Declawing Alternatives

[davet]

just my two cents and i am sure of the responses so i won't read them...every cat i have ever had has been declawed because we always seemed to have a baby around the house...my present 19 year old was declawed when i spayed her...she still, well not as much0 climbs trees still is the terror of our back yard,etc etc...but i have had owners hit their cats with a beer bottle when it tore up the furniatur..yeah i know they should have cats and they didn't after these episodes, but lots of cats were taken to the SPCAs after they got to clawing the furniature...yeah i now the shouldnt have cats and they should train their cats to use scratching posts..i declawed up untill the time i retired but with discussions with the familys on the whys and wherefores...i have never seen a cat,excpet possibly mine but that was due to environement--you should know my kids- become psychologically impalanced from declawing..have seen a few who took some what longert to heal but know of none with permanant damage that i could find....i would still do it today if needed under certain conditions but after seeing so many cats sent to the pounds and having to be euthanized for lack of homes it was a dilemma...declaw or die in some cases.....thinsk this is one o f the reasone i was booted off the old acme cat boarad....but you can't get rid of me that easy here....

[Spez]

I have 4 declawed cats - they are declawed front and back. It was done when they were spayed at 4 months. I don't regret it - in my situation it worked out fine.

However, I do not go around advocating declawing to people. In my case, I knew that my cats were "forever" cats, I will not re-home them under any circumstance. They will remain 'indoor only' kitties. They are here until they die of old age. (They are currently 6 yrs, 5 yrs, 3 yrs, and 1 year.) They receive regular vet care and lots of attention.

Personally, I have not had any behavioral problems and they always use the kitty litter box, even when it is way overloaded. (We try not to do that!) None of my cats bite, either... but then, I had each of them from the kitten stage and was able to train them to not bite people. I understand that not all situations turn out that way and declawing has been a nightmare for some.

I know that declawing is a very, very big issue in the cat-loving community. Some people put a great deal of energy into it and I respect that. It is not an issue with me. MY own personal "message" to people is make a committment to every cat that you bring into your home. Be a promise keeper - Through good behavior and bad behavior, in sickness and in health and with lots of hugs and a clean warm environment. Many bad behaviors develop out of neglect and from of being passed from home to home to home. Cats need forever homes to feel secure. If it takes declawing their front paws to keep them in the home, so be it. Just my humble opinion.

[MA]

I have a question please and I am asking this respectfully-

If declawing does not generate behavioral problems, why are so many declawed cats owner surrenders at animal shelters? If they got the cat declawed to stop bad behavior, why would they surrender the cat up to a shelter?

[Spez]

To whom is your question addressed?

[jason]

To whom is your question addressed?

its on a public board on the internet, probably anyone reading

however, the quesioned seems rhetorical in nature...so its not so much whom the question is asked to as it is why the question is being asked.

gheesh, stick to the facts everyone....i dont care how other boards deal with this, if i notice it getting out of hand in the slightest, then topics will dissapear and users will be watched/removed. not a threat, fair warning.

[Traci]

I have a question please and I am asking this respectfully-

If declawing does not generate behavioral problems, why are so many declawed cats owner surrenders at animal shelters? If they got the cat declawed to stop bad behavior, why would they surrender the cat up to a shelter?

MA, I'm afraid I don't understand the nature of your question. Would you assume there is an even number of relinquished declawed cats vs clawed cats? There are too many numerous reasons ANY cat is relinquished to a shelter, I seriously doubt a previously declawed cat has any bearing on those statistics. Biting? Other unusual behavior due to declawing? As pointed out previously (and repeatedly on CatHelp-Online in the past, please forgive our disdain on this topic), this is a false notion that is often a ploy against declawing. There are, believe it or not, practical and health related reasons for declawing. Why declawed cats are given up to a shelter is really moot in this topic, as there are no clear answers, some of them probably have nothing to do with behavioral issues related to declawing whatsoever.

TO ALL READERS

This topic is soon to be closed and locked. Opinions initially are welcome, but heated arguments and debates, personal attacks and snide comments, or graphics or links to graphic details will NOT be tolerated. Please respect the administrators' rights in determining the content and locking the topics where we deem appropriate. So far, the topic has been somewhat civil, it will stay that way or posts will be deleted and topics locked. Regular members understand where this is going, and new members should take heed.

THAT has been CatHelp-Online's policy in the past and will continue to be in the future. We do not advocate declawing, we simply feel there are practical reasons for an owner choosing to do so.

[davet]

that is just opposite to my experince, whe i was doing SPCA weekly visits, i don't think i ever had a declawed up for adoption...but that was long ago but in practice i cannot remember a single family giving up a declawed cat for psychological or behaviour problems...knew many that were given up due to the claw damage...when i declawed, again after discussion, i would only do the fronts unless that had a very small child...a small child has a tendency to hug the cat by the neck an forelg area with the back end hanging down and i saw or was told of many a kid getting his arm ripped by the back feet...the cats wern't nasty but just wanted a little more security...theese were the only ones i would declaqw all 4,,,

[MA]

Thank you for adding to my knowledge base Traci and Davet. I quite simply have never heard the "other side" of the issue. Please do not think I was being snide in asking what I did. I keep hearing from cat rescuers that declawed cats end up in shelters all the time. I was confused, because claws are generally removed for behavior issues and not for health reasons, or so I have been told by people who have their cats declawed. Most of the declawed cats in shelters that I have heard about were owner surrenders. I did not think about claw damage being the reason they would be taken there.

I just finished one book (no names or authors mentioned) that I had to review where the author state unequivocally that declawed cats make lousy pets! I also know of a shelter or two who refuses to accept declawed cats anymore- so I was just confused.

I thank you again and will say nothing more on this issue.

[bertie]

Jason I think we have definitely got different cultural opinions working here. I am entitled to my opinion on cat declawing and I don't see why I should tone my opinions down I wasn't insulting anyone. Over here in the UK cat declawing is only done if absolutely necessaryif at all becasue we appreciate that cats are independant creatures and I have never met a vet who has condoned it. Cats are not toys we don't OWN them they own us. Perhaps where you live cats are not a suitable pet for your location. You obviously have a different way of thinking in the US. As for my adolescent tone, I find that very offensive, I'm 21 years of age with a Sociology degree so i'm not lacking intelligence as you so ruefully suggested. Yeah ok passion perhaps did take over but whats wrong with sticking up for animals who suffer so much cruelty at the hands of humans that they need a voice. I would also like to know what the difference is between being cruel to humans and being cruel to animals? I would also like to say that I wasn't pointing the finger at anyone, all I was meerly doing was expressing my opinion as I thought members here were allowed to have an adult debate about issues that concern them. Other people have expressed strong opinions on this issue so why jump down my throat? If you want to remove me from the board please do so because it's obvious that my opinions are not allowed to count however valid they are, I don't know what you have against me and personally I don't really care. All I know is that I love my cats and I would never do anything to remove their freedom and independence just to suit me. I give them the love, food, shelter and warmth they deserve and they reward me. Declawing is a punishment, designed to make humans feel they are in control.

[nick]

I have to agree with Bertie. I am from the UK too. I think that cats are of a significant intellect to get tired of the same surroundings and being stuck inside. Imagine a life without going outside! Keeping a cat indoors is wrong, cats need a certain level of social (other cats) and environmenal interaction to maintain a healthy life. If you feel a cat is unsafe where you live should you have a cat in the first place? its not is the cat right for you it is 'are you right for the cat'? Here in the UK all houses are vetted to ensure the best possible future for our cats taking into account thhings like roads and garden size.
The only exception to the rule is ill or vunerable cats who need 24 hour care and attention.
As for declawing I disagree with the whole practice in general, as with docing of animals tails and clipping of birds wings. The claws are a security measure for the cat knowing that it can defend itself if threatned and, if living outdoors, can ensure a quick gettaway. Declawing to protect furniture is vain and is not putting the cat first it is the FURNITURE. A seat can be replaced but each cat is a life and is unique. There is no viable reason to remove claws unless the animal is in medical risk of injury or that the animal is in such a phycological mindframe and condition that it is beyond living with with its claws. (I have a had a cat which fits this catagory and we never declawed her, it was the rehoming centre we had the cat from that decided that it was unfair to the other two cats I have for us to keep her and we had to abide by this....we were not right for the cat...even though we loved her we had to make a balenced decision in regards to her future welfare)
I am not in anyway attacking the views of anybody on here, I am just telling you my reasoned opinion and giving you the evidence of why I have made this decision.
You never know it may influence someone in the future.