Would you consider having a cat de-clawed that is about 10 years old? I need to have it done but my only concern is that it may cause the cat to become severely depressed in a cat this old. She never goes outside so she doesn't need them for defense. I would only have the front claws removed. What are your thoughts?
RoverRoad *************************************************** 08-23-03, 08:17 AM MrsS My thoughts are that de clawing is not a good idea...it WILL depress your kitty, at her age the risk of an infection developing is high and claws are not only for defense, they are a part of a cats grooming equipment, as well...if you are concerned about the furniture, get her a scratching post or one of the spiffy cardboard scratch toys available (SmartyKat brand, Super Scratcher), but please do not declaw your cat.
08-23-03, 09:14 AM Lydia I'm with MrsS - there is no way I would do something like that at your cat's age. You don't say why you "HAVE" to do it - it's been this long, I guess I don't understand that.
Hmmm...if you were to have your fingertips cut off to the first knuckle, do you think you'd prefer having this done as an infant and have your lifetime to get used to it - or would you prefer they wait until you're in your 60's or so? Think you'd be depressed????? I could take a guess at your answer...
I say train before causing pain.
08-23-03, 09:43 AM doñadiana Why don't you ask your veterinarian if he thinks your cat is at risk for this type of surgery. If you trust his opinion and he says its OK, then I don't see that there is any problem. I have never heard of a cat getting depressed because of this, but then most cats have it done at a younger age.
I have heard that in California they are banning (have already banned??) this procedure.
DD
08-23-03, 01:38 PM FredPuli It is illegal to do this in Britain and throughout most of Europe. It is illegal in many other countries too. It is considered to be inhumane.So California would not be alone. It amazes us that anyone could ever consider it; then it may be that they do not know the likely consequences for the animal. Whatever next ? Taking a dog's teeth out because it can bite with them ? Confused
08-23-03, 02:00 PM MrsS Fred, There is a reason for considering this measure, but it is not a humane reason.....Some people are more concerned with their household dry goods than with the health and happiness of the pets in their care.
08-23-03, 02:59 PM Katanya2000 There are alternatives which may be a consideration for you. Something called "softpaws" where the cat has her claws tipped in a rubber/plastic mix that leaves the claws intact but takes away the sharpness. It is painless and much less traumatic for the cat. The only downside is that the proceedure must be repeated 3-4 times a year.
08-23-03, 06:08 PM mattlynda my broter in laws cat is in danger of bleeding to death due to excessive scratching at its neck. he is getting it declawed. which is more humane? a simple procedure for a 100% indoor cat, or letting his neck continue to be the way it is?
i see nothing wrong with getting an indoor cat declawed. i have had evey cat ive had declawed, and they not only dont notice anything, they are happier, as they can paw at the couch, the fridge, my leg all they want, with no one yelling at them.
08-23-03, 10:22 PM Tractor I'm missing something!(Besides a functioning brain)
Before everyone gets all bent out of shape about this, let's go with the point made by Lydia. Why do you feel it is necessary to have this procedure performed on your cat Bill?
08-24-03, 01:50 AM FredPuli Mattlynda ( and others 'pro' declawing) you may be interested in:
As you may see there are good reasons for so many countries declaring it illegal; Britons and Brazilians and the rest do not do so because we are spoilsports, or have no veterinarians or anaesthesia, or don't care about scratched furnishings!
Since you ask; the humane way is to find out why the cat is mutilating itself by scratching its neck ,not remove the means for doing it ! We've a dog here that had been drawing blood by biting itself. We took it to the vet who cured the itch it was biting at; he didn't take its teeth out instead !Whatever the underlying cause it will not go away with removing claws or teeth and the animal will continue to suffer from it whether it be a behavioural problem, in its mind, or a physical cause.
There are people here who say it's fine to dock tails of gundog breeds, not for appearance, but because the dog may grow up and catch the tail in gorse or brambles and hurt it. (We must remember to advocate cutting the toes off babies to stop ingrowing toenails, while we are thinking that way ! Smile
08-24-03, 02:40 AM mattlynda well, when we got our cat done, we got her back just as the anestetic was wearing off. i didnt notice any 'bouncing off the walls from excruitiating pain.' she woke up groggy, licked her paws acouple of times, then played with her toys. i didnt notice any pain from her at all. same with my other cats i have had declawed. she was worse when we took her in to get fixed. this is also not medically necessary, and yet its not only done, its encouraged. the only thing you could save an indoor cat from with getting fixed is the anger at them either howling in heat, or spraying. how is this different from declawing?
you can find extreme examples of anything going wrong if you look hard enough. i have never, ever had a cat (or heard of one, except on the internet) have problems from declawing.
my brother in laws cat has not only behavioral problems, but scabs from the scratching. we have tried the cone, (he just about went mental from wearing that), a cloth bandana so he wouldnt scratch his neck up (had to replace it often due to him scratching it out of place, and yes, it was tight enough, creams, which didnt do anything, everything short of sedating him until the scabbing was healed.) please, if you have other suggestions to help this poor cat, let me know.
08-24-03, 11:05 AM FredPuli And what does your vet say is the cause? Fleas? Excema? Other condition such as allergy? Can't say as I've heard of a cat scratching itself to death; animals aren't that stupid. I can see that blood on the furnishings would be a nuisance, though. So the animal has a behavioural problem does it? Then you'd best address that because it'll still be an unhappy cat when clawless and I assume that the happiness of the cat in its own mind is your priority.
In the short term the answer is a cone. You say it goes mad at the cone; but what does it actually do? Is it trying to scratch itself through the cone and getting frustrated ? If so it must still have an itch; so the problem is not just in its head, is it? Otherwise leave the cone on; it'll get used to it. Mind it may still scratch the furniture, cone or none, so if that is a problem and the cat is not seduced into scratching elsewhere; a scratching post say; then re-house the cat with someone who is better able to cope with it.
We spay or neuter cats simply to stop unwanted kittens; it is the simplest method and is justified on humanitarian grounds with cats that would otherwise breed unabated.
For some reason much of the rest of the world has no problem with a cat like your one keeping claws; it's not we assume a unique cat in veterinary history so I suspect that your method is neither necessary nor effective as far as the cat's well-being is concerned.
08-24-03, 12:38 PM mattlynda it got a scratch while playing with the other cat, and just got worse from there.
as for the cone, he howled the entire time it was on, (3 days was enough for my brother in law) and started running head first into the wall. (good thing the cone stuck out farther than its head.)
scratching the furnature is no problem, it dosent bother scratching anything except its neck.
and how is spaying or nutering a 100% indoor cat going to stop kittens?
as for my cat, we got her decalwed due to the fact that her claws could not retract, and she kept ripping them out when tearing down the hallway. that is NOT a sound i want to hear again.
08-24-03, 06:13 PM Tractor Never mind, Bill
Apparently this thread has been co-opted for the sake of an argument.
08-24-03, 08:38 PM billmasters Katanya2000, I hadn't heard of that. I will check into it. I really don't want to get her declawed! Cats live for sleep and clawing. Take that away and what's left. You can only give them so much attention! I'm ashamed that I even considered having it done...
I'd have it done to a kitten though! But a cat that's 10 years old has already lived three quarters of her life. How would you like to have your fingernails removed when you're 45?
08-24-03, 10:41 PM mattlynda good for you to decide not to declaw her. she is far too old for that. i would never declaw a cat over 2 years old, they have gotten used to life with claws.
sorry to have hijacked your post. Roll Eyes
08-25-03, 08:51 AM MrsS I am happy about your decision....please pet the kitty for me....and I gotta say I'm not so sure this thread WAS hijacked...it maybe got a touch heated, but certainly presented the pros and cons of the subject!
08-25-03, 10:33 AM blam I agree MrsS. It's a subject I feel quite strongly about myself, but I don't want an argument. I'll just say one thing.
Cats are born with claws, God designed them that way. If you don't want a cat that has claws, DON'T GET A CAT.
08-25-03, 11:40 AM mattlynda just an update that should make all you pro calw people happy. my brother in law is trying the cone again. he mr. tinkles is NOT happy, but hes over 2, and i told him my thoughts on declawing a cat over 2.
08-25-03, 05:38 PM MrsS Has your B-I-L tried cortisone, either in pill form or injected? Where creams have failed, internal use might calm the poor kitty's skin down enough to allow healing...I also used a bit of oragel on Mister when he kept picking at the stitches after having an abcess drained, worked well....but he had to be kept from licking at it for about ten minutes after applying(nothing sillier looking than a cat who has numbed his mouth!)
08-25-03, 06:59 PM mattlynda Declawing an older cat no, the vet didnt even mention that as an option. i will let him know about it.
08-30-03, 09:13 AM blam Pro-claw people are pro-cat people. Cats have claws, if you don't want claws, don't get a cat. You could cut their legs off too, stop them running around the house at night.
Buy a rose and strip off the thorns instead.
08-30-03, 09:29 PM Sherasi BLAM, I suspect you might have an ITTY BITTY TEENSY WEENTSY opinion on this subject.. come onnnnnnnn.. admit it now!! Wink Big Grin
08-31-03, 02:27 AM billmasters Blam is right, and I could never really, in good conscience have her de-clawed anyway. She's been my cat for ten years and she's never destroyed anything that I could give a hoot about, but she sure did a number on my dad's motorhome... I'm going to have to pay for the damage, that's why I was considering having her declawed.
08-31-03, 06:44 PM rocketsigntist Aw heck, I might as well put my 2 cents worth in...!!!
Right off the bat I would look into anything BUT declawing for a cat that old. Risking death due to complications of surgery, anesthesia and/or infection would far outweigh the reasons why.
As far as declawing in general, we ask people if they are thinking of declawing. If they say yes, we ask why and the majority of time we get a blank look and a stutter... "well, um, it's gonna be an indoor cat, that's why." Most people have NO clue WHY to declaw, or even what is actually involved.
As far as argueing, then if not declaw, then why spay/neuter? Well, spay/neuter prevents littering - don't EVEN try that "it will NEVER go outside" crap on me... I will guess that approximately 90-95% of the people that come in looking for a lost cat say it NEVER goes outside and got out accidently. Another reason for collars, id tags and microchips - but that's another subject.
Add to that the reproductive system related health issues and cancers. Besides... have you ever lived with a female cat in heat... on and off for the ENTIRE summer???
Another thing that people don't think about is keeping the claws trimmed. It's actually VERY easy to do (easier than dogs) especially if you do it frequently when kittens, and if you have two people - one can scruff if necessary and the other trim. People should have their vet show them how.
Another thing... carpet covered scratch posts are a JOKE!!!! PLEASE... geeesh, what the heck are people thinking?? "I don't want my cat to scratch on my FABRIC COVERED FURNITURE... so I am going to give it a FABRIC COVERED PIECE OF FURNITURE to scratch on."
Yeah... Ok.
Kinda like, if you don't want your dog to chew on your new shoes, don't give him an old shoe to chew on. How are they supposed to tell the difference??
Those cheapo kmart special cardboard scratching boxes are perfect. Catnip to attract the cat, cheap enough to put in every room, and doesn't feel like anything else in the house.
Still has a favorite spot on the couch corner? That's what they make clear double sided tape for.
We tell people at the shelter that if they absolutely HAVE TO declaw (for landlord or personal reasons) either adopt an already declawed cat or a kitten. I will tell you, in the 3 years I have worked at the shelter, I have had 2 people come back in to adopt again after losing the kitten during declawing. (I always tell people there is a risk any time anesthesia is involved.)
Declawing is something that will NEVER be agreed upon, unless you can make EVERYONE a responsible pet owner.
I guess the impossiblity of that makes for job security for me.
12-28-03, 01:41 PM sandi I would not declaw an older cat....If is a necessity, go with what the vet says...I have a Siamese going on three that I would like to declaw...Regret not doing it while she was younger...I am going to check with the vet...but ten is right old to be put to sleep
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