My Sister Is Going To Declaw Her Cat

[Wonderfulcat]

In our barn we have a scratching post that hangs on the wall. How about suggesting to your sister that she gets several of those and hang them wherever the cat scratches on her furniture? If it is the same places he scratches that might make him used to the posts instead. Or simply place scratching posts near the furniture? I don't like the idea of declawing either no matter how misbehaved the cat is.

 

[di and bob]

My cats USED to claw the furniture, but getting them those cheap corrugated cardboard 'scratchers' at Walmart drew them like a magnet. I have not had a problem since. Get one and bring it to her house. Anyone that believes in declawing should not be any kind of animal owner, they have no empathy or compassion for the pain and lifelong misery it causes. it's like the practise that was common in the 60's to have a dog's vocal cords cut to quiet the barking, unacceptable!

 

[Kflowers]

No scratching post is going to satisfy your sister. She will keep finding more reasons to declaw the cat. All you can do is talk to her husband -- alone without her there. Tell him about declawing, tell him you are willing to take the cat. He may surprise you. Even if he's okay on the declawing he may be happy to give you the cat, just to shut her up. I have the feeling there's always something wrong in her life that she can do the drama over, blame anyone else whose handy for, and spend a boat load of money on.

 

[kittyluv387]

No scratching post is going to satisfy your sister. She will keep finding more reasons to declaw the cat. All you can do is talk to her husband -- alone without her there. Tell him about declawing, tell him you are willing to take the cat. He may surprise you. Even if he's okay on the declawing he may be happy to give you the cat, just to shut her up. I have the feeling there's always something wrong in her life that she can do the drama over, blame anyone else whose handy for, and spend a boat load of money on.

Yes...she sounds dramatic and doesn't sound like she has good intentions to say the least. Seems like there's more going on besides cat issues.

 

[Margret]

I'm using the latest version of Torch, which is based on the Chrome source code - obviously, not sufficiently so.

Margret

 

[mwallace056]

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.

my family is like that like my dad believes that pets or animals belong outside, and houses are for people only.

When he was a kitten, I explained some of the things you said, I explained she has to make the sofa unappealing to him by putting double-sided tape or spraying deterrent on it and she has to get a scratching post that he will like and use, I also told her how to entice him to use it. but she said double-sided tape and deterrent spray didn't work. i thought everything is okay because i asked her couple months ago, if he still scratching and she said "no" then the other day i found out she going to declaw him because he scratching everything, anyways I suggested to her to put a blanket over where he scratching but she turned that down by saying that her daughter will just remove the blanket or whatever and that she should buy more scratching posts but she turned that down too. my only choice is to talk to the husband, try getting him to talk to the vet about the risks if he hasn't already

My cats USED to claw the furniture, but getting them those cheap corrugated cardboard 'scratchers' at Walmart drew them like a magnet. I have not had a problem since. Get one and bring it to her house. Anyone that believes in declawing should not be any kind of animal owner, they have no empathy or compassion for the pain and lifelong misery it causes. it's like the practise that was common in the 60's to have a dog's vocal cords cut to quiet the barking, unacceptable!

I got a cardboard scratcher for my cats, and it has been destroyed, shredded, and it makes a mess if you pick it up and shake it lol. I recently bought a new one, they don't use it much yet, they like their old one more.

No scratching post is going to satisfy your sister. She will keep finding more reasons to declaw the cat. All you can do is talk to her husband -- alone without her there. Tell him about declawing, tell him you are willing to take the cat. He may surprise you. Even if he's okay on the declawing he may be happy to give you the cat, just to shut her up. I have the feeling there's always something wrong in her life that she can do the drama over, blame anyone else whose handy for, and spend a boat load of money on.

that's probably true, I hope I will be able to get him to talk to the vet at least about the risks before deciding, but I believe he went to veterinary school or something in his country, so he should know what declawing is? but he might not know what kind problems it can cause??

 

[Kflowers]

The following is a list of countries in which declawing cats is either illegal or considered extremely inhumane and only performed under extreme circumstances:

• England
• Scotland
• Wales
• Italy
• Austria
• Switzerland
• Norway
• Sweden
• Ireland
• Denmark
• Finland
• Slovenia
• Brazil
• Australia

• New Zealand
• Serbia
• Montenegro
• Macedonia
• Slovenia
• France
• Germany
• Bosnia
• Malta
• Netherlands
• Northern Ireland
• Portugal
• Belgium
• Israel

In the U.S., declawing is prohibited in the cities of Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Berkeley, Beverly Hills, Culver City, West Hollywood and Burbank, and Denver Co.

I couldn't find any information about Asia, or South America except for Brazil.

Perhaps you could trade her a stuffed cat for her cat.

 

[Jcatbird]

Please try to stop this if possible. It causes lifelong problems for the cat. Similar to having a human finger or toe bone removed. There are alternatives. Neutering first. They now make little cat glove caps too for the paws. Just keep his claws clipped would be simpler and cheaper. Research is starting to show the negative long term effects of declawing. It really is a very serious issue. I’m very glad you wrote in about this. It is a devastating thing and I am hoping that soon it will be outlawed as abusive. I would not use a vet that is willing to perform this particular surgery just because a cat claws furniture. Maybe you can provide an especially attractive cat tree with the rope bindings that cats love shsrpening their claws on.

 

[mwallace056]

Please try to stop this if possible. It causes lifelong problems for the cat. Similar to having a human finger or toe bone removed. There are alternatives. Neutering first. They now make little cat glove caps too for the paws. Just keep his claws clipped would be simpler and cheaper. Research is starting to show the negative long term effects of declawing. It really is a very serious issue. I’m very glad you wrote in about this. It is a devastating thing and I am hoping that soon it will be outlawed as abusive. I would not use a vet that is willing to perform this particular surgery just because a cat claws furniture. Maybe you can provide an especially attractive cat tree with the rope bindings that cats love shsrpening their claws on.

i'm trying my best, can you point me to the studies so i can send them to the husband, i'm talking to him and he is for declawing but he seems open trying other things first before declawing

If anyone knows of any studies that i can send to the husband, I would appreciate as having him read studies may be the best way to change his mind, i did ask him if he talks to the vet about the risks but he ignored that question.

 

[Jcatbird]

Thecatsite has articles about it but if you need more then amercianveterinerian.com
nationalgeographic.com
petmd.com and many others can tell you of the pain, problems using the litter box, becoming lame, back troubles, botched surgeries, the amputation of bones and all the other problems. Many countries have already Banned this surgery unless it is needed in cases such as cancer of the paw. Many cities in the U.S. have as well.
@Norachan can you please provide more scientific studies here to help this kitty! This is a desperate situation.

 

[Jcatbird]

A search form on google for these site and typing in adverse effects of declawing should provide you with some very effective information. Cat caps are kind of like fake fingernails and can be put on kitty without surgery. Just trimming the claws could be the best soltution. I also cover the corners of upholstered furniture with blankets until kitty learns not to claw. A scratching post works, especially if you use something on it to attract kitty. Some use catnip, others use Felliway. Neutering stops much of this as well as male spraying to mark territory. I am sending you all the best and strongest vibes I can that you will be able to stop this from being done to this cat.
We are all hoping for the best. Good luck.

 

[mwallace056]

i sent him this study and he said make sense, it would be bad if he become mean
You really shouldn’t declaw your cat. Do this instead.

he will try to do his own research on declawing and try other things, so things looking positive, right? also they did tried soft paws but they didn't really like it

 

[LittleShadow]

Could you try offering to take the cat in to have soft claws applied by your local PetSmart? Mine does it for the cost of the package of claw caps and then like....I want to say it's around ten dollars.

Tell her YOU will come and take the cat to get the caps applied every month, and once the claws are capped, the cat can't scratch, but it's way cheaper and faster than declawing, and won't make the cat bitey. If she's too uninvolved to want to bother with other methods, offering to remove the effort of having to do it herself might help.

Ask her to let you try this, just once, as a favor to you before she gets the cat declawed. Once she gives in once, it might be easier to keep it up. "Oh, I've already got the next appointment, and they didn't use all the caps in the package last time, let me at least have them use up what I bought...." etc.

Also, I've personally used soft claws, and my cat didn't like the act of getting them applied, but I swear she liked having them on. I actually caught her once carefully catching each capped claw on a surface, and gently tugging with a look of pure bliss. She has a habit of getting her claws caught in stuff, so I think she liked the stretch without the snag.

 

[Jcatbird]

So glad he has an open mind. That indicates a very intelligent person. Hopefully when he sees even vets,( who would profit by doing the surgery) are turning against doing it. Ethical vets don’t like approve it and great ones won’t unless it is necessary in some cancerous or other health threatening condition. Please let us know what happens. You are doing a very great thing for this cat. I wish everyone would stick up for kitties the way you are doing!

 

[mwallace056]

Could you try offering to take the cat in to have soft claws applied by your local PetSmart? Mine does it for the cost of the package of claw caps and then like....I want to say it's around ten dollars.

Tell her YOU will come and take the cat to get the caps applied every month, and once the claws are capped, the cat can't scratch, but it's way cheaper and faster than declawing, and won't make the cat bitey. If she's too uninvolved to want to bother with other methods, offering to remove the effort of having to do it herself might help.

Ask her to let you try this, just once, as a favor to you before she gets the cat declawed. Once she gives in once, it might be easier to keep it up. "Oh, I've already got the next appointment, and they didn't use all the caps in the package last time, let me at least have them use up what I bought...." etc.

Also, I've personally used soft claws, and my cat didn't like the act of getting them applied, but I swear she liked having them on. I actually caught her once carefully catching each capped claw on a surface, and gently tugging with a look of pure bliss. She has a habit of getting her claws caught in stuff, so I think she liked the stretch without the snag.

I would but they live 4 hours away

oh wow i just learned they don't have a scratching post, no wonder why their stuff is ruined, the cat had no other place to scratch on. my sister said that they have a scratching post, and that it in his favorite place so she lied? why? to get me off her back?

 

[mwallace056]

So glad he has an open mind. That indicates a very intelligent person. Hopefully when he sees even vets,( who would profit by doing the surgery) are turning against doing it. Ethical vets don’t like approve it and great ones won’t unless it is necessary in some cancerous or other health threatening condition. Please let us know what happens. You are doing a very great thing for this cat. I wish everyone would stick up for kitties the way you are doing!

i'm going to send him the The Paw project and see if he will watch it, hopefully he will

 

[LittleShadow]

Best wishes! Maybe check to see if there are any places near them that do offer claw cap services, and offer to make the appointments and pay (at least for the first appointment) if the husband will take the cat instead? And oh my goodness, yes, if there is nowhere for the cat to scratch, OF COURSE it will scratch the furniture! And now that he's learned to scratch furniture, he'll have to be retrained to a claw post even when they get one. >.<

 

[Jcatbird]

You could just send them a nice scratching post too. Or furniture protectors already mentioned here. Maybe they wouldn’t put out the cash if the cat stopped. I suspect your sister just wants a quick fix and does not understand the true disaster that would occur after. Just ask her if she would rather have the cat pee on the furniture since it won’t be able to use the litter box. Then a scratching post might get used. Does she love the cat?

 

[mwallace056]

I suspect your sister just wants a quick fix and does not understand the true disaster that would occur after.

sounds about right, she just wanted something that is easy.

Best wishes! Maybe check to see if there are any places near them that do offer claw cap services, and offer to make the appointments and pay (at least for the first appointment) if the husband will take the cat instead? And oh my goodness, yes, if there is nowhere for the cat to scratch, OF COURSE it will scratch the furniture! And now that he's learned to scratch furniture, he'll have to be retrained to a claw post even when they get one. >.<

i would pay but i don't have much money, and i need it for myself and my own cats and when he first started scratching, i explained to her how she can get him stop scratching the sofa and i was insistent about her getting a scratching post or two, told her that she needs to get a scratching post or else anything she does will not work, the cat will just scratch an area that doesn't have double-sided tape. which i think is exactly what happened.

 

[LittleShadow]

Yes, hopefully educating her husband, and giving her options, will win out. I just do not get the mindset of declawing. "Oh, I can't be bothered to pay for a scratching post and put in a bit of time training the cat, so I'll just pay someone to chop their toes off." >.<

I've only once even considered declawing, and it was only a consideration for medical reasons. Molly, darling that she is, is polydactyl, and has had previous ingrown claw issues because not all of her claws are positioned to allow her to sharpen them. After the first time of having to have her treated by the vet, I did look into whether it would be possible to remove just the deformed, injurious claws (she has one of these type on each paw) to remove the possibility of future ingrown claws since at the time she was part of a feral colony and I wasn't sure she'd allow regular catching and trimming of her claws.

The deformed claws are between two healthy claws though, and they would have had to remove her healthy dewclaw toes to get to the deformed ones, and there was risk of the deformed claws regrowing depending on how they were set, so it was quickly discarded. I never even considered removing her healthy main toes/claws though, just the deformed ones to keep them from growing into her paws, and I can't ever imagine declawing a cat for something other than a medical reason...