declawing my cat?

my cat is a house cat and she keeps scratching everything lately!
she wasnt that bad but then i put her in the cattery for a week and now she is soo soo bad!!
i am thinking of getting her de clawed!!

what are your views and have any of u got cats with no claws?
Answers:
Just get ur cat a scratching post and there is special spray you can use on furniture to stop the cat going there.DO NOT declaw the cat..u r a sick bi tch for even suggesting it.

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My view is that it is the same as cutting someone's fingers off. I cannot imagine what kind of person would allow such cruelty to his/her animal.

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Me and my family thought about it..
for like a second, it looked so cruel when we read about it, practically ripping out the nails then they have to wear bandages on their poor paws. Also this sounds like a behavioural problem.

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im not against it, but my very old cat (that now lives with my mom) was declawed about 8 years ago, she was 12 years old when my parents wanted this done.which i believe had a very big impact on her behavior now.she was too old to go through such a thing, now she is just plain mean, tempermental, and rotten! i thought about having that done to my kitten, but you just have to be patient and teach them, clip their claws and use water! im just afriad the same thing is going to happen to him as it did to my old cat..im sure your going to get alot of hate responces to this post.but just remember its your decision and yours alone, dont lets those dumb threats you'll get change your mind any, because furniture/carpets are very expensive, and i believe it would be cheaper to eliminate the claws than have to keep buying furniture

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That is bloody cruel - get a scratching post laced with cat nip.

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I am not keen on cats. they wind my dog up, * in my garden, kill songbirds and fight all night. I think declawing it is a little naughty though(like taking the teeth out of a dancing bear, I actually think it is illegal here in the UK). I think it would be far kinder to have the cat put-down.

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everytime she claws something pick her up and put her infront of her scratching post. She'll soon get the idea. No scratching post? Get one!

My friend's cat's claws were clipped once. It kept falling of the furnature until they grew back.

Your cat might get bullied by the neighbourhood tom if she's not got any claws to defend herself with.

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I got my cat declawed when she was 6 mths old and I wish now I hadn't. At the time she was scratching everything including us, so I thought it would be a good idea. Not only is it potentially painful for the pet (they basically walk around on their knuckles for the rest of their life) but they just learn to use their mouth and bite even harder! So instead of swiping at someone that may be bothering them they will just take a nip out of their hand. Plus if the cat ever gets out, they may not be able to defend themself. I had to break up a few cat fights when my indoor cat has gotten out (between our legs at the front door!) because I thought she might get killed! Funny thing each time she was the antagoniser. Anyways you have to think long and hard about this, especially the older your cat is the harder it will be for them to recover. Talk to your vet about the procedure to make sure it is something you can live with. Maybe you could just get one of those cat tree scratching posts, cats love the carpet on them! To make it extra inticing rub it with cat nip. Good luck in whatever you choose to do!!

Oh and by the way they DON"T grow back, they actually cut the first part of the "finger" off! Look at your fingers and picture someone chopping the tip including the nail off. I didn't realize this when I had the procedure done. I stupidly thought that they just pull the nail out.

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i don't think its right - it would be like having your nails pulled of. I get my cats claws trimmed and she uses a mat that i have at the door and her scratch post. Spay citrus smells or rub lemon, lime orange peel or white pepper in the places she scratches, they don't like these smells and she should stop scratching there, tell her no and a tap to the nose too.

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take your mr kiityy too a vet-- and if you intend on having it for just a house kityy-- and dont let it run out-- outside-- its cruell if you just let the animal wander around on the out side-- too have it de clawed-- against attacks from mr meanyy- doggie or other things-- like we say if you intend on keeping it in the house or tyed up on the outside-- and you go this route just have the front claws take off why?? all cats need relief too dig!1 leave the back claws on mr kitty too let them naturaly dig them selvess!!we think its cruel too take oof there back claws just have the front ones done hons!

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If she,s a house cat,thats Fine,but always keep your eyes on her and do not let her get out,because if a other animal got a hold of her,She,d Be Skrewed,And get her Asskicked!Good luck,Hollywood

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I have 2 ats that have had the front claws removed, it does help with the scratching. If the cat is an indoor cat and doesnt need them for everyday survival, I see no problem in getting this done.

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I think it's disgusting why did you get a cat in the first place,next people will be sewing up their * holes so they can't *!

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Getting your cat declawed is a big deal for the cat, but can make you happier in the end. But she will still pretend to sharpen her claws on everything. Maybe if she will let you, just trim them carefully with some nail clippers, and she will give you a break on tearing stuff up. Also, your vet probably sells these little rubber tips that you can superglue over her nails, and these work wonders for keeping the damage under control and saving your skin, and they are actually very inexpensive. Good luck with your kitty.

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My gran done it, but only there front claws and the cats never seem to mind or be caused too much stress, i think it would be cruel if they were ever going back outside but if they are always staying in the house go for it!! Good Luck xx

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It's disgusting and if you do it, I hope you get reported to the RSPCA for cruelty.

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i hav a cat too tht scratches everything. no cut off her claws just lock her outside each time she is naughty. ur problem shud b solved

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NO WAY! I'm glad it's illegal in the UK and most other european countries. Why have a cat in the first place? Cats are known for clawing. Get another pet that matches your furniture better if its so important.

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buy the cat a scratch pole its cruel to think of declawing it

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If it's necessary..go right ahead.

Just remember to keep her forever.

Be careful when you take her outside. Other cats will take advantage of her..even dogs.

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That would be extremely cruel to your cat.
She'd be better off if you gave her away.

Cats claw at things to mark their territory, and it is only normal of her doing that after an enforced absence.

Give her somthing fixed to a certain place to legitimately claw at, and she will stop scratching at other things, especially if you keep watching her and put her there when ever she starts at anything else.
If you frequently move the things she's clawing at she will look for something else, since movable things are no good for marking in the view of cats.
Unless you take her away again the behaviour will subside after a while anyway.

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If you don't like the fact that cats scratch things then don't own one. Mutilating them to suit you is possibly one of the worst things anyone could do to an animal. Scratching excessively is a behavioural problem, if your partner had a drinking problem would you have there mouth sown shut?

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A cats claws are just like your fingernails, except instead of going straight out on the top they wrap around and form the claw. De-clawing is literally cutting off your cats toe from the last knuckle. It throws off the cat in numerous ways, physically and mentally. Cats that have been de-clawed have been known to become depressed and have their personality drastically change. A cat scratching is natural and healthy, they do it to keep the claw from growing too much and causing them pain. Without claws they still scratch but don't get any feedback, think of it like wrapping your fingers in duct tape and touching things, it's similar. I really recommend against de-clawing your cat. Have you tried training her not to scratch, or to scratch specific objects? A lot of people don't do that and if you don't the cat doesn't know what to/not to scratch. Try getting a post or pad (some cats like one and not the other) and scratching it with your cats paws. If you catch her scratching other things spray her with water. You can also try sticking her in a room with nothing to scratch, like the bathroom, except for her scratching thing. There are other options as well. You can trim your cats claws like you do with dogs or your own. Just do a bit of research or ask your vet so you do it properly. You can also get booties or have the claws capped with plastic so they aren't sharp. De-clawing is not the only answer, and again it's just like cutting off the ends of your fingers. I've had cats for 20-ish years and have been able to get all of them to stop scratching except where they are supposed to, so it can be done.

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please don't declaw your cat. don't punish her like that! you have to retrain her to use the scratch post, you may need to get a new one or two.

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You can do that but be 100% that it will be inside 24 7 if not don't do that there claws are for there safty

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No! No way!! It is cruel, and I don't believe you would find a vet to do it anyway. If it is soft furniture, you can buy sticky strips (saw them in the Bettaware book this week) Cats will avoid as they don't like their paws sticky. If it is table legs etc, some dried orange peel scattered around will deter her. Please don't take drastic action. She will probabaly stop once her security issue has settled down

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That would be a very cruel thing to do. As another respondent said, it would be like cutting off your fingers or, at least, having all your nails permanently removed. It is in a cat's nature to scratch, to care for their claws and slough off the outer coating.

It does sound like a behavioural problem; pets need love and attention, and a certain routine. Get scratching posts and rub them with some catnip. There are also sticky papers made for that problem, where you stick them over the places your cat seems to favour - that worked for my kitten. I also spent time with my two cats; when they scratched, a sharp "No!" helped, then gently taking their paws and showing them where the scratching could be done on a piece of old carpet. They hardly ever scratch now; if they do, it's on the old carpet.

Cats are also sensitive to change and negative conditions. Try to play with your cat and provide toys. Always make some time to spend with her. It's not easy being an indoor cat, so the more you can do to stimulate her intelligence, the better. In the end, though, I think it would be better to find her another loving home if you can't cope, rather than subjecting her to such a thing and making her more unhappy.

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its cruel to declaw a cat it is stressed with beingin cattery all you need to isbe perstant when you see puss doing this and say no firmly to puss and move her to acceptable scratch place i presume puss has scratching post or something else to scratch on spray it with cat mint spray to encourage use and spray furniture with cats off from pet stores and you will soon have problem sorted

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Declawing is brutal and barbaric thing to do, being roughly equivalent to having the tips of your own fingers cut off..

If you live in the UK I doubt if you will find a vet to carry out this operation.

Perhaps you live in the USA, where people who adopt/buy a cat do not seem to realise that they are about to become responsible for an independent animal with instinctive habits - one of which is a tendency to scratch things in order to sharpen claws and to remove old claw material.

So, if you are in the USA, then either give your pet to some one who will not let it be declawed, or buy a suitable scratch post and make sure it is used by your cat. It will soon get the message. After all, according to your question, it was a non scratcher until it went into a cattery, so the habit is not deeply ingrained.

Over the past two decades I've owned several cats, none of which became a furniture scratcher since they always had access to a scratch post.

Incidentally, if your cat accidentally gets outside (it can happen), by declawing it you will have removed its only effective method of defence (apart from running away). If your cat got its eye clawed out because it could not protect itself from another cat's attack, would you feel happy knowing it was _your _ fault that it had been badly injured?

Please think again and do not get it declawed.

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i heard of this thing called soft claws, i ain't really sure what it in-tails but you might look into that first, a cat without claws is defenseless and you wouldnt want kitty to get out and not be able to climb a tree to get away from doggy..