Those of you with cats - are they declawed

[Anonymous]

I grew up w/ cats, and my parents always had them declawed in the front, but not the back. I guess the reasoning was that if they got out, they actually use their back claws to defend themselves in a fight? Not sure if this is an old wives tale or true, but it saved my mom's drapes.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I grew up w/ cats, and my parents always had them declawed in the front, but not the back. I guess the reasoning was that if they got out, they actually use their back claws to defend themselves in a fight? Not sure if this is an old wives tale or true, but it saved my mom's drapes.

21:31 here - I have never heard of declawing the back paws. As I said, I did declaw, but really do not see a reason to do the back paws at all.

[Anonymous]

10:46 again. The nail caps we have are from Soft Paws; I assume there are other companies that make them, as well. They are like little sheaths that fit over each claw and are glued on. They work really well to prevent scratching of people or furniture, but they're kind of a pain to put on. They do come off after a while and have to be replaced.

At first our cat didn't like them and even seemed a little more aggressive, presumably because she felt more vulnerable, but now they don't seem to bother her at all. Like I said, we'll probably just use them until DD is old enough to know how to play gently, since they're rather annoying to deal with.

[Anonymous]

I've had cats with claws and without. The ones that were declawed were destructive little boogers and we never noticed a difference in behavior after they were declawed.

I'd see what happens - I think a couple scratches never hurt anyone, even a little one. I think the folks who say he will just bite instead are probably right. See how the situation works itself out, and then decide what to do. I don't know that declawing is the answer in THIS situation...

Take what I say with a grain of salt, though - we decided to give up one of our cats because she was getting nasty with our daughter. But, she went to live with my aunt and is living the high life with her, much better than she EVER did with us! She's much happier there and our child isn't getting scratched. Problem solved!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:10:46 again. The nail caps we have are from Soft Paws; I assume there are other companies that make them, as well. They are like little sheaths that fit over each claw and are glued on. They work really well to prevent scratching of people or furniture, but they're kind of a pain to put on. They do come off after a while and have to be replaced.

At first our cat didn't like them and even seemed a little more aggressive, presumably because she felt more vulnerable, but now they don't seem to bother her at all. Like I said, we'll probably just use them until DD is old enough to know how to play gently, since they're rather annoying to deal with.

Thanks!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:10:46 again. The nail caps we have are from Soft Paws; I assume there are other companies that make them, as well. They are like little sheaths that fit over each claw and are glued on. They work really well to prevent scratching of people or furniture, but they're kind of a pain to put on. They do come off after a while and have to be replaced.

At first our cat didn't like them and even seemed a little more aggressive, presumably because she felt more vulnerable, but now they don't seem to bother her at all. Like I said, we'll probably just use them until DD is old enough to know how to play gently, since they're rather annoying to deal with.

Thanks!

Just curious - are they better than just keeping the cat's claws trimmed? I'd think with caps on their claws would get pretty long and very sharp.

And as someone who still bears the scars from a cat bite that actually sent me to the hospital, I can tell you I'd rather be scratched, any day. Unless that cat is really going for blood, he's unlikely to do anything more than bat you or give you a little scratch. I had a cat who never did warm up to my husband, and would hiss and swing at him at the slightest provocation - but we noticed that more often than not, the cat's claws weren't even out.

[Anonymous]

We declawed our cat after he scratched DC's face...my DH insisted...declaw or get rid of the cat. I did it at Bradley Hills Animal Hospital in Bethesda. It was expensive, but well worth it. They don't use a scalpel--it's laser surgery, with no bleeding or pain, which seemed much more humane. Our cat didn't even know his claws were gone and still attempts to sharpen them on the sofa. The doc said that some cats will bite more after they're declawed, but fortunately we have had no problems.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:We declawed our cat after he scratched DC's face...my DH insisted...declaw or get rid of the cat. I did it at Bradley Hills Animal Hospital in Bethesda. It was expensive, but well worth it. They don't use a scalpel--it's laser surgery, with no bleeding or pain, which seemed much more humane. Our cat didn't even know his claws were gone and still attempts to sharpen them on the sofa. The doc said that some cats will bite more after they're declawed, but fortunately we have had no problems.

This has been my experience as well. I have had 5 cats (not all at once, though I do think I am destined to become a cat lady sometime before I leave this earth ) - 4 mine, 1 my step-cat (my husbands before we got married). My 4 were declawed, none were ever aggressive, 2 were so incredibly affectionate they could have been mistaken for dogs. My husband's cat had claws, was an indoor/outdoor cat and very aggressive in the sense that he was a big hunter and picked on the 2 females that we had while he was alive. Surprisingly, he was never aggressive with the kids, even as bothersome toddlers.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We declawed our cat after he scratched DC's face...my DH insisted...declaw or get rid of the cat. I did it at Bradley Hills Animal Hospital in Bethesda. It was expensive, but well worth it. They don't use a scalpel--it's laser surgery, with no bleeding or pain, which seemed much more humane. Our cat didn't even know his claws were gone and still attempts to sharpen them on the sofa. The doc said that some cats will bite more after they're declawed, but fortunately we have had no problems.

We also had the laser declawing on our two cats. Honestly, the spaying/neutering surgeries seemed more painful and required more of a recovery. The cats didn't miss a beat after the declawing- back to their usual playful selves and both still "sharpen" their claws all the time. We have a rough toddler who torments one of the cats. The worst the cat has done is bat at the toddler and since there are no claws, it doesn't hurt.

Perhaps it's selfish, but the declawing has also saved our furniture. We had just moved into a new house and spent a good portion of our savings on new furniture when we found the kittens (or more accurately, the kittens found us). Within a month, they had destroyed many items. We really wrestled with the declawing decision. Perhaps we were wrong, but we figured they were better off declawed in a loving home, being fed & vaccinated than they would have been as abandoned kittens on the streets.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:We declawed our cat after he scratched DC's face...my DH insisted...declaw or get rid of the cat. I did it at Bradley Hills Animal Hospital in Bethesda. It was expensive, but well worth it. They don't use a scalpel--it's laser surgery, with no bleeding or pain, which seemed much more humane. Our cat didn't even know his claws were gone and still attempts to sharpen them on the sofa. The doc said that some cats will bite more after they're declawed, but fortunately we have had no problems.

We also had the laser declawing on our two cats. Honestly, the spaying/neutering surgeries seemed more painful and required more of a recovery. The cats didn't miss a beat after the declawing- back to their usual playful selves and both still "sharpen" their claws all the time. We have a rough toddler who torments one of the cats. The worst the cat has done is bat at the toddler and since there are no claws, it doesn't hurt.

Perhaps it's selfish, but the declawing has also saved our furniture. We had just moved into a new house and spent a good portion of our savings on new furniture when we found the kittens (or more accurately, the kittens found us). Within a month, they had destroyed many items. We really wrestled with the declawing decision. Perhaps we were wrong, but we figured they were better off declawed in a loving home, being fed & vaccinated than they would have been as abandoned kittens on the streets.

Your post makes it sound as though you were deciding between declawing and abandoning them to the street. I assume this is not what you meant...

I've had three cats over the years. With training and lots of scratching posts, you needn't live with shredded furniture.

[Anonymous]

I think it's too late to declaw your cat. (Three years old, you said?) It needs to be done when they're very young, if at all.

We declawed our #2 kitten because he was tearing our #1 cat to pieces. There was always blood on the couch, and #1 cat got very skittish. But when it came down to abandoning #2 cat or declawing him, it seemed kinder to keep him. He is now our only cat, and is just fine. No agression, no behavioral problems. He's more patient with our toddler's enthusiastic attention than we are sometimes!

We also tried the Softpaws, on #2 cat, and our very first kitty, years ago. They're ok... not great. Of 10 caps, you ALWAYS lose two in the first day. Then another two need to be pried off when the claw starts growing around it. And you need to have an extremely docile, agreeable cat to even put them on.

I'd say, in an ideal world, I'm against declawing. But that's not the reality. And in our reality, it's better to have a beloved pet with a little body modification, than to have one more kitty euthanized because no one wanted him.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it's too late to declaw your cat. (Three years old, you said?) It needs to be done when they're very young, if at all.

We declawed our #2 kitten because he was tearing our #1 cat to pieces. There was always blood on the couch, and #1 cat got very skittish. But when it came down to abandoning #2 cat or declawing him, it seemed kinder to keep him. He is now our only cat, and is just fine. No agression, no behavioral problems. He's more patient with our toddler's enthusiastic attention than we are sometimes!

We also tried the Softpaws, on #2 cat, and our very first kitty, years ago. They're ok... not great. Of 10 caps, you ALWAYS lose two in the first day. Then another two need to be pried off when the claw starts growing around it. And you need to have an extremely docile, agreeable cat to even put them on.

I'd say, in an ideal world, I'm against declawing. But that's not the reality. And in our reality, it's better to have a beloved pet with a little body modification, than to have one more kitty euthanized because no one wanted him.

We have had the problem with the soft paws getting stuck in the drapes, leaving kitty there to meow and dangle. Fortunately this seemed to only happen when we were home and we could rescue the poor cat, but I always worried about it happening when the cats were home alone.

[Anonymous]

PP here who laser declawed my cat...He was over four years old when I did it...we had no complications. I don't think your cat is too old. I do highly recommend the laser technique.

[Anonymous]

I had two cats - both declawed and they were NEVER aggressive. In fact, the female used to run out the back door to the back yard all the time. She loved to be in the yard while I gardened. Despite having no claws, she was able to kill birds, small rodents and even a baby bunny (that last one was the final straw and end of her outdoor days). She could also scale the tree in our back yard, with no front claws. She was amazing. We declawed because our furniture got shredded by them (this was before kids).

[Anonymous]

There's nothing magical about lasers. They are NOT "pain free". It's just another cutting tool, one that cauterizes as it cuts and thereby minimizes bleeding.

I'm the PP who said 3 years is too late to declaw a cat. My understanding is that the bones and joints are more completely formed, meaning that the procedure will be more painful, the recovery will be longer, and the cat will have a much harder time adjusting. Since cats don't know about resting after surgery, and many vets believe that pain meds are ineffective on cats, the recovery can be awful for them.