Risks of declawing a cat.
By
on
July 22nd, 2008
My parents got a bunch of new furniture after our cat scratched up all other furniture.
I walk into the kitchen and my parents tell me that they are declawing my cat and when I tried to protest they just talked over me telling me “I wouldn’t understand” and that “They are tired of having scratched up furniture”
The thing is that he is MY cat, and I was the one who took care of him when he was little (he was a stray) and I’m still the one who takes care of him.
They refused to listen to me and are telling me that he is to stay in the garage for two days until the appointment to declaw him.
What are the risks of declawing a cat.
If it helps, my cat is about 1 and a half years old.
My parents also refuse to do the plastic nail tips. They say that their nails grow too fast and that they don’t constantly want to be replacing the tips when they fall off.
♥Pretty♥ ♥Kitty♥ says:
Declawing is a very bad decision for your cat especially since it’s a grown cat. I volunteer in a shelter and lots of declawed cats get turned in because they develop bad habits like biting and not using the litter box. Declawing removes the cat’s defenses and although you may have every intention of keeping them inside, you can’t guarantee they won’t escape or be expelled from the house due to natural disaster. Declawing is illegal in 23 countries cited as animal cruelty and all major cat and animal welfare organizations in the US and Canada strongly oppose it. It is a major surgery which involves removing the first joint of the toe. Many cats can’t walk properly after surgery and are in pain for the rest of their lives. There are plenty of alternatives you can use to deter your cats from inappropriate scratching. Here is a great website with lots of info on declawing and alternatives that work. Mutilation of cats is unwarranted if you find the right “cure” for the scratching. It could be as simple as using double sided tape on the spots they like to scratch.
http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/
July 22nd, 2008 at 2:52 am
nightfrost_666 says:
http://www.declawing.com/
July 22nd, 2008 at 3:26 am
Kit_the_pirate says:
Geez, if he’s an adult, this surgery will REALLY hurt. He’ll be tender for weeks. As for permanent damage to the cat other than tender paws, he cannot go outside anymore. It’s unsafe for him to go out without claws. Make him an indoor only cat.
Try convincing your parents to use SoftPaws. It’s a plastic sheath that goes over newly cut claws and does no damage when he tries to claw things. It would be rather difficult to train an adult cat not to claw in the amount of time you need to convince your parents not to declaw him. But the declawing process is very painful. If you have no other choice, opt for lazer declawing. This has a much shorter healing time than the traditional scalpel declaw.
July 22nd, 2008 at 4:08 am
old cat lady says:
I hope you get some links which graphically display the actual procedure with its attendant surgical horrors.
Risks include: botched surgeries leading to permanent pain and disability (what is removed can never be restored). It interferes with a cat’s mobility and can lead to arthritis later in life. Declawed cats frequently become serious biters and many will not use a litterbox appropriately after declawing. Believe me, I have seen so many cats surrendered to shelter because of these problems.
I wish you could just put each of your parents hands on the counter and whack them good with a hammer - that’s the pain the cat will feel from the surgery. Oh sure, he will get morphine and he will still experience intense pain for many weeks.
Can you take the cat to a friend’s for a few days while you try to educate your parents.
If you really love this cat you should find another home for him if at all possible.
July 22nd, 2008 at 4:40 am
catcrazy1107 says:
All the cats I have had we have de-clawed and they are fine. If the vet doesn’t tell you they aren’t supposed to play for a few days just lay down , and let there paws heal. After the get declawed , they might try to scratch stuff because , well i think they do that either to stretch or to pretend they have claws. Hope this helped.
July 22nd, 2008 at 5:15 am
Chalice says:
Ohhhh, gross. Gross attitude.
Risks are permenant lameness of lameness in later life. Also that the cat may bite if it can’t scratch. Oh yeah, and DYING under the anaesthetic - all anaesthetics carry a risk, which is why you don’t put animals under one unless it’s for THEIR benefit. I’m not trying to scare you - the cat may well be fine but that’s not the point. Tell your parents what I’ve just said.
More importantly, try to make your parents understand how incredibly selfish they’re being. Who cares about furniture. People with this attitude should NOT have cats.
Here’s a tip for them. Say ‘Mom and Dad, instead of spending a bunch of money and risking my cat’s life, how about we trim their claws regularly, then they won’t be able to scratch’.
I can assure you, if you get a vet or someone to show you how to trim a cat’s claws properly short, they will not be able to scratch - their paws will just slide off whatever.
Oh, and how about a scratch post.
WHEN will people in America get a clue.
Chalice
July 22nd, 2008 at 5:56 am
flyingparrots says:
If you have to declaw your cat it is better to do when they are young. We have never had any problems with declawing. One thing I found helped them heal better is to have the paws stitched than to have then glued. They seem to suffer nerve damage when they are glued. That lasts a life time. Please understand that when a cat is declawed it is like taking off your finger to the first knuckle. They will still rub their paws on the furniture to scent make. No damage tho.
July 22nd, 2008 at 6:38 am
BMTHESPIAN says:
As with any surgery there is the risk of death and infection. Specific to declawing there is the risk of chronic pain from nerve damage, the risk of nerve damage, developing litter box issues due to associating the litter box with the pain from the declaw, risk of the cat becoming a biter due to taking first line of defense (its claws) away. It may also help to explain to your parents that declawing is actually removing the toe at the first joint and not just removal of the claw. Also remind them that cats walk on their toes which would force the cat to walk on (assuming front declaw only) 10 seperate wounds.
Have your parents get soft paws nail caps instead. They are caps that are glued on to the nails that do not interfere with the nails retracting normally but keep the cat from damaging the furniture. One thing with soft paws is they do prevent the nails from wearing down normally so if you don’t clip them now you will have to start clipping them.
July 22nd, 2008 at 7:17 am
>’-'< Lisa says:
If you’re thinking about having your cat declawed, there are many things you should know before you make your decision. The surgery is basically an American trend, and is considered inhumane and is illegal in many countries (England, Scotland, Wales, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Slovenia, Portugal, Belgium, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Yugoslavia and Japan). If that doesn’t impact your opinion about declawing, maybe this website will help you decide: http://community-2.webtv.net/stopdeclaw/declawpics/
I believe that people who have their cats declawed are uneducated and lazy. It is not very difficult to train your cat to use a scratching post. The surgery is not simply a trimming of the claws, it’s an amputation of the distal phalanx, including bones, ligaments, and tendons. To remove the claw, the bone, nerve, joint capsule, collateral ligaments, and the extensor and flexor tendons must all be amputated. If you were to make a comparison, it would be like having the last joint of each of our fingers chopped off. So of course it is a painful surgery, with a painful recovery. There are often many complications in the healing process, including infection often from litter box use, resulting in a life-long aversion to the litter box. Other declawed cats that can no longer mark with their claws, will mark with urine instead, resulting in inappropriate elimination problems.
Many cats who have been declawed are traumatized and become withdrawn, nervous, fearful and/or aggressive. Cats who went through the painful surgery are more prone to resort to biting when they feel threatened. Since cats have emotional feelings (just like we do) they can resent you if you decided to get them declawed. All of these things can cause depression and ultimately lead to an overweight cat.
If a cat who has been declawed accidentally escapes, he/she would be in great danger. A cat needs it’s claws to defend itself, as well as to escape by climbing. The constant state of stress, caused by a feeling of defenselessness may make some declawed cats more prone to disease. Also they cannot stretch their back and shoulder muscles like they do naturally when they dig their claws into a scratching post.
One popular alternative is Soft Paws. They are lightweight vinyl nail caps that you glue on the cat’s front claws. They’re great for households with small children and are extremely useful for people who are away from home all day and can’t exercise the watchfulness necessary to train a cat to use a scratching post. Soft Paws are easy to apply and last about four to six weeks. They come in clear or colors–which are really fun.
If your cat is scratching your furniture or rugs, here is some advice on training them to use a scratching post:
Most common types of damage are scratched furniture, ripped carpets and shredded wallpaper. You want to eliminate the problem before it occurs. Buy or build a stable, tall scratching-post, right from the start. Here are some tips to do it right:
• The post should be at least two feet high, covered with sisal-rope
• Get more than one, especially when you have a multi-cat household
• Place the post close to the furniture or other areas which are most at risk
• Introduce a new scratching-post with some catnip sprinkled on its surface. Cats love that and it’s more attractive to them
• If your cat starts scratching the “wrong” object, say “NO” and gently carry your cat to the desired post. Demonstrate how to use it by scratching the post with your own nails. If the cat doesn‘t catch on after trying this repeatedly for a few days, gently pick up his paws rub them along the post.
• Never force your cat. When it starts scratching the post by itself, make sure you use verbal praise with a rewarding treat and affection. The cat needs to know that using the scratching post results in positive things such as affection, playing and treats.
• When you have a kitten, start early with the “pawing at post” technique
• Invest in what’s called a “cat tree” which acts also as a leisure area for your cat. Different textures and heights make it more interesting, you perhaps want to build it yourself
• Try some repellent like pepper-dust or some commercial products on your furniture to keep your cat off these areas
• Be persistent and don’t give up too soon
Use cat claw trimmers and only take off a tiny bit at the end of the nail. They often come with instructions. Never use trimmers that are made for humans or dogs, because you are more likely to hurt her that way. Do it once a week. Here’s a website in case you need it:
http://www.catscratching.com/htmls/article.htm
July 22nd, 2008 at 8:04 am
Natalie S says:
I got my cat declawed, but they only did her front claws she keeps trying to use her claws to stratch things but she’s been declawed for a few years and shes fine.
July 22nd, 2008 at 8:53 am
IRENE G says:
Talk to you parents about lazor lsurgery. It doesn’t hurt the animal at all. It just prevents the nail from growing back.
July 22nd, 2008 at 9:34 am
J C says:
For the poster above me - laser declawing is still declawing. They just burn off the first joint with a laser, rather than using a knife to cut off the first joint. It can do some major tissue damage, too, due to the heat from the laser. Very painful surgery no matter how it’s done.
Do you know that declawing is so painful, that pharmaceutical companies use it as their trial when they are trying out new pain drugs.
http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/declawpics.html
July 22nd, 2008 at 10:17 am