declawing a cat

[PhillyB]

my wife and i have a year-and-a-half old cat with claws and she tears up furniture like a mofo.

would you declaw a cat? do you consider it cruel? any experiences with declawed cats going bad?

[Jeff L]

Years ago we had a cat doing the exact same thing yours is doing and had his front claws removed. Make sure if you do it the car never goes outside because it has no way of defending itself.

[PhillyB]

yeah she's permanently indoors. and we would only get her front claws done.

[Panthro]

Try using a bullet

[PhillyB]

how would that work? you would have to shoot the tips of the claw off really accurately and that just doesn't seem like a efficient way to go about it. i'm going with someone elses suggestions

[Jangler]

Didn't have that problem with my cat, she only ever put her claws into the future to stretch and would stop that when ever I saw it. She's been gone 16 years and still have two couches from then.

[PhillyB]

if my cat ever stretches her claws into the future i will freak out.

[Donald LaFell]

I would just not get a cat or not get leather couches. If I cared about my furniture more than my cat I just wouldn't get a cat.

[Floppin]

It is a major surgery. They have to take the entire last bone out of the paws. Cats claws aren't like our finger nails. It's a horrible practice that has terrible psychological effects on the animals. You might actually have trouble finding a vet that will perform the procedure as most of them refuse to do it these days. You need to find a scratching object that your cat will use and they will stop using your furniture.

[LifeisaGarden]

Imagine someone cutting your finger tips off to the first knuckle because that's what they do to the cat when they're declawed. Cats walk on that portion of their paws too. Some vets will no longer do the surgery any more.

I have a cat that has never clawed the furniture. We provide things that belong to him to claw up when he needs to. If you don't get you cat anything else, get him a Sisal scratching post. Its the one that has rope wrapped around it instead of carpet. But if you want to do something he'll really like, get him one if those cat towers.

Cats have to scratch and stretch on something so you might as well provide something for them. Also trimming their nails once every two weeks will cut down on them needing to scratch.

[Wither]

I wouldn't do it.

[Skew]

Real men declaw their cats with their teeth.

Actually, real men don't have cats. But this method would help you save face.

[the butch]

if the concern is defending themselves, then don't remove at all. no matter where they are, who is around [even if no one], they always hiss and scratch and claw. if they could say one thing, it would be, "don't kill me don't kill me don't kill me."

[sunbunny]

No, I wouldn't have a cat declawed. It's cruel. Find something for her to scratch, like LIAG said.

I hope no vets are still doing it.