Declawed cat and no problem at all for six years

I don’t see where I argued that the cats are yours ?
Sorry but it makes it even worse your ever having contemplated having them declawed, bad enough kittens or young cats !
Thank goodness the vet you consulted wasn’t one whose solution would be to amputate their toe ends !
Good luck finding them good homes, as you have fostered so long you must have contacts of your own.

Dear Ruth,

I understand the urge to make a quick judgement, and you can only make that judgement about me based on what you’ve read. The fact is I’ve been rescuing animals for years. I have seven cats and six dogs living in my house, so I think about the well-being of animals constantly. I am a foster mother to these two cats, so the cats are not “mine,” as you argue. They are, however, my responsibility as I continue search for a home for them. As you know, many people are quick to judge, but do not take action when animals need help. I arrived at this site because I was responsibly researching a solution.

I have invested hundreds in scratching posts (sisal, carpet, and cardboard) not to mention training, lots of love, and always patience. Just because one cat doesn’t scratch doesn’t mean that all cats can be trained not to scratch, especially when cats come into foster homes when they’ve spent 8 years of their lives practicing scratching behaviors unchecked. I’ve consulted veterinarians and have attempted behavior modification therapies.

I’ve been rescuing animals for over ten years. Please don’t judge me because I asked for help.

Two cats in Los Angeles need a forever home. One of them is a gorgeous Himalayan, and his girlfriend is an American shorthair.

Yes we can post details about your cats needing homes but we can’t guarantee anyone will want them.
Hundreds of unwanted animals are murdered daily in Rescue Shelters.
Until a responsible attitude is taken by people like you it will go on……

You don’t want to take the cats to the pound.
You are undecided about declawing.
Your old friend would be devasted to think you could even consider doing either of those cruel things!
You’ve had the cats a year so they are now YOUR cats,YOUR responsibilty,not to shrug off like unwanted household stuff.
Do you know how many cats are being killed daily in Pounds?Do you know how many of them are declawed?
The chances are those cats would develop problems from the declawing and end up there anyway,I’m sure you wouldn’t want your precious furnishings peed on.
Can’t you think about THEM instead of yourself?

Anonymous if you are genuine and not just writing this to put cats with claws in a bad light, then give us some details please so that the people ovedr there can spread your request around.
The USA is a BIG country so they need the area you live in and the age of the cats at the very least.
You say you’ve researched laser declawing so you have obviously found out it is as cruel as any other method of amputating cats toe ends.
Those cats have gone through enough with being bereaved without being deliberately crippled for the rest of their lives by painful major surgery.
Do you trim their claws ? Do they have a tall strong sisal scratching post each ? Have you tried patiently teaching them to use them ?
You repeat twice about the shredding of furniture, funnily enough our furniture is not shredded in a country where declawing is banned.
We persevere gently and kindly as we know that cats need their claws to live healthy lives.

I took in two cats from an elderly friend of mine who had 23 cats. I promised to foster them until she found them a home, but then my friend passed away from cancer. I have had the two cats for over a year now, and they have shredded over $5000 worth of furniture and curtains. I have tried every other approach possible–training, scratching posts everywhere, sticky tape, glue-on nail caps, aromatherapy…everything. I finally started to research laser declawing (three other cats that I’ve rescued were declawed before I received them), but I am hesitant. What to do? I am at an impasse. I don’t want to take these two cats to the pound, so I thought that maybe someone on this discussion board who supports keeping cats’ claws might be willing to adopt them? Is anyone hoping to bring two cats into your home? (Despite their shredding behavior?) I’m looking for help. Thanks!

Jim, You profess to seeing many happy and well-adjusted declawed cats in your lifetime and far too many clawed cats being abused.

So…what did you do when you saw cats being thrown across rooms and/or otherwise being abused? Watch? Did you bother to do something about it or were you just a spectator? Methinks either you exaggerate or you are just heartless. Oh, BTW, the term you used “mute” should be “moot” – know the difference?

On the other hand, I have seen, first-hand, the end results of declawed cats. Working in a no-kill shelter, we see declawed cats dumped at our shelter all too frequently. These poor creatures without become depressed, lonely, aggressive and suffer many health issues. We make special effort to rehome every animal we have, particularly declawed cats; however, we also educate our potential adopters about why declaw is a horrific practice. We do not allow any adopters to declaw our cats and if we find that they have, we reclaim the cat (as mutually agreed in our contract).

No Jim, you are not enlightened. Your view about declawing cats is tantamount to allowing devocalization in animals, which thankfully, was recently outlawed in Massachusetts. Now we’re working on the declaw bill. Wake up, Jim, a cat needs its claws – it does not need the likes of you maiming an otherwise healthy cat.

Hi Jim

Just because you’re still allowed to do something doesn’t make it right.
You and those like you don’t and never will get the basic message; Cats were born with claws for a reason (in fact many reasons) Defence, stretching, exercising, grooming, playing, climbing, scratching (themselves only if you provide a scratching post) need I go on?

Like many other inhumane acts this one will be banned and banished to the history books.

Pro Declaws are Outnumbered

Click and look and learn!

Maggie:
If my cat is suffering, then he has a funny way of showing it as he lays on my lap purring, jumping up and down on counters, playing with his toys, taking many cat naps, enjoying a can of tuna fish, etc. I don’t believe he has any mental anguish, but then again he doesn’t talk and I am not a cat whisperer. He doesn’t scratch, bite, mark his territory, threaten to kill me in my sleep, etc. If this is suffering, then give me some!

Like i said in my previous comment no one is going to cut off my finger tips because I don’t exhibit behavior that some people find destructive and unwanted. If i was Freddy Krueger, that would be different and they killed him! That is humor, please treat it as such.

Anyway, this is a mute point as we are both set in our ways on this matter and we can do this dance forever without a resolution.

My point is that the cats that I have seen that were declawed have lived a normal, comfortable, long life. When they passed away, it was complications due to old age and not declawing. I haven’t seen a cat “mutilated” that became possessed, miserable, depressed, suicidle, etc. I have seen cats with claws thrown across the room, yelled at, etc for scratching furniture. They can be trained to scratch a post, but occasionally they will do the furniture no matter how well you train them. I haven’t hit or yelled at my cat in about 6 years. You will say this is a bad owner.

Your experience may be different I am sre.

I will monitor this board for the entertaining replies, but don’t feel necessary to reply as 99% of the major points from both sides have been made.

Jim

To Maggie:
My cat has a strange way of showing pain as he lays contently on my lap purring, jump up and down on counters, nudges me out of the way to drink from the sink, catches mice occasionally, many cat naps, u know, normal cat behavior. We should all be in so much pain and suffering! I can’t speak for his mental anguish as he is an animal and can’t speak yet and I am not a cat whisperer, but he doesn’t bite, scratch, mark his territory, threaten to kill me in my sleep, etc.

Anyway, this a mute point as we are both are vehemently set in our ways. We can go back and forth forever without changing anything and I have better things to spend my time as I hope you do to.

I justed wanted to give another example of another cat that is living a normal and comfortable life after being declawed.

Jim

To Maggie:
My cat has a strange way of showing pain as he lays contently on my lap purring, jump up and down on counters, nudges me out of the way to drink from the sink, catches mice occasionally, many cat naps, u know, normal cat behavior. We should all be in so much pain and suffering! I can’t speak for his mental anguish as he is an animal and can’t speak yet and I am not a cat whisperer, but he doesn’t bite, scratch, mark his territory, threaten to kill me in my sleep, etc.

Anyway, this a mute point as we are both are vehemently set in our ways. We can go back and forth forever without changing anything and I have better things to spend my time as I hope you do to.

I justed wanted to give another example of another cat that is living a normal and comfortable life after being declawed.

Jim

You make it sound as if cats are wild uncontrollable beasts clawing people and your precious furniture!
Get real man and think why cats are born with claws,think why they need to use them,its not rocket science.
Im not the brightest brain but I know claws are very important to a cat just like our finger ends are to us.That you had your cat crippled as a kitten tells me that you shouldnt ever have had a cat in your home because you dont know the first thing about cats.
Take a long hard look at yourself man and ask yourself why you think a cat going through such a cruel operation for the privilege of living with you is OK.
People like you deprive cats of good homes where they are accepted as cats and given scratching posts to use instead of being mutilated to suit your selfishness!
Ed

Just though I’d add that my cat is also indoors only. He has 18 beautiful sharp claws. I don’t even clip them, he maintains them on his scratching post. And guess what! Because we provide him with his own scratching furniture, he doesn’t scratch our furniture!! But I guess you didn’t think of that when you declawed your cat. It seems that everyone who declaws their cats have no sense of logic.

Oh Jim, you are a slow one, aren’t you. I always wonder what’s wrong with people who compare declawing to desexing… Let’s see, if you desex your cat, you have potentially stopped hundreds of cats from coming into the world, adding to the cat overpopulation dilemma, and then being killed after a horrid wasted life.

If you declaw your cat, you mutilate him for your own selfish twisted desires.

See the difference?

Cats are an animal who rely on fear instinct, so, when they’re in pain of any sort, they will go to any and all lengths to hide it. Your cat could be suffering beyond belief, and you can’t see it. Or maybe you can’t see it because you don’t want to. Anything to defend the convenience of ignorance, right?

If you, Jim, were to be declawed you would not have been capable of typing that comment. Declawing is not the equivalent of removing nails, it’s the equivalent of removing the tips of your fingers. And you can’t do much without your fingers!

Sorry Jim, I completely disagree with you, in the first place though a cat might not choose to be neutered at least by choosing this for them we are preventing unwanted kittens being born and protecting the cat from diseases associated with unneutered cats, so neutering is beneficial to the cat and cats as a whole. There are no benefits to declawing for the cat, yes they get used to it if they are lucky enough to have no physical or mental results from having their toe ends amputated, but what a cold hearted attitude you display, you wouldn’t want your “nails taken out” but you don’t claw the furniture. Well Jim I’m quite sure you have some irritating human habits just the same as cats have irritating feline habits, so aren’t you the lucky one that you get to choose and your cat doesn’t. I also challenge the “nails out” comment in this way – do you really think that declawing is taking the cats claws “out”? Don’t you even know that it is the removal of the last bone of the toes from the knuckle? Yes he still tries to claw because it is instinct, that instinct is to anchor himself and stretch his muscles, without claws he isn’t clawing, he’s merely kneading or rubbing his pads so watch out for calluses or sores as he gets older, and for arthritis in those deformed paws too. Yes there are other issues, but no they are not more serious than this issue, declawing is abuse of cats it is only because you live in the USA where animal welfare law is way behind other countries that you can get away with this deliberate cruelty. Well, enjoy your declawed cat whilst you can because it’s not going to be long before declawing is finally banned in the USA too.
THEN we will see the real cat lovers.

I will gladly give you the intelligent opinion of a veterinary nurse who has studied the anatomy of a cat and researched the cruelty of declawing.
But I will begin by saying that you and the vet who performed the declawing of your cat when he was a kitten were both wrong to do so.
Declawing is supposed to be last resort surgery for serious scratching behaviour, not as routine along with neutering. You obviously didn’t even try to teach your kitten to use a scratching post !
Scratching it is NOT bad behaviour, it is necessary behaviour, cats need to scratch to stay healthy. Why do you think your poor disabled cat still tries to scratch ?
You boast that he is alright 6 years later, please come back and tell us when he grows old that you have got the necessary pain medication from your vet for your cat’s painful arthritis, which he is almost certain to develop. Which YOU and the vet who abused your cat this way will be fully responsible for.
You are so misguided about neutering too. Neutering is for the cats benefit, declawing is NOT, it is unnecessary major surgery for the convenience of people like you.
An un-neutered cat of either sex can and often doesa develop serious illnesses of the sex organs and they lead lives of frustration if kept from breeding, or bring unwanted kittens into the world if allowed out to mate !
Indoor or outdoor is a choice to be made for the cat’s benefit and safety, it has nothing to do with declawing, indoor cats NEED their claws too.
You need to open your mind Jim and do a lot more research and you will find out why thousands if not millions of us are so passionately against this legalised abuse and why we won’t give up until it is BANNED !

I had my cat declawed(and neutered) when he was a kitten. He is an indoor cat. He doesn’t walk funny. He has no health problems. He doesn’t look at me with sad eyes wondering why he doesn’t have claws. He has caught mice with no problems. He claws on the carpet, couch, etc. because it is an instinct. I see no negative affects from this procedure. I would not like someone to take my nails out but then again I don’t claw furniture, other people, depend on other humans for survival, on top of the food chain, etc. If I didn’t take in my cat then he probably wouldn’t be alive today. If you are against declawing, then you must be against spaying and neutering(I am 100% for it). That is unnatural, correct? I am sure that is just as painful to the animal. Isn’t being able to procreate just as natural as having claws? How about letting your cat outdoors, which i am sure most of you do. That is just as bad in my opinion.
In summary, if you don’t want to declaw your cat, then don’t. If you don’t agree with others doing it, that’s fine but move on. There are much more serious issues to direct your passion towards. If you take care of your cat properly and keep them indoors, then they will live a normal life – at least mine is.
hopefully you find this a intelligent opinion and respond with one.

Its such a shame that you prize your furniture above a cats right to keep his claws. The only thing I can say in your favour is that at least you didn’t get a kitten or a clawed cat then take him to get him declawed.

I have to agree with Michael though; you haven’t once thought about the moral issue here you just want out and got a de-clawed cat because its convenient for you.

Sorry but you and anyone else who thinks this is ok ought to have your toes removed then see how you get on.

Good on you for adopting a needy cat but you need to see just what that cat went through to be allowed in a home where furniture is God.

https://pictures-of-cats.org/the-shocking-images-of-a-declawed-cat.html

Oh SHOCK
Oh HORROR
She goes through the motions of sharpening her claws on her three scratching posts AND the antique furniture.

How lucky for you your cat can’t really sharpen her claws on your antique furniture because she only has mutilated stumps that look a little funny.
Oh lucky antique furniture,it must be so happy because we all know that furniture has feelings AND especially antique furniture!
How much better you chose to have a cat that had been through the most painful surgery a cat can endure and at 4 years old was unwanted.

Whatever will you do when declawing is banned and you can’t advertise for another mutilated cat?
You’ll have to stroke your antique furniture then instead as it is obviously very important.
OR you could do like people who put their cats health and welfare before their furniture AND antique furniture and teach a cat to use her own furniture,the three scratching posts that are useless to the poor cat you have now.

Your cat’s paws look a little funny,well wouldn’t your fingers look a little funny too if the ends had been cut or burned off?
A cat’s toes are the equivelant of our fingers and yes I’m sure we’d adapt if our finger ends were cut or burned off,just as your cat has adapted.
But do you not think eventually you would suffer arthritis and maybe since your amputations you’d have suffered phantom pain?
If it got too bad you could committ suicide.
Cats have to live on with their deliberately caused disablement and pain,suicide is not an option for them.
I agree you have done a good turn in giving the cat a home but to do it on behalf of your precious furniture tells me you value inanimate objects more than you do the welfare of a living animal.
Even worse you try to convince us that declawing isn’t so bad.
Take good care of your disabled cat,she deserves that!

I think I’m one of many of the POC regulars who are seriously NOT impressed by antique furniture or any other possessions that are prized more highly than a cat’s basic comfort and wellbeing.

OK you didn’t actually pay someone to amputate your cat’s toe ends, and hopefully you did rehome a cat that would otherwise have lost her life through the ignorance of her previous “owner” mutilating her and then wanting rid of her.

But you do not understand what your cat has had to live with and is going on living with and will have to live with until the end of her life and that is being disabled (and sadly, disabled to order, to fit someone’s lifestyle), she has had to adapt as best she could do a life without her necessary finger ends, and because of this she can’t exercise in the way that cats do by instinct. She has lost so much more than her toe ends.

The scratching she is attempting is instinct, she knows that this is how she works out all the muscles in her body, I hope you keep a close eye on her paws and pads to make sure she doesn’t have callouses and that the skin is not broken or ulcerated, you must do this routinely all her life, you OWE HER this.

Finally you say her paws look a little “funny” well I don’t think that she will appreciate the joke. Not funny at all, try this word instead – malformed.

Your cat is not ‘sharpening her claws’ she is desperately trying to exercise her poor muscles which as the years go on will become weaker and will cause her arthritic pain in the future.
Cats need to dig in their claws to stretch their leg, shoulder, back and stomach muscles. Scratching is not bad behavior, it is neccessary behavior. What is your point of putting scratching posts around to torture her ? Scratching posts are for healthy cats to scratch on ! Some declawed cats have tried so hard to scratch as they need to, that the bones they have to walk on instead of their toe ends have protruded through the flesh. Keep a close eye on your poor cat because some declawed cats have lost their whole paws through a problem like that being discovered too late.
She is disabled, of course her feet look funny, she had her ten toe ends amputated and then like many other declawed cats whoever had that done to her didn’t want her after all.
You say she has no pain, but you don’t know that. Cats hide their pain, she may be suffering but she’s grown used to it. Just like a disabled person she’s had to adjust to living a disabled life.
You didn’t have this done to her and you gave her a home which I admire but please don’t come here and encourage peoole to think declawing is a good thing.
No furniture, not even antique, is worth the sacrifice of a cat’s ten toe ends !

Michael makes a very strong argument. You say the cat walks funny. It’s no wonder – the claws have been AMPUTATED! What part of AMPUTATED don’t you get?

Your cat may not exhibit symptoms now, but in time as the cat grows older, don’t be surprised if arthritis and a whole host of health problems arise.

Are you willing to spend THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS for health care for that cat you adopted? Will you be one of those cat ‘owners’ who then just dump the cat at the nearest shelter when issues arise? Is your antique furniture all that important?

Sorry – your reasoning is very flawed, and I am being polite to say the least.

Fine thanks for the post but you seem to have no connection with how your cat might feel or how to respect the cat.

Do you feel that a cat should be allowed to keep his or claws? As a person who wished to adopt a declawed cat have you realised that, indirectly, you are encouraging declawing?

Do you know what is going on in the mind of the cat?

Do you feel that we should respect the cat and accept the cat as we find him/her?

Do you understand the moral issues of declawing?

You don’t seem to have addressed so many important issues. It is a very shallow argument that you make.