Claws or No Claws?

My kitten likes to claw everything she can, including people. But my mom says I shouldn't have her declawed because she has to live in a house with 4 other kittens and won't have any way to defend herself.

Do I get her declawed or let her keep her claws?
Answers:
please let her keep her claws!

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Definite CLAWS

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If you don't want her declawed but want her claws so she wont tear things up go to walmart and buy some clippers. I used them on my cat and it works, cheaper too

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Keep em, that traumatizes the cat

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get just her front paws declawed, so that she can still use her back paws to defend herself. or get the other kittens declawed on all 4's too, when they're old enough.

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you might consider removing just the front claws. My cat had that done (before I got him) and he defends himself well against our puppy-he is very aggressive, so this gets tested constantly. Good luck

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If you get a cat de-clawed, you can NEVER let them outside again, because they can't defend themselves.

Use a spray bottle on them when you catch them scratching on inappropriate things and get a scratching post and cover it in cat nip.

De-clawing is kind of cruel for a a cat, because it makes them defenseless.

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let her keep her claws its her was as survival

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Keep the claws.

Do you have a scratching post? If not, then I recommend getting one (both horizontal and vertical) or making one. You can find directions to making posts on the internet.

Also, try keeping a little squirt bottle around that is filled with water. Every time she starts to scratch at something or someone then squirt her with water. It's a safe way to get her attention and to let her know not to do it. I know that it works for my cat who likes to scratch on the floor and for the my other cat who likes to scratch furniture.

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never never never de-claw. please see below:


Quote from cat breeder - READ AND LEARN :As a cat breeder..we extremely dissapprove of declawing. It is more than cruel, it is inhumane. Any educated person knows that this is a partialamputation. A tendonectomy requiresremoval of the ENTIRE first joint of the paw. This is akin to chopping of the tip of all our fingers and toes. Someone CAN heal from thistype of butchery but they will never be the same. De-clawing often changes the temperment of a cat and destroys good litterbox habits.JW is very, very wrong. I have seen cats who end up ebing sent to shelter because of this procedure. Most reputable vets will NOTdo this procedure. The only ones that do.including the one that Miss JW probably works for..do it only for monetary gain NOT for the animals welfare. Clipping a cat's nails is easy to do. Those who de-claw and justify it ..don't fully understand lasting consequence. . NEED I SAY MORE

just incase u r still not convinced ..

http://www.9livescats.homestead.com/decl.

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lisa ---
Zoologist who has worked with both wild animal rehabilitation AND domestic animal rescue.

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Don't declaw her. Declawing means that the first joint of her toes get amputated. Imagine having the first joints of your fingers being amputated. It's traumatic and recovery is very painful for the cat. It can also cause litter problems in the future. Since walking on them will be painful for a while, she may associate the litterbox with pain and won't use it.

Also, like you said, she wouldn't have anything to defend herself against the others.

Get her a scratch post (and teach her to use it), trim her nails, or you can do what I do. I glued little plastic claw covers on my kitten's claws (called Soft Claws) to protect myself and my furniture on her. But since your kitten is living with other kittens, a scratching post is probably better.

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Declawing is an amputation. It is not a simple claw removal.Declawing is comparatable to amputating your fingers at the first joint past your finger nail. It is a painful procedure. It can cause your cat to walk off balance,walk on the back of his feet, have litterbox issues, start biting among other issues.

Kitten/cats taht are declawed should never ever be let outside.
Kittens/cats can learn to scratch appropriate surfaces.

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If you have a scratching post, teach her to use it. Many cats will pick up on it, and never bother anything else. Some won't.

If she's going to ALWAYS be an indoor cat, there's no reason that she shouldn't be declawed. If she oneday may have to go out, maybe you shouldn't do that.

If you do go with declawing, many vets now offer laser declawing at the same price. It's a WHOLE LOT better on the cat, and it recovers MUCH quicker. Check around for that type..I HIGHLY recommend it, as we've gone both ways.

PS.She may outgrow the desire to scratch..maybe not, but the scratching post is worth trying.

Also, if you do it, ONLY do the front. Also, my vet had two of his personal cats declawed.he said they just wouldn't stop clawing things. He even would let the kitties out for a bit, after a couple of weeks.

Sorry for all the additions, but I keep reading new stuff. The claw "covers" don't work. I've tried them too. They just scratch them off! LOL People ARE correct though, declawing is pretty bad on the animal, so do it only if she won't conform. Also, it's MUCH better on them if it's done around 6 months old. If you do it, make it an informed decision.don't just do it on a whim.

We have 12 cats.7 declawed ..5 still with claws. You can't look at em and tell which is which..they're all very happy.

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i think that i would try the scratch post at first i said to go ahead with the declaw but at the time i did not know the whole issue of what they actually do and now that i know i think that would be cruel and i am sorry for ever thinking about telling someone to do that to their animal.

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keep her claws they actually amutate the first joint of the claws when cats get declawed. it is a very stressful for them. if you dont want you cat to claw just put claw caps really i forgot what they are really called. they cover your kittens claws also keep you cat's nails clipped it will be less hurt if she does claw you.

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Do know goes into declawing a cat? The last bone on the cats toe is REMOVED. It is a painful surgery.

Take a look at this site (don't look at the pictures, unless you have a strong stomach!) BEFORE you declaw.

http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/

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If you have other cats, do as your mother says, dont de-claw her.. besides its a kitten. give her until she is 1 1/2 - 2yrs old. if its still unbearable then do it. but once they are declawed they HAVE to live indoors. just know that you will be stuck with her until she dies (around 14-20yrs of age) they can live a long time! besides it is very very very painful.. its like cutting off your fingers at the first knuckle. imagine that. then - they go home with NO pain medicine. dont do it. its best to deal with this kitten stage. dont encourage her, and maybe she will stop (dont tease her to play with you. maybe she's "meaner" because the other kittens are mean to her when your not looking ?!?

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Since she is not the only cat, I would't declaw her. Instead, use regular fingernail clippers (or spend more money on special claw clippers) and trim back all of the cats claws. Trim back to just before they start to curve. Trimming all of the cats will give your little kitty a better fighting chance!

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declawing them is inhumane, lots or i say most of animal shelter dont agree for declawing animals, and me too i dont, its like ur taking one part of thier life and besides its painfull for them, if u want buy a clipper and just clip the nail as needed.. cats love to play too, for them to stop clawing anymwhere buy them also a scracth pad its available in some groceries or check in a pet store near u. hope dis helps u.

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Don't get her declawed, it is inhumane. It's extremely painful for the cat, can lead to infections, and will render the cat defenseless in dangerous situations in may face later on in life.

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Don't get her declawed! Cats are smarter then you give them credit for. They can learn to scratch the approriate things and you won't need to cut the tips of her fingers off. Declawing is painful and selfish and it has absolutely no medical benefit for the cat. Get her lots of scratching posts and other scratchers to direct her attention to, spray her with a water bottle when she does something bad, and don't play with her if she's getting rough. She will figure it out. Especially if she's just a kitten, she just needs a little time to learn.

go to http://declawing.com/ for more info.

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never declaw a cat, that is cruel. Make sure the kitten has a scratching post and train her not to use the furniture with a squirt bottle. Pet her and let her know she is doing right when she uses the scratching post. Also, start cutting her nails every 4-6 weeks at an early age so she gets used to it. That will help.

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I say at least wait until she grows up a little bit, she may outgrow the need to claw everything.

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Was reading up on this www.softclaws.com

Seems to be an interesting alternative.. i plan on trying once my kitten get a little older

its little caps like nail tips that glue over the tips of the claws

seems to be worth a shot

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DO NOT GET YOUR CAT DECLAWED. When they declaw its not just pulling out the nails they cut the tips if their paws off. Its the most painful thing a cat can go through. Look a your hand the first joint on your finger where your nail is, they ampuate that whole part just to give an idea of what declawing is. They do make a thing called softpaws their little plastic nail covers that prevent them from tearing up stuff when they scrach. All you do is glue them and slide them on each nail. They are completely safe even if your cat accidently eats one. They come in all kind of diffrent colors their really cute. My cat is a house cat and I get her the red ones everyone gets a kick out of it because it looks like I paint her nails. You can get softpaws at any pet store or softpaws.com try them.

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Don't declaw your kitten. Learn how to trim their nails (it's simple you just cut the white part and not the pink - just like yours).

And start on some training techniques to help her learn to use her claws appropriately. Put Sticky Paws on the furniture for now and she won't develop a "taste" for your funiture.

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Declawing is inhumane and very painful..not to mention completely unnecessary and potentially dangerous. Your mother is absolutely right (it's refreshing to hear that a mom is actually against it, it's usually the opposite since the older generations found declawing to be totally fine and normal).

When a cat is declawed, the small bones in the tip of the paws (what the actual claw is attached to) is removed. It's the equivalent of cutting your fingers off at the first knuckle.

Cats need their claws for many things (including defense as your mother so wisely pointed out). But they scratch to mark their scent and destress (scratching can be very therapeutic to a cat). In a multicat household, the cats with claws may bully the cat without simply because they can. OR the cat without claws may bully the cats with claws to make up for feeling defenseless. A slew of behavioral problems can arise from declawing, as well. A lot of cats become biters to make up for the lack of claws. Some refuse to use the litter box because of the way the litter feels on their feet.

There are many ways to train a cat to not scratch unacceptable surfaces (including people).

First, get her a scratching post and some cardboard scratchers. My cats prefer the cardboard scratchers and they're less expensive. They also take up less room. Catnip can be placed on these to make them more enticing, but catnip doesn't have much of an effect on young kittens, so don't be surprised if that doesn't lure her. Place her paws on it (gently, you don't want to make her scared of it), and maybe mimic scratching on it yourself.

Whenever she scratches on something she's not supposed to, squirt her with water from a bottle or squirt gun. Try to make sure she doesn't see you doing it, though. Some cats are smart enough to figure out that you're the one doing the spraying, therefore they're safe when you're not around. Spraying her with water will make her associate an unpleasant experience with scratching in that particular spot.

For scratching on humans, the water can be used if you want, but I've heard hissing at them also helps.

To protect your belongings in the meantime, sticky pads can be placed on furniture and curtains until the cat is trained to stay away. Find some here;
http://www.drsfostersmith.com/product/na.

Make sure you keep your cat's nails trimmed. This is not a hard task, but it's not always the easiest thing in the world, either. Since she's young, you need to start getting her used to having her paws handled. Rub them, touch the claws, press gently on the pads to make the nails come out, etc. Once she's become a little used to this, you can try trimming her nails. Use a pair of cat or human nail clippers, and just clip the tip of the nail off. Be careful not to cut the pink part inside the nail. This vein (known as the quick) will bleed profusely and cause a lot of pain for your cat if it's cut. I recommend keeping styptic powder or pads in your home in case of any accidents. Once applied to the nail, styptic powder stops the bleeding. Just take it slowly and remain calm (your cat will sense any stress coming from you). And don't be surprised if you don't get all the nails trimmed in one sitting.

If you're uneasy about trimming her nails yourself, a vet or pet groomer will do so for a small fee. You can also have it done at most PetSmart stores.

I've heard a couple of horror stories about the SoftClaws nail covers. Some cats chew them off right away..I heard of another that kept getting hung up on things because of them. The one thing I don't like is that it doesn't really teach the cat to NOT scratch, it just prevents them from doing any damage if they go through the motions. Besides, their nails shed casings (dead nail) from time to time. I'd be concerned that the Soft Claws would prohibit this natural occurence.

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have her declawed, then get the claws, make gloves out of them, when she gets attacked put them on her, and let the fight begin.

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If your mother says no to declawing, then listen to your mother.. My own assessment is that if the cat is an INSIDE cat and will be an INSIDE cat forever, then the cat should have been declawed