by Finn Frode
(Copenhagen, Denmark)
Claw caps
Note: this article was written by a valued guest, Finn Frode. It is his opinion. People have different opinions about claw caps. Please see the more than 70 comments for their viewpoints. Note: this page has been re-dated to bring it forward.
CLICK THIS LINK TO SEE SEVERAL OTHER ARTICLES ON CLAW CAPS.
The picture is snipped from a recent article in the periodical issued by the Danish cat shelter "Inges Kattehjem". I hope they don't mind me borrowing it for a good cause...
The story is that a young Canadian lady had temporarily placed her cat at the shelter. While housed there, the shelter staff noticed those little blue caps on it's claws and wondered what they were for.
When confronted the lady told them that the cat sometimes suffered from convulsions that might cause it to harm itself and therefore her vet had recommended declawing. Knowing that this practice is illegal in many countries, the lady asked for an alternative and the cat ended up with these so-called "claw caps".
The young lady only wished the best for her cat, so after talking things over with the shelter staff, she wisely decided to have the claw caps removed from the cat immediately and instead seek proper medical treatment for the convulsions.
The shelter sees this case as the classic example of how you can do your pet a disservice in good faith - even when advised by somebody, who should be an authority like the vet.
Here in Denmark claw caps would no doubt be illegal, as they "cause considerable inconvenience to the animal" - that's at least the point of view of the shelter, who noticed that the caps seemed to prevent the cat from retracting it's claws.
If you google "claw caps" and "cats", you'll find some companies that offer these things. It's claimed that the caps do not "interfere with the normal extension and retraction of claws". But I somehow doubt that, because all the pictures show cat paws with those little caps sticking far out instead of being properly retracted...
Using claw caps is not as cruel as declawing, but it still seems like mutilation to me. It prevents the cat from following it's natural instincts by scratching and maybe climbing the scratching pole - and also from protecting itself. And each cap must be renewed every 4 or 6 weeks in a procedure lasting up to 5 minutes per claw while the glue dries. I doubt my big old moggie would ever have the patience for that...
Instead spend two minutes every two weeks trimming the claws on the front paws - it's really that easy once the both of you have gotten used to the procedure. And of course get one or more scratching poles that allows your cat to really stretch out.
Finn Frode
This article is truly an opinion piece rather than anything scientific. It’s a shame that people get so riled up after reading one flawed, illogical article on the internet and use it as an excuse to bash on each other, while failing to provide any evidence for their argument themselves. This website should be ashamed of itself for posting such blasphemy from such an uneducated author with no facts to support it. I came here purposely looking for a reason NOT to cap my cats nails and have only found that your side fails to provide any evidence, in fact it uses inconclusive evidence (the siezures and nap caps are not related sweetie!!! One is trying to remedy symptoms of the other!) to progress it’s point. Please take this down and provide a factual, non-biased, complete article on this topic from a credible author. I would actually like to learn something, thank you!!!!
This is meant to be an opinion piece. That is perfectly valid. It is not meant to be anything else.
There is nothing to be ashamed of. Nothing at all. We have opinions. I am allowing you to express yours.
CLICK ON THIS LINK TO SEE ALL THE ARTICLES ON CLAW CAPS ON THIS SITE AND THEN LEAVE ANOTHER COMMENT!
I highly recommend nail caps on hairless cats! They stay in place and shed off like their normal nails! My cats have no problems with them and the caps have saved my new couch. My last couch they completely destroyed even though they are provided with many different types of scratch posts and toys! I also highly recommend Cat Scratch Guards for leather coaches!
Many thanks Adrianna for your nice comment. One thing about claw caps on hairless cats is that you manage them better because you can see them better.
I don’t know how these claw caps work but I have a male cat and his mother and I don’t know why he despises her she tried to be friends as well and it drives me crazy why he can’t just ignore her if he don’t like her. But everytime she has her back turned or if she’s walking past him he runs after her. She won’t even use the little box around him or she’s afraid to walk past him cuz he will fricken sit there near the room where her litterbox Is I even wake up through out the night and put her in the room where litterbox is and put gate up to see if she got to go because she will hold pee and poop all day to avoid him its insane so I have to do this every so often day and night and when I leave I have to keep them separated because of this in case she’s got to use bathroom cuz I won’t be there to put her in her room…if I had a bigger place it would be so much better and we r looking for a bigger apartment then they have more room to themselves… cuz right now I have to put a baby gate up and give one half the house the other half eventually got to put another on top cuz he can’t jump high don’t know y but he does not jump he will avoid it if it’s his but I’ve saw him climb the gate before, when she’s in there he won’t climb but if he is stuck in her room he will try now if I put a towel covering the whole where he can climb on he can’t at all but prob best to get another gate ..but mama is such a amazing cat I can’t let her have to live like this having to worry about getting scratched at cuz he will chase her and when she’s not paying attention or even when she’s sleeping he will just swipe her. I wanted him declawed so bad but I can’t cause how bad it is but I wish there was some way to just stop him…and these claw caps really seem like the only option to hopefully stop him from drawing blood or scratch marks and yes I clip his claws but he can still do damage if he wants.. Unless someone knows a better way…cuz I hate her having to be worried 24/7 because of him and yes they are both fixed and I clip both cats Nails..
In the pic teenie is the one way in the background he’s tan and white. Mama’s the one up close by the scratched she’s a dilute calico and spookie who gets along with both Teenie and mama and they get along with him. Thing is teenie was taken from his mother very early when he was young he don’t remember her brought him home and he grew up with spookie who was already a full grown cat when he met teenie who was a baby kitten. Then a year later we get mama because we couldn’t get her right away. My great aunt had mama till I could bring her home…the situation why I couldn’t bring her home right away cuz we lived with his parents at the time and they had animal issues cuz there two dogs peed everywhere even though my cats have never peed anywhere other then there litterbox. It all depends if the owner takes care of everything and keeps everything clean and sanitary…
Danielle, thank you for telling us your story. It looks as though the boy cat has grown up, become independent and demands his own territory. As you are living in quite a small place his mother is intruding upon his territory. He wants his mother out of the way to have his territory to himself. When offspring grow up they become independent and lose those family connections.
The problem you have is animosity between the male offspring and his mother. The problem is not really the scratching but the animosity between the two. Claw caps will certainly help to eliminate scratching. They are simply glued onto the claws. They need renewing from time to time and I think they are not that good and a problem but they will certainly help to reduce the damage.
However the better and more permanent solution is to separate the two cats. I am not going to advise this but the better solution would be to rehome the boy cat so that he has his own territory. Or, as you say, get a bigger place to allow him to have some of his own territory. But that may not work properly because you don’t know how much territory he wants or needs or demands.
I am sorry that you are suffering with this very difficult problem. The best of luck with this. And thank you once again for commenting.
So if I shouldn’t use claws caps or delcawing I wonder what your suggestion would be to otherwise keep kitty from accidentally scratching up furniture even with trimmed claws. And ‘dealing with it’ is not the solution.
The article about not using claw caps was written by a colleague of mine. They are his personal views. Clearly, plastic claw caps are much better than declawing a cat, we should never happen.
The answer really is to trim the claws and accept some damage by a cat’s claws. The best answer really is to accept it although that may be impossible for some people. Another answer is to buy furniture which you don’t mind being scratched or which is difficult to scratch and then of course you can provide lots of big cat scratching posts. But there is likely to be some scratching of furniture in my view and as mentioned, it is to be accepted.
Thanks for commenting by the way.
Ok I know this is an old discussion, but for those of you against claw caps, I’ll tell you my current situation. And please, if you don’t agree with my choice, try to be a civil adult and refrain from the insults and name calling that I saw in earlier posts. And yes I am American and absolutely loathe the idea of declawing. I don’t have one bit of care for the state of our furniture. We have 2 boys that are very rough n tumble & I’m pretty sure that the majority of the damage is from them, not the puppies or cats.
We have 3 cats, 2 bulldog puppies, and recently discovered a cat hanging around outside. We live out in the woods in a very rural area, so seeing a cat out here, we thought for a few weeks that it was from our neighbor’s place. A couple days ago I guess he decided that we were ok & approached the house, where I realized he was EXTREMELY hungry. I fed him & he was so sweet & loving and had no fear coming up and rubbing all over our legs. He was healthy looking but way too thin. The only thing we could think of was that he’d been dumped out in the country, probably by someone who inherited cats from a deceased family member, (a mommy cat showed up at our neighbor’s @ the same time). Sadly that sort of situation happens a lot out here. We took him to our vet and he was too terrified of a carrier so we wrapped him in a towel to transport him, handled the exam & shots beautifully, and we figured he just needed time to recover & realize he wouldn’t be abandoned again. We’re keeping him mostly in a separate room from the other fur babies while he gets used to our home & doesn’t get too stressed out. We also plan on getting him fixed once he’s gotten more comfortable in a few days or so. And he & our older boy who is autistic have made an amazing connection. J. will just lay near Percy and show him his lego collection or read stories to him.
But in the past 2 days, in the middle of being lovey, he’s turned & scratched our 9yr old child badly. We keep telling our kid to go slow, but he can’t seem to remember when Percy is being so sweet. I think it’s that A. gets too enthusiastic, forgets, and starts treating him like our other non-traumatized cats. Getting him neutered will probably help some, but he’s been thru an extremely rough time so needs time to fully heal mentally.
So these are our options. 1) Put him back outside & let the coyotes get him in about a week or so. 2) Send him to a shelter that is already overpopulated where they might have to put him to sleep if he isn’t adopted into an understanding home. 3) Just go ahead and have him put to sleep ourselves. 4) Keep him, but get him declawed so that he doesn’t hurt the boys or our other animals. 5) Keep him, but have our vet put the claw caps on him until he fully trusts us & knows that he is safe.
Personally, I’m going to go with the non-permanent caps. Yes it seems like it would be uncomfortable, but given his limited options it’s also his best chance. It might take years before we can stop using them, or we may never be able to. It all depends on how badly he was traumatized by losing his family and then being left in an area that was so dangerous and scary.
So that’s my story. Ya’ll can agree or not, it’s your right. But it won’t change what will happen. Don’t judge all Americans by just a few. Yes, he’s probably going to lose full use of his claws for however long, but he’ll be alive and in a loving home where he’ll be able to heal.
Hi, many thanks for taking the time to tell us your story. It is a great story well told. I completely agree with your assessment. It is very sensible. I would hope that the time comes when you can dispense with claw caps. The article was written by a colleague, not me. I tend to accept that on occasions like yours that claw caps are very useful and a “solution”.
I’d like to turn your comment into an article. I’ll presume that you’ll agree. I promise that you will not get upsetting comments. I doubt whether you’ll get any upsetting comments anyway but if there are some I’ll either delete or modify them. Many thanks again.
Do you want to tell us your name?
Nah, I’d rather remain anonymous. Thank you though for the kind words.
That’s fine.
What did you do?
Personally I think number 3 is the best option. I would rather die than being tortured. I don’t think dying is bad – it’s the ones left who’s grieving.
I wouldn’t do anything. My child would leave the cat alone after being clawed enough. 🙂
Mutilation: to injure, disfigure, or make imperfect by removing or irreparably damaging parts: Vandals mutilated the painting. 2. to deprive (a person or animal) of a limb or other essential part.
Gel nail caps do not mutilate a cat, they do not cause mutilation. They are very temporary.
I am not a fan of them because they do prevent a cat from scratching, which is a natural behavior and essential to a cat for both mental and physical reasons. Scratching leaves behind a mark and a scent that says to the cat ‘I own this’ so not being able to do that means the cat has a much harder time feeling at home. It would be a lot like a human living in an white walled apartment with no furniture. The physical aspect of clawing also helps with the muscle tone of the cat.
That being said, I actually used the caps for a few months when I had a kitten who had no manners when it came to clawing, and even trimming the claws as short as I could didn’t help. Using them for a few months helped a great deal in not only my sanity but it helped him learn to live life with out clawing first. That was 12 years ago and he and my seven other cats are all claw intact and I haven’t had another cat that ‘needed’ them – including 400+ fosters, but I have recommended them to other people who have young obnoxious cats.
You know, doing an xray of the paws would immediately put to rest the argument if the cat’s claws can fully retract or not. I believe they do and you see the gel cap because it is thick, not because the claw is unretracted.
I’d have to add that the only reason the claw caps seem like they’re interfering is because they are much more noticeable. They’re over top of the existing claw so they are thicker than just the tip of the nail when it grows out. Thus they can be seen a lot better when the nail is retracted. If you put claw caps on a cat yourself then you would notice this. The claw caps don’t cover the entire nail so that the nail can in fact retract properly.
Thanks Sky for sharing your thoughts on this.
I use caps for my cats nails and in no way has it ever caused problems for my cat. The cap sticks out further than the normal claw would because they are PLASTIC CAPS and go OVER the nail. Also, the caps do not prevent the cat from retracting their claws whatsoever. You would have to be extremely careless when putting on the caps to cause the cat any type of harm. My cat doesn’t mind them whatsoever. If she did I wouldn’t use them and would rather let her claw my furniture than to permanently mutilate her paws. I have been around a cat that was newely declawed and it was the most horrible thing I have ever seen. Please don’t compare plastic caps that eventually fall off to permanently mutilating an animal.
Thanks Kimberly for a very sensible and convincing comment. The author of the article is one person’s viewpoint as I am sure you understand.
Are You People Kidding Me?!?
Americans are cruel to animals and wanting possessions instead of pets? Where do you get your information?
I have 2 very happy, very healthy cats. Both have been spayed and both wear Soft Paws. Remarkably neither one has died or become deformed from it.
Their claws retract fully with them on. Their claws retract fully with them off.
I have Cancer and am undergoing chemotherapy. It would not be in my best interest to get scratched by a kitty having used a litterbox. Am I supposed to say gee as long as the cats are free to demolish my furniture, carpets, legs, etc I will just deal with possible toxoplasmosis?
I feel the scat mats are MUCH more cruel than caps. The caps don’t hurt, the cats operate just fine with them on. Shocking, popping, scaring, squirting, etc a cat is horrible!
Trust me, Lunabelle and Cleopatra are just FINE with caps on their claws!
Get the heck over yourselves and find something real to get your feathers ruffled about! Like starving children, pregnant crackheads, meth use, terrorism…….
Not 4 oz of silicone I choose to put on my cats claws.
Thank your for commenting. The views expressed on this page are those of one person, Finn, in Denmark (a good guy by the way). They are not necessarily the views of other people. So when you say “Get the heck over yourselves” you should be saying “Get the heck over yourself”.
The best of luck for the future and I hope you beat cancer. I have a neighbour who has terminal lung cancer. He lives 100 yards from me and his wife says he won’t live more than 2 weeks. It makes me think.
NOTE: This article suggests taking the time to trim your cats claws. THIS SHOULD BE DONE EITHER WITH EXTREME CAUTION OR BY A PROFESSIONAL. A lot of people do not realize, but the veins of a cat extend into their claws. When you clip a cat’s nails, you have to be careful not to clip far back and clip the vein, as the cat will start to bleed heavily. Though they won’t bleed out, it’s still not that great of a thing to go through. SO BE CAREFUL.
Thanks Alison. You are correct of course. I have always found trimming a cat’s claws tricky. Cats don’t like it unless trained to accept it from a young age.
Do you wear shoes, do you wear gloves in the cold Danish winter? Of course those also cause some inconvenience; or would you rather cut your hand or feet off so as not go get cold?
Your argument is absurd. We are here to protect animals and they are here to serve us. If a shoe protects your feet and gloves protect your hands; moreover, shoes and gloves do provide safety from external issues in e factories and elsewhere, so do the caps protect our (human) investment and property from animals.
Your final assumption would be not to have any domestic animals and let them in the wild only. The problem with such ideology in Scandinavia is to provide greater rights to animals over humans and our property. Should a bear enter my property and present a threat to life, liberty, or family, I will kill it. You would have it kill me as to protect my liberties would be illegals.
God bless America and our Constitution.
Hi Andrey. I don’t think the analogy with humans wearing gloves is a good one because (a) we know we are wearing gloves and (b) we don’t stick them on with glue and (c) we don’t wear them permanently.
https://pictures-of-cats.org/questions-i-have-about-soft-claws-claw-caps.html
I don’t agree with that. I don’t believe companion animals are here to serve us. They are here as companions.
I agree that it’s not ideal to cap a cat’s claws either, but it is definitely way better than declawing (for reasons that others have already noted). I have to cap my cat’s claws not for the sake of the furniture or for any humans, but because we also have a bearded dragon. While they are kept separate the vast majority of the time, sometimes our beardie likes to come out of his tank and explore. We only allow this under close supervision, but it would only take one swipe of one of our kitty’s uncapped claws to kill him. (There’s also the fact that she has been known to sneak into his room and leap into his tank!) So, to keep *everyone* safe, her claws do need to be capped. And you know what? She is still a perfectly happy and healthy cat, still plays, and still quickly climbs to the top of her cat tree.
I agree. Although I respect Finn’s opinion (the author of the article). I am interested in a cat and a bearded dragon living together. You should take some pictures. You can upload them to a comment. Thanks for commenting.
So much nastiness, so defensive. We all know declawing is immoral, even those who won’t admit it must know deep down that it is cruel and inhumane to remove healthy toe ends for human convenience, there’s no justification for it so sadly pro declaws resort to attack as their only means of defence. Ruth can take it, she’s made of strong stuff where declawing is concerned, keep up the good work Michael and Ruth, a formidable team!
so you are saying I am not a true cat lover..that is laughable and yes she has the right of freedom of speech that DOES NOT INCLUDE THE RIGHT TO THREATEN..THAT IS AGAINST THE LAW! if my cat could talk I imagine she would have much more to say than where are my claws, in fact I have a 5 minute video of her and I talking..do you even know how cats communicate? and she got us on to a completely different subject..how to treat others with RESPECT. You will continue to defend her actions and that is fine..but respect my opinions and my love for my cat and my cats love for her family. She cannot speak at all now but either way I will speak for her not someone who does not know her and only seems to care about her claws..my cat was so much more than if she was declawed or not. and an fyi on your discussion about losing fur..if allergy related as Cleo’s was..it is most likely breaking off she is not gnawing it off..are you a vet or you just play one on your website. I was very kind and reading all opinions until it started to turn ugly and I have no room or time for that in my life. Carry on as you please but she should really watch her tongue..your mouth could be your own worst enemy and sorry but her comments conjure up images or people bombing a veterinary clinics..extremists as I said in the beginning. For the final record my cat was a rescue rescue..I did not declaw her she came to me that way but if she didnt I would do it in a heartbeat on my vets recommendation..if you were to site more than 1 reference over and over your information may sound a bit more credible and my vet has way more class than to put anyone down for their beliefs or take stock in what one website and 2 people are saying and yes he does it for the cats. I was amazed when she was sick of the horror stories I read about people just dumping the cats for financial or just because the cats were ill ..time to move on..now why dont you go yack it up to those sickos! I would have sold everything I had to give her the best care possible so dont you dare tell me I didnt love my cat! 14 yrs a pretty good run I would say ..bless her little heart and my husband who held her for 5 hr as she was taking her last breaths ..she was gone but her heart kept beating and we were not going to abandon her or let her be alone,,which she did not want to be and never attempted to be..so now you tell me I didnt love my cat..and remind me to come back her and verbally attack you just days after your “companion” has passed! you people have such tunnel vision just wow! I compare losing my cat to losing my mother..the same hurt but no i didnt care about her,,again utterly laughable.
You believe that you are a true cat lover but with respect you cannot be a genuine and true cat lover if you mutilate your cat at your convenience which is what declawing is and if you don’t get that you are deceiving yourself.
You are anthropomorphising your cat. You can’t do that because if you do, you come to the wrong conclusion. A cat does not live by human laws. That is obvious and common sense and you know it. Cats do not threaten unless they are threatened. So if your cat threatens you with her claws it is because of something that you did or created i.e. the environment in which he or she lives.
I will respect you in terms of your rights etc. but I cannot respect your opinions about declawing because they lead to what is considered across all of Europe as cat cruelty. What you think is all right and decent is also considered cat cruelty in Israel. How can I respect that opinion. From the perspective of Europeans, your views are immoral in respect of declawing. That does not mean you are immoral it just means that on this issue you have unethical inhumane views according to European values.
I never try and play the vet on this website. I always remind people to see a vet and remind them that researching information on the Internet is not a substitute for proper veterinary care. I know more about declawing in terms of its consequences than 90% of America vets. Botched operations.
Every person who is against declawing is not an extremist. They are simply expressing an alternative view to yours with passion. It could be argued that your views are extremist because they are out of step with the rest of the world. America and Canada are the only countries where declawing happens. Both these countries are out of step with modern veterinary care and thoughts on the planet. It is American veterinarians and yourself who are the extremists in perpetuating declawing it could be said.
American veterinarians recommended declawing because they make a lot of money out of it. That is the only reason why they recommend it and it is against their oath. You know it and I know it but they carry on as normal.
I am not putting you down. I am making my points. Many American veterinarians don’t like doing declawing. The Paw Project is an example of veterinarians who don’t like and don’t do declawing. The only reason why many veterinarians in America do declawing is because of peer pressure and because if they refuse it their client will go somewhere else. There are also millions of people in America who don’t like declawing and don’t declaw their cats. About 20 to 30% perhaps 40% of cats in America are declawed which means the majority of cats in America are not declawed which also means that the majority of people in America don’t agree with declawing. I regret to say that your veterinarian cannot have class if he declaws cats for profit.
I do.
I don’t know anything about you except for your views on declawing. I am do not have tunnel vision. Far from it. It could be argued that it is you who has tunnel vision. I would ask you to open your mind to the possibility of not declawing.
It is not laughable. Declawing a cat is a very serious matter.
Well said Michael, I wish people would just stop and educate themselves about declawing as we have done, instead of trying to justify and defend it.
Yes it’s a very serious matter and every cat’s claws we save is worth a thousand insults. One day those who hate the truth we speak, will have to admit we have been right all along and declawing vets will be no more, I can hardly wait for that day to come.
One thing for sure pro-declawers hate to be told anything 😉 They particularly hate someone disagreeing with them. That alone tells us how arrogant and entrenched in their views they can be.
whoa whoa whoa now you seem to be issuing a threat or ??
my vet is a highly acclaimed vet..doing great work and recognized for his work with allergies and FINALLY getting others in the field to agree cats are allergic to fish..not all but many many more than you can ever imagine. It absolutely DID NOT ruin my cats life..you didnt know her or us and I do not appreciate you even talking about my cat in that context as I said we JUST lost her please respect that. Michael lets just agree to disagree and I am very impressed or was with the debate here. I was very interested in looking at the rest of this site and just leaving this conversation,however, it seems my first comments were dead on and I do not wish to be around this Ruth’s last comment has made me once again say this is what is wrong with America LAND OF THE FREE. WE ARE FREE and I wont have others talking about or inferring violence or any other means against ones will or against the law to get me to see it their way..this is UGLY Ruth you completely lost any credibility in your argument. I have nothing else to add or care to add..again Michael thank you for listening to what I have to say..I am utterly disgusted by the behavior I have just witnessed..Ruth you are vile
ok yes one more thing to say since I just read the entire post by Ruth and may I say if you would get your head out of your ass you would know I was talking about her being in pain before she died..yes I knew my cat very well..so I couldnt know but you know all..I am beginning to see if you are not of the opinion you are not welcome here..wow a cat site I was looking for a little relief from this heartache..thanks for being so compassionate, you close minded ignorant excuse for a human being..with that being said I would like my email deleted from this site at once..thank you..ps woman have no rights in other countries and public hangings are still acceptable..no such thing as a fair trial in many countries so if you jump off a bridge i should too..think for yourselves people! but hey if they uk is doing it why dont you move there!
People who don’t like declawing would quite possibly say the same thing about you, and people like you, that you have said about Ruth. Please remember that. We argue that people who don’t see the immorality of declawing are closed minded. They aren’t enlightened. They don’t see animal rights. They see animals as secondary to their rights. They see the domestic cat as something that should amuse them and keep them company but they don’t see that this is a living, sentient being with feelings and emotions. They don’t understand that the declaw operation can go very wrong but the cat can’t tell you about that. The cat simply suffers with bone shards in its toes. How many cats in America have bits of bone left in their toe stumps? How many cats in America have claw growth under the skin of their toe stumps? Can you answer that question? It is quite likely there will be millions and no one knows about it because no one cares except people like Ruth and me and the people at The Paw Project. The so-called good veterinarians like yours don’t know about it and don’t care about it, it seems to me. Don’t you find that a bit surprising?
Adrienne, I agree then America is the land of the free. It is a democracy. Freedom of speech is enshrined in the constitution so I hope you respect other people’s rights to say what they want to say. The thing is this: what you have said in support of declawing is upsetting to someone like Ruth who finds declawing objectionable and cruel. To a person who loves cats and respects cats declawing is a cruel operation there is no doubt about it. Anything said on the site against declawing is said with passion and common sense. It is a subject that generates passion amongst true cat lovers. With passion comes strong language and I hope people will accept and respect that.
It is interesting that being American you have freedoms as you state. You have freedom of choice and you have the freedom to form your own opinions. It is ironic, therefore, that your cat companion has almost no protection or rights whatsoever by comparison in that Americans are able to mutilate their cat’s paws for their own convenience (yes, their convenience). If cats had the freedoms that people enjoyed America and if they could speak English what do you think they would say about declawing?
Ruth is not vile. Please don’t insult her. She is a very good woman who hates animal cruelty.
No threats, only facts, declawing is being proved scientifically to be cruel, yet you continue to condone it and to deny cats suffer because of it.
I think your very defensive and insulting attitude is because you know at the bottom of you that we are right.
Maybe you are trying to justify declawing because you feel guilty, but there is no way to justify the amputation of a cat’s healthy toe ends.
It wont be long before ‘highly acclaimed’ or not, declawing vets will be shown up for what they are, the very people who trained to care for animals are causing cats to suffer.
You can argue and bluster and call me as many names as you like but I will continue to educate as much as I can about this legalised abuse.
Notice I haven’t resorted to childish defensive insults, I don’t need to because I KNOW I am in the right!
America is not the land of the free for declawed cats, it’s the land of suffering and the entire civilised world is watching and waiting for it to stop!
Well said. It is a blot on American society. It tells about the relationship between animal in human in North America.
first I would like to suggest to the kitty with the allergies..we just lost our baby girl of 14 yrs and she had horrible allergies..first thing vet did was no fish and it worked miracles. Those were not her only allergies but it helped..now may I say and attack me if you will because that is the only way you seem to know..do you know how many cats are put out once a piece of furniture is scratched…
my girl had her front declawed when we got her and no one will tell me that she was not the most loving affectionate cat I have ever had and this from someone who had cats my entire life..do as you wish but please stop reading and believing all the fanatical things you spout at others about..you are a group of very misinformed and may I say mean people..mean makes you ugly and it is hateful and what a shame this is what we have become.
My cat was so very happy and never did I have a cat that even when dying wanted to be with us..not off on her own. You may have your beliefs but shame on you for treating others with such disrespect because they do not believe as you do!
Thanks Adrienne for taking the time to share your experiences. However, people who dislike declawing are not fanatical. We don’t spout misinformation and we’re not mean or ugly. We just don’t like people mutilating their cats for their convenience and I think that is a very good attitude to take. It is a compassionate attitude. And if the reason why people declaw their cats is so that they don’t abandon them after they have scratched their furniture then the obvious and much better answer is not to adopt a cat at all. There is no counter argument to that simple statement. There simply can’t be and therefore I regret to say that you are wrong. Personally, I respect the views of others but I cannot respect people who declawed their convenience. I just can’t because doing something for themselves which hurts their cat and then they proclaim to the world that their cat is loving and they love their cat. It does not make sense to me. You wouldn’t chop the fingers off your baby and say you love your baby at the same time would you? I wonder whether you know what declawing actually is. It is not, as you may well know, the removal of the claw but it is the removal of a part of the toe and that means chopping through bone. It is an amputation.
Michael I can show you 2 more articles for the other side, I can have my vet sit here and speak and I can let you sit in and observe the procedure..it wont make any difference and we just go around again. I have read many many articles on this subject and I still believe you take it to the extreme and actually scare people without warrant. This is a much tamer discussion than I have witness and kudos for that. I also would never ever let my cat be an outdoor cat..not my domestic cat..and expose it to dangers that it does not need to be exposed to ..why would a loving cat owner want to expose you animal to the horrors it cannot defend itself against..my cat was not a wild cat and claws or no claws she would not have lasted a day out there let alone get a disease that she would not get in the house..she was very content to lay in the sun all day and hethrough the house at midnight..use steps and a chair to happily climb in bed..get her treats and settle in on my husband legs..every night even her last. I will get another cat and I will do the same things with my next cat and can only hope it is as loving and affectionate as my cat was. She made believers out of non cat people. She stole my husbands heart and he hasnt looked back! I will miss her everyday and know I gave her a wonderful happy life and she was not in pain. I do wonder who did more for who…her for us or us for her.. I like to think it was completely mutual!
We will have to agree to disagree but also remember that there are many countries in Europe who ban declawing. That is whole countries which ban the operation. That must tell you something about it surely. With respect to you, I think you are in denial about it. It is clearly immoral and there’s no getting away from that conclusion. You can justify that much as you wish and people who declaw their cats always do. They always find a reason why they can do it. It is human nature but that does not make it less wrong.
Have you not read any of the latest evidence from the Paw Project who are repairing the paws of cats mutilated by declawing? If not I think you should and should educate your vet too who is breaking his oath by being the cause of cats suffering.
Many cats have bone splinters from botched declawing,
you don’t know that your cat didn’t suffer, cats are very stoic, they hide pain!
Because she couldn’t dig in her claws to exercise as cats need to, the chances are high that she suffered at the very least arthritis.
What option have cats but to carry on as best they can, suicide isn’t an option for them, so they have to get used to living a disabled life.
Of course she was loving, like all declawed cats she didn’t know who had betrayed her trust and paid someone to amputate her toe ends.
We are not extremists, we just love cats and are passionate about their welfare, declawing is CRUEL, it ruins cats lives, therefore we have to stop it and believe you me, we WILL stop it! It’s as simple as that!
Hello and a Hearty MEOW! to my UK Friends!! AND to all OF MY OTHER FRIENDS AS WELL!!! I DON’t leave any one out, since I like to consider all as friends!! WE all just wear different hats! 🙂 Anyway, an update to my saga, OR should I say to my heavily debated saga with my little Missy and her kitty claws. To recap, She has had her front claws LASER declawed instead of the traditional amputation declaw. Since Fall of 2013 she has been scratching her neck to a bald shredded ribbon.
WE are (the kitties are on) grain-less food,we are careful with her laundry as well. the house-hold cleaners are all natural and she is never any where around during or quite a while We have a wonderful veterinarian who thinks of everything, Missy is now taking her med orally as well, “COMFORTIS”‘ very good,
BUT, the real subjects of this Letter are Missy’s toes! she has been wearing her kitty caps for 1 week now and she is doing so very well!! Now at first, she did shake her paws mildly , but when she found nothing out of place, she went on with her business. I am thrilled and over joyed that i don’t have to get her declawed and lose all sense of protection, sense of feeling, balance, or just her well being.
It would be like someone coming in and cutting off all my hair everywhere!!!you would feel too strange.VERY EASY TO DO !! Her hair is growing back so very nicely on her neck, even though she can still scratch, she does no damage and she can get relief from the little caps, they do have a little point.Missy is much more relaxed and peaceful and lovey-dovey again.
The other 3 kitties have always been used to me cutting their nails since they were new; first thing I did was take them to the bathroom and sit there with them and treats, I solidly stand firm on my choice to choose the kitty claws rather let her go “Natural” and injure herself and cause infection the we humans could possibly get in spite of very diligent hand washing procedures.(i think I neglected to tell you dear friends, Missy DOES have Toxoplazmosis, so I have to be almost obsessive with the hand washing and the litter boxes. and the kitty claws have saved Missy from the painful declaw, no matter which procedure.
When I go on my phone, I will send a picture of her toes, WHICH by the way, she can extend and retract them very nicely. I think it may be a size issue of the artificial nail caps and amount of the “super glue used, (only supposed to fill the nails 1/2 way) or, if they used nails too big where retraction isn’t possible, as well as too much glue the kitty fingers are glued also…. that glue is strong and tight stuff- I spilled it on me, BIG mistake!!But my Missy is having NO problems!!! NO DECLAW; NO PAIN, NO REJECTION, VERY HAPPY KITTY !!! ^.,.^__/ meow!
Hi Ann, thanks for visiting and sharing. I presume the front claws are removed (declawed) and the caps are on the rear. Is that correct? Or have I got that wrong? I am concerned she scratches her neck. I guess you have put on the caps to stop her injuring herself but she still scratches. Do you know the reason now for the itchy neck?
For me all declawing is bad, very bad. Laser declawing is no better. It was just marketed by the vets as better. It is a marketing tool no more to encourage more declawing.
I am pleased the claw caps are working OK. A lot of cats have dormant toxoplasmosis (asymptomatic). I don’t think it is that big a deal to be honest. A lot of people have it too!
Dear Ruth and anyone who cares about God’s precious 4 legged beautiful creatures He created for us to be faithful stewards of while they and we are on this temporary world until Jesus returns. I DID research very carefully options for my dear kitty WITH my VET. AT that time, there was no such thing as Kitty CAPS OR OTHER SUCH PRODUCT, or I would have opted in that direction for her. The laser DOES NOT REMOVE BONE in the fashion the surgeon performed the procedure that you showed on the diagram, or I wouldn’t have done this either. I’m so very sorry you good folks in the UK have such a bad flavor in your mouth for the Animal lovers in the USA, there are more humane rescue groups/organizations and foster groups who care for the unwanted and undesired and elderly and ANY legged animal that needs love, a roof over it’s head and food and warmth, than there are animal shelters (usually one shelter per city, or 2-3 if it’s a large city) and what ever medical need comes out of the pocket of that person whether they can afford it or not. The veterinarians are accommodating for these dear animals needs as well to help with costs. So, you see Ruth, we aren’t monsters just because a few people talk about declawing their cats, this is only a tiny drop in an ocean of water. I DO thank you and wish many Blessings for your (and many of your other folks!) concern! ^.,.^__/ meow! 🙂
So Ann you know better than the Paw Project vets do you?
Why don’t you ask them if you don’t believe us here?
Strange that the Paw Project vets are using my diagram to show that laser declawing has the same outcome as any other method if you are the one who is right.
Laser declawing DOES remove the bone, there is NO WAY to declaw a cat without removing the bone:
https://pictures-of-cats.org/there-is-no-new-way-to-declaw-cats.html
Sadly you are another person to be taken in by this story which regularly does the rounds.
Please stop trying to justify this cruelty to cats.
The only animal lovers in your country are the people who arte against declawing by any method at all, all methods cripple cats!
Please do some more research before you come along with any more stupid and cruel untruths, you are just making a fool of yourself!
Spit it, sister!
It’s so aggravating that some people believe that rubbish, I wish they would do some real research instead of just spouting the lies they heard. How many more cats are suffering because of people doing this!
It makes my claws come right out in defence of those cats claws in danger from those who think laser declawing doesn’t amputate the toe joints…..
Hope you are OK Dee, B has 2 weeks off, wonderful day today at a nature reserve, really recharged the old hiss and claws.
Understandable, R.
I know all about going from simmer to boil in a flash over hardheaded folks who are blind believers.
Doing OK.
Happy B is getting some time.
http://www.pawproject.org/
quote:
FACTS ABOUT FELINE DECLAWING
Declawing is amputation; it is not merely the removal of the claws. To declaw a cat, the veterinarian cuts off the last knuckles of a cat’s paw – cutting through bone, tendons, skin and nerves. In a person, it is equivalent to amputating each finger or toe at the last joint.
Except with the laser method the vet doesn’t cut off the last knuckle but BURNS off the last knuckle
That is fine Michael . Thank You for your consideration. By the way, I’m from the Grand U.S.A..
Not so grand for the cats being mutilated there!
Well, darn it, this spell check is for the bad birds ( sorry bird folks!!). Up above it says I “didn’t have a home declared” for Simon… It SHOULD say..”I didn’t have him DECLAWED ! ! ” that’s right!! He had been through enough for a kitten by the time we adopted him!!! I should say, we have two cats with all claws intact, ( the males) The females have their back claws intact and ONE wears soft claws. There was talk if furniture, one lady is right, there are covers that are very nice looking that you can throw in the wash to keep fresh and nice; underneath? Yea, it’s pretty much shredded, back claws will damage also during those wonderful times of “catch me if you can” or the night time fun-times, or just anytime, who cares??? It’s an inanimate object!! What do you count when you count your Blessings??? ‘.,.’__/ u meow
Thanks for your comment.
Hi Marri, Let me tell you my story , then I will get to the point: we have had all rescue dogs and cats for about 30 years; from new born to.terminally ill with leukeimia or fiv (feline immuno deficiency disease); at this writing our eldest kitty is 15 years old, and still plays like a young kitten in all sense of the word. This is Spaz.,she camen to us as anorphaned , very referral young kitten( I watched an elderly neighbor shoot her mother point-blank in a wood pile)(sorry, I meant FERAL )I had Spaz declawed on the front only because it “was the thing to do”at the time.Next is 11yr old Simon. He was abandoned by someone in a nearby neghborhood,adopted by a neighbor(he was a little kitten)and when the kids decided they didn’t like him, they put him out the door only to be shot by another neighbor. I took him in and we got him neutered
and the shot takenout of him where it landed on his spine. He died on the operating table and they brought him back.I did not have home declared at all.He’s been through enough; he hasn’t let me down either!! Then comes Missy out of the corn field, mde friends with Annie, our reuse Therapy dog( Another WORNRFUL story for another time) it is so very difficult to correct words on these sites!! It messes all the others words up! Above, the words should be, in order..mde-made;reuse-rescue; wornrful -wonderful; We made living space on our porch for Missy and all was well unroll a family of foxes moved in and started to kill the outside cats, we brought Missy in. She provoked herself to be a dangerous boxer with a strong right hook. We had to declaw. Our vet suggested a New procedure of laser -declaw, but there’s NO decapitation AT ALL!!! Tthe nail & nailbed are the only things removed!! She doesn’t walk around with only 1/2 a foot!!! NeXt is our Gideon,he was found in an engine as a . Wee tiny kitten,we adopted him after looking uncommitted for a while after our Bobby passed over the Rainbow Bridge, we were wanting really to adopt an older hard to adopt cat….we did NOT declaw Gideon,we decided to wait and see how he was; he is REALLY SMART. We found thatspending time with your cats , talking to them, real words, not babytalk , be PATIENT, train them well(we clicker train) do not ever raise the voice !! Well, except to call for dinner or something FUN! Otherwise, if you need them in a dire emergency, they will run and hide.( same thing true for dogs!!) Cats thrive on praise, pets, and permanence. They Need stability. Whith a drastic change in the cat’s environment and/or life,including moving furniture,we need to add the word perception…we need to be especially sensitive to the needs of our cat. Your cat Marri, I agree, did not mean to scratch you, whatever happened only he knows and if he meant it for wrong/evil/anger whatever, he WOULD NOT be curled against you at the same time..catand dogs are not hippicrites, nor are they liars, it isn’t in them like it is human,that is what separates us. Keep an eye on your precious boy, I know you will be fine. The restof my story..remember Missy with strong right hook we had lasered in front? 5 yrs later. She has developed some kind of allergy to food, flea meds all the above or SOMETHING!! The vet is stumped, she has tried everything , and we are trying all we can, Missy has a bald neck and I’m even making a “cozy” for her to wear instead of e-collars all her life, the others are all too big.And, yes, she is on grain-free food.all the cats are inside only, shoes off when come in, etc…I will not laser-declaw her just so she won’t keep shredding her neck and ears,(flea meds orally) and causing infections, formatter how often I wash her, as per vet instructions. So we are trying the KITTY CAPS .Now, wouldn’t some of you nay-sayers think this is a better alternative??
I’ll read this carefully tomorrow and perhaps make an article out of it if that is OK.
That is fine Michael . Thank You for your consideration. By the way, I’m from the Grand U.S.A..
‘Our vet suggested a New procedure of laser -declaw, but there’s NO decapitation AT ALL!!! Tthe nail & nailbed are the only things removed!! She doesn’t walk around with only 1/2 a foot!!!’
There is NO WAY to declaw a cat without amputating the BONE, each claw is embedded into bone and never meant to be removed. ALL declawed cats are disabled cats and almost certain to be living with pain. Please do some research!
Well personally i think they just as bad as being declawed. LEAVE THEIR CLAWS ALONE!!!!
Maybe, he thought he was protecting me from something. Maybe, he saw a shadow across my face. I’ve never had anything happen like that before. Last few days he’s been terrified when he see the sheets move across the bed. He must have been scratching for a reason. Those scratches were jagged and deep. I am not taking any action with soft paws or any other options at this time. I am taking the wait and see approach. Thanks for your thoughts.
I’m pretty certain your injuries had to be from Panda Bear but not intentional. It sounds like something spooked him and he reacted. The bedsheets may have created something that frightened him. It may never happen again.
I commend you for not over reacting and putting blame on him. You’re a good caretaker.
Yesterday morning out of the blue. My friend and companion Panda Bear had been nestled next to me in right arm. I was woken up by sharp pain in my face. Calmly, I moved the cat over so I could go to the mirror in my bathroom. Blood dripping my arm and hand I turned on the light switch and looking in the mirror I had two large gashes in my forehead. I immediately cleaned out the wounds and applied triple antibiotic ointment. I walked back to the bed the wounds still dripping and looked at the cat. He appeared as startled as I was.
I had NO IDEA why he had attacked me. I don’t know if he knew. The wounds were still dripping blood when I moved around so used paper towels to dab it up. He stuck to me like glue for the next 4-5 hours. He followed me around. I asked him what happen. I’m not sure he knew why he did what he did. The question of course was how to prevent it from happening again. This happened at around 3:30 a.m. It took about an hour and a half before I could settle down enough to go back to sleep. The cat came back to bed to lay near me. I, probably,should have gone to the doctor. I didn’t have any
Steri-strips or butterflies to approximate the edges so I’m, probably, going to have two nasty scars on my forehead. Thank God it wasn’t near my eyes. I haven’t done anything yet as far as the kitty is concerned. I consulted my vet. They suggested I put in a room by himself when I’m sleeping or use the tips. I believe isolating the cat is cruel and inhumane punishment. He loves to cuddle up next to me early in the morning. I’ve only had him about six months.
I found him roaming around the parking lot at the local grocery store. I couldn’t leave him there. He was very talkative and friendly. He probably, had had a hard life. He freaked out when I got him in the car. I had the steering wheel in one hand and the cat cuddled in the other. Trying to get him in a pet carrier to get him to the vet was a challenge. I had to wrap him in a blanket to get him in it after having my arm and hand clawed quite well.
He hadn’t been neutered. But he must have been around people to some degree. Although from his behavior he appeared to have been an outside cat. To say the least vet visits are traumatic for him. So, do I try the nail tips? I’m not going to abandon my Panda Bear. He is not a candidate for adoption with his inadequate social skills. If you want any more info about the cat I’d be glad to fill you in. I had no luck finding a previous owner. So, fellow cat lovers what do I do. I want to do what is best for us both. Some type of compromise is needed. I love my cat and know he loves me. He didn’t know what he was doing when he attacked me. Poor guy. He was as dumbstruck as I was. So what do you all suggest? What is the most humane???
I don’t believe Panda Bear attacked you. “I had two large gashes in my forehead”. Looks like claw marks. It is possible that he climbed over you and slipped or something like that or lost his balance near you and grabbed with his claws causing the two scratches.
It is almost inconceivable that any domestic cat would attack someone while they are asleep because there is no need to. Cats only attack for a reason: to attack prey or to defend. I believe this is an accident.
What should you do? I don’t think it will happen again but what you might do is let him sleep near you but not on you.
Thanks for asking and sharing your interesting story. Well done in rescuing Panda Bear.
Mariah you are very immature, don’t call people morons or use the word s**t or ratty ass house if you want to be taken seriously.
I thought an ass was an animal anyway?
It’s rich this rubbish coming from someone who shut her ‘babies’ in a bathroom for days on end, I hope you don’t think that’s how other people treat their ‘family’ and it worries me your animals are inside animals, I assume your dogs you are talking about, dogs need taking for walks you know.
You are very lacking in education and in good manners too, you need to do some learning about animals and respect and you also need to do some growing up.
I am taken seriously by many people because I am intelligent. Regardless whether I curse or not. I take my dogs outside every day. Dogs cannot be strictly inside animals. I’ve already explained that my dogs had everything they needed and were only in the bathroom because of an emergency.
You’re all morons. Yes our animals are family but most of us like to keep our homes in a nice clean liveable condition. Scratching is a natural and they will do it with or without nails or caps on them. Animals adjust. Its humans that pigheadedly think they shouldn’t have to. If you think the caps are cruel don’t use them. But you’re still a moron. I wouldn’t let any of my animals destroy what I paid good money for and I shouldn’t have to. Nor should I let them have the ability to hurt myself, my other animals or my children.
My animals are inside animals because they are my babies. But if you let your babies destroy all of your shit don’t wonder why you’re throwing away money and nobody wants to go to your ratty ass house.
This is unnecessarily rude. There is no need for it and believe me the person who wrote the article and the people who added comments are not morons.
In that case don’t keep companion animals or learn how to look after them. My cats have never destroyed my possessions. What are you doing?
Companion animals are not “babies”. They are companion animals.
I apologize. I was quite rude. I do mean what I say when I say I won’t let my loves tear up my stuff. And I do believe nail caps are humane as long as they are used properly. My companions are my babies. They share a special bond with you that nothing else can give. They bring out the nurturing side and do not just you for what you do and say. To me companion animal sounds a tad too much like the title of a possession rather than a warm squishy place in your heart.
I’ve got news for you,you are the moron and tell me why you think our homes are not in a nice clean livable condition?
We don’t shut dogs in our bathrooms to poo in the shower,I don’t call that clean,you ought to be prosecuted for leaving them like that.
Has no one told you dogs are not inside animals they need taking out to poo?Yes I read your rubbish on another page.
Babies destroying all of your excreta I don’t get at all,you sound to be a very bitter and twisted child so I suggest you go and play with the other childish morons just like you are.
I take very good care of my dogs. There was absolutely nobody that could have taken care of my dogs. My dogs are very smart and clean and I made sure they had all the comforts they needed for the time we were away. Nobody in their right mind would take my dogs away from me.
They would if they heard you shut them in a bathroom for days
This article and all the comments just reinforce my belief that Europeans and cat people are a little nutty – and European cat people are the nuttiest of all.
The nail caps do not hurt the cat or interfere with normal scratching behavior OR claw retraction. Science and research > your opinions. You do not prevent the cat from ‘doing what cats do’ – you just make it non-destructive.
Bunch of idiots.
I think you are being harsh and rude. The point Finn makes is that it is just as easy to trim claws and then the cat can express natural desires properly. What is nutty about that? And what is wrong with accepting some so called “destruction”. If you have a cat you know beforehand that a cat needs to scratch. If you can’t accept this don’t adopt a cat. You seem to be narrow minded to me. And impolite.
These days people don’t seem to care about their cats that much and just refuse to let them tear up furniture. I don’t care what anyone says most cats will tear up crap even if they do have a scratching post. I have a 3 month old cat and I do use the caps on him. The first time I put them on (while he slept in my lap for about 5 minutes) he would shake his paws when he would walk. That lasted a few hours and that was it. I have been using them for a month and they do not bother him at all and his claws retract completely. I do think it is best to take them off for awhile from time to time to prevent rotting of the claws but that is it. You can’t expect people to just deal with the clawing and scratching all the time, it just won’t happen. That being said yes I do recommend cat caps to anyone with cats.
Mother of a very happy and healthy kitten
Thanks Cat Lover for your comment. I am not sure which country you live in. In the UK we do indeed deal with the clawing and scratching all the time. We don’t declaw and rarely if ever put claw caps on. We just accept things the way they are and if the furniture gets a bit scratched so be it. People rarely get scratched because you don’t if you handle a cat in a certain way. If you are American I am pleased you did not declaw and used caps instead.
I was actually reading some things on your site….until I came to this. How uneducated can you be? History: I had 3 cats. All died of old age at 12, 15 and 17. They were declawed. My eldest was having trouble walking on her front feet at the end due to pain/arthritis in the declawed paws. *front only* I got a kitten. He destroyed furniture. I tried scratching posts, sprays, sticky tape and every other alternative to declawing. The last resort was claw covers. I love them and he’s fine with it. I notice no discomfort or sadness on his part. He can still climb up a tree and with his back claws, defend himself. I’m sure such an expert as yourself knows that the back claws are used most in a cat fight.
This keeps my cat *now over a year* in the house with me when he wants, but also allows him to explore.
Dark colored claws are hard to see the quick in. With these I just trim the very tip of the claw. Many people have accidentally maimed a cat by trimming to far. This is a safe, effective and humane way to handle having clawed creature in your house as companions. For dogs they save your wooden floor from mutilation.
But no no, I’m sure all the testimonies, vets and research done on the subject is wrong and your opinion is just….seems legit. :eyeroll: