Cats/Declawed

Right now is the best age to do it. Kittens handle it much better then adult cats. and there is no need to do the back claws. You really only need the front ones done. That way if he ever does get out he can still climb a tree or a fence if something is after him.
I worked a vet tech for almost 8 years, and most cats do just fine with the surgery and heal quickly. Make sure you use shredded paper for the litter box or the pine litter for atleast a week. so the paws do not get infected.
Most vet will give you a pain killer to help with the pain make sure you ask the vet if they do or not before the procedure. If they do not then I would find a vet at does, or offer to pay more for some. Most vets will use Metacam (meloxicam) But in low doses. Pain meds are kinda hard on cats and should be given only prescription drugs straight from the vet. Anything we have as humans is highly toxic for them.
All in all it is a painful surgery but it is well worth it when your kitty gets to stay in and does not tear your furniture or the kids up. if you have any questions please feel free to inbox me.

Complete and UTTER B.S! There is NO good reason to do it. Period. It is barbaric and inhumane. The fact you are advocating it and falsely putting out B.S. about it is hugely troubling.

There are long term effects to health of the cat-it's where many of its touch censors are that it needs, declawing can lead to arthritis and litter box problems.

I just drove 1000 km to pick up a cat that was abandoned to a kill shelter because the owner decided the cat was having sporadic litter box problems. (I volunteer for a no-kill shelter that will take the cat back--thankfully, he was micro-chipped, and the kill shelter called us in time to save the cat).

Turns out the cat was having litter box problems because the barbaric, inhumane owner violated the terms of her adoption contract by having the poor cat FRONT and BACK paw declawed!

.........so, Tango keeps his nails?

My cousin and I talked and shes completely cool with my cat

OK. Then why did you start this thread?

I'm not trying to be mean or snarky or combative. Or dense. Genuinely curious.

Here is your original post:

Okay, I really don't know how I feel about my little Tango getting declawed but I will be moving into an apartment with my cousin pretty soon who has a 2 year old and also the deposit for a cat with claws is 500 and one without claws is 300. I don't want to hurt him but there is alot at risk (he is 8-12 months)

The mother of the child is completely cool with your cat. It can't be a financial issue, because it sounds like the cost of the procedure will make the difference in deposits negligible.

What's the problem?

Right now is the best age to do it. Kittens handle it much better then adult cats. and there is no need to do the back claws. You really only need the front ones done. That way if he ever does get out he can still climb a tree or a fence if something is after him.
I worked a vet tech for almost 8 years, and most cats do just fine with the surgery and heal quickly. Make sure you use shredded paper for the litter box or the pine litter for atleast a week. so the paws do not get infected.
Most vet will give you a pain killer to help with the pain make sure you ask the vet if they do or not before the procedure. If they do not then I would find a vet at does, or offer to pay more for some. Most vets will use Metacam (meloxicam) But in low doses. Pain meds are kinda hard on cats and should be given only prescription drugs straight from the vet. Anything we have as humans is highly toxic for them.
All in all it is a painful surgery but it is well worth it when your kitty gets to stay in and does not tear your furniture or the kids up. if you have any questions please feel free to inbox me.

Complete and UTTER B.S! There is NO good reason to do it. Period. It is barbaric and inhumane. The fact you are advocating it and falsely putting out B.S. about it is hugely troubling.

There are long term effects to health of the cat-it's where many of its touch censors are that it needs, declawing can lead to arthritis and litter box problems.

I just drove 1000 km to pick up a cat that was abandoned to a kill shelter because the owner decided the cat was having sporadic litter box problems. (I volunteer for a no-kill shelter that will take the cat back--thankfully, he was micro-chipped, and the kill shelter called us in time to save the cat).

Turns out the cat was having litter box problems because the barbaric, inhumane owner violated the terms of her adoption contract by having the poor cat FRONT and BACK paw declawed!

I never told her to do it.. I even informed her about how painful it can be. I am not really for or against it.
all I did was give her information! And the only way they are going to have problems like that is if some whack job does it.. I am not going to argue with anyone about it. I do not think you should ever remove the back claws.. I always tried to talk people out of it.
People are going to do what they are going to do whether its declawing a cat or docking a dogs tail, or cropping a dogs ears. Its better to have info in your hands and have knowledge about what you are doing before hand then not.
FYI I have never seen a cat have problems using a litter box because it was declawed... and I have seen, worked on and have dealt with thousands of cats.

We have always declawed
our cats and every time "Mocha" instinctively tries to sharpen her clawless paws
on the couch I tell her just how lucky she is.
It would be inhumane to not declaw them and then be
upset at the mess they make. We also don't let her off the porch
and she only gets supervised porch excursions. But she has her own bean bag chair
with a blanket in it and she sits right in-between us on the couch
when we eat there. She is a very happy cat. Greets us at the door when we come home.
I think it is a minor surgery, do what's best for both of you!

My dad has always had his cats declawed. Personally my cats aren't but it is illegal here in the UK. I did think about it though.

I would never declaw a cat. That's horrible. If the kid gets scratched, it will heal and will probably only happen once.

Didn't read everything, so sorry for any repeat advice...

#1 When they declaw a cat, they actually amputate from the top knuckle. Imagine having all your fingers amputated like that ...

#2 We have and have had many cats over the years. Some are(/were) scratchers, some aren't. One of our cats now can be an absolute sweetheart one second and take your hand off the next. And yet, when she got mad at my 2-year-old nephew, she smacked him no-claws. I've seen several of my cats do this over the years with little kids. Not saying that every cat is the same way. You have to know the temperament of the cat. Also of the child. But most cats will give a warning to a young child before a serious clawing. And, all of my kids have been clawed by one cat or another and learned when they were little to not pester kitty. The big thing is appropriate supervision (just like for any animal, cat, dog, hamster, or fish, with a little one).

just clip their nails. My mom clips our cats nails, and they don't care XD

:noway: :frown:

im shocked and saddened that people do this.

Just dont get a cat if all you want to do is mutilate them

Here's a real problem with declawing. Suppose your sister's kitten gets out of the house? Cats use their claws for defense, without them they have no defense. Yes, they usually use their back claws for attacking, but they use their front claws for gripping. Without front claws, their back claws are useless. A declawed cat that gets outside has no defenses against any wild animal that may attack, and without front claws they are also hindered in their escape movements. Cats use their claws to help balance, they use them for a lot more than just "scratching."

Oh, and Johnnysgirl, in other parts of the world outside of the USA, it can be spelled "defence."

My cat is declawed in the front. Guess what. We took him to a vet that is a very respectable vet (my husband has been in the veterinary field for 30+ years) it was done properly AND, get this ....HUMANE. The cat is FINE. Just because a cat doesn't have front claws does NOT render him useless. He goes outside regularly. He catches lizards, birds, rodents etc -( and brings them home to me... I'm very lucky that way.. :-\). He DID get attacked by the neighbors boxer (who was off leash- which is against the law in CA). The cat kicked the dogs butt!! The cat had a small cut on his chin, the dog's face had several lacerations that required many stitches. Imagine the akwardness when we returned the dog (covered in and dripping blood) to the neighbor and told him that his dog just got in a fight with a cat and lost..... So YES they CAN defend themselves without their front claws. They can also jump fences and climb trees along with many other 'cat like' behaviors. I've seen too many cats die because people got their couches scratches by them (or were scratched by them or some other 'cat claw' issue). I'd MUCH rather see the cat live a nice life (indoors or out) than to be kiled because it has front claws and scratches.

Ultimately, the decision is yours. Go into it informed. If you choose to have it done- don't just find the cheapest guy to do it. Find a vet that is responsible and knows what he's doing. Have it done properly. Yes, there ARE other options that do work for SOME people. These options don't work for everyone. Choose the BEST option for YOU and your family. Don't feel bad for your decision.

Best of luck to you.

FYI: If you trim a cat's nails, it will encourage them to scratch (scratching poles, couches, etc) because the reason they scratch them is to sharpen them...

Right now is the best age to do it. Kittens handle it much better then adult cats. and there is no need to do the back claws. You really only need the front ones done. That way if he ever does get out he can still climb a tree or a fence if something is after him.
I worked a vet tech for almost 8 years, and most cats do just fine with the surgery and heal quickly. Make sure you use shredded paper for the litter box or the pine litter for atleast a week. so the paws do not get infected.
Most vet will give you a pain killer to help with the pain make sure you ask the vet if they do or not before the procedure. If they do not then I would find a vet at does, or offer to pay more for some. Most vets will use Metacam (meloxicam) But in low doses. Pain meds are kinda hard on cats and should be given only prescription drugs straight from the vet. Anything we have as humans is highly toxic for them.
All in all it is a painful surgery but it is well worth it when your kitty gets to stay in and does not tear your furniture or the kids up. if you have any questions please feel free to inbox me.

And then in another post, this person claims their clinic only charges $55 for a declaw.

Okay, first of all Meloxicam is off label for use in cats. It should never be used in cats with renal insufficiencies and can cause renal failure in cats. In my experience, it is not the most common pain med prescribed to cats for this reason. If your vet does prescribe this medication without first doing bloodwork to check kidney function, please go elsewhere.

Does that $55 include bloodwork to check if the cat's kidneys can handle that meloxicam you always send them home on? I think not. Does it cover anesthesia monitoring (ECG, SpO2, BP, CO2)? Do you place IV catheters so you have venous access if something goes wrong during anesthesia, or give fluid boluses if the cat's blood pressure drops? Do you intubate? Do you give injectable anesthesia, or do you just gas the cat down? Do you give injectable pain medication intra-op and during recovery? Yeah, I'm pretty sure $55 covers none of that. And, what is your anesthesia induced mortality rate?

And to claim that declawing has no health risks is ridiculous. I've seen them go horribly wrong. Some never fully healed. It is true that some cats will avoid the litterbox because the litter hurts their toes. Also, cat who are declawed are fully aware they are declawed. If they feel threatened or need to defend themselves, their first action will be to bite because they cannot scratch. Cat bites can be horrific. I've spent 5 days in the hospital due to a cat bite and have permanent nerve damage in my right hand (I'm right handed). They carry pastuerella bacteria and MRSA in their mouths. Personally, I'd rather be scratched.

It's actually illegal in my country to declaw cats (or any other animals). Just like it's illegal to amputate tails unless it's necessary for the animals health (broken tail etc). It's very cruel and inhumane to do something like that!
I really like my country in this