To declaw or not to declaw, that is the question

I think having a cat declawed is a hideous thing to do. There is no good reason for having it done. If people don't want their furniture or themselves clawed then don't get a cat. If you take an animal as a pet you should at least be prepared to treat it with some respect.

I dont agree with declawing. Its surgery that pulls the claws out of the paws at the knucle bone. I saw some pictures and its terrible! I wouldent do it to my animals. Ive had two cats who were front declawed and they were indoor outdoor cats. they could climb trees and hunt, It was my moms choice ot declaw them, and ill respect that. But i wont do it with my cat now. Not seeing how they do it and all. As for my cat, shes supposed to be an inside cat, but she gets out often, so im glad she has her claws, she might need them.

I don't agree with it, animals have rights and I think it is cruel, nature gave cats claws they are meant to have them, I don't think you should do anything to a pet you wouldn't to to yourself, no disrespect to you but I think it is cruel.

I dont like it at all, its inhumane and cruel (but thats just my opinion). I think there are other ways to go about it, like actually training the not to scratch. It just takes a little patience.

I understand that often the wish to declaw has little to do with not wanting your furniture hurt, but it is still a drastic surgery. We got two kittens when I was six and we eventually had them both fully declawed because I was going to school with giant scrapes down my arms and my teachers were starting to look at my parents funny. But on the whole my opinion is- if you don't absolutely have to, don't. Putting in the time and effort to teach a cat not to scratch and to trim their claws is cheaper and less harmful. And if you really want a declawed cat, why not find a cat at a shelter who's already been declawed?

I personally won't declaw a cat because I find that I can train mine to not claw everything, including me. I would never judge anyone who decided to though. Not everyone has the time or patience to train a cat.

Good question. When my cat's vet asks me if I want to declaw my cat I said "no way”. First, it is painful, second it is cruel. Saving my furniture’s is not worth animal suffering. My cat is very gentle and she never scratches my legs and she is ok when I clip her nails.

I always believed that declawing a cat was rather cruel but sort of a necessity if you are keeping the cat indoors. I think declawing only the fronts is best, leaving the back ones available to defend should they accidently get "out" in the world. My daughter, studying to be a vet now, has witnessed exactly what "declawing" is and while I won't go into it I can verify that it is extremely painful for the cat to go through (obviously when they wake up) and is not a real pretty thing to witness. It basically is a form of literally removing their "finger" up to the first knuckle, which then takes off the retractable and larger "claw" part. My 2 cents.... indoor cats, as perhaps nasty as it might seem to some, should be declawed to prevent damage to items. I don't care what anyone says, they DO scratch furniture, stairs with carpet, curtains, etc. even if they have posts to scratch. But I'd never do a full declaw that includes the back claws.

I have actually gone both routes before. I had a cat that I absolutely adored, but she kept getting into the curtains, and thought blinds were a new fangled jungle gym just for her. My first husband threatened to get rid of her time and time again. Then one day he was soaking in the tub because he had hurt his back, and she was doing her acrobatic act around the edge and fell in. She scratched him up pretty bad. He was going to get rid of her if I didnt agree to get her declawed, completely. So I did. She was my baby, I had her since she was a kitten. She did rather well with it. We adopted a second cat, and he automatically took her to get it done. She had a rough go with it. When the third one came along, I was in the process of divorcing him, and I didn't take her to get anything done at all. Though I am considering getting her front ones done now that the baby is getting more mobile. He thinks she is a giant movable toy and grabs frequently and I am afraid she is going to get mad and scratch him. My aunt always gets her cats done front only. She has a rescue more or less. Every time she sees a cat that needs a home she takes it in. Her husband is a patient man. LOL. I must say they are all healthy and happy, and it is quite nice that when they paw at you or stretch on you you don't get hurt. The one I have now that I mentioned before recently gouged my ankle pretty welI because she is a klutz and was jumping up on the bed and missed by a bit, but managed to catch my leg. I will say that any cat I have ever had that had any kind of declawing, never went outside once it happened.

I would personally never declaw my cat. True, plenty of cats are fine afterwards, but some have very serious complications that lead to infections, chronic pain, and behavior changes. I just wouldn't want to risk it just to get out of having to train my cat. I would feel so guilty if something went wrong. Besides, if you have pets, you have to know that they will eventually claw or chew or puke on something, no matter how well trained, it just comes with the territory. Of course, if is did end up owning a declawed cat, like you did, I wouldn't ever let it outside either. Anyway, enjoy your new baby!

In my opinion it is fine to declaw a complete indoor cat, however I would never do that to my cat-I just clip his nails. Although I think I am going to invest in an electric razor to shave him because I am annoyed with and itchy nose and cat hair everywhere.

Whoo I am going against the grain here!!! We have FOUR cats. All front claws have been removed. Each baby has come through the removal great with no trauma, they all "play nice" now.. without digging each others brains out, our furniture is still nice as day one (minus all the cat hair), and when they are content, they all "knead" our legs, arms, chest, etc, so we are scratch and hole free. So I'm okay with it. Our babies are treated like gold, I do not believe it is cruel, its a procedure performed every day and if it was inhumane, vets would not be able to do it.

While I wouldn't call you cruel or horrible, I would say that if you choose this for your cat you were at best misguided. Cats without claws can still cause damage to your furniture & home, which is the reason most people site for having the procedure done. Cats who have been declawed often develop worse habits in response to the trauma they have endured. They may become less playful, the may start biting or they may start peeing around your home. What many don't understand is that it is much more than just the fingernails that are removed. The nail down to the first joint is removed, so that the nail will never grow back.It would be like losing your finger to the first knuckle. Although you may intend to keep your cat as an inside cat, accidental escapes often happen with cats. Guests sometimes let your indoor cat out without realizing that you don't allow the cat out. Or the cat scoots under your feet while you are struggling to get groceries in the house. A cat without claws outside is defenseless. If your cat is still a kitten, your energy would be better invested in getting it use to having it's nails cut and training it to use appropriate scratching posts.

declawing is cruel n its unfair to the animal. However i will not discourage or tell some one tt its cruel n try ways n means to stop them fm doing it. people have their own views n decisions n perhaps personal reasons for doing so. have u ever thought that its becoz ur cat does not have her claws to defend herself thus she is scared of everyday sound?

We just got a new cat also--- Got Gracie from the Lollypop Farm (Humane society).. She is an indoor cat also- Or at least we're making her that way- We have had too many cats be indoor outdoor and get hit in the road. OK so about declawing- I'm not against it-- If you plan on keeping your cat indoors all the time! When you take their claws away you take certain protection away.. They can't climb trees to get out of danger or fight off anything. Gracie has her nails clipped-- so when she stretches or neads as she does all the time-- they aren't sharp-- I don't think I'll ever get her declawed-- Just trimmed.

I'm from the UK and it is not allowed here thank goodness! I believe if you want an animal without claws a cat is not for you, cats by there nature like to climb. Declawing is a traumatic operation for an animal and one that doesn't help the cat is purely to stop them scratching and ruining furniture. Imagine you had to go to have your nails pulled out!how would you cope with the pain after the operation. Just because its allowed in some countries doesn't make it right. Justifying something means it needs to essential to an animals well being this isn't it is cruel.

I don't have a problem with anyone that declaws their cats, and usually I can understand their reasons. Even if I didn't, it was not my place to judge. I found that this is done more in North America for some reason. Personally I would not do it. It is a surgery no matter what and from what I read not an easy one.. it's not like cutting the nails. Not counting with the fact that it is painful and that during recovery the cat still has to use their feet even just to walk around which can be even more painful. I think that anyone that considers this option should research first and learn a bit more about it. Then if they still feel they need to do it, it's their decision and I would respect it.

I had my 2 13.5 yr old cats declawed when we first got them, but we have a new kitten that we haven't gotten declawed. I have no problems with him clawing the furniture because we have some great scratching posts and I trim his claws weekly. I do worry that my other cats will have arthritis, but they actually seem fine. It is a personal decision, but if you are worried about them scratching try a scratching post first before you declaw.

I do find the process horrible but I had two cats that were declawed and after a few days they did just fine for the rest of their lives. I've had fourteen other cats since then that I haven't declawed but I am considering doing so once I have the money and can move into a house. As much as I don't want to put them through the pain of it, I want to be able to allow them throughout my new home and since they have destroyed the furniture I already have, I don't want them to do so to my new furniture. In addition to that, I have a friend who cannot be around cats with claws by doctor's orders because of health issues and I want her to be able to come to my home. Now, if I can find a way to keep them from clawing me and the furniture without declawing them, I will do so. The challenge is that the youngest of my cats is 4 and the oldest is almost 8 and I don't think they can really be trained not to claw. They are constantly scratching me and I have a number of scars from it. I guess I'm on the fence but I'm not opposed to it.

I personally think that its a really bad idea. It's analogous to cutting the skin back to your finger bones in order to take out your nails. That can't be a nice feeling. And the benefits aren't that great either. My family has had several indoor cats, none declawed, and they have never destroyed furniture. Yes, maybe a scratch here or there, but nothing too serious. Plus, if your indoor cat did happen to get out by accident, then it really has no way of protecting itself against other cats.