the purpose is. It's a pretty cruel thing to do, she's going to have issues, if not now, farther down the road.
I mean, I know a lot of people don't really understand what declawing is, so it's not a judgement on you. But it would be like if I cut off your fingers and toes at the first knuckle. You may not necessarily have a personality change, but you'll probably be sad when you realize you can't hold things the same way as before (if you're an artist or a writer, or if you play sports, or do anything with your hands, you'll have to relearn how to do those things). Walking would be very uncomfortable, and you'd have a hard to with balance, which can result in arthritis farther down the road.
You're taking away something that made her feel safe, and something she enjoyed. Since she can no longer exhibit her natural behaviour of scratching, you've taken out a huge part of her natural play and stress relief.

 

[denyse]

It is not cruel to declaw a kitten if its done at a very young age. I am sorry I shared this with you.

 

[talkingpeanut]

It is not cruel to declaw a kitten if its done at a very young age. I am sorry I shared this with you.

This is incorrect.

 

[miagi's_mommy]

It is not cruel to declaw a kitten if its done at a very young age. I am sorry I shared this with you.

It is in fact cruel and very painful kitten or not.

 

[neely]

It is not cruel to declaw a kitten if its done at a very young age. I am sorry I shared this with you.

I'm sorry you regret sharing your declawing experience with the members here.  However, you must have realized this subject would be open to criticism. 

 

[denyse]

My sunshine is loved more than gold, my decision was a hard one, she is my best friend! Her life is going to be kitten bliss everyday. Along with opposition I thought maybe someone else went through it also. Time for dinner

 

[talkingpeanut]

My sunshine is loved more than gold, my decision was a hard one, she is my best friend! Her life is going to be kitten bliss everyday. Along with opposition I thought maybe someone else went through it also. Time for dinner

Why did you decide to declaw her?

 

[denyse]

Health related reasons my own

 

[talkingpeanut]

Health related reasons my own

I'm sorry to hear that. I hope in the future you will consider claw caps or clipping claws frequently instead. Many people with health issues do not take such drastic measures.

I also hope, as said above, that you will stand by your cat as issues develop later.

 

[mani]

@denyse I think you genuinely wanted to do the right thing.  It is also not absolutely inevitable that issues will develop later.  But  you are meeting with this response as TCS is very much an anti-declawing site and many of our members have seen dreadful things occur as a result of this operation.

Here is a list of countries where declawing is illegal.   Countries do not create laws without good reason.

But it is done now, and I see little point in us hounding you about it further.  I know people here haven't discussed their direct experiences, but it was well discussed in this recent thread along with many others.

And I really do hope that your Sunshine prospers.

 

[Kieka]

Health related reasons my own

As someone who is allergic to cats combined with skin conditions and sensitivities, when I get a cat scratch it is worse then a normal person. It means Bendryl if I want to avoid breathing problems along with cleaning the location promptly. Even with that any cat scratch on me ends up looking inflammed, itching, and taking twice as long to heal. Each cat scratch (even if it doesn't draw blood) has this reaction on my skin. Each does leave a scar. Each does cause people who see them to exclaim "what happened?!" Yet my cats still have claws.

I trained them all from a young age not to scratch humans. I spent time with them to ensure they know boundaries and have a play outlet that doesn't allow me to get scratched. They know how to get my attention without clawing at me. I reinforce the training constantly. Accidents will happen and I handle them as they come up with correct medicial treatment for myself. But you can be assured when accidents happen my cats look worried at the level of reaction and are more careful (we are talking maybe once a year if that now that they are all over a year old).

It is my personal opinion that there are alternatives or compromises that humans can make to save their cats claws. Claw caps. Proper training. Regular trimmings. Or if the medicial condition is so serious don't sentence another creature to pain and damage in the years to come and just live without a cat. Age is not a factor in successful declawing because most affects aren't seen until years later (when it is done properly).

All that said, I hope your cat does well and that we are all wrong. For her sake.

 

[abyeb]

Declawing a cat is actually worse for people who have health issues, as declawed cats are more likely to bite. Cat bites can get easily infected, due to the fact that cat's teeth have a low diameter, but are long and sharp. If a cat chomps down on you, the skin seals over quickly, sealing in the infection. This goes back to cats' days in the wild, so that if, when they were hunting and they bit their prey and it still somehow got away, it would get a nasty infection from the cat bite. That way, it would be severely weakened so that it would be easier for the cat to catch if it were to encounter the prey again or if another cat were to find it. Go ahead and google "cat bite" images, to see how they affect humans. Be warned, these are pretty graphic.

 

[kittens mom]

It is not cruel to declaw a kitten if its done at a very young age. I am sorry I shared this with you.

This is an anti declaw forum. There is no good argument for declawing.