<p>Aibarr, I did not know that the cat washes were prescribed by your vet. Makes sense then, but what a pain!</p>
<p>Here is a pretty informative webpage from the Cornell Feline Health Center which also lists some commercial products that can aid in preventing destructive feline behavior:</p>
<p>[Destructive</a> Cat Behavior](<a href=“http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/DestructiveBehavior.html]Destructive”>http://www.vet.cornell.edu/fhc/brochures/DestructiveBehavior.html)</p>
<p>You know they sale screens that cats cannot claw through:
[Absolutely</a> Amazing Pet screen doors saves family pets petscreen doors dogs cats approved](<a href=“http://www.petscreen.com/]Absolutely”>http://www.petscreen.com/)</p>
<p>I do believe that declawing a cat should be the very last option (i.e. PTS or declawing after everything else has been tried) is one thing, but I hate that for some its the first line of defense.</p>
<p>^^
Now how do you know that for some it’s the first line of defense? For some it may be the difference of being able to give a homeless kitty a place to live and not being able to own a cat at all.
They sell all types of things to accommodate pets. Heaven knows, I have shelled out plenty of money over the years for special items for cats, dogs, birds, fish, you name it.
In the case of the screens we were in a rented townhouse. The cats tearing open the screens could not have been predicted and cost a lot to repair. </p>
<p>What is a little disturbing about some animal rights advocates is that their strictures mean that the accommodations and costs of pet ownership exclude any but those with plenty of disposable income from ever having a pet. It is elitist. Add to that the judgmentalism of some people about what is “right” for animals, even considering that many animals may never be adopted, because people feel they can’t declaw, clip, or change their pets in any way for fear of being “cruel”. And yes, in some European countries, not only do they not clip ears or tails or declaw, but they also do not believe in neutering. What a pain it is to walk your dog in Germany when all the dogs are free-roaming and mounting or aggressing your pet (speaking from experience!).</p>
<p>Why can’t kittens to be adopted as indoor cats be spayed and declawed as a matter of course? Human babies are circumcised and ears pierced and everyone winds up just fine.</p>
<p>I don’t think cat declawing is usually the first line of defense. For one thing, it is an expensive procedure. I doubt people are forking out a couple hundred bucks without trying other things first.</p>
<p>Listen I am in college, with 3 kids, a husband who works a job just a few dollars over minimum wage, and I seem to have been able to accommodate for the 3 cats in my home. 1 is neutered, 1 is spayed and 1 will be neutered as soon as the vet okays it. It can be done, sometimes you have to be creative with cheaper alternatives. Take the screens, you can buy galvanized screen mesh and re-screen the windows that are already on the home. </p>
<p>I can never see spaying being illegal in this country. When you circumcise a baby you are taken a small portion of the foreskin not the whole ***** or to be more accurate the head of the *****. When you pierce a baby’s ears the holes can close up. When you declaw a cat you are taken the equiv. of the tip of your finger up to the first knuckle. Big difference IMO.</p>
<p>And how do I know that there are people that use declawing as a first line of defense? I have heard with my own 2 ears many people say I am getting a kitten or cat on X date when can I get it declawed. The cat has not even done anything yet, and already they want it declawed. The OP is not even in this new home yet and has no idea how the cat in question will react or treat the furniture there and already seems to be contemplating getting it declawed it seems. So yeah some people do use it as a first line of defense.</p>
<p>…as opposed to the cats destroying the belongings of the person you’re supposed to marry?</p>
<p>Now, imagine that it’s a choice between declawing or getting rid of the cats? That’s a very real decision that some people have to make. If declawing were illegal, like in some areas, those cats would be going to the shelter. That’s just the way it is.</p>
<p>RebelCats, I greatly admire your humane approach to cat care,.</p>
<p>I don’t have a dog in this fight since we have never owned a cat, but I can’t help but think that a declawed cat will be toast the first time it gets rushed by a medium-sized or larger dog. Claws and fear of those claws are a cat’s main defense.</p>
<p>coureur, cats usually get declawed on their front paws only for that particular reason - they are left with half of their weaponry to defend themselves. Our neighbor’s declawed kitty (on all four paws!) could scale fences, catch songbirds and mice and chase away dogs of any breed and any size just fine. I did not know she was declawed until the owner told me.</p>
<p>Declawed or not, cats should not be allowed to roam outdoors - they are a huge threat to the songbird population. And indoor kitties tend to have much longer lives.</p>
<h1>46 When I got with my now husband he was and still is a big animal lover. He would have never have given me the A) Cat is messing up stuff either declaw him or he is gone B) its me or the cat C) or any other BS excuse because I would have booted him and he knows it.</h1>
<p>You should see the leg of my kitchen table it has seen better days because the cats do claw that. Its just a table, if it really bothered me I would sand and refinish it. I am thinking of wrapping sisal rope around the legs so they can claw that. But it might not happen.</p>
<p>This is my opinion on all this. If you do not have a cat or dog and you are thinking about it remember this. Pets are like kids that never grow up. They get into stuff, they mess stuff up, they have accidents in the house sometimes, and a whole lot of other stuff. If you possessions mean so much to you that you would declaw, boot out, rehome, beat said animal because of those possessions don’t get an animal. People can do some really cruel things to their pet just to make things easier for the human in the picture not for the better meant of the animal.</p>
<p>And you know what not that long back I heard someone talking about de-toothing their dog. Thats right remove all the teeth from their dog"s mouth because it got snippy sometimes.</p>
<p>Great point, coureur, but our declawed cats have co-existed peacefully with a rambunctious Samoyed for almost 7 years. We have not had a problem, but then I trained the dog since he was 8 weeks old, it is possible to do that. And the cats are wise. They are comfortable in the same room, it’s all fine.</p>
<p>It was something else when we brought the clawful kittens home, though. One of the declawed cats died of cancer (rest her lovely soul), so the other one became the ‘mama’ to this unruly brood. They learned to ‘mind’ her, and it hasn’t been a problem that she lacks claws in the front.</p>
<p>One of our cats growing up was declawed before we got her, and she caught birds and mice and climbed trees with the best of them. I haven’t noticed any appreciable difference in the behavior between our clawed and declawed cats, except for the destruction of course, and scratches and puncture wounds, because the kittens are playful. We kept them with their claws intact anyway, so don’t judge me. And I don’t judge others for making decisions to declaw. In some cases, it can mean the kitty gets to stay in the home.</p>
<p>MOWC, cracking up here. Maybe that explains why our cat is such a b@$tch at times. She wants a nicer fur coat!</p>
<p>I had my two cats (7 and 8 at the time) declawed when I was pregnant with DS. Both were indoor cats. It was horrible. The vet was slow to release them to come home, and they continued to bleed at home so I had to take them back to the vet to get their paws rebandaged. It was awful, awful, awful. Both were in pain, or they seemed to have tender feet. </p>
<p>My new kittie (she turned 1 June 1st) is not declawed. Unlike my other cats, I do let her go outside during the day. My backyard is fenced, she is a lousy jumper and an even worse climber. She never leaves the backyard, and I belled her so that all birds and squirrels are alerted to her presence. (Apparently butterflies are deaf.) She has several scratching posts around the house and has learned to use them instead of the furniture. Please, please try alternatives before declawing your pet.</p>
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<p>I think it’s far worse when the cats are adults. It’s like having your wisdom teeth pulled when your an adult vs. as a teenager.</p>
<p>We’ve had the procedure done to several cats over the years on the front claws only and all while they were still quite young. In all three cases their paws were a bit sore for a few days, but after that they were perfectly fine. They still go through the ‘clawing’ motions but can’t damage anything. Obviously I don’t know what they think, but all indications are they don’t really even know anything’s different. </p>
<p>I think it’s a personal decision up to each pet owner, but those who call it animal cruelty and mutilation have, in my opinion, gone off the deep end a bit. </p>
<p>I think of it as I would think of a wisdom tooth removal. Sure it’s not pleasant, but the longer term benefits far outweigh the short term discomfort. If having cats de-clawed means that there will be more homes for homeless cats then I think it’s well worth it…</p>
<p>Also, as other have pointed out, ‘fixing’ cats is fundamentally no different and some could even argue has a far more dramatic impact on the cat (hormones etc.)</p>
<p>Here is a good description of the procedure from a veterinary clinic, not from PETA-like wackos:</p>
<p>[Cat</a> Hospital of Chicago-Declaw (Onchyectomy) in Cats](<a href=“http://www.cathospitalofchicago.com/library/declaw_in_cats.html]Cat”>http://www.cathospitalofchicago.com/library/declaw_in_cats.html)</p>
<p>Our miss evil kitty was operated on in a very similar manner (minus the laser, because they were not in use at that time).</p>
<p>My sister is a veterinarian, and she does not recommend declawing cats older than 3.</p>
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<p>When I got my wisdom teeth removed, that was so that I wouldn’t eventually endure some pretty severe maxillofacial complications. When someone gets their cat’s claws removed, that’s not so that the cat’s health will be guarded in any way, unless it’s really a last-ditch effort to keep the cat from being put to sleep.</p>
<p>That’s a good webpage, BunsenBurner.</p>
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<p>You’re looking at the situation backwards… most people who get a cat de-clawed plan on doing so from the beginning rather than a reaction after the fact. If de-clawing was not an option many of these people would not take a cat in and that cat would not have a home.</p>
<p>^-- I rescued my cat from an LA animal shelter where animals are “destroyed” within 48 hours of entering the shelter. I had no intention of declawing him, but a year later I was laid off and had no choice but to move in with my parents. My mom said declaw him, throw him out (in coyote country), or put him in a shelter. What choice would you make?</p>
<p>^ find a roommate who likes pets
;)</p>
<p>we are cat people and we declaw when they are kitties. All our cats are loving and react to the proceedure as men react to circumscision. Yep, it may have hurt but I do not have any recollection.</p>