Hi all. I adopted a 2mth old domestic 2 weeks ago from a shelter. (Our baby of 14, a peked face persian, died at 14 yrs, 9 months ago.) This is my MAJOR problem: My husband has diabetic very thin skin & this baby (Gigi) has needle nails. I've read all info re trimming & even managed to trim a few needles & am taking her to get nails trimmed tomorrow. BUT, I have never had to deal with this issue cuz my persian was de-clawed in front and I never trimmed his rear nails in all his life. From reading all the shelter info re the issue of de-clawing, that it is very painful, psychological effects, etc. I am hesitant to de-claw Gigi. Unfortunately if I do not deal with this issue ASAP, I may have to return her to the shelter. I'd appreciate any advice you have. Thanks so much for your time.
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I Need Feedback on De-clawing - with UPDATE!
- Thread starter luvdatcat
- Start Date
You are correct - declawing is super painful physically and psychologically. Plus, you run the risk of creating a cat that hasnt got claws - so they opt for teeth. Probably worse for your situation. As you know, it's like cutting off their toes, so it is going to cause major problems for the rest of their body and the way it moves, because it now can't move as nature intended (back pain, hip pain, knee pain and stump pain as the cat is forced to walk on its toe stumps etc). Lots of pain ahead for a declawed cat - and lots of behaviours from pain that a human also may not like. It is why so many declawed cats are dumped.
So, solutions...
1. Yes, investigate nail trimming. It can be done. It makes a HUGE difference. And it can be done very pleasantly with proper training and reward. I write about it here: http://catstuff4aussies.weebly.com/grooming/category/nail trimming. You may not be able to get all the nails done in one sitting until you have done the patient training - it takes time. So perhaps if it has to solved totally all at once, you might opt for a mix of doing a couple nails on each foot yourself, so you get in the training, and soft cap nails on the others until such a time as your cat is happy with nail trimming.
2. You could opt for soft cap nails, a type of glue on cap for the nail. I hear they are very effective, but it will be an ongoing cost. I think they need monthly replacement??
3. You mention surrending your kitten - I presume back to the shelter where you found her? If you need to do this, then how about a swap for a different cat? A kitten will be jumpy, and won't have the claw/retract thing totally figured out yet because they are babies. If you go for an adult cat, you will know their personality as they have grown into it. So if you need a quiet cuddle cat, with lovely claw manners already, you can find the right fit with an adult cat. If you really want a declawed cat, then opt to rescue an adult declawed cat who needs a new home - plenty of those in shelters needing an understanding home
4. For any cat you have, you can train them to be careful with humans in general. Give them PLENTY of scratching places, of different inclines and materials. Never ever play with hands/feet, always use a toy (and you must play with them to use up their energy - esp a kitten). Always use the cuddle cue of placing a towel or rug over the human's lap -cats tend to often naturally see this an an invitation to jump up, and your human will always have a physical barrier.
So, solutions...
1. Yes, investigate nail trimming. It can be done. It makes a HUGE difference. And it can be done very pleasantly with proper training and reward. I write about it here: http://catstuff4aussies.weebly.com/grooming/category/nail trimming. You may not be able to get all the nails done in one sitting until you have done the patient training - it takes time. So perhaps if it has to solved totally all at once, you might opt for a mix of doing a couple nails on each foot yourself, so you get in the training, and soft cap nails on the others until such a time as your cat is happy with nail trimming.
2. You could opt for soft cap nails, a type of glue on cap for the nail. I hear they are very effective, but it will be an ongoing cost. I think they need monthly replacement??
3. You mention surrending your kitten - I presume back to the shelter where you found her? If you need to do this, then how about a swap for a different cat? A kitten will be jumpy, and won't have the claw/retract thing totally figured out yet because they are babies. If you go for an adult cat, you will know their personality as they have grown into it. So if you need a quiet cuddle cat, with lovely claw manners already, you can find the right fit with an adult cat. If you really want a declawed cat, then opt to rescue an adult declawed cat who needs a new home - plenty of those in shelters needing an understanding home
4. For any cat you have, you can train them to be careful with humans in general. Give them PLENTY of scratching places, of different inclines and materials. Never ever play with hands/feet, always use a toy (and you must play with them to use up their energy - esp a kitten). Always use the cuddle cue of placing a towel or rug over the human's lap -cats tend to often naturally see this an an invitation to jump up, and your human will always have a physical barrier.
Kittens are also kind of bitey---my kitten is 8 months old and when she was younger my hands were covered with little scratches from her teeth (I trimmed her claws plus she's very good about not using claws in play). So a kitten may not be the best choice for your husband. Since you can't trim her teeth 
. If you decide to return the kitten and get a more sedate older cat, I'm sure the shelter will understand.
But if she's not bitey, yes, trimming their nails is effective and, hopefully! not too hard. You can look up some tutorials on Youtube to find the best technique. I find that trimming nails once or twice a week (just the ones that got sharp again---don't trim too short or you'll cut into the quick, which is very painful) keeps the claws just as dull as using Soft Claws, but Soft Claws do last longer so that might be the better option for you. If you get her used to paw handling while she's young it shouldn't be a big deal when she gets older.
. If you decide to return the kitten and get a more sedate older cat, I'm sure the shelter will understand. But if she's not bitey, yes, trimming their nails is effective and, hopefully! not too hard. You can look up some tutorials on Youtube to find the best technique. I find that trimming nails once or twice a week (just the ones that got sharp again---don't trim too short or you'll cut into the quick, which is very painful) keeps the claws just as dull as using Soft Claws, but Soft Claws do last longer so that might be the better option for you. If you get her used to paw handling while she's young it shouldn't be a big deal when she gets older.
Not just painful, dangerous. A cat can bleed to death if you cut into the quick, a kitten even more quickly. Also, do that just once and you'll end up with a cat who's phobic about both nail trimming and paw handling.
My best advice is to opt for Soft Claws until she's older. This will get her used to paw handling, and when she's larger it will be easier to clip far enough to make a real difference, while still avoiding the quick.
Margret
Great advice you're getting here. I second that if you must return her, opt to adopt an already declawed cat from the shelter. There are plenty of them there. Cats 3+ years are more docile also. Kittens are just hyper. Declawed cats do go pretty quickly though, so watch the shelter's website. You can also use Petfinder.com and use the filter "Declawed" to sort through and find all the declawed cats in shelters in your area.
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All of this advice has been great.
I would definitely say that you should chose returning this kitten over declawing it. Declawing a cat is something that is much more awful than many vets make it sound. Cats can have lifelong problems from being declawed and it can cause arthritis in cats as they get older.
I definitely suggest using the soft caps and practicing handling the kittens paws so that it gets used to it. We keep both of our cats nails dull at all times by clipping them about once a week. It isn't too hard once you get a feel for clipping the claws. I have been doing this on dogs since I was about 8 years old (4-H) so switching to cats wasn't too bad. Start by leaving them a bit long and just clipping of the needle sharp points off the claws so that you are nowhere near the quick. You can do just a few at a time and reward the kitten each time they are clipped.
I would definitely say that you should chose returning this kitten over declawing it. Declawing a cat is something that is much more awful than many vets make it sound. Cats can have lifelong problems from being declawed and it can cause arthritis in cats as they get older.
I definitely suggest using the soft caps and practicing handling the kittens paws so that it gets used to it. We keep both of our cats nails dull at all times by clipping them about once a week. It isn't too hard once you get a feel for clipping the claws. I have been doing this on dogs since I was about 8 years old (4-H) so switching to cats wasn't too bad. Start by leaving them a bit long and just clipping of the needle sharp points off the claws so that you are nowhere near the quick. You can do just a few at a time and reward the kitten each time they are clipped.
There are probably de clawed cats at the shelter and one may be the perfect fit for you.
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #8
Thank you all feline friends for advice.
After consulting with Houston, Tx vets and Arkansas vets regarding de-clawing , they all say that de-clawing has had a bad wrap fr Humane Society due to fact that owners de-claw their cats, get tired of them, let them go out into world without protection; thus, our felines meet tragic deaths!
Due to fact that husband has thin skin from diabetes & we are seniors, I have chosen de-clawing because our baby will NEVER encounter a blade of grass! Our previous baby lived 14 yrs with front paws de-clawed inside our home, so will our Gigi.
Thank you all for your advice, but different circumstances apply to different people. BTW., Gigi is finally settling down & no longer obsessing over me after 5 days home. Prayers work! Thank God! I also discovered she is afraid of wheelchair my husband sits in, have bought treats only husband gives her...made all difference this evening.
Thanks again. Merry Christmas! GOD BLESS AMERICA! Love, from Gigi & her parents she now OWNS
After consulting with Houston, Tx vets and Arkansas vets regarding de-clawing , they all say that de-clawing has had a bad wrap fr Humane Society due to fact that owners de-claw their cats, get tired of them, let them go out into world without protection; thus, our felines meet tragic deaths!
Due to fact that husband has thin skin from diabetes & we are seniors, I have chosen de-clawing because our baby will NEVER encounter a blade of grass! Our previous baby lived 14 yrs with front paws de-clawed inside our home, so will our Gigi.
Thank you all for your advice, but different circumstances apply to different people. BTW., Gigi is finally settling down & no longer obsessing over me after 5 days home. Prayers work! Thank God! I also discovered she is afraid of wheelchair my husband sits in, have bought treats only husband gives her...made all difference this evening.
Thanks again. Merry Christmas! GOD BLESS AMERICA! Love, from Gigi & her parents she now OWNS
- Thread Starter Thread Starter
- #9
FELINE FRIENDS!
Thanks for your advice!
Background: adopted domestic female spayed 2 mth old 12/7/15. She recovered well by 12/12/15, became obsessive over me but would NOT bond with diabetic husband who occasionally sits in wheelchair.
Had to leave her in bathroom half afternoon/evening today and upon returning ,she was a total different kitten!
PLUS WHEN I SAT IN WHEELCHAIR for few minutes SHE WOULD NOT COME NEAR ME!! (Prior to being disgustingly obsessed with me for past 5 days!)
CATS/KITTENS FEAR WHEELCHAIRS (innate fear they can get wound in spokes)!
Additionally, I bought her FIRST treats and took your advice and had husband only administer to her with new toys .
Finally, those teeth NEEDLE sharp nails: OMG! Figured it out completely with all your advice! I had to get as relaxed as her so I drank 3/32 oz beers, took 2 Xanax, she laid on lap (after she was tired of playing with new toys) and I CLIPPED EVERY ONE OF THEM SUCKERS!
SECRET: You gotta be as relaxed as the cat and talk very softly & if you screw up, be sure to rub above nose!l
In short, I combined much of your advice and it worked!
God Bless you and God Bless America! Thanks so much!
Thanks for your advice!
Background: adopted domestic female spayed 2 mth old 12/7/15. She recovered well by 12/12/15, became obsessive over me but would NOT bond with diabetic husband who occasionally sits in wheelchair.
Had to leave her in bathroom half afternoon/evening today and upon returning ,she was a total different kitten!
PLUS WHEN I SAT IN WHEELCHAIR for few minutes SHE WOULD NOT COME NEAR ME!! (Prior to being disgustingly obsessed with me for past 5 days!)
CATS/KITTENS FEAR WHEELCHAIRS (innate fear they can get wound in spokes)!
Additionally, I bought her FIRST treats and took your advice and had husband only administer to her with new toys .
Finally, those teeth NEEDLE sharp nails: OMG! Figured it out completely with all your advice! I had to get as relaxed as her so I drank 3/32 oz beers, took 2 Xanax, she laid on lap (after she was tired of playing with new toys) and I CLIPPED EVERY ONE OF THEM SUCKERS!
SECRET: You gotta be as relaxed as the cat and talk very softly & if you screw up, be sure to rub above nose!l
In short, I combined much of your advice and it worked!
God Bless you and God Bless America! Thanks so much!
Please Please Please reconsider. The advice you have chosen to listen to has been influenced by vets who make MONEY from the procedure. It is in their vested interest, not scientific interest, to say that 'declawing has been given a bad rap'. Look at the gaps here - they say it has been given a bad rap because so many declawed cats are 'gotten tired of' - this means ABANDONED. Ask WHY....it is because of the terrible pain the cat has that leads to behaviours that humans don't like.
Why do you mention 'blade of grass'? A blade of grass will not hurt a cat - declawed or not. Just walking with all your body weight on STUMPS causes pain - on any floor. Would you choose this for a human child, or for yourself or your husband?
Please do not do terrible barbaric cruelty for your own 'ease' - it would be just as 'easy' to get a cat who has already been declawed, and save this little one from ever living such a life.
In many parts of the world, declawing is illegal. It is illegal because of the FACT it causes immense pain and mutilates the cat's body. I understand that in some parts of America, making it illegal is now being considered. There is more weight in this than
I don't deal with declawing movements, so I don't have the materials to refer you - Im lucky, I live in a country where it is not and issue because it isnt done (it's illegal). But could someone here on the forum please post some info with photos? There's some great stuff out there - again, please, please, have the heart and ears to listen. THere are better ways for your situation.
Why do you mention 'blade of grass'? A blade of grass will not hurt a cat - declawed or not. Just walking with all your body weight on STUMPS causes pain - on any floor. Would you choose this for a human child, or for yourself or your husband?
Please do not do terrible barbaric cruelty for your own 'ease' - it would be just as 'easy' to get a cat who has already been declawed, and save this little one from ever living such a life.
In many parts of the world, declawing is illegal. It is illegal because of the FACT it causes immense pain and mutilates the cat's body. I understand that in some parts of America, making it illegal is now being considered. There is more weight in this than
The Humane Society is small. Vets in Houston, Tx, and Arkansas (or even just the ones you spoke with) are even SMALLER in number. Please listen to the immense numbers who will tell you just how bad declawing is - so bad they have banned it in their entire country. And not just one country - MOST.
I don't deal with declawing movements, so I don't have the materials to refer you - Im lucky, I live in a country where it is not and issue because it isnt done (it's illegal). But could someone here on the forum please post some info with photos? There's some great stuff out there - again, please, please, have the heart and ears to listen. THere are better ways for your situation.
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You love your cat enough to make sure that she's an indoor only cat, but you're willing to mutilate her? You've been given several other options by people here, but you've decided to ignore those options for the sake of convenience?
I have diabetes. I have a husband with diabetic neuropathy so bad that he can barely walk. I have a clue how difficult it can be to deal with. But I would never mutilate a member of my family because it's the easiest way to deal with a problem that has less drastic solutions. Please think this over again.
Margret
I have diabetes. I have a husband with diabetic neuropathy so bad that he can barely walk. I have a clue how difficult it can be to deal with. But I would never mutilate a member of my family because it's the easiest way to deal with a problem that has less drastic solutions. Please think this over again.
Margret
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Along with several others here, I agree that perhaps saving-from-a-shelter an older cat which may have already been declawed would be a more humane and reasonable idea, than getting a very young kitten (2 mos!) when you are seniors yourselves. It's my hope the kitten has a longterm and happy forever home, with all of her health and playfulness and happy claws to look forward to! If you are considering declawing, and trying to deal with months/years of a very playful kitten, please reconsider! I also would not recommend clipping a kitten's claws while drinking and being on Xanax... you could easily and accidentally clip too far on her toenails and cut to the quick, and injure her.
Declawing is animal abuse.
De-clawing is quite cruel. I don't think any cat lover would consider that a "positive" update :/. I hope you'll do some research and reconsider. The links in my signature are helpful.
Keep in mind that de-clawed cats may develop litterbox avoidance because of painful paws, or they may take up biting because they feel helpless. It doesn't happen every time but it happens. Do you have a plan for those possibilities?
Now that Soft Claws are readily available I don't see why anyone would choose the more painful option.
And yes, vets make a lot of profit from de-claws. Keep that in mind while considering their advice. The animal shelter sees what happens when those vets pursue profit instead of respecting the animals.
Keep in mind that de-clawed cats may develop litterbox avoidance because of painful paws, or they may take up biting because they feel helpless. It doesn't happen every time but it happens. Do you have a plan for those possibilities?
Now that Soft Claws are readily available I don't see why anyone would choose the more painful option.
And yes, vets make a lot of profit from de-claws. Keep that in mind while considering their advice. The animal shelter sees what happens when those vets pursue profit instead of respecting the animals.
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A lot of declawed cats get behavioral issues. They KNOW they don't have their nails anymore and will resort to biting when they feel like they need to defend themselves. Or worse, they will hide and won't become the confident, lazy relaxed cats we love. It can cause many problems. Along with litterbox ones because digging into the litter suddely hurts. ANYTHING they will associate with pain on their paws will become a problem.
Lady really, if you had a good expierence with clipping the nails you could really try nail caps (Soft Paws) they last a long time. And in most cases your vet or groomer can put them on.
Lady really, if you had a good expierence with clipping the nails you could really try nail caps (Soft Paws) they last a long time. And in most cases your vet or groomer can put them on.
Please don't declaw your kitty! There's a better way Here are some links for you to purrrruse:
http://www.softpaws.com/soft-paws-cats/
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/declawing.html
The little rubber caps can really help, w/o the painful removal of the first bone in kitty's toes!
Just imagine if you had the first bones of all your fingers removed? Not cool!
Anyway, hope this helps
Here are some links for you to purrrruse:http://www.softpaws.com/soft-paws-cats/
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/declawing.html
The little rubber caps can really help, w/o the painful removal of the first bone in kitty's toes!
Just imagine if you had the first bones of all your fingers removed? Not cool!
Anyway, hope this helps
I'm confused. Did you choose to clip the kitten's nails or to declaw?
The vets that you talked to are wrong. Declawing gets a bad wrap not because cats that are declawed end up outside with no way to defend themselves. Many are returned to the humane society for behavioral issues that come about because of declawing. Many declawed pets start to bite since they have no other defenses. Others stop using the litter box since it hurts for them to use their claws. Others may grow old declawed with no issues, but as the declawing starts to cause arthritis they are in constant pain. You might not even notice because cats are very good at hiding it when they are hurting. The constant paint they are in makes them more suseptible to illness and more likely to die young. In many countries it is illegal because it has been decided that this is animal abuse.
Even if you don't plan on the kitten ever going outdoors and feeling grass under her feet, she may escape because a door is left open by a visitor or she decides to bolt out of the door. This would leave her defenseless.
Just because it worked for your old cat doesn't mean it will work for the new one. You cannot trust vets because they will benefit from your cat being declawed as it is more money in their pockets. They'll tell you what they want to convince you to do an unnecessary and potentially detrimental surgery on your cat.
If you are planning on declawing, please do more research. Watch the movie by the Paw Project, which discusses declawing in depth and shows the terrible results.
Thank you for deciding not to declaw. 
I'm a little concerned about the alcohol and Xanax combination, though, for you as well as your kitten. There are other ways to relax. Try some soothing music; there's a lot of it available on YouTube. Your kitty shouldn't mind in the least, probably won't even notice unless you play something with bird sounds.
There's a free program, available for both Windows and OSX, named ClipGrab. You can use it to download YouTube videos to your home computer, then you can use either iTunes or VLC Media Player or whatever program you like to extract the audio and save it to disk and/or burn it to a CD. That way you can play it whenever you like, regardless of Wifi access.
Margret
I'm a little concerned about the alcohol and Xanax combination, though, for you as well as your kitten. There are other ways to relax. Try some soothing music; there's a lot of it available on YouTube. Your kitty shouldn't mind in the least, probably won't even notice unless you play something with bird sounds.
There's a free program, available for both Windows and OSX, named ClipGrab. You can use it to download YouTube videos to your home computer, then you can use either iTunes or VLC Media Player or whatever program you like to extract the audio and save it to disk and/or burn it to a CD. That way you can play it whenever you like, regardless of Wifi access.
Margret
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Good for you! Clipping nails definitely isn't as hard as it seems.
The only cat bite that I've ever gotten that was bad enough to break the skin was from a declawed cat.
The only cat bite that I've ever gotten that was bad enough to break the skin was from a declawed cat.
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