My Sister Is Going To Declaw Her Cat

[FelisCatus]

I don’t see it mentioned in the original post or any replies, so here is my suggestion you can bring up to your sister (and her Husband):

Soft Paws... they might be called something else in your area like Nail Caps or something. They are basically little rubber/soft caps that are glued on to each nail front and/or back.

Relatively cheap ($10 a visit in my area to have someone apply it to the cat at my local animal shelter, or buy my own kit for $5). They generally stay on for 2-3 weeks then fall off.

They would prevent the scratching from damaging anything, but the neutering still needs to be done to avoid the terrible spray smell that is sure to come soon.

Keep us ipdated

 

[Maria Bayote]

I have read this:
"If performed on a human being, declawing would be like cutting off each finger at the last knuckle. A third procedure is the tendonectomy, in which the tendon that controls the claw in each toe is severed. The cats keep their claws, but can't control them or extend them to scratch."

Reading that alone already crushed my heart. So please ask your sister not to declaw. Otherwise, better to have the cat adopted out by others. Cats scratch. It is normal. It is like getting a dog but we do not want them to bark.

 

[LTS3]

especially since the vet said "he will be fine" i don't know if that the vet exact words, just what she said

It maybe that your sister is just saying that vet is ok with declawing just to get you off her back and to make a case that because a vet, a professional with veterinary education, (supposedly) said it's ok to do XYZ, then that's what she absolutely needs to do.

Some people just don't question a medical professional, believing that just because the person has a degree and all that, then what is said regarding treatment and such is the only thing they can do.

Can you talk directly to the vet?

 

[Purr-fect]

Perhaps she is motivated by saving money.

Tell her to save her money and neuter the cat first, say that often solves scratching issues as cats scratch to make territory.

Tell her that declawing can cost more than just the actual procedure as cats often need special kitty litter and meds for infection.

YOU intervene and offer to train the cat to only use a scratching post. You may not be successful, but you might be.

 

[Purr-fect]

Tell her that cats who are declawed often start to spray as they can no longer mark territory with there claws.

 

[Jem]

If your sister is adamant about going thru with declawing her cat and the fact that they won't neuter him , please, please, PLEASE, tell me he is STRICTLY an indoor kitty. The poor thing is in for a world of trouble if not.

 

[SiameseMummy]

Ask her how she would feel is someone cut the top of her fingers and toes off...

I'm in the UK and happily declawing has never really taken off here. The mutilation of defenseless animals in this way is so cruel

Edit to add - declawing is actually illegal here in the UK so if someone did value their sofa over the wellbeing of their cat they couldn't do it anyway.

 

[Saber_Wing]

I'm so horrified, reading this. How could anyone who knows what it does even consider doing this to a cat? Has your sister tried soft paws? They're rubber caps that fit over their nails. It's a safe, easy alternative.

Anyone I've ever educated about declawing had no idea what it really was, and they've been horrified they did that to their cat. If they care more about their furniture than him, they probably shouldn't have him. Sorry, it's not you I'm angry with, OP. I just feel so strongly about this.

 

[Kflowers]

Tell your sister's husband about what declawing is. Don't assume she will or did despite what she says. Tell him that you will take the cat rather than see it declawed, but that she said you (husband) loves the cat too much. Which is why you wanted to tell him what declawing really is.

Are either of them willing to watch the surgery and listen to the cat scream for 24 hours afterward?

 

[catsknowme]

K Kflowers has an excellent suggestion to going directly to the husband to discuss the situation, depending upon family politics. Perhaps your sister is jealous of the cat and that would explain her lack of sympathy in even considering that horrid procedure. Please keep us updated!!

 

[8kitties]

Tell her to get thatkittyneutered!

And also, to please not declaw him!

Maybe if she reads these pages/watches these videos she will understand.





In the study linked above it states that:

"They found that declawed cats were seven times more likely to pee in inappropriate places, four times more likely to bite people, three times more likely to be aggressive, and three times more likely to overgroom themselves. In addition, the declawed cats were three times more likely to be diagnosed with back pain (possibly because they had to modify their gait due to their missing toe bones) and/or chronic pain in their paws.

Declawed cats may be more likely to urinate on soft surfaces like carpets or clothing because it's less painful than the gravel in the litterbox. Having no other way to defend themselves, they may resort to biting when in pain, and unfortunately for their humans, bite wounds from a cat may be more likely than scratches to cause infection and hospitalization."

KC Pet Project Launches Innovative Program to Help Declawed Cats • KC Pet Project

 

[mwallace056]

she is aware of soft paws. Honestly, I don't think she cares what declawing is, what it really does, how much pain it causes or how important and essential scratching is to a cat, she just want the cat to stop scratching. I will try to get her at least getting him neuter first before declawing. does anyone have any other suggestions to get him to stop scratching and use his scratching post? I will try my best to get her to try other things first. but she doesn't want anymore scratching posts in her house which I think would help

Tell her that cats who are declawed often start to spray as they can no longer mark territory with there claws.

is there a study or two on this? to show her husband when I talk to him.

 

[mwallace056]

any studies i can show the husband may help..

does anyone have experience with this product? got a lot of bad reviews but i'm desperate to get her to try anything

 

[m3rma1d]

Ask them if they'd declaw a dog? If they say something like, "That's stupid, as if would anyone do that to a dog" then you can ask right back why the *+#= they'd do it to a cat.

 

[8kitties]

any studies i can show the husband may help..

You really shouldn’t declaw your cat. Do this instead.

Declawing Cats: Adverse Medical and Behavioral Outcomes

Declawing linked to aggression and other abnormal behaviors in cats

Four Ways Declawing Made My Cat Less of a Cat | Catster

Position Statement on Declawing Cats

Declawing cats: Far worse than a manicure

Declawing Cats | Petfinder

Top Reasons Not to Declaw Your Cat

5 Sane Alternatives to Declawing Cats | Catster

Declawing Cats: Alternatives to an Inhumane Procedure | PurrfectPost.com

Train Your Cat to Stop Scratching Your Couch in 7 Days or Less

How to Train Your Cat to Use a Scratching Post | PurrfectPost.com

Declaw Surgery | The Paw Project

What You Need To Know About Declawing - Declawing.com

SoftPaws.com - Nail Caps for Cats and Dogs


From here: The Ethics of Convenience

"As veterinarians, we know that declawing is an invasive procedure involving at least ten separate amputations of a cat’s distal phalanges. Even tenectomy (an alternate procedure that disables scratching via cutting of associated tendons) has a list of risks and potential complications. It is documented and clinically accepted that cats experience postoperative pain from both procedures. Depending on which surgery is performed, cats may also suffer from lameness, hemorrhage, and infection secondary to abnormal claw regrowth. Also, it remains debated among veterinarians to what extent cats may experience decreased muscle tone, effects of abnormal weight distribution across their toes, and personality changes. Resultant pain and feelings of defenseless may be triggers for inappropriate elimination, propensity towards biting, and other negative behaviors. These challenging problems may in turn result in increased risk of shelter relinquishment. In other words, convenience surgery may not even be all that convenient. "

 

[amethyst]

she is aware of soft paws. Honestly, I don't think she cares what declawing is, what it really does, how much pain it causes or how important and essential scratching is to a cat, she just want the cat to stop scratching. I will try to get her at least getting him neuter first before declawing. does anyone have any other suggestions to get him to stop scratching and use his scratching post? I will try my best to get her to try other things first. but she doesn't want anymore scratching posts in her house which I think would help


is there a study or two on this? to show her husband when I talk to him.

So she doesn't want the cat to scratch anything, but she is willing to do something that could likely cause it to pee and poop everywhere, yowl in pain, bite, require possibly expensive litter, require them to spend a lot of money on pain killers and other joint support meds as it gets older, etc? That just stupid. I'm sorry but your sister sounds pretty discussing and heartless if she cares so much about things that she would knowingly inflicting pain on another living creature to protect material possessions. People like that I hope becomes handicapped (but not a visible handicap, so people think they are faking and don't take pity on them) and live in constant pain for the rest of their life.

The best way to get a cat to use the scratching post is to put them where they want to scratch. They scratch to mark territory so they scratch things for a reason. That will mean a scratching post placed everywhere they scratch, for example one on each corner of the couch and stuff like that. If the cat likes catnip spray or rub catnip on it to entice it. At the same time make the couch unappealing to scratching, like putting double sided tape on it. Depending on how the cat is scratching you can also put throws or covers over the couch to protect it. Reinforce where the cat scratches so claws don't make it to the actual couch fabric. Another thing is to make sure the scratching post is made of a material the cat wants to scratch. Some cats prefer sisal or jute rope, while others prefer woven fabric, carpet, or cardboard. Also cats have orientation preferences (horizontal, vertical, curved, or angled), as well as size matters. You need to make sure the scratcher is tall/long enough for the cat to fully stretch out, so for most cats that means at least 2ft, most are annoyingly too small.

 

[Margret]

any studies i can show the husband may help..

does anyone have experience with this product? got a lot of bad reviews but i'm desperate to get her to try anything

The Amazon link doesn't show up in your post. There's an anomaly in the way TCS handles links to Amazon; you have to remove the "https://" from the beginning of the link for it to work properly (I don't know why).

8kitties , the links at the end of your otherwise excellent post also don't show up properly.

Margret

 

[8kitties]

The Amazon link doesn't show up in your post. There's an anomaly in the way TCS handles links to Amazon; you have to remove the "https://" from the beginning of the link for it to work properly (I don't know why).

8kitties , the links at the end of your otherwise excellent post also don't show up properly.

Margret

Thanks for pointing that out. I can see the Amazon links on my computer, in both my and M mwallace056 posts. I see a moderator edited my post (I guess to shorten the giant text block...sorry! ), but I could see the Amazon links before they edited it.
Margret maybe this is just on your computer, or something is odd with my computer?
Can anyone else see the Amazon links?

 

[sabrinah]

Can anyone else see the Amazon links?

I've always been able to see all the Amazon links on my computer. I don't quite understand why some people can see them and some can't

 

[LTS3]

Amazon links may or may not show up depending on the web browser you are using. Amazon links don't show up wit FireFox but will with Chrome and Edge / Internet Explorer.

These are the links:

amazon.com/Cat-Scratch-Guard-Furniture-Protectors/dp/B006X7SD08/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=thecatsite&linkCode=w00&linkId=&creativeASIN=B006X7SD08

amazon.com/Scratching-Deterrent-Scratch-Control-Training/dp/B075XLNMSG/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=thecatsite&linkCode=w00&linkId=&creativeASIN=B075XLNMSG

amazon.com/Sticky-Paws-5-Xl-Sheets/dp/B0007G9FHG/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=thecatsite&linkCode=w00&linkId=&creativeASIN=B0007G9FHG

amazon.com/Furniture-Defender-Love-Protecting-Upholstered/dp/B00XV586VQ/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=thecatsite&linkCode=w00&linkId=&creativeASIN=B00XV586VQ

amazon.com/CarPET-Scratch-Stopper-30-Scratching/dp/B00D00MXZ2/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=thecatsite&linkCode=w00&linkId=&creativeASIN=B00D00MXZ2

amazon.com/Sofa-Scratcher-Scratching-Couch-Corner-Furniture-Protector/dp/B01EIZKCT6/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=thecatsite&linkCode=w00&linkId=&creativeASIN=B01EIZKCT6

amazon.com/Pet-MasterMind-Tamer-Scratching-Deterrent/dp/B01I3Z5KPS/ref=as_sl_pc_tf_til?tag=thecatsite&linkCode=w00&linkId=&creativeASIN=B01I3Z5KPS

you have to remove the "https://" from the beginning of the link for it to work properly (I don't know why).
t

Almost. You have to remove http://www. for an Amazon link to show up on TCS And use the link button in the replybox toolbar instead of pasting the link directly into a post and removing the http://www. part from there.