Declawing cats!

anniehoo

Just wondered what people thought of this procedure! I recently pet sitted for a lovely american couple and their cats were declawed (front paws). I was horrified but obviously didnt say anythin to them. The cats are very well looked after..but its so strange seeing them attemting to scratch e.g. couch/bannisters or somethin with no claws. Theyre not allowed outside at all as they wouldnt stand a chance. They are fantastic cats and it doesnt seem to affect them at all...but a procedure i find totally unnecesary!! Even if the argument is to just protect your furniture, i still dont understand why vets would even do this! Is it common in ireland or is it a US thing..and what are your feelings on this?

Royale with Cheese

I'd be just as horrified. Cats are meant to have claws, they actually need them. It seems a really cruel thing to do. If people are afraid of their furniture getting destroyed then they shouldn't have got the cat in the first place.

Ruu_Old

Don't think it is necessary. We've had a lot of cats through our house over the past few months and all of them have been fine. They just had to be corrected to go and claw the scratching post instead of everything else! Even if they are declawed, they will still scratch as they have scent glands in their paw pads.

That said, I never heard of declawing until I moved to America, don't think it is very common in Ireland indeed Europe and wouldn't consider it for my cats, ever. It just seems like taking away a part of them to me. It's not like a fingernail but a part of their body.

anniehoo

Ruu wrote:

It just seems like taking away a part of them to me. It's not like a fingernail but a part of their body.

Yes i know what you mean. But it sometimes strikes me that i can tolerate something i would have previously found abhorent! The couple are soo nice and the cats have the best of food and are very well cared for, i just cant understand why they do this. Ive never questioned them on this at all! I find my opinions..or should i say tolerance of things i would have (having no real experience of) lessening when ive seen it in real life...if that makes sense?! The cats do have a fantastic life..but i feel guilty for thinking "well if theyre well looked after...having no claws doesnt matter"!

galah

why don't you ask them why they did it? ;-)

I find it absolutely horrible to declaw cats, and I don't see why anyone would do this. You can teach cats not to scratch furniture, it just takes a little effort. There's no benefits to declawing, and the poor cats would not be able to survive outside at all.

What would you think if someone ripped their babies' fingers and toes out - is it ok, as long as it's well fed and entertained? I don't think so!

stovelid

It's a vile idea. If people want something that doesn't cause a mess, won't want to go outside and won't act naturally; why can't they just buy an ornmament?

Ger the man

Illegal in Ireland

Nala

It's a shameful practice, as is tail docking and ear cropping.

comongethappy

Declawing is illegal in most of europe. It always leaves the cats with some pain for a long time (they contsantly walk on it, move litter around, etc) as it's actually attached to the cat's bone, it alters the conformation of their feet which can affect balance, and they have no ability to defend themselves.

Declawing is a very common practise in america for people who have indoor only cats. I think most people aren't aware of the problems declawing can cause. It's just so common, and cats disguise their pain as it's a display of possible weakness, people often don't think twice.

If you know these americans well, enough, you can explain this to them and recommend instead of declawing, they get claw caps for their indoor cats to help protect their furniture. They can be ordered online from http://www.softpaws.com/ .

arybvtcw0eolkf

Well my poor little Jericho (staffordshire bull terrier puppy) has just had her face ripped pretty bad by a stray cat in our garden, who'd I'd like to de-claw & de-live.

But ya, its cruel and I'd never dream of it for my cat.

alexdenby6

aww poor little bby is he ok? poor fella probably only wanted to play.

Nala

Mairt wrote:

Well my poor little Jericho (staffordshire bull terrier puppy) has just had her face ripped pretty bad by a stray cat in our garden, who'd I'd like to de-claw & de-live.

But ya, its cruel and I'd never dream of it for my cat.

[sarc]What??? I thought Staffies were extremely DANGEROUS dogs that rip every other living thing apart on sight????[/sarc]

No, I could never de-claw a cat but it's almost routine in America. Eugh.

cowzerp

Mairt wrote:

Well my poor little Jericho (staffordshire bull terrier puppy) has just had her face ripped pretty bad by a stray cat in our garden, who'd I'd like to de-claw & de-live.

But ya, its cruel and I'd never dream of it for my cat.

We had a huge german shepard that was terrified of cats as he was attacked by a mother cat when he walked by her litter when he was a pup-hope jericho is not left traumatised by this...

moneyblues

Comongethappy is right. Cats will never let you know when they are in pain. In fact people used to think cats didn't feel pain. This is one reason why it is important to keep a close eye on your cats health as if they get arthritis or similar painful conditions owners can underestimate the effect as the cat won't let on it's in pain.

Nala

They do! My cat had a limp there a few months ago, I lifted her up to see what was wrong, as soon as I touched the sore foot she yelped. She had a thorn in the pad of her foot.

Birds, on the other hand, will hide each and every symptom until they're too sick to, hence why it's s important to get them to a vet quickly.

moneyblues

Well yeah - a cat will take you head of if you hurt it!:D But with long term chronic pain it will try to hide it. My mum has an old arthritic cat which hobbles along but never complains. My dogs whimper at the slightest thing!:rolleyes: