Is it really cruelty if your indoor cats have ALL their claws removed?

The vet will tell you "yes", but in the case of my cats, they're litter mates and they don't want to have ANYTHING to do with the outdoors. They bop and bite like all cats do but it's friendly, and since they will never want to go outside I think I should have the right to remove the claws from their hind legs.

Our Siamese likes to go Freddy Kreuger on my leather La-Z-Boy, and then he looks at me like "Aren't you proud of me daddy?"

Peace

Hey Dr. Love...

It's painful and some cats are in pain for the rest of their lives. Think of it this way: how would it feel if you had your fingernails and toenails removed?

i don't think so. when i had my cat, we had all the claws removed. we adopted him from a shelter. far as i am concerend, the cat losing it's claws as to not tear up myself or my furniture is a small price to pay for shelter, love, food, etc.
thats just the way it is and i really don't give it much thought. for me, it serves a real purpose unlike say, cropping the ears which is just to make the dog look a certain way.

i know how it is done and have heard all the horror stories about how they take them off at the knuckle. frankly, i don't care.
my cat was put under, had pain meds, healed up in a few days and was fine. i think people make way, way to big a deal out of declawing cats.



excitable, if some person was going to give me food, shelter, and love/toys for the remainder of my life and all i had to do was lose the toe/finger nails, i'd yank them dudes out myself.
the question is not valid anyway cause the cat has no clue what is going on.
sure, they will be in pain for 'life' if it is a botched job but if you go to a reputable vet and use some pain meds after, your cat will be good to go in a week and wll be no different.
people try to lay this cruelty trip on people and it's just not cool.


how far do you want to take the cruelty thing?

is it cruel to even keep a cat as a pet? a dog? i mean, why confine a cat to say an apartment all day when they could be roaming free. i used to be a huge cichlid keeper. is it cruel to keep fish in a tank? is it cruel to have a dog as a pet and during the day while you are gone and at night you crate it?
we can talk this cruelty crap all day. if people want their cat declawed so they don't get their crap torn up, who cares/?

I'm not sure that's the case EB. A lot of people have their toenails removed for certain reasons in order to alleviate the pain (i.e. Texans defensive end Mario Williams). I think the only argument for cats keeping their back claws is in case they get outside they have a way to protect themselves. I think if there was lifelong pain involved vets wouldn't perform the procedure at all.

Peace

there is no lifelong pain involved.
that is just some trip people try to lay on others cause they don't believe in it. it hurts for a few days and you can give them pain meds for that...they walk light for a couple days and after the suchers absorb, they are like it never happened.

i don't see why it is even looked at as possibly cruel.
if your animal is going to be outside at all then it should have all claws. if it is an inside cat then i really don't see the problem.

trade some claws for lifetime of care and love=fair deal

Don't ever let your cat outside because it will be defenseless against other animals. But I would have my cats nails removed myself. I don't want my furniture tore up.:gocw:

All of ours have had a front declaw except the new kitten, but he'll lose his in a few months. We didn't see any point in doing the back ones because they don't damage the furniture or carpets with them. The only damage we have is when they jump from a chair with a buffalo hide seat they leave little marks, but it's no big deal.

None of our cats have had any bad reaction to having the fronts done, and keeping the back ones give them traction to run if they need or want to.

None of the cats go outside other than the balcony so they don't need to worry about defending themselves.

It's more like cutting off the tip of a finger than just removing a fingernail.

Why can't you just keep them trimmed?

djohnsto77 is totally right, it's far more than just removing the claw, and more akin to severing the end of your finger or toe.

To remove the claw so that it won't grow back the vet severs one bone, a ligament, and two tendons on each digit.

Go ahead and bend the tip of your finger at the last joint, really, grab a finger and bend the last joint right now, I'll wait.............



That entire section is removed during a declaw, or shall we call it what it is, an amputation.

Here's a full write-up on the process for you to consider.
maxshouse.com...


It kinda amazes me that cats and dogs even bother to hang around humans when you think about it. We amputate cats toes and cut off their balls, some dogs have their tails cut off and their ears trimmed only because humans think it looks nice.
I've often wondered about this fascination our species has with altering what nature gave us, and I'll be the first to argue against things like circumcision or people having their babies ears pierced. I think things like that should be left until the person is old enough to make those choices for themselves.

But of course dogs and cats don't ever get that choice........:shk:

Originally posted by djohnsto77

Why can't you just keep them trimmed?

That's what I do with my cat.

Originally posted by anxietydisorder


It kinda amazes me that cats and dogs even bother to hang around humans when you think about it. We amputate cats toes and cut off their balls,

yeah, we are so terrible in cutting their balls off preventing them from getting other dogs pregnant and tossing a bunch of strays out there. we cut their balls off as to prevent possible testicle cancer which is a huge killer in older male dogs.
same with spaying dogs and cats. older ones can get what is called pyometra(sp) where their uterus gets infected and it can kill them. i remember when i worked at the vet, they removed one from a chihuaua and the uterus weighed almost as much of the rest of the dog.

i really think some of you need to come off of it. i acknowledged it is cutting off the knuckle but there is NOT a lifetime of pain like one poster has said. that is false.

a week of limited pain and the loss of claws is a fair trade imo for full care, love, food, toys, treats, etc....i mean, i'm sure the cat would much prefer being out on the street in the elements but with claws eh.

keep them trimmed? sure. even trimmed they can still tear you up, tear up your furniture....there are also many reasons why a person would do this to their cat.
they have a cat but need to move and the new place won't accept the cat unless it don't have claws. so, they can get rid of the cat or declaw it,

it is NOT as big a deal as some make it out to be especially with the new techniques. they can do it with lasers now with minimal discomfort.

Originally posted by Boondock78
yeah, we are so terrible in cutting their balls off preventing them from getting other dogs pregnant and tossing a bunch of strays out there. we cut their balls off as to prevent possible testicle cancer which is a huge killer in older male dogs.

Agreed. Not fixing your animal, unless you want them for breeding purposes, should be against the law IMO.

Originally posted by Boondock78
keep them trimmed? sure. even trimmed they can still tear you up, tear up your furniture....

The chair I was speaking of is soft leather, and when I say Freddy Kreuger, I mean Freddy Kreuger, and that's with just the back claws. There's something about leather that just makes a cat's claws come out.

Peace

imo, people just like to stir the animal cruelty pot. i think some that get on this crusade has never even kept an animal.
for the people with cats that have claws, or even back claws..how do your cats react to loud noises? i know a few years ago when we had our calico before we declawed it, it was sitting on the chair and my wife got the vacuum out. she didn't even plug it in and as soon as the cat saw it, it jumped off the couch and started freaking out and carved my wife up pretty good. she still has a couple faint scars.

i would argue that is the exact opposite of cruelty cause a domesticated cat with no claws is better off than a cat running the streets, fending for itself, spreading babies and disease.
can you keep a cat in your home with claws? sure....why should you have to though?

why do we not argue that keeping an animal at all is cruelty. i mean, the animal didn't 'make the choice' to live with you..you chose for them.
the animal does not choose the food you feed it or the treats you give it. it does not choose how much love you give it or ANYTHING else in it's life, but the removing of the claws are supposed to be a big deal??? come on

i can see not digging on the cropping of the ears and the docking of the tail cause that is a mere cosmetic but claws on cats and spay/neuter in cats and dogs is beneficial for the health of the animal(in the case of spay/neuter) and in the case of the claws is bebeficial to the person. you know, the one paying for this animal.
i mean, we could really argue that keeping animals at all is cruel so why choose to zero in on the removing of the claws?
cause you have a personal gripe against it?
meh

you know, seeing as cats do not seem to grasp the concepts of commands and get spooked easier than dogs, declawing them can avoid injuries like this





fact is, cats can/do, and will tear your ass up, even if they 'love you'....imo, best not to take that chance

see this reporter get her face rocked by a cat?


this is my favorite though...a warden or something is talking about how sweet this cat is for adoption and then it freaks out and tears his ass up. at 54 seconds you hear the screams from the guy? yeah, that is cause the cat is burying it's claws into the guys thigh, through his jeans



imo, a necessary evil if you're going to own a cat cause they can and will bust you up

Pinky did a death roll on that guys leg!!

That's what my cats do when I try to trim their back claws.

Peace

Originally posted by Dr Love

Pinky did a death roll on that guys leg!!

That's what my cats do when I try to trim their back claws.

Peace

they can tear you up.

i love animals and have been around them from working in a vets office when i was younger to various kennels.
to spout that declawing all or the fronts as automatic cruelty is a bunch of crap to me.
you know, it has been shown that animals are great 'therapy' for people, especially older pepople. my wife works in a nursing home and people bring their animals in to 'visit' and these old folks perk up at least for a little bit. so, if a cat is gonna help my 80 year old grandmother be happier but in doing so we have to remove the claws, i don't see the problem.

talking about the cat not being able to make the choice is silly as the cat chooses nothing in it's entire life. if you have a cat, you chose it, not the other way around. you choose everything from when to feed it and how much. EVERYTHING.
so choosing to remove the claws so the cat don't rip up you or your furniture is wrong?? i just can't wrap the ole grey matter around this one.

anyone here been scratched by a cat? any first hand experience of how it feels for a cat to dig right into your flesh?
for one, cats are pretty dirty what with rooting around in the littler box so if/when you get ripped open by one, there is a good chance you are going to get some sort of infection. maybe just cat scratch fever, but you could get sick none the less.

seems like a simple way to avoid all these problems is to pay the money and have a professional remove the claws, give pain meds, and then go on about your life.
the cat will not care.

You have to be careful when trimming them, you can't just cut off the entire claw, just the very end where it's sharp. The quick of the nail is within in the claw, so if you cut too much off, you'll be cutting into the cat's flesh which will be very painful. After you and your cat get used to clipping, you should be able to keep their claws in a state where the cat can do everything a cat should be able to do and still not injure you or damage your home or furniture.

Originally posted by djohnsto77
You have to be careful when trimming them, you can't just cut off the entire claw, just the very end where it's sharp. The quick of the nail is within in the claw, so if you cut too much off, you'll be cutting into the cat's flesh which will be very painful. After you and your cat get used to clipping, you should be able to keep their claws in a state where the cat can do everything a cat should be able to do and still not injure you or damage your home or furniture.

you are correct. however, it is not always that easy. some cats are mellow and will let you clip them but others hate to have their paws manipulated. that is a fact.
some people have a hard time clipping their cats claws. cats are squirmy and if you are not careful, imo, they can be more dangerous to dogs.
i am not saying if one gets a cat they should automatically jump to declawing but if the cat is jumpy, tears stuff up, etc etc, then get it done. it is no big deal.
what do you think is more cruel? getting the claws removed by a vet, or, every so often trying to hold the cat down to clip the nails(assuming the cat is not uber mellow)...the stress of being held down. what if you do cut into the quick? that is gonna be painful as hell for the cat....
gona put the cat through that every month? which is more cruel?

Cats scratch with their claws to keep them at a manageable length. Rather than declawing your cat, practice behavior modification.
Get them a scratching post, or have something handy to ward off your cats from scratching. -- squirt their way with a squirt gun, for example.

Check this out for an alternative:
www.softpaws.com...

The whole scratching post concept is a joke. I have one and they never use it, they use the side of the couch. And as far as the squirt gun thing goes, that's all well and good when we're home, but it's during the day while nobody's home when the do all the slicing and dicing.

Peace