I need help with my cat

Of course she did. She's a cat.

 

Good to hear that Kitty's doing much better, nowadays. Nice photo of her, too, (even Mimsy's version, LoL!).

 

Good to hear she is doing so much better, Darlene. Yup, that is the look mine gives me too. But I win too :-D She has No choice! and better yet, NO CLAWS!!:-D

 

ouch

 

No claws?????

Is that a natural phenomenon or have they been surgically removed?

 

I discovered after I moved to the US that de-clawing a cat, surgically remove the front claws, apparently is a very common practice with indoor cats. Apparently crippling a beloved pet isn't seen a serious offense to the animal, or dangerous for the cat if it ever finds itself in a situation where it needs those claws, compared to the convenience of no longer having to put in any effort to keep it from scratching at furniture.

Can I tell I think it's a barbaric and cruel thing to do? LOL

 

I don't believe there are hardly any vets that will preform that procedure any more.

 

It is very common, and not at all barbaric. Sure, if the cat is an outdoor cat, they need their claws, and I'd never de-claw it.

But for one that is never outside, strictly an inside cat, it is much better on the furniture and ME when she is declawed. They only de-claw the front anyway. Vets perform this all the time. I haven't found any that don't around here. May be different in other parts of the country. But my de-clawed cat is now 15 years old, and doing fine. I don't think she misses them at all. I had her done when she was 5 months old, at the same time she was spayed. I'd do it all over again, too.

 

Barbaric is a little harsh, JMO. I personally don't agree with it but sometimes it's for the cats well being. A real good friend of mine from south Fl had the same thing done to her Siamese only because the one got it's claw hooked in the furniture and almost broke its paw trying frantically to get it loose(very,very skid-dish cats). They also were inside cats. And the vets here do it as well.

 

That's where we disagree then... I'm thinking of what's best for the cat. I've had several indoor cats, none of them declawed, and I have neither scars or damaged furniture. As for as I'm concerned, it's the same as having a dog's teeth surgically removed when you catch him chewing up a shoe... a poor solution to an unnecessary problem.

 

I would not use the word barbaric but i do think it's inhumane.

Our cat has a full set of scratching kit and they are sharp as i have found out when playing with her, but i could not think to remove them.

 

I totally agree on somethings with cats claws. My family has always had animals cats/dogs.. Right now just 4 cats since dog died while back. But 3 out of 4 cats are outdoor/indoor cats. 2 are mean as heck and like to run the blocks of other cats.. and the 3rd is just old and doesnt kill many birds/mice anymore. Anyways we take claws out of some cats because all they do is tear furniture up. And unless you want that in the house and people that come over sitting on torn up seat/edges etc.. then its fine.. but we personally dont want torn up furniture even tho it still happens without claws. But sometimes outdoor/indoor cats do need claws to fight/do whatever but they need to learn that they cant go fighting like they do all the time. ! cat is a fighter/man whore and fights daily and he never get his claws out but the ones that are calmer we took claws out. Also you can just do the front claws and leave back ones in for them to climb fine. They can climb without claws and kill things just as good.. but if you want just take out front for furniture reasons and leave back in for climbing/defending themself.

 

Yep, maybe I'm just lucky, but my cat has been trained or 'conditioned' or whatever you want to term it, to sharpen her claws on the carpet squares, which I don't mind, and nothing else. Admittedly I had my hands full when she was a kitten, but she's pretty smart and knows not tick Dad off too much LOL. Sometimes she just does the carpet scratch routine to give me the hint that she wants the door opened to go outside. Noticed a few cats that do that. Must be a cat language thing. I did buy a cat scratching post thing years ago, which she totally ignored, as if to say, "Whaddat for?".LOL

 

Disagree is a much better word than barbaric. I have had cats for years. I don't like my furniture tore up, or the corners of my walls clawed up. Scratch posts were always available. My indoor cat has never been outside, and will never go outside. She has no need to fight. I don't think it is wrong, and I think people who kill their kids is a lot worse. ( An 18 mo. old baby and a 5 week old baby- both killed by their parents. THAT is barbaric)

As far as having a dog's teeth pulled for chewing on a shoe, I think you are taking it a little too far I have also had dogs. Never had their teethe pulled, but I did have them spayed and neutered.

Now, I have one cat, and birds. Oh yeah, I take their eggs away, and give give them dummy eggs to set on, so they don't overpopulate. I suppose you think that is wrong too? To each his own.

 

I have to admit i had never heard of de-clawing a cat until i read this thread.

Although i disagree with it i am not condemning anyone who has done it.

 

Wow just really shock at this thread about, maybe I am reading it wrong, maybe because were in different countries/areas we think different. I just never thought that declawing a cat was able to make a fuss(not really meaning fuss towards anyone) just dont know the word I wanted. Anyways here in and all places Ive been and known (specifically in usa) I never seen an issue and its very common to get a cat declawed. I just laugh when I think maybe there furniture is all hard wood/harder cushion in which maybe myself has big lazyboy recliner, spoofy couch. Maybe cats are different then here..I just dont know :-D

 

I've been lucky with all the animals I have had not destroying anything. I think if they have alternatives they won't. The cats we have now the older one like Phantoms' uses or used the carpet (we trim them now with nail clippers) the other took a liking to a piece of wood so when we moved we brought it.
I heard rubbing catnip on a scratching post might entice them to it.

 

My cat ignores the vertical scratch posts, but loves those boxes of corrugated cardboard that you can buy, that lays down flat (it may be influenced by the fact they come with catnip rubbed into them out of the box...). She takes naps on them, and when she gets really excited when playing, she'll stop playing, run over to the box and dig her claws in, and really rip into it. We have two of them, a couple of rooms apart, and she never scratches anywhere else.

The main reason I'm against declawing is that I know, from personal experience as well as from cat owners who live in countries where declawing is not an option, that it is perfectly possible to train a cat to scratch only in certain places and not on furniture, and to be gentle when playing. It's easier if you start when they're kittens, but adult cats can be trained as well. Since they can, the only reason to declaw would be if the cat owner just doesn't want to be bothered to spend the time with their cat to train them, or doesn't care enough. In other words, it comes across as an easy way out for the lazy and indifferent, who'd rather do something more important than spend time and effort bonding with their pet. And if you can't be bothered to do that, why even have one?

That's the important part. Cats scratch for several reasons that are built into their heads, and they will look for things to scratch on regularly. Declawed cats still go through the motions... so the best way to save your furniture is to just give them something else to scratch on.