Declawing is cruel and should be banned. It involves amputating part of their toes. It can lead to mobility issues. It leaves cats defenseless. They can’t climb to safety if they need to. It also makes them more likely to bite, which is a danger to others. But hey, they won’t claw your precious furniture.
Defense? Climbing to safety? This is nonsense and a non-argument. Why? Cats - pet cats, the ones we are talking about, not barn cats - should be kept indoors. Period.
Do. Not. Let. Your. Pet. Cat. Out!!! Please. Safer for the cat, and your neighbors and songbirds will thank you.
Our 14-year-old cat wouldn’t go outside if you pushed him, and we’ve tried several times just for fun. He freaks if one paw is out the door. We leave our front door and window wall open all day long in cool weather, no screens. He’s never attempted to go out, but he will “patrol” the open spaces making sure birds, crickets, and anything else that moves know he’s a force to be reckoned with and should reconsider coming any closer. He is declawed as every cat we’ve ever owned has been. I say the decision should be left to the pet owner based on individual circumstances.
@trojanchick99 Neutering also involves amputating something…do you oppose that?
I tried to have my husband neutered. He opposed it.
My black cat is an indoor only…who spent Tuesday night outdoors. Escape artist!
“They can’t climb to safety if they need to.”
Have you lived with any declawed cats? They can climb almost anything. The only thing they can’t climb as easily is fabric, such as curtains or a clothed human being. They’re fine on trees. I’m watching my parents’ declawed cat reach the ceiling via bookshelf as I type.
They did have one declawed cat (RIP 1996-2015) who developed a corn on a front paw pad a couple of times in his life. These are more common in, though not exclusive to, declawed cats. It looked like a small pebble stuck on the paw pad, but it was growing out of the pad. He did not care for me holding him down and cutting the corn off, but it was about a one-minute process each time and he was good as new. That cat sure wouldn’t have wanted me to hold him down and trim his nails once a week, as I have to do with my natural cat. Some cats are just miserable about people touching their feet.
If I could, I would nominate that post for the cc hall of fame.
My avatars get rolled into a towel for their claw trimming. I am that ruthless. B-) I take out one paw at a time and trim quickly.
I have one 8yo strictly indoor cat. We had him declawed (front only) when he was a kitten. The vet actually recommend it at the time, and said his own indoor cats were declawed. I might not do it again, but it seemed like the right thing then. My cat is very healthy and loved by the whole family. I hear that now there are claw covers which prevent damage to furniture, etc.without surgery. But I wonder how uncomfortable those are for the cat to wear.
We are an animal family and have had both clawed and declawed cats. In fact we have one of each now. A recent rescue came to us declawed. I think the legislation is stupid and will result in less adoptions so it will have a negative result.
I think this might stir things up- we have 2 dogs both have no teeth- okay the recent rescue has one tooth. I always wondered if it would be such a bad idea to remove teeth rather than euthanize dogs with a biting history. Now our dogs lost their teeth from health reasons but having no teeth really has not seemed to diminish their quality of life at all.
Having no teeth seems to me to be a better option than having no heart beat.
I don’t think it needs to be governed by law. I would prefer my legislators to spend more time on things that matter. I have cats and don’t declaw…they are primarily outdoor cats so don’t tear up the house when they decide to come in.
I am of two minds about this.
On the one hand, for the 25 years we had indoor cats (cat free for the first time-H developed allergies so when our last cat passed away in the summer we didn’t replace her), we never had to declaw them.
On the other hand, we have friends who have two declawed cats. They have a gorgeous house full of designer stuff. Those cats are incredibly pampered and appear utterly content (and fat, lol). They’re old pound cats-one is 14 and one is 17, so these aren’t people who aren’t committed to their cats.
Our house is hardwood and leather (to keep cats and dogs from wrecking it). I am looking forward to having a pretty linen couch when the girls go off to college and it’s just me, H, and the tidy chihuahua who gets a shower every few days.
But-if the only way my friends would have those two pound kitties was for them not to have their front claws, I don’t think I would say they can’t do that. There are so many cats that are abused and euthanized, that I’m not sure that we have the luxury of telling people they can’t do this. I think it will mean more cats dead, ultimately.
Tail and ear docking is another story-there’s nothing about that that makes a dog easier to live with. It’s just human stupidity.
I’m in the cats with claws/terrible looking furniture camp.
When we moved into our current house, my husband wanted to get nice living room furniture.
We have lived in the house 11 years, and my husband has probably logged less than an hour on that furniture.
The cats love it… and the armrests are in terrible shape.
But, we have never considered declawing the cats. We do have a large cat tree and other scratching areas, but the sofa and chair seem to be their favorite places to scratch.
We also don’t invest more than a minimal amount in drapes. We have 1 climber, but I haven’t actually seen her climb in years.
Our leather furniture is fine - they don’t try to claw it.
I am opposed to declawing, but mostly mind my own business when it comes to this issue.
I grew up with declawed cats. It’s patently false to say they can’t protect themselves outside. Our cats could climb trees just fine and very very fast with their back claws. When our dog tried to play wrestle with them, they used their back claws expertly. He quit doing that.
I do get the arguments against it, but if your indoor cat gets outside once in awhile, it can still climb trees to escape a predator. But declawed or not, in this day and age, if you live in a city or suburb where people drive cars, your cat should not be an outdoor cat anyway.
I would rather a cat be declawed and adopted than left to be euthanized because the people decided against having a cat because they are concerned that the animal will rip up their furniture and drapes.
I also disagree that not wanting shredded furniture is petty. It’s not. We all work hard for our money and no one wants to see their personal environment destroyed.
My brother’s cat used her post and only her post her entire life. Never went near the furniture. My sister’s cats, though, refused to use any contrived cat scratching objects.
As to the nail covers: I tried those. My cat spent an hour chewing them all off. The second time it took her about 5 minutes.
Or course it’s CA that would propose such legislation :-S . I supposed the next law will make it illegal to let a companion cat outside.
We’ve had cats, dogs, rabbits, rats, chickens, geese ducks and even a short stint with resident wild turkeys. Oh…and let’s not forget occasional snake. Never had to declaw a cat but ours are indoor/outdoor.
I’ve volunteered in our local shelters on and off for the past 20 years. IMO, this law will simply crowd the cages of adoptable cats even more than they currently are crowded. Yes, declawing is not a desirable procedure. Yes, it CAN have negative effects on the cat. But, I’d bet most people who decide to declaw will have spent some time (they will certainly spend $$$) evaluating their options.
Frankly, I think a bigger problem - one with detrimental long term effects on each and every animal - is the mandatory spay/neuter of very young animals before they can leave a shelter. Spaying female dogs when they are 8 week old puppies leads to bone and urinary problems in the future. The hormones were never present long enough to grow healthy bone tissue nor to develop a healthy urinary system. Hence the high level of bone cancer and joint problems as well as urine (leaking) issues in aging female dogs.
Speaking only for my no longer very golden state - we have enough ‘do good and save you from yourself’ laws on the books. Laws that felt good, made good press and elevated the author to momentary headline status. But, rarely do those authors REALLY think about long term consequences or unintentional side effects. Here’s an idea, instead of turning a blind eye (because of ‘cultural’ issues) on the known problem of dog and rooster fighting…turn your efforts THERE. Or, how about going into Chinatown and addressing the cruelty in the alleys where ‘cultural’ practices hold animals in horrid conditions until they are illegally slaughtered - and then carried home on the bus.
End or rant…should probably consider decaf…
Our cat is indoor outdoor and is not declawed. She sometimes claws at the furniture but I don’t really care. My furniture is IKEA because I just can’t see spending lots of money on things like that. She doesn’t really claw but occasionally she will nip at my toes if she wants something. She allows my oldest son to hold her upside down and toss her in the air so I don’t worry about her personality - she’s a Sylvester with a great disposition.
Our son yells, “ACROCAT!!!,” when he does this.
After our dog of 14 years died, I bought a new white sofa for the sunroom and linen sofa and chairs for the living room. A few months later, D brought a kitten home that she rescued at college. We chose not to declaw him. Of course his favorite scratching “posts” are the new furniture. He is especially fond of clawing the linen sofa and loves to shed all over the white sofa. I’ve resigned myself to crappy looking furniture. Kitty is so cute.
I didn’t struggle with the decision not to declaw kitty, but I am struggling with keeping him indoors. I know it’s much safer and I really don’t want to lose another animal. On the other hand, he sometimes whines to go outside and tries to slip out the door. He is intrigued by the squirrels that run along the deck railing. One of my vet friends, while acknowledging it’s much safer to keep a cat inside (for the cat and other wildlife), likened it to locking one’s children in the house.
Yes, they’ll be safer indoors, but will they be happy? Not sure what to do.
@Overtheedge The struggle is real! When I got my recently departed kitty 18 years ago, I wanted him to be an indoor cat. But he was so high strung! I caved, and I know he was much happier. I feel bad about the birds, bunnies and squirrels. He was an excellent hunter. Many neighbors disapproved. Where I live, it is customary to declaw as a matter of preference. I didn’t have my furniture destroyed until he became diabetic and peed on it before we knew what was wrong. I made it my mission to redirect his scratching to his sisal posts, but obviously some damage comes with the territory. Same as with children. Good luck!