And yes I have already tried alternatives--scratching post, orange spray, herbal spray, Soft Claws, etc. She eats the Soft Claws off in a day.|||I do not believe that there is an age limit per se in which a cat cannot be declawed. However, many veterinarians will not perform onychectomy (declawing) at all even in the Us. Younger is the standard though as older cats tend to have more complications from the surgery. Tendonectomy is a popular replacement for declawing, yet I believe that it is fairly cruel as it fundamentally alters the function of the cat's foot and nails. A cat can no longer make grasping motions once this procedure is done. The claws then began to grow in a circular shape into the foot pads (like an ingrown toenail). This causes pain and infection UNLESS the owner can devote himself/herself to trimming the nails on a regular basis. This does seem to be the better choice as surgery is less invasive and less painful for the animal immediately after surgery. Please choose this if you are going to do anything. I would advise talking to a vet. There are even more alternatives than I thought possible! Check out purrfect post, it's developed and approved by veterinarians! You can also spread tin foil over furniture for awhile... Scratching this material is very unpleasant for the cat. I won't judge you for your ultimate decision as I declawed my cats as well... That was before I knew what declawing actually was... They seem very happy now, yet my vet tells me that declawed cats develop arthritis easier than cats that are not declawed. Best of luck to you and your furry friend!|||Comparing a few weeks in a confined space (possibly cold and dirty), or a life time mutilated, disabled, movement restricted, progressive health problems, and possibly constant pain life I know which I would choose. Please do your reading properly, especially personal accounts on Lisaviolet
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|||So, you have an already abused cat who is now going to be abused further. 2 wrongs do not make a right. Please read before you do it, and if you do, and regret it, have the honesty and guts to tell your story: http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/d…
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|||It really seems incongruous to me that you would rescue a cat that was being treated inhumanely and cruelly, and then declaw her ... which is incredibly abusive. That is why it is banned in 25 countries around the world.
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|||What a self-serving attitude. You are just abusing the cat in a different way. You don't have the right to remove its claws, its ears, its tongue or its tail. YOU HAVE NO RIGHT. If scratched furniture bothers you, and you lack the compassion to retrain your cat to use posts, etc., get a dog.
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|||If you were in the UK the age limit would be EVER. Declawing is illegal here, considered totally barbaric, and we manage fine without it.
If you are in the US as far as I know there is no age limit in law. However as declawing involves amputating parts of the foot that the cat walks on, the heavier the cat, the more pain it's going to be in, the more difficult the recovery, and the more likely long term problems including turning to biting and soiling outside the litter tray.
I'd suggest you take the money you'd spend on a declaw, and spend it on a selection of scratching posts instead. Cats have preferences for different materials (what she's already scratching might give you a clue...), so you can get different posts, such as sisal, natural wood, or cardboard. Some cats like scratching horizontally, some vertically. You also need to position the post right: not in an out of the way corner. Scratching has a marking element, so you need to provide for that by positioning posts where they would want to mark and announce their presence along walkways and at intersections. Best place is where your cat is already scratching, then move it a few inches at a time if you need to. Any post or mat or cat activity centre you buy needs to be securely anchored and big enough for the cat. They need to be able to hook on and get a really good stretch. And more posts is better...
Please educate yourself before considering declaw: I've included some links to some information, including other people's experiences.|||Please don't do it man, you obviously know how cruel it is, why not try the training method ? It most definately works, you just need time and patience.You know, if your cat does turn to messing out of the litter tray man, your living room and carpet and bed will be in a worse state than having scratches.You couldn't have her toes put back on, so if you couldn't cope she'd end up in a Rescue Centre, along with other cats people have had declawed then got rid of, they are nearly all condemned to death, no matter what age as no one else will give them homes .....that is very sad man.
I'd rather sit on bare floorboards than have my cats mutilated.Declawed cats are called 'disabled' and no one who truly loves cats would disable a perfectly healthy pet.
The tendectomy thing is bad, severed claws hanging, they can't use.....
Man I 'm a grown man crying now at the thought of how cats suffer.|||There are two answers that spring to mind to your question, and I am sure that you are not going to like either of them.
The first one is this, why if you have a cat, which presumably you understood when you got it would have paws, which always in my existence come with claws would you want to be surgically removing those claws.It would be like you having legs and no toes, how would you wear your shoes????????????
Secondly akin to the first answer you must have known about scratching but at that time considered it worth putting up with as I am sure you would not have been irresponsible enough to have even taken the cat on in the first place.
Furniture is replaceable and DOES not feel pain!
Cats are little people with Fur coats and do feel pain. The path you must follow is one of enlightenment and reconciliation. Cats have paws, paws have claws, furniture - well the clue lies in the spelling - take a look FUR nit ure - my case rests! So the answer if there is NO age at which a cat should be declawed!|||Hi there,
There are so many serious complications that can arise from a declaw surgery. Tendonectomy is also a serious and complicated surgery which also is very painful and requires considerable care post-surgery and for the rest of the cat's life.
Quoting from http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?ac…
"Tendonectomy surgery removes part of the tendon that allows a cat to extend and withdraw his claws. It requires general anesthesia and causes post-operative pain and a fairly lengthy recovery time, just like declawing. It involves a lot of work for the guardian, since after surgery, you must trim the claws to remove the ever-growing layers of nail. Untrimmed nails can easily snag on furniture or carpet, or even grow around into the tender paw pads, causing a painful abscess. Many tendenectomized cats must eventually be declawed because their guardians cannot keep up with the lifetime commitment of required nail-trimming"
In fact, I just read a question about a major infection developing in a cat's paw after a considerable time post surgery, which is quite serious.
For the cost of surgery, I would suggest consulting a professional cat behaviorist to help you with your problem. You might also consider contacting Pam Bennett Johnson, a professional cat behaviorist who has a blog online where she takes comments and questions and ask her for advice, rather than subjecting your cat to this inhumane procedure.
http://shine.yahoo.com/blog/as9t.IYmIZpq…
I hope Pam can help you, and that you get the information to prevent declawing your cat.
Troublesniffer
Owned by cats for over 40 years
Member: Cat Writer's Association|||DID YOU KNOW "DECLAWING" IS TEN SEPARATE, PAINFUL AMPUTATIONS OF THE LAST DIGIT OF A CATS FINGER including bone (third phalanx), dorsal ligaments, flexor tendons, connective tissue, blood vessels, nerves, claw, and fur as these pictures and diagrams from the Textbook of Small Animal Surgery and then real surgery pictures reveal?
Warning: what follows are pictures showing what declawing actually is. If you are disturbed by graphic photos, these may not be to your liking. No surgery is pretty, but declawing is a surgery that is one of owner convenience only. Unlike spaying and neutering, there are no direct health benefits for the cat.
http://www.pawsneedclaws.com/Declaw_Info…
http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/declawpics.…
I urge you to continue other options such as Soft Paws instead.|||Yes it's true, a cat is too old to be declawed 30 seconds after it is born so there you go it's too late. Aw what a shame! Your poor furniture will have to suffer, my heart bleeds for it...far rather it suffers than your poor innocent cat be crippled for life!
Have you never heard of scratching posts and devoting time to teaching your cat...kindly..to use them? Here's all you need to know
http://clawsforever.ning.com/group/annie…|||My boss won't declaw cats over 5 years old, but a lot depends on veterinarian's preference I imagine.
What is your cat doing that makes you want to declaw her?|||aw i hope u dont declaw your cats...i found out they will end up having back problems after they get declawed. u wont be able to tell but they do thats what my vet said...|||get a goldfish since your so worried about your furniture
don't butcher your pets|||First of explain to me WHAT the cat is doing/scratching, so I can give you more alternatives.
Tendonectomy is WORSE then declawing.(for the human anyways) Are you aware then when you have this done YOU have to trim the cats claws every two weeks or they grow down into the pad because the cat can't extend them? (and its not easy to trim them because you can't extend the claw like you normally would, it's very time consuming and its NECESSARY).
Are you aware that declawing is NOT declawing at all, it's DETOEING. Cats are digigrade and their claws grow DIRECTLY out of bone. The surgery actually entails ten radical AMPUTATIONS of the cats toes down to the first knuckle bone. (Pictures in source box). The vet severs tendons, and arteries, takes claw, bone, fur, and a small part of the pad.
This surgery is EXCRUCIATINGLY painful, in fact is the most painful of all vet performed surgeries, so much so that they test animal pain killers on cats who endure this surgery. Cats who've been forced to undergo this surgery wake up screaming in pain, flying all over their kennels and bashing their heads against the walls from the pain, spattering blood all over the walls.
Next are you aware that cats WALK on their toes, and since this surgery amputates those toes you are FORCING the cat to change the way they stand and walk, you are altering the cats balance and you are permanently REMOVING the cats ability to stretch. Because of those facts most detoed cats end up with SEVERE arthritis, and muscle and joint stiffness.
Are you also aware that detoed cats often stop using the litterbox because they are in agonizing pain directly after the surgery and are immediately forced to walk on and dig with their mutilated stumps. They assoicate the pain with the litterbox and stop using it permanently instead resorting to using your carpeting and furniture as a toilet.
Are you also aware that many declawed cats start biting as a defense mechanism because they are so traumatized and confused as to why anyone would do this to them. (A girl I know has a cat that bites EVERY human who comes near him and spends most days hiding under the bed).. Most cats NEVER recover from this horrendous surgery.
Furthermore are you aware that cats NEED their claws for everything they do? They use them for balance, jumping, climbing, playing, grooming, scratching, walking, self defense, communication and eating. (I have seen my cats use their claws for EVERY one of those things every day since they've been with me, which is nearly 3 years).
AND just because they can adapt when FORCED doesn't mean they don't need them.
Cats scratch for a variety of reasons
1) Their claws are like an onion, comprised of many layers, they HAVE to scratch to shed the outer most layer.
2) They have scent glands in the pads of their feed and scratch to scent mark.
3) They NEED their claws to stretch their muscles, they dig in their claws and pull back.
ALTERNATIVES
ALL you need to do is provide one or two large cat TREES, no less then four feet tall with a sturdy base and take some time to train the cat to use it. Those flimsy posts don't work because they don't give the cat enough surface and they usually fall over quite easily. Get a cat TREE at least four feet tall with sisal on it and put in main areas of the house that the cat frequents. Spray it with honeysuckle or catnip spray to attract the cat place her on it when you see her scratching the furniture.
Also CLIP the cats nails every to weeks to keep the sharp tip dull. (It's easy and takes me five minutes to do all tree of my cats).
If needed you can also use soft paws or soft claws they are vinyl nail covers that you glue onto the cats claws every six weeks.
If the cat is scratching the couch, put on double sided tape, or plastic corner covers or tin foil on the covers...cats hate the feel of those things on their claws.
Declawing has NO benefits to the cat and is done ONLY to benefit selfish, lazy humans.
Declawing is illegal in 25 countries for being cruelty to animals
Now I'm including two declawing horror stories:
Meows Story
Hi my name is Ruth, our story begins 9 1/2 yrs ago when my 15 yr old son brought home this 6 week old kitten he got from another kid at school, so of course I said we would keep him, he is all black and very sweet.
My son named him 'MEOW'. We knew nothing about cats really, we always had dogs. We had him about 1 year when we had to move and the new landlord said we had to get him declawed so he wouldn't destroy his house or we could not move in. So we did, what a big mistake!!
His paws hurt forever, he was so sore and was limping, took him back to the vet and they said this would go away with time. Well, it did not go away he still can't jump up on things without severe pain, his feet hurt him all the time, and he will not let anyone touch his feet, he still limps and bites at us because he's almost always grouchy and we have to buy shredded paper to put in the kitty box or he won't, I mean can't, use it because his paws hurt so much. And now that hes getting older 9 1/2 years, the vet says he thinks hes getting arthritis in his toes because of the declawing, he is in a lot of pain most of the time.
It breaks my heart to see him so inactive and sore. But we will love him forever, thank God cats are so forgiving, if someone did that to me I would never forgive them. We now have 4 more cats and they all have their wonderful claws. NEVER again will I get a cat declawed for any reason!!
Stanley’s Story
A friend rushed over here with her cat in his carrier, along with his litter box and food one day, saying "PLEASE take our cat. My husband thinks it's possessed by the devil and wants to drown him.”
Inside the carrier was this absolutely beautiful pure white cat that was about one year old. He was with me for 10 years and was the sweetest most intelligent and loving cat I've ever had. As my friend dashed back to her car, she said over her shoulder, "BTW, he's declawed, so you won't have to worry about him scratching your furniture."
In those days, all my cats were outdoor cats, and I worried that Stanley wouldn't be able to defend himself against the neighbor cats. He was accepted by my cats instantly. And he turned out to be able to defend himself against neighbor cats.
When he was about 9 years old, he started having heart attacks! Between the vet, homeopathy and changing him to raw food, he lived another 6 or so months. Then his lungs began to fill up... congestive heart failure.
The vet said it was CAUSED BY HIS HAVING BEEN DECLAWED...... BECAUSE the muscles that run across his chest, from his right paw to his left one ALSO stimulate the heart muscle when a cat kneads his scratching post, a tree, etc. Without claws, he will still knead, but there are no claws to snag on the tree and give that "pull" or resistance that is needed to fully exercise the heart muscle.
He was a very active cat..... climbing trees, jumping over fences, etc. but that did not give his heart the kind of exercise he would have gotten had he still had his claws.
Nature made cats perfect.... they need all their body parts in order for everything to work like it's supposed to.
It absolutely killed me when I was told he would need to be PTS, because of his lungs constantly filling up with fluids. I took a home video of his last day so I could remind myself years later how much agony he was in. I felt so guilty that I had not found a vet who could CURE him, and I needed proof of how bad it had gotten, because having my best friend PTS was a devastating choice, and I felt like a murderer.
He could no longer lay down to sleep, because the pressure of anything on his lungs was too painful. In the video, he would try to lay down, but he immediately got up again. He kept falling asleep while standing up, but shortly after falling asleep that way, he would fall over with exhaustion and that would put pressure on his lungs again, and then he would sleepily try to stand up again.
It was heartwrenching to see his agony, and so I dug his grave before tearfully taking him to the vets. When I got to the vets office, I was told I had to sign a paper saying I requested he be PTS. I almost fainted.... I know I screamed.... it was bad enough to have to take him there, but to actually sign the papers was a nightmare.... I was signing his death sentence..... that was the worst day of my life.
Not only that, but because his circulation was so bad, the vet warned me it would take several minutes before the poison or what ever they use to put them to sleep would reach his heart. It seemed like a very long time before it reached his heart and when it did, he let out a sound that sounded like NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!! At that point I was a basket case and asked the doctor if he could PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE reverse the procedure, but of course he couldn't.
I'm crying a bucket of tears as I write this... even though it all happened almost 9 years ago. It's painful for me to recall. But if my writing about it will save another cat from that agony, it's worth it.
There is one more story I want to paste but I can't find it right now, what happened was a cat underwent a tendonectomy and his owners didn't maintain his claws, they grew into his pads one of his feet had to be amputated but the infection was so bad he died before his other food could be declawed to save it.
I would NEVER risk my cats life knowing what I know...and they never scratch anything but their cat trees.
ADD: Ok so take the double sided tape or the tinfoil and put it on the corners of your bed, as well and invest in a sisal scratch mat to put on top of the carpet. Trust me though get BIGGER cat trees, the small ones don't work.|||There isn't an age limit but of course the older cats are, the more risk of something going horribly wrong and it often does ! It's a very painful procedure, the toe ends and claws embedded in them, are removed either by amputation or by lasering, the only difference is that the latter is less bloody.The cat wakes up in agony, many throw themselves on the cage bars. some hunch in the corner, all are shocked and bewildered to find their toe ends gone.It takes a fortnight to learn to walk differently and this walk leads to arthritis in later life for many cats.Some cats turn to biting, even good natured ones can change their personality.Many have litter tray problems, their stumps hurt so much they can't dig in the litter,so they start messing on carpets or soft furnishings.Tendectomy is cruel too, it severs the tendons so the cat can't extend the claws,can you imagine how frustrating for a cat,trying to use useless claws ? You'd need to constantly trim the claws too,as they grow into the pads.
This is a link to how to train your cat to a scratching post :
http://clawsforever.ning.com/group/annie…
It's by a cat expert/author.
This is a link to what can and does go wrong in declawing operations :
http://clawsforever.ning.com/group/theho…
click on 'view all'
I don't think you'll want to risk anything like this happening to your cat.
Declawing is banned in 25 countries as animal abuse, it will soon be banned worldwide. Not many vets will do it now, beware of the ones who do, they are money grabbers and should not be trusted with people's precious pets.
Please try the scratching post training, don't cripple your cat !|||no i don"t think so
Wow :)
ReplyDeleteThis is an incredible collection of ideas!
Waiting for more helpful pieces.
You would amazing to read a similar one here-
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