I am sorry, I just think this is really cruel and unnecessary. Why on earth would anyone have there cat declawed? If somebody is worried about there furniture etc being ruined, then they shouldn't be thinking of having a cat in the first place.

I just cannot believe the procedures that are offered by vets nowdays. I though veternarians were there for the well being of animals, not to promote cruelty to animals. :angry:

I agree. I'll NEVER have a cat declawed. I personally think it is a disgusting practice.

Ever notice how a lot of apartments now make it a REQUIREMENT that your cat be declawed??? These same apartments allow dogs that in my opinion can do a lot more damage than a cat could. Isn't that what you pay a pet deposit for in the first place?

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- Dawn

http://www.nutkitty.com

Luckilly I think it is illegal here in the UK. I would NEVER put a cat through this process, whatever the reason.

Greetings,

In my contract for kitten sales, one of the clauses is that the cat must never be declawed unless medically neccessary (like a broken toe, or a fungal infection, etc.). If someone doesn't want to take the extra effort to provide their cat with proper outlets for its instincts, then I know of some toystores with plush leopard toys that would work nicely.
Thinking long and hard about this, I decided to make one exception, in that if a wonderful family comes along that has a live-in relative with anemia or some other problem that would make a cat scratch potentially deadly, then I may make an exception. In cases like that, I feel that the benefits of owning a cat may help someone who is terminally ill. If a case like that ever were to come up, I would be very, very choosy, to make sure that whatever kitten I would send home would be able to handle the procedure, because I've seen many DSH's who were emotionally scarred from declawing.

BTW, I learned a great trick for scratching posts that my cats love. I took one of the foot-long sisal posts that you hang from a doorknob and screwed it firmly into a wall so that the bottom is 7' off of the floor, and the cats love the stability. They still use their big trees, but when they need a really good scratch, they run to that spot and go to town.

Sorry for rambling,

Athena,

If it's a medical reason and it has to be done, then that is different.

I think what has happened is it has been done for medical reasons only and then people have just extended that to just having it done for the convenience. It is that I do not agree with.

I completely agree. I'll live with a tattered couch, if that's what it takes. I've seen too many DSH's never return to normal (not to worry- they weren't mine) after a declaw. They still try to claw everything, and many times, they'll become biters, because that's all they have left. Some were so shy... and if your cat accidentally gets outside, well....

Claws are part of the kitty!!

I agree that declawing cats is cruel. It seems that many people these days dont do much research of thier own before they take part in this practice. When people ask me why im not getting Asia declawed, I ask them how they would like to have thier toes cut off. Any way Ill step down off my soap box. I was wondering if it is safe to clip or file thier nails. I have seen alot of clippers at the pet stores. Let me know what you think about this.

The only de-clawed cats you get here in the uk are Imports.....If it's not illegal...It should be!

Personally I heard of people having it done for their own health reasons.....not the cats which is simply cruel and macabre.

We've got strategically placed scratching posts planted around the house and as a result we never have a problem with them clawing the sofa.....But as a rule we trim the razor-like claws anyway with normal small nail clippers available from any pharmacy (much cheaper than pet store prices).

You'll find it easier to do when she's relaxing.....maybe one foot at a time to begin with until she's got used to it.......Most importantly be confident and be careful.....Just trim the tip of the claw (when you look at the claw you'll be able to see whats nail and whats not )

If you do accidentally cut too much and it bleeds.....Don't panic just get a bar of soap and press the claw into it and it'll stop soon enough.

You maybe could file them afterwards but it not really worth.....best to leave them blunt otherwise they'll be like razors after a few days of normal cat duties.....

Here is a link to a page that shows in detail how to clip a <a href='http://www.tuhinabengals.com/cats_toe_nails.htm' target='_blank'>cats claws</a>. It's VERY Good.

As meemonkey said, we just use normal human nail clippers, you can easily judge how much to take off...I found that with big bulky pet store clippers you can end up taking off more than you think.

If you haven't done before, Its always best to start by just taking the tip off. Then when both you and your cat are confident, you can trim them closer down to the 'quick' (blood supply).

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Heidi

HAHAHAHA.... you make it sound so easy!

I am shocked at how hard a 10 lb cat can fight when you try to clip a few nails. They scream, they hiss, they cry, they fight, they pull away... and I'm afraid to accidentally hurt her, so I give up.

It takes me 20 minutes to get them into the crate to go to the vet. The first cat takes 10 seconds.... however, she warns her sister who immediately crawls to the exact middle spot under the king size bed.... and it takes me 19 minutes to get her out.

Once at the vet, I pay $6 per cat to nail clipping.... which takes 20 seconds per cat and I'm back out the door in under 5 minutes (including paying the bill).... because the cats cooperate there and put up no fight whatsoever.

The vet thinks I'm insane.

I usually wait till Indy is asleep or very sleepy and clip his nails then. With plenty of fuss to calm him when he starts to wake. Can usually get 2 paws done before he wakes up fully and decideds he has had enough.

I found it useful to get him used to having his claws handled as such. Push his toes so his claws are out without clippling. At first he didn't like it but now he is fairly use to it so when I'm clipping he doesn't mind so much

The other way is my fella holds him in his arms upside down and then I can clip him.

I always procrastinate on this job as Lyra so hates it she is scary.

I have tried sneaking up on her, ambushing her while she is sleeping, bribing her, but she is always absolutely outraged.

Now I get my eldest daughter to hold her down gently (or firmly as required) while I be as quick as possible with the clipping. When I am doing her front paws she growls away and really desperately wants to bite me. She is very sweet though, and merely presses her teeth againts my hand - very kind in the circumstances, a bit unnerving though . . .

I do exactly what katie does... wait til there asleep and get a few paws in until they wake up and walk off. If they are really sound asleep I can get all 4 and they don't even know it. Hahaha. They are pretty good about it, we've been doing it since they were 8 weeks old.

I agree with not declawing a cat, and I'm sure everyone on this board does as well. If you love your cat(s) enough to join a forum about it, I am sure you are aware of what they do to declaw them. The people that do it or talk about it just aren't aware of the procedure or just don't care either. Either way its a shame.

I saw this topic posted and wanted to respond and get some feedback. I have been having an argument about this with a friend recently. I read all of your posts about declawing, and I have had the very same arguments and points of views....I have one question to bring up for discussion since it's been a heavy topic for debate lately and I'd love to hear what you all think as well. What about a couple who has a kitten and wants to have babies as well? They are afriad the cat, especially if they get jealous after being the "baby" for so long, will scratch and claw their new born? I am a new kitty owner, and have NO babies coming any time soon, so I wasn't sure how to respond when this was brought up since I'm not in that situation. I know how protective I am over my kittens, I can imagine how protective I'd be over a new born child. I think it might be a valid point my friends have. I don't know how I feel about this one. Why should a cat lover NOT be able to have both? Her husband could care less, but she adores her cats and they now want to get pregnant, but are scared of how their cat will react and what could happen. I said just keep the cats away from the baby, but as all of us know, our cats like to go whever they like to go. The thought of a cat trying to play with the new baby, or just get close to get to know the baby, and accidently hurting it, is a valid fear for new parents...no? This couple I spoke with also said they were interested in lazer surgery, which is supposidly less painful, less recovery time, and less bleeding and chance of infection. They also said their cat was a house cat, so she didn't need her claws to defend herself. I'm torn on how I feel about this particular situation and would like to hear other people's views and opinions to talk to them about it more. Ultimately they will do what they want to do, but I'd still like to give them as much feedback and play devils advocate as much as I possibly can. I still think it has to be a horrible experiance for a kitten to go through. At the same time, they had a valid point that in 2007, humans, animals, and all living things- we all go for surgies and have things removed all the time and we're fine and heal and get over it with today's technology. Her cat is under a year old, so she thinks the cat will heal after 2 weeks and after a year or two not even remember it. My cat growing up, a BEAUTIFUL Calico, was declawed. (we found her that way...poor thing was outside with no claws to defend herself! She must have been a house cat who got lost and wandered away from home) She didn't seem to be scarred by it. I couldn't imagine doing it to my little babies now though! Is anyone in this forum in favor of cat declawing? ( I am assuming no, since it is illegal where most of you are)

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