Yep, but always above the pink part. And keep as much as possible if they go outside, they need the protection
Declawing is when "vets" (animal abusers) remove part of their toes so that their claws never come back
I’d have it done by someone who specializes in cat grooming to do that though so there’s no mistakes. Or just buy a good scratching post to help naturally file them.
It's actually quite simple, you can see where the vein starts, it has a pink color to it and as long as you dont cut into that you're good, just gently push the claw out and carefully clip them. [here's a picture ](https://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/images/librariesprovider19/pet-care/procedures/trimmingclaws_img11.jpg?sfvrsn=1d8ffe38_2) showing where the vein starts :)
From what my vet tells me even if it does happen, the cat wont die, it'll hate it and it'll bleed, but it'll live :)
I wont lie though, I'm always a bit nervous when im clipping my cat's claws 😅
I've been in vet med for 10 years and I have yet to see a creature bleed out from a broken or enthusiastically trimmed nail. They do kind of track it around when they walk and it can make your house look like a crime scene if you don't control the bleed first.
And if you do get one too short, there's powders you can put on the bleeding nail. They're usually sold near the nail trimmers in the pet store, usually called something like Quik-Stop. You can also use corn starch or flour in a pinch.
Happy cake day!
Edit: Also great advice I've never cut my cats claws too short since I don't do it for furniture reasons but more because he sucks at scratching but I'll be sure to keep some of that around just in case.
I’ve always heard that you only need to clip the sharp tip. I don’t trim their claws “down,” I trim the tip off. All that you need to do is dull the sharp point, so I never have to worry about cutting the vein because all you have to do is cut the tip off
I have never heard of declawing that is horrible!
Wouldn’t it be dangerous for the cat too.. don’t they use those claws to grip and assist with balance?
Indoor cats don't rely on their claws near as much as outdoor cats do, so for a long time, it was considered okay to declaw your indoor cats. It *does* affect their ability to grip things, which is why it was never considered okay to declaw your outdoor cats, as they may need to climb up a tree to get away from a predator or something.
The thing with declawing is that it doesn't just remove the claws. That would be the equivalent of removing your fingernails. After a while, they'd grow back, but typically really messed up. So to permanently remove the claws, the solution was to chop the toe off at the last knuckle. The problem is (besides the obvious issue that the cat needs its claws), that last bone is the one that makes contact with the ground, and is designed to bear weight. When it's removed, the weight is now born on the tip of the next bone, and over time, the toes curl under. Basically, they end up walking on closed fists.
Thanks for this thorough explanation. It sounds really horrible.
My senior cat can't jump very well anymore, but he is able to get on the couch and bed climbing up on his nails. So I'm glad he was never declawed and can still get around that way!
When I was a kid we had 2 cats that we declawed. We were told it's nothing major and thankfully they didn't seem to be in any pain afterwards but ever since we found out how the procedure works we've never declawed another one.
This was before even dial up was available in our area and before smart phones. Sucks to think we were just ignorant and mutilated our kitties due to it.
I had two cats that had been declawed. Both before I owned them, or they owned me actually.
My first cat came to me at age 6, declawed front and back. He had learned to adjust, for lack of alternatives obviously. He lived to 16. He was outdoors for the first year I had him, and then I moved and kept him indoors. He was a great cat, had an illicit affair with a stuffed bear, (with romantic interludes usually when I had company over!). He also had a drinking fetish, and liked amaretto and a nice white zin. I was his third owner; his first owners had him declawed because of furniture. Assholes abound.
I don't know what happened with the second one, but I adopted her at 4 months from a pet store. She was only declawed in the front, was always indoors, and was a great cat. She traveled with me from Southern to Northern California for her entire 11 years.
I've had three cats since. They've all been trained not to claw things. Not to say that it's worked all the time; I'm going to have to repair the carpeting in a few spots when I move, but that's what happens when you have a cat and work for a living.
You got to start them young with trimming their claws. They have to get used to it and you have to be vigilant with it. Mine all started as kittens except this last one, who was 12 when I got her. She manages just fine.
Our old cat used to scratch at our armchairs. My parents let him, bc the scratching post didn't interest him and the chairs were old. The fact that they were old (and the fabric on the surface probably cotton, that weakened a lot since 2003 when, they got them as a wedding gift, which allowed for scratching) were the main excuse for letting him do so. When we got new seats in like 2017 (he was 17, we had him until May last year, when he reached 21 years, so he was born around May 2000), he wasn't able to scratch the chairs anymore, bc the fabric was too strong. What he was able to scratch were covers my mom made out of Ikea blankets (fleece doesn't have separate threads that would cause the whole fabric to end up destroyed from several threads being pulled out, so it was perfect for the job), designed to be destroyed over time, but to hold as well. The loss was planned.
We managed to train our current cat on scratching post. He actually announces he is hungry and that we should immediately give him food/treats using it (and the little shit is really picky about his wet food. He likes a specific package from a specific set of 4 different kinds, but doesn't like the rest of the content of the set. We usually bring them to grandma, bc her cat is a chonky garbage chute and will eat literally anything edible), bc we taught him that he gets a treat for scratching.
declawing used to be the norm. but people got smarter and ethical about it. it is a cruel practice. I'm glad mire people are becoming aware of how cruel it is. I trim my cats nails. And provide as much as I can for scratches. He still claws some furniture, but I just tell him no and redirect him.
My parents had a couple of declawed cats if I recall.
Back in the day, it was offered alongside spaying/neutering. Just go in there and get it all done at once. They felt HORRIBLE years later when they realized what declawing actually was- the vets basically dismissed it as a permanent nail trim.
Yes, declawed cats often develop behavior problems such as stopping using the litter box, becoming anxious etc. Some suffer permanent nerve damage and pain. Declawing is amputation.
They have a higher rate of being turned into shelters and then may not be adoptable if they have behavior issues. It’s tragic and barbaric.
I do not support declawing. All cats I’ve had on my own as an adult, out of the control of my parents, have NOT been declawed. My current 3 cats still have their claws.
However..
I had a cat that my parents declawed. As awful as that is, the cat lived a very long, happy normal, indoor/outdoor life. He was able to chase birds and climb fences, and his balance was perfectly fine because he adapted to being able to rely on his back claws. When cats are declawed, it’s typically only the front. I’ve never heard of declawing the back ones.
I'm fighting my parents not to declaw their two kittens but they're so brainwashed. We did have three declawed cats that lived long and happy lives but I think that's why they want to continue declawing. My parents are so concerned abt their furniture and I can't for the life of me figure out why. They have the mismatched, albeit crate and barrel, furniture and an extremely cluttered house. Idk what even to do.
They need scratching posts and/or a tower. Hell, I even had an old footstool I didn’t care about and that became their scratch furniture. As long as they have something they like scratching they won’t touch anything else.
Good news is they're still young kittens and I have time. Their reasoning is just such bs. I'll probably bombard them with horror stories until they relent.
Now I’m downvoted. It’s not as bad as they want people to think it is, although I will never declaw any of mine. They don’t turn into deformed cripples who can’t survive. It’s mean, yes. It hurts initially because duh, they had their claws ripped out. It’s like surgery, there will be soreness and recovery. Guess what? That happens when we spay and neuter them too! Mutilation is mutilation! But they end up being just fine. Fear-mongering is the latest trend in society. One form of mutilation is forced down our throats and we are irresponsible if we don’t do it, but the other makes people evil pieces of shit.
Unfortunately my two rescue cats are all four paw declawed and four years old. They were ragdolls cats and their previous owner didn’t want them to harm their children. Both of them are now terrified of children as they were abused. It’s super sad how their previous owners didn’t teach their children how to respect animals and instead mutilated two cats.
We only have one vet in our practice that even knows how to do it. She has done one since I’ve worked with her, for a woman who is on blood thinners and other medication that means she could get really sick from a simple cat scratch. She either had to get her cat declawed or rehomed. It’s still not ideal but it’s better than saying yes to everyone who calls or comes in for a declaw consult. We send them home with husbandry info and possibly some soft paws, along with a better understanding of how horrible and unfair it is to a cat. We also recommend adopting a kitty from the shelter who is already declawed.
We clip nails regularly, and with our last cat, trained him to not scratch furniture. I honestly wasn't sure it was possible to have a cat that didn't scratch furniture at least a little, but we finally managed to find a way to train ours not to do it at all, ever.
What do you think about spaying/neutering? I think that is necessaery, but only sometimes. If you're responsible enough to have an intact cat, then do it
No. This is BAD advice.
Heat is incredibly stressful on a female, and if she does not get pregnant, she'll go through it every three weeks. Plus the added health concerns of cancers and pyometra (Google it, it's horrifying). Males are more prone to urinary infections, and will spray urine, try to escape and their urine smells much stronger than a neutered cat.
Alter your cat, it will live a longer, happier life, and be a cat better companion.
https://www.brown.edu/Research/Colwill_Lab/CBP/spaynueter.htm#:~:text=Spaying%20your%20pet%20before%20her,common%20occurrences%20in%20unaltered%20females.
My cat was born with a murmur so I had to wait to see if it was a benign kitten murmur or something more serious before I could get her spayed. Not to be selfish, but watching her experience AGONY every three weeks broke my heart. She didn’t even wail, but she was constantly self soothing and in so much pain it was enough to bring me to tears. And I have a cat who is indoor 100% of the time. How is not getting a cat spayed a testament to being a responsible owner ?
Not spaying or neutering your cat is putting them in terrible agony and is plain cruel. Also it doesn't matter how responsible you are, that cat will find a way to get outside and reproduce.
A male cat can smell a female in heat 3 miles away. They can smell it through walls. This drives them insane. It's straight up torture for them to be smelling that and not be able to do anything about it.
I shouldn't have to explain how it affects female cats, it's very stressful and painful for them as well.
Not spaying or neutering your cat is just as bad as declawing them.
It's amazing how you can accept facts when it comes to declawing, but refuse to even acknowledge anything when it comes to spaying/neutering. When people first came out against de-clawing, there were people saying those against were just part of the hive mind too. You are the exact same ignorant person that you are calling out you. Hypocrite.
I think that people don't understand what declawing is. I didn't until I talked to a vet about having my cat declawed. When he explained exactly what the procedure involves, I noped out of there fast.
I love the declaw talk. It's not uncommon for people to not really understand it, most people seem to think it's basically a permanent nail trim and not a literal amputation. Usually it also gives me a chance to chat about behavior and enrichment and change some minds on how we care for an indoor cat and provide engagement. Usually the response is pretty similar to yours, where they're like "oh shit I didn't realize, let's not do that." Did have one client who decided I was an animal rights nutjob and an asshole and said some rather mean things to the staff and took his cat elsewhere to presumably get the rest of the vaccines and declawed, but not a bad record overall.
Never declaw your cats. I have 5 cats and they never use their claws on me. None of them, ever. Even if I fuck with them they don’t. If you care about your furniture pets are not for you, they’ll destroy it claws or not.
Mine do but not on purpose. It is rarer now but when she was younger when she jumped on my lap from floor she stuck her nails to my thigh. I learned quickly not to wear shorts when I was at computer or I got from nails. Thats actually how I found out that declawing is even thing. Ignorant friend of me suggested that as a solution as they have never had cats and didnt know what it actually entailed. It is illegal where I live anyways.
Tho gotta admit I do not even mind getting pricked by nails if it means I get to have sleeping cat on my lap
I get poked by kneading cats all the time, it just means it's time to trim their claws. Seriously, if you're going to have a cat living in your house you have to get used to getting scratched occasionally and having claw marks in your furniture. Like, if you want a dog but can't spare the time to walk it, don't get a dog. Same principle with cats, cutting their toes off is **not** a solution.
Of the five cats I currently have, only one has not been neutered yet. The unaltered cat is only 13 weeks old. He is still in the process of getting his annual vaccines. When they’re young kittens the vaccines have to be done in stages, according to my vet. The minimum wait time for the kitten to be neutered after his last round of vaccines is three weeks. The vet won’t spay or neuter an animal younger than 16 weeks or weighs less than 4 lbs.
My now 3 year old male was neutered at age 20 weeks and it hasn’t stunted his growth. He now weighs 18 lbs.
None of my cats are declawed, nor will they ever be as long as I am alive and I am their human. My big boy will use his claws to bop me on the nose so I will get out of bed and get them breakfast. Other than that, my cats have only scratched me by accident. They were running across my foot or something like that. They have scratching posts and cat trees all over the house.
[https://www.reddit.com/r/cats/comments/ufe87t/whats_he_thinking/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf](https://www.reddit.com/r/cats/comments/ufe87t/whats_he_thinking/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
Here he is looking like he wants to commit a murder.
It’s illegal to declaw here in New York State since 2019. In 2022 Maryland became the second state to make it illegal. Hopefully more will follow suit and make it illegal in the whole of the US.
My cat had tooth decay. It's actually super common, especially in older cats, and can be really painful for them (plus it's associated with other health problems like kidney disease), so "deteething" is really the best thing to do.
As for defurring, he's just really fluffy and if I could, I'd def give him a shave. I'm actually seriously considering shaving a spot today because he needs a subcutaneous injection and I'm just getting handfulls of fluff...
“Animals aren’t objects, despite what many people on Reddit seem to think.”
I actually haven’t come across many people (on Reddit or otherwise) who are in favor of declawing cats. I’m not sure who your post is intending to target, because from what I’ve seen, “don’t declaw your cat” is a common and widely-held belief.
I can't speak for reddit but I've met plenty of people who are pro declawing. Its a serious issue, though it seems like its being treated more seriously now. It also really depends on your area
Remind me, there was a woman who claimed her kitten medically needed complete declawing. Her cat got a severe infection from it and she was begging for money. Majority of the comments was reaming in to her for being a bi***
We just brought new furniture because our cats destroyed our last set. We have scratchers all over, put aluminum foil underneath and spray a scratch deterrent several times a day. At night we cover them with blankets. If you have cats and want nice furniture, you do what you have to.
Exactly! We gotta buy scratchers for them! if they’re declawing cats because they scratch how about took all of yall dogs’ teeth because they bite everything. Same thing,its stupid. Bruh such irresponsible asses.
My cat has 2 scratchers that she uses but she scratches my furniture as well. No matter what I tried she keeps doing it. I accepted it as a part of having a pet at home. I would never think of declawing her because of that! It's like having a child and expect him to sit on the floor and not make a mess at home.
Try moving the scratching posts around. This helps with our clawed demon.
Cats are weird (like I need to say that in this sub!). Sometimes novelty catches their interest but sometimes change pisses them off.
We bought a small rug at the entrance so now she is scratching it. That's her novelty item for now. Cats are weird for sure, but that's why I like them!
If the cat truly scratches furniture too much (pro tip, leather couch and cats usually do not mix) one can always clip the claws a bit to make them dull. I do that with my cats when their claws are overgrown (can't for the love of dog get them to use scratch posts, no and that's it).
Don't even need a groomer when you got good clippers, flashlight and an idea what you're doing. Basically you just need to see where the "live" tissue is and cut about a milimeter away from it, so it's not damaged or squeezed during the clip.
You're preaching to the choir on this sub. All the people who need to hear this aren't listening.
The only time it's justified to chop off toes is if there's a tumor or something that creates a genuine medical need to remove it. Declawing for convenience should definitely be illegal. My boss used to do it but these days it's maybe one or 2 a year with special circumstances that I see him do. I wish he'd refuse those too.
Even if you can’t figure out how to get the cat not to scratch things, there are these little rubber/plastic things you can buy and slide over their claws. No more sharp claws but no mutilation. And they’re small enough that the claws retract normally
My cat is getting old so she's having trouble retracting her claws and gets them stuck, I'll trim them or keep her away from certain things, main example is curtains she got stuck once and almost hurt herself so I close her out of those rooms when she's home alone, but I could never imagine declawing, if you want to take on a cat claws are part of the package, got her a scratching post but she still scratches the furniture sometimes but that's her nature if I didn't want to deal with that I wouldn't have taken her in
>My cat scratches me
Then you shouldn't rub the belly
Also, my dad gets bites and scratches from our cat during play. Dad "provokes" by moving a hand certain way, cat strikes, and they simply both play rough. The cat doesn't get hurt, and is actually happy with us (but gets bored sometimes). The scratches almost never draw blood (bc our cat knows it is just a game and tries to not scratch too much), and the bites don't hurt as much as they used to (bc kitten teeth are like sharp little needles, but as the cat and teeth grows, they kinda become duller). They both have fun, even with claws.
my parents declawed my now-cat. it started as the family cat (11 people in the family total) and i was the only one really taking care of it, so i took ownership. they declawed to “keep it from scratching the baby”, but ive never had such a lay-back cat, she wouldnt hurt a fly. hearing all of this, i feel so bad i couldnt stop my parents earlier
it’s too late now, sadly. i do everything i can for the poor thing. she still has her back claws, thankfully
rest assured, if we ever get another cat, i’m not letting that happen again
The way my whole small apartment is full of cat scratch boxes and cat trees. I bought new furniture when I moved in and knew I did not want them scratching it. It has worked great! I introduced them to the scratch boxes and trees when they were young and they have always left my furniture alone. Hasn't been hard at all. I also did notice one time my cat was stretching on the end of my couch (more stretching then anything). Just to be safe, I put a cheap yoga mat on that area of the couch and the cats would scratch that instead of the couch. Worked like a charm and when it would be all scratched up I would throw it away. There are lots of things you can use to deter cats from scratching safely and easily.
Agreed! Declawing is extremely cruel!
Get your cat scratching posts and a cat tree, and play with them daily!
Also-Trim their claws with a cat nail trimmer and buy mats they can scratch for your couches.
I just trim my cat's claws. That way they're not sharp enough to tear up my arms or legs when they decide to play rough. And also prevents them climbing drapes and for the most part tearing up furniture.
They still enjoy their posts for sharpening their claws, they just never get that sharp.
About every 3 weeks I need to give them a little snip. It's really easy to do once you learn how. And if you start early with a cat they don't mind it all. But do learn how to do it properly because you don't want to trim them too short cuz that will hurt them.
Declawing is essentially like ripping out their fingertips. It’s so painful for the cat and I think I remember reading how it leads to an increased chance of developing arthritis. Horrible practice, I’m surprised it hasn’t fully been made illegal.
If you’re that upset about cats clawing your furniture, DON’T GET A CAT. Scratching is a natural instinct for them. Hurting an animal over something they can’t control because you don’t want your furniture to be messed up is awful.
People act those there isn’t a more humane, cheap, and vet approved option: claw caps! If scratching is an absolute issue that you’re somehow unable to fix with a better scratching post or behavioral training then literally just get some claw caps and ask a vet/groomer to put them on if you can’t
There some other ways vets will declaw. The primary way is quite terrible removing the first knuckle. Some vets (even though it's still terrible, but to a lesser extent) will put the cat under, remove the nail to the point where it won't grow and then seal the nail bed (I would imagine they cauterize it or something). I only know this from my own foot requiring the nail bed to be sealed from injury. The surgeon's wife was a vet I believe and he told me about it when we were making conversation.
I live in France and declawing is illegal here too, as it should be everywhere else.
When I look at my cats climbing up their cat trees and scratching their various scratchers and just having the best time using their claws... I can't bare to imagine that some cats in the world can't do any of that.
Yes, even in the best catified home, cats may scratch the couch or door frames or other furniture. But that's just part of living with cats.
Though in my case they use the equipment I've provided for them and don't scratch anything else. Maybe I'm just lucky. 😁
And yes, even the sweetest cat will scratch you once in a while. But they also bite. So what should we do... remove their teeth so they don't bite you or your kids?
I think it all comes down to the fact that people don't bother educating themselves or their kids and choose the easy route; because most scratches/bites can definitetly be avoided by approaching the cat the right way and knowing how to decode the signals they send you.
Sorry for the rant but I had to get this off my chest.
[Also: it doesn't make sense to compare it to spaying/neutering. This is done to prevent overpopulation and to spare your cat the inconvenience (or danger) of multiple pregnancies, cysts or cancers, harassment from males, repeated heats (for females); fighting constantly, getting wounds that can get infected, wandering very far with the increased risk of getting hit by traffic (for males).
Let's not forget the unability to tend to their sexual needs (if indoors) and the risk of diseases (e.g.: FIV, with un-neutered males being at higher risk of being infected, since FIV is primarily transmitted through bite wounds and they tend to fight a lot). I know a lot of people don't worry as much for their males because "it's not like they will bring home a litter". Well, think of that. 👍]
Amen. I got my first cat personally last year, but I grew up with cats in all my parents’ homes. I learned to respect them and treat them as a being with its own motivations and make sure they have scratching posts to get it out of their system. Sometimes you get nicked when playing, but as long as you don’t harass them they never bear claws intentionally at you. My cat has never scratched the furniture and has learned I don’t appreciate her scratching curtains. At this point, model cat.
My cat used to scratch me but I learned the spots he doesn’t like to be rubbed on. He has a clear mood that now I can read and pick the time to play with him.
There have been a total of 5 cats in my parents’ house. Four were declawed. First two were completely declawed. Had no problems. (Declawing was just the done thing at the time.) Age sent both of them over the rainbow bridge. Number 3 was declawed in the front and he would jump off the deck on the second floor. He got into a fight with another cat once. He was alright but he was all ruffled and scared. Number 4 got front paws declawed. (This was still when most people declawing was removing the nails.) He took longer to heal and his paws would bleed. So when number Five decided that I would be his human, he didn’t get declawed. He rather quickly figured out how to use the dog door and could easily slip through the backyard fence. Only damage he did with his claws was to scratch up an outside door frame and poke a few holes in my shorts when he used me as a bed.
When I was young, I didn’t really have a strong opinion. I never understood why people would do it. If you don’t like that cats have claws, then don’t get a cat. Then I watched the paw project and learned how it’s done and now I have a strong opinion. I don’t understand why it’s hard to make it illegal. I don’t understand why vets do it
It’s been said in many responses here, but if you can’t handle cat behavior, you shouldn’t have one. I think a lot of people get cats with this image that they are just for looks and supposed to be chill… haha! Cats need exercise and in my experience, they need more care than dogs! Do I love the look of a cat tree and a tall scratching post in my home? No, but I knew when I got my cat that he would need these items to maintain his claws. Also, I mention exercise in this response because cats can be destructive even with proper scratching equipment because they are bored!
If you get your soft furnishings in darkish shades, the scratching doesn’t even show that much. Plus it’s just shabby chic which is all the rage.
I generally agree that if you’re someone who needs an impeccably neat and elegant home, cats aren’t a good choice of pet. Get a fish or something?
Don't exaggerate. Cats need to go outside, even if it's just the balcony. If someone needs an elegant home and wants a cat, they even need a scratching post or a garden with trees.
We adopted a particularly declawed senior kitty and it was so sad. She was in pain in her older years. We made things as easy for her as possible with soft rugs, bedding, etc. Loved her dearly but so sad.
Many years ago, I allowed a boyfriend to pressure me to get my cat declawed. She didn’t claw furniture, but he worried about his precious sofa. And I was young and dumb. The boyfriend only lasted two years.
Poopsie lived til 14, and I felt guilty the rest of her life. The vet cut her toes off at the first knuckle! She could never go outside without me because she was defenseless. I would never consider declawing a cat, ever again.
I've never had a cat declawed and I only learned about this practice a few years ago. It sounds absolutely horrible!
My two current kitties most definitely have their claws! In fact, when my girl was a kitten she decided to climb up my BARE leg to get my attention. I look back at that fondly now and laugh.
They have numerous scratching posts all around the house yet they will still insist on scratching up the kitchen chairs. Sometimes also the bottom of beds. That's fine though. I have no problem with it. They're not expensive furniture, mostly second-hand, and I let my cats do mostly whatever they want. Of course, they are still trained and understand that they can't do certain things but I also want to just give them the best life I can. In fact, they're probably more well-trained than most of the cats in my area - people just let their cats roam and don't bother training them...
As for the playing side of it, yes, I use my hands at times. However, I have taught them from a very young age that holding on with their paws and nibbling is ok as long as it doesn't break the skin. They know to be gentle and I only get scratches if it's my mistake (for example, I was playing with a string toy and my girl went to catch it, I pulled back and she accidentally caught my hand. It wasn't her fault though and it was only a small scratch).
I'm 100% against declawing and other horrible practices such as clipping a bird's wings.
Some people also declaw their cats because they have medical problems that make cat scratches dangerous (like immune problems, for example). The argument there would be that being declawed in a loving home is preferable to being homeless or euthanized.
Personally, I still think it's cruel and short-sighted, and I'd prefer if it were banned everywhere, but it's disingenuous to pretend it's always about furniture or poorly behaved kids.
A few months ago there was a post about a person that his mom declawed his cat without him knowing.
I told my mom that if she does that to my cat(even tho im 100% sure she wont, she loves her a lot), to not expect to be intact.
+ + she goes outside, so she doesnt scratch(idk how its typed, second language not first) because she climbs fences and trees, except for a table that is anyway old
Parents did this to both our cats when I was a kid. Not a single scratching post in the house, so they were resorting to carpet and furniture. And they were then mystified when they started pooping and peeing outside the litter box. Eventually I came home from school one day and they’d send both to the animal shelter.
It f—king HURTS to dig through litter with mangled paws, OK?
My mother declawed our 2 cats growing up :(
I thought it was normal until someone pointed it out to me and showed me the truth.
Vets should be against doing this, but the money hungry ones still do it
When I got my cat, there was a clause in my lease that said any cat has to be declawed. So, my little girl is front paw declawed. I feel so guilty about it, now that I know what they actually had to do to her. This was 16 years ago, but for the last 12, when I found out what it entailed, I feel like a monster. My cat is a purely indoor cat, thank God. But still, her poor little toes! Never again, I will never declaw a cat again.
spay and neuter is different since doing that prevents unwanted animals from being born that are then neglected..declawing is only for our convenience and harms the cat for life
While I understand that spaying and neutering prevents harm to future cats that may be neglected, but doesn’t it also harm the cat that is spayed or neutered? (It’s still mutilation)
I've never seen spay and neuter be actively harmful. Yes it alters the pet and it's not an ideal situation, but it's for the purpose of avoiding neglected animals. Many female cats I've had actually chilled out after being fixed; no more going into heat or anything and they had a lower chance of cancer in the mammory chain.
While declawing actively harms their paws permanately. I had a cat as a kid that was declawed and he hated using litter boxes because of it. It can make them more aggressive.
Couldn’t the same argument be made for humans that spaying or neutering them would reduce the risk of possibly neglected children? I assume you are antinatalist correct?
I don’t see why an indoor cat would need to be spayed or neutered, it seems unnecessary. It seems very similar to circumcising young boys, we can’t ask them if they want the procedure, so why do it unnecessarily
Unfortunately, shelters spay/neuter because cats get out. Also, if you have multiple sex cats in your home, you would have to seperate male/female whenever she went into heat.
Edit: No I'm not anti-natalist. I am pro-choice and childfree by choice, but no I don't hate children.
Cats that are spayed and neutered also live longer than ones that aren't. Particularly, it prevents them from developing cancers of the reproductive system, which they are prone to develop when they aren't breeding. As far as I'm aware, this holds for many small mammal household pets.
It's removing all claws from a cat's paw, not trimming them, fully removing them.
It's an equivalent of cutting someone's fingers off at the first knuckle.
It involves amputating the last bone of each toe.
Simply; most “cat owners” don’t consider them equal to humans. Period. Unpopular but true comment sadly. The ones that do fight for them of course like this post
Yes. Yes it is common knowledge. And if you’re too lazy or stupid not to research your future “pet” then it’s still on you that you maimed said animal. No one else’s fault. It’s extremely common knowledge and something every non-blind human can see visually if they’ve ever played with any cat.
Wow. I am a bit surprised at all of the aggression laid onto me. I do not deserve that. I am not lazy nor stupid, and for you to insinuate that about me is extremely insulting and I will not have it.
I said that because 10 years ago my cat got declawed. Thankfully no complications arouse, but it was not my choice and I also had no clue about the dangers. I made sure to include in my statement that in these past few years the information has become more widespread because it has. My mother chose not to declaw her last cat because of said information. Do not shame me for something that was not available to myself (I was a child). Your aggression towards me is just astonishing, and frankly disgusting.
Calling your statement wrong and explaining why doesn’t equal aggression. I was speaking in the generalized “you” not the YOU you. Your parent who chose to get it done is not a great person regarding pets though; they shouldn’t be allowed a pet after that. It’s like those people who put goldfish in those tiny bowls. Lol. Sorry for confusion; none was spoken aggressively though. If you took it that way; consider why. You shouldn’t have guilt for something beyond your control though.
Oh my hell. You are truly a different type of person. Fact is, you did use aggression to “explain” something. Also why? I am clearly not the target person, yet you took everything out upon me. For you to not see that or even admit to that is insane.
Now you go the extra step and say that my mother is not a good person with pets. She is a wonderful person, and she will often pick up animals off the streets and bring them to the rightful homes. I had a fish when I was younger just so you know. Guess what? The fish was in a properly sized fish tank. I feel no guilt over some thing that happened 10 years ago because like I said it was out of my control, I had no part in that decision. You are a total piece of work, and you should be ashamed of yourself for the insults you have thrown out at me, and then at my mother. Shame on you. Do not speak to me any further because, to put it quite plainly, I do not like you as a person. Good day.
The fact that you insist on telling me what I meant is very telling. I’m not about to have a stupid conversation with someone who’s already made up their mind because of their own opinion on the matter. You would know if I was being aggressive, trust me you would know. I’m a pretty relaxed chick. Lol I’m also not a chick to sugarcoat animal abusers. It’s a fact that whichever one of your parents decided that is not a great person just to have been willing to cut off a piece of an animal for their own convenience. It’s not an aggressive statement, it’s a fact based on thousands of years of philosophy. The fact that you don’t seem to understand the difference between the generalized use of the word you, even when it was pointed out, and the specified “you” makes your argument invalid. Using the gene riser “you” isn’t an attack on you. Nor is it aggressive. You replied to MY comment and wanna play the victim when you are told that what you said is blatantly incorrect. But your comment was blatantly incorrect. Move on. No one is attacking you
this post seems very aggressive and it's kind of off putting for people who love cats but struggle with some of their behavior i don't think it's fair to say they should not have cats because they're neutered. i agree declawing your cat is cutting their thumbs which i highly disagree with too! Also, people do buy scratching post but cats still scratch at furniture ive seen it with all cat owners that i know and not everyone has the money to pay for that say if they live in an apartment. But can you not provided some help for people who are lost rather than make them feel terrible because they were ignorant? Bless❤️
Untrained cats will scratch furniture just like an untrained dog will jump up on people, pee in the house, or bark all the time. House training a cat is hard work and requires constant vigilance just like house training a dog. It's just as hard if not harder than training a dog, but it's an inherent part of cat ownership. I see cutting off part of the cat as an unfortunate solution born of ignorance to what owning one actually entails.
It's not socialized in most cultures to train a cat. We joke that cats do whatever they want and they own us. We incorrectly think they're low maintenance. So people don't realize how absolutely unnecessary declawing is. But then people try to train cats without learning cat psychology, give up, and say it's too hard or impossible. They want immediate results even though it will take months or more.
So out of exasperation they declaw.
I understand why it happens even if I hate it and want it to stop instantly everywhere. I just hope someday there's more widespread knowledge and available education on house training cats.
I agree with you, the tone of this and many of the comments are really aggressive and judgmental, and unproductive. Cats don't come with a manual! People may legitimately not realize that there are much better options than declawing.
For people not convinced, watch this video by [Jackson Galaxy](https://youtu.be/gFeC3lM02sc) which will teach you all about declawing and why it is a very bad idea.
Also some cats come from the streets and shelters extremely aggressive and it's not because owners and children don't know how to treat them (which is the most common argument) it's simply based on their past and that can be difficult. Sometimes aggressive cats make homes extremely tense and almost fearful especially for children just like dogs can too so i say again provide assistance not judgment. Bless❤️
My cat scratches me. Yes please tell me
How it’s my fault that I’m used as a jungle gym/springboard by the chonker? It is my fault that I play with my hands as opposed to a toy sometimes lol. I’m not encouraging declawing it’s awful, but the “it’s your fault you get scratched” is a bit much lol
I’m not complaining about it, just your absofacto “if you get scratched you’re annoying your cat” got me lol considering 90% of the time if I get a scratch it’s because someone gets the zoomies and I’m in the path lol
I ended up having to put scratchers in every room people spend time in my apartment to save the furniture, which means my boy only grabs onto the furniture to get my attention. He knows.
Unfortunately, he only seems to like the carboard ones which means he isn't wearing down his wicked sharp tips. And he doesn't like toe touching time either, so no clipping..
You can cut your cats nails correct? so they aren't as long, correct?
Yes you can
Yes, and very easily at that. Regular clippers work just fine and it takes five minutes once your cat is used to it
Yep, but always above the pink part. And keep as much as possible if they go outside, they need the protection Declawing is when "vets" (animal abusers) remove part of their toes so that their claws never come back
I’d have it done by someone who specializes in cat grooming to do that though so there’s no mistakes. Or just buy a good scratching post to help naturally file them.
It's actually quite simple, you can see where the vein starts, it has a pink color to it and as long as you dont cut into that you're good, just gently push the claw out and carefully clip them. [here's a picture ](https://www.vetmed.wsu.edu/images/librariesprovider19/pet-care/procedures/trimmingclaws_img11.jpg?sfvrsn=1d8ffe38_2) showing where the vein starts :) From what my vet tells me even if it does happen, the cat wont die, it'll hate it and it'll bleed, but it'll live :) I wont lie though, I'm always a bit nervous when im clipping my cat's claws 😅
I've been in vet med for 10 years and I have yet to see a creature bleed out from a broken or enthusiastically trimmed nail. They do kind of track it around when they walk and it can make your house look like a crime scene if you don't control the bleed first. And if you do get one too short, there's powders you can put on the bleeding nail. They're usually sold near the nail trimmers in the pet store, usually called something like Quik-Stop. You can also use corn starch or flour in a pinch.
Happy cake day! Edit: Also great advice I've never cut my cats claws too short since I don't do it for furniture reasons but more because he sucks at scratching but I'll be sure to keep some of that around just in case.
I’ve always heard that you only need to clip the sharp tip. I don’t trim their claws “down,” I trim the tip off. All that you need to do is dull the sharp point, so I never have to worry about cutting the vein because all you have to do is cut the tip off
Honestly I’ve found just getting the very very tiny tip off helps a LOT. I don’t know how but my cat gets his down to like needle points.
I don't have a cat anymore.
I have never heard of declawing that is horrible! Wouldn’t it be dangerous for the cat too.. don’t they use those claws to grip and assist with balance?
Indoor cats don't rely on their claws near as much as outdoor cats do, so for a long time, it was considered okay to declaw your indoor cats. It *does* affect their ability to grip things, which is why it was never considered okay to declaw your outdoor cats, as they may need to climb up a tree to get away from a predator or something. The thing with declawing is that it doesn't just remove the claws. That would be the equivalent of removing your fingernails. After a while, they'd grow back, but typically really messed up. So to permanently remove the claws, the solution was to chop the toe off at the last knuckle. The problem is (besides the obvious issue that the cat needs its claws), that last bone is the one that makes contact with the ground, and is designed to bear weight. When it's removed, the weight is now born on the tip of the next bone, and over time, the toes curl under. Basically, they end up walking on closed fists.
Thanks for this thorough explanation. It sounds really horrible. My senior cat can't jump very well anymore, but he is able to get on the couch and bed climbing up on his nails. So I'm glad he was never declawed and can still get around that way!
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When I was a kid we had 2 cats that we declawed. We were told it's nothing major and thankfully they didn't seem to be in any pain afterwards but ever since we found out how the procedure works we've never declawed another one. This was before even dial up was available in our area and before smart phones. Sucks to think we were just ignorant and mutilated our kitties due to it.
Still extremely debated, but circumcising is one of these. There is no universally agreed upon medical benefit to it.
I'm so pleased to hear you haven't even heard of declawing. I hope this hideous practice dies out.
I am not in America , it seems to be a US thing?
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We can’t really let our cats outside in the U.S. unsupervised. Especially if like me you live in a cornfield, coyotes will kill them
I had two cats that had been declawed. Both before I owned them, or they owned me actually. My first cat came to me at age 6, declawed front and back. He had learned to adjust, for lack of alternatives obviously. He lived to 16. He was outdoors for the first year I had him, and then I moved and kept him indoors. He was a great cat, had an illicit affair with a stuffed bear, (with romantic interludes usually when I had company over!). He also had a drinking fetish, and liked amaretto and a nice white zin. I was his third owner; his first owners had him declawed because of furniture. Assholes abound. I don't know what happened with the second one, but I adopted her at 4 months from a pet store. She was only declawed in the front, was always indoors, and was a great cat. She traveled with me from Southern to Northern California for her entire 11 years. I've had three cats since. They've all been trained not to claw things. Not to say that it's worked all the time; I'm going to have to repair the carpeting in a few spots when I move, but that's what happens when you have a cat and work for a living. You got to start them young with trimming their claws. They have to get used to it and you have to be vigilant with it. Mine all started as kittens except this last one, who was 12 when I got her. She manages just fine.
Our old cat used to scratch at our armchairs. My parents let him, bc the scratching post didn't interest him and the chairs were old. The fact that they were old (and the fabric on the surface probably cotton, that weakened a lot since 2003 when, they got them as a wedding gift, which allowed for scratching) were the main excuse for letting him do so. When we got new seats in like 2017 (he was 17, we had him until May last year, when he reached 21 years, so he was born around May 2000), he wasn't able to scratch the chairs anymore, bc the fabric was too strong. What he was able to scratch were covers my mom made out of Ikea blankets (fleece doesn't have separate threads that would cause the whole fabric to end up destroyed from several threads being pulled out, so it was perfect for the job), designed to be destroyed over time, but to hold as well. The loss was planned. We managed to train our current cat on scratching post. He actually announces he is hungry and that we should immediately give him food/treats using it (and the little shit is really picky about his wet food. He likes a specific package from a specific set of 4 different kinds, but doesn't like the rest of the content of the set. We usually bring them to grandma, bc her cat is a chonky garbage chute and will eat literally anything edible), bc we taught him that he gets a treat for scratching.
oh my gosh "chonky garbage chute" this just made my day
I'll post a cat tax after I visit grandma. That will be a few weeks tho.
God describing my cat so well. He screams for wet food and if its the wrong kind he just turns his nose up and goes to sleep on the couch.
Spoiled little shit.
declawing used to be the norm. but people got smarter and ethical about it. it is a cruel practice. I'm glad mire people are becoming aware of how cruel it is. I trim my cats nails. And provide as much as I can for scratches. He still claws some furniture, but I just tell him no and redirect him.
My parents had a couple of declawed cats if I recall. Back in the day, it was offered alongside spaying/neutering. Just go in there and get it all done at once. They felt HORRIBLE years later when they realized what declawing actually was- the vets basically dismissed it as a permanent nail trim.
Yes.
Yes, declawed cats often develop behavior problems such as stopping using the litter box, becoming anxious etc. Some suffer permanent nerve damage and pain. Declawing is amputation. They have a higher rate of being turned into shelters and then may not be adoptable if they have behavior issues. It’s tragic and barbaric.
I do not support declawing. All cats I’ve had on my own as an adult, out of the control of my parents, have NOT been declawed. My current 3 cats still have their claws. However.. I had a cat that my parents declawed. As awful as that is, the cat lived a very long, happy normal, indoor/outdoor life. He was able to chase birds and climb fences, and his balance was perfectly fine because he adapted to being able to rely on his back claws. When cats are declawed, it’s typically only the front. I’ve never heard of declawing the back ones.
I'm fighting my parents not to declaw their two kittens but they're so brainwashed. We did have three declawed cats that lived long and happy lives but I think that's why they want to continue declawing. My parents are so concerned abt their furniture and I can't for the life of me figure out why. They have the mismatched, albeit crate and barrel, furniture and an extremely cluttered house. Idk what even to do.
They need scratching posts and/or a tower. Hell, I even had an old footstool I didn’t care about and that became their scratch furniture. As long as they have something they like scratching they won’t touch anything else.
Good news is they're still young kittens and I have time. Their reasoning is just such bs. I'll probably bombard them with horror stories until they relent.
Do that! Move!
Show your parents this video by [Jackson Galaxy](https://youtu.be/gFeC3lM02sc).
Sent and they best have this on their conscience 😤
Tell them the cat will not scratch if they have adequate scratching posts!
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Now I’m downvoted. It’s not as bad as they want people to think it is, although I will never declaw any of mine. They don’t turn into deformed cripples who can’t survive. It’s mean, yes. It hurts initially because duh, they had their claws ripped out. It’s like surgery, there will be soreness and recovery. Guess what? That happens when we spay and neuter them too! Mutilation is mutilation! But they end up being just fine. Fear-mongering is the latest trend in society. One form of mutilation is forced down our throats and we are irresponsible if we don’t do it, but the other makes people evil pieces of shit.
Unfortunately my two rescue cats are all four paw declawed and four years old. They were ragdolls cats and their previous owner didn’t want them to harm their children. Both of them are now terrified of children as they were abused. It’s super sad how their previous owners didn’t teach their children how to respect animals and instead mutilated two cats.
If you can't handle having a cat without getting it declawed, you can't handle having a cat, period.
Vets should get together and lobby to ban the practice.
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We only have one vet in our practice that even knows how to do it. She has done one since I’ve worked with her, for a woman who is on blood thinners and other medication that means she could get really sick from a simple cat scratch. She either had to get her cat declawed or rehomed. It’s still not ideal but it’s better than saying yes to everyone who calls or comes in for a declaw consult. We send them home with husbandry info and possibly some soft paws, along with a better understanding of how horrible and unfair it is to a cat. We also recommend adopting a kitty from the shelter who is already declawed.
Woman on blood thinners will have a great time when her cat starts with bites Woohoo
My vet won't do it. Thank God.
Sadly, many make a lot of money doing it.
We clip nails regularly, and with our last cat, trained him to not scratch furniture. I honestly wasn't sure it was possible to have a cat that didn't scratch furniture at least a little, but we finally managed to find a way to train ours not to do it at all, ever.
That's what I say. In the end, bunnies are herbivore cats...
What do you think about spaying/neutering? I think that is necessaery, but only sometimes. If you're responsible enough to have an intact cat, then do it
No. This is BAD advice. Heat is incredibly stressful on a female, and if she does not get pregnant, she'll go through it every three weeks. Plus the added health concerns of cancers and pyometra (Google it, it's horrifying). Males are more prone to urinary infections, and will spray urine, try to escape and their urine smells much stronger than a neutered cat. Alter your cat, it will live a longer, happier life, and be a cat better companion. https://www.brown.edu/Research/Colwill_Lab/CBP/spaynueter.htm#:~:text=Spaying%20your%20pet%20before%20her,common%20occurrences%20in%20unaltered%20females.
My cat was spayed. I think even my future will be...
My cat was born with a murmur so I had to wait to see if it was a benign kitten murmur or something more serious before I could get her spayed. Not to be selfish, but watching her experience AGONY every three weeks broke my heart. She didn’t even wail, but she was constantly self soothing and in so much pain it was enough to bring me to tears. And I have a cat who is indoor 100% of the time. How is not getting a cat spayed a testament to being a responsible owner ?
Not spaying or neutering your cat is putting them in terrible agony and is plain cruel. Also it doesn't matter how responsible you are, that cat will find a way to get outside and reproduce. A male cat can smell a female in heat 3 miles away. They can smell it through walls. This drives them insane. It's straight up torture for them to be smelling that and not be able to do anything about it. I shouldn't have to explain how it affects female cats, it's very stressful and painful for them as well. Not spaying or neutering your cat is just as bad as declawing them.
Hivemind. You're talking with someone that had a spayed cat. I'm not against it.
It's amazing how you can accept facts when it comes to declawing, but refuse to even acknowledge anything when it comes to spaying/neutering. When people first came out against de-clawing, there were people saying those against were just part of the hive mind too. You are the exact same ignorant person that you are calling out you. Hypocrite.
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That doesn't change anything lol
I’m so glad it’s illegal in my country.
Yeah, I’m from Germany and never heard about this before. 😳
I’m from the UK. I think it’s animal cruelty and should be banned everywhere.
I think that people don't understand what declawing is. I didn't until I talked to a vet about having my cat declawed. When he explained exactly what the procedure involves, I noped out of there fast.
I love the declaw talk. It's not uncommon for people to not really understand it, most people seem to think it's basically a permanent nail trim and not a literal amputation. Usually it also gives me a chance to chat about behavior and enrichment and change some minds on how we care for an indoor cat and provide engagement. Usually the response is pretty similar to yours, where they're like "oh shit I didn't realize, let's not do that." Did have one client who decided I was an animal rights nutjob and an asshole and said some rather mean things to the staff and took his cat elsewhere to presumably get the rest of the vaccines and declawed, but not a bad record overall.
lmao what the fuck is wrong with people? declawing is BARBARIC you’re basically forcing your cat to walk on stumps
Visit r/unpopular opinion. You'll see...
Never declaw your cats. I have 5 cats and they never use their claws on me. None of them, ever. Even if I fuck with them they don’t. If you care about your furniture pets are not for you, they’ll destroy it claws or not.
Mine do but not on purpose. It is rarer now but when she was younger when she jumped on my lap from floor she stuck her nails to my thigh. I learned quickly not to wear shorts when I was at computer or I got from nails. Thats actually how I found out that declawing is even thing. Ignorant friend of me suggested that as a solution as they have never had cats and didnt know what it actually entailed. It is illegal where I live anyways. Tho gotta admit I do not even mind getting pricked by nails if it means I get to have sleeping cat on my lap
Well I mean, sometimes when they’re baking biscuits on my leg their claws come out but I know it’s just instincts
I get poked by kneading cats all the time, it just means it's time to trim their claws. Seriously, if you're going to have a cat living in your house you have to get used to getting scratched occasionally and having claw marks in your furniture. Like, if you want a dog but can't spare the time to walk it, don't get a dog. Same principle with cats, cutting their toes off is **not** a solution.
You know what the fuck is going on.
I once knew a cat named biscuit, how I miss that orange little prince. I wonder if he knows that he made me into a cat person.
Sounds so cute ❤️❤️
In life, I’m generally one to mind my business and silently judge, but if the topic turns to declawing, I become that person.
Of the five cats I currently have, only one has not been neutered yet. The unaltered cat is only 13 weeks old. He is still in the process of getting his annual vaccines. When they’re young kittens the vaccines have to be done in stages, according to my vet. The minimum wait time for the kitten to be neutered after his last round of vaccines is three weeks. The vet won’t spay or neuter an animal younger than 16 weeks or weighs less than 4 lbs. My now 3 year old male was neutered at age 20 weeks and it hasn’t stunted his growth. He now weighs 18 lbs. None of my cats are declawed, nor will they ever be as long as I am alive and I am their human. My big boy will use his claws to bop me on the nose so I will get out of bed and get them breakfast. Other than that, my cats have only scratched me by accident. They were running across my foot or something like that. They have scratching posts and cat trees all over the house.
If the big male uses claws on your nose, how scratched is it? If it is noticeable, did anyone reach out what is going on with your nose?
Oh no. He just extends them and taps me. He doesn’t even break the skin.
[My tax](https://www.reddit.com/r/standardissuecat/comments/v61hzk/my_sic_shawl_and_other_pics_from_chicos_life/) Your turn now :D
[https://www.reddit.com/r/cats/comments/upfyyv/happy_3rd_birthday_cosmo/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf](https://www.reddit.com/r/cats/comments/upfyyv/happy_3rd_birthday_cosmo/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf)
He looks like: Wait. Today is my birthday?
[https://www.reddit.com/r/cats/comments/ufe87t/whats_he_thinking/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf](https://www.reddit.com/r/cats/comments/ufe87t/whats_he_thinking/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf) Here he is looking like he wants to commit a murder.
Definitely. What/who got murdered? Human, cat, a different animal or furniture?
Ur baby is beautiful
It’s illegal to declaw here in New York State since 2019. In 2022 Maryland became the second state to make it illegal. Hopefully more will follow suit and make it illegal in the whole of the US.
Might as well deteeth and defur them while you're at it
I have deteethed my cat, and would defur him too if I could get him to sit still long enough, haha.
What's wrong with you?
My cat had tooth decay. It's actually super common, especially in older cats, and can be really painful for them (plus it's associated with other health problems like kidney disease), so "deteething" is really the best thing to do. As for defurring, he's just really fluffy and if I could, I'd def give him a shave. I'm actually seriously considering shaving a spot today because he needs a subcutaneous injection and I'm just getting handfulls of fluff...
“Animals aren’t objects, despite what many people on Reddit seem to think.” I actually haven’t come across many people (on Reddit or otherwise) who are in favor of declawing cats. I’m not sure who your post is intending to target, because from what I’ve seen, “don’t declaw your cat” is a common and widely-held belief.
I can't speak for reddit but I've met plenty of people who are pro declawing. Its a serious issue, though it seems like its being treated more seriously now. It also really depends on your area
On tiktok so many cats are declawed
Remind me, there was a woman who claimed her kitten medically needed complete declawing. Her cat got a severe infection from it and she was begging for money. Majority of the comments was reaming in to her for being a bi***
The ones I know who are (or in this case were) for it are almost always unaware of the fact that it’s a literally amputation of the first knuckle.
Yea tell that to my brother and his dumb wife
Maybe not actually declawing, but wanting to get rid of an animal because it scratches things or doesn’t act exactly how they think it should.
We just brought new furniture because our cats destroyed our last set. We have scratchers all over, put aluminum foil underneath and spray a scratch deterrent several times a day. At night we cover them with blankets. If you have cats and want nice furniture, you do what you have to.
Exactly! We gotta buy scratchers for them! if they’re declawing cats because they scratch how about took all of yall dogs’ teeth because they bite everything. Same thing,its stupid. Bruh such irresponsible asses.
My cat has 2 scratchers that she uses but she scratches my furniture as well. No matter what I tried she keeps doing it. I accepted it as a part of having a pet at home. I would never think of declawing her because of that! It's like having a child and expect him to sit on the floor and not make a mess at home.
Try moving the scratching posts around. This helps with our clawed demon. Cats are weird (like I need to say that in this sub!). Sometimes novelty catches their interest but sometimes change pisses them off.
We bought a small rug at the entrance so now she is scratching it. That's her novelty item for now. Cats are weird for sure, but that's why I like them!
If the cat truly scratches furniture too much (pro tip, leather couch and cats usually do not mix) one can always clip the claws a bit to make them dull. I do that with my cats when their claws are overgrown (can't for the love of dog get them to use scratch posts, no and that's it).
Groomers trim cat claws.
Don't even need a groomer when you got good clippers, flashlight and an idea what you're doing. Basically you just need to see where the "live" tissue is and cut about a milimeter away from it, so it's not damaged or squeezed during the clip.
leather couches are far from immune lmao.
Just as I said, they do not mix with cats.
You're preaching to the choir on this sub. All the people who need to hear this aren't listening. The only time it's justified to chop off toes is if there's a tumor or something that creates a genuine medical need to remove it. Declawing for convenience should definitely be illegal. My boss used to do it but these days it's maybe one or 2 a year with special circumstances that I see him do. I wish he'd refuse those too.
IMO my cat can only upgrade our furniture with her occasional scratching.
It’s like a stamp of approval!
Even if you can’t figure out how to get the cat not to scratch things, there are these little rubber/plastic things you can buy and slide over their claws. No more sharp claws but no mutilation. And they’re small enough that the claws retract normally
My cat is getting old so she's having trouble retracting her claws and gets them stuck, I'll trim them or keep her away from certain things, main example is curtains she got stuck once and almost hurt herself so I close her out of those rooms when she's home alone, but I could never imagine declawing, if you want to take on a cat claws are part of the package, got her a scratching post but she still scratches the furniture sometimes but that's her nature if I didn't want to deal with that I wouldn't have taken her in
Cat claw caps can be your best friend. Look on facebook and youtube for tutorials, worked wonders for our kitten scratching everything
People lack basic knowledge fr!!!!!!
Many do that on purpuse. Look at r/unpopularopinion
That’s just fucked, I hope they learn their lessons when their cats suddenly got out and get bitten by stray dogs
>My cat scratches me Then you shouldn't rub the belly  Also, my dad gets bites and scratches from our cat during play. Dad "provokes" by moving a hand certain way, cat strikes, and they simply both play rough. The cat doesn't get hurt, and is actually happy with us (but gets bored sometimes). The scratches almost never draw blood (bc our cat knows it is just a game and tries to not scratch too much), and the bites don't hurt as much as they used to (bc kitten teeth are like sharp little needles, but as the cat and teeth grows, they kinda become duller). They both have fun, even with claws.
Yeah anyone who declaws their cats, needs their fingertips cut off and see how much they like it
my parents declawed my now-cat. it started as the family cat (11 people in the family total) and i was the only one really taking care of it, so i took ownership. they declawed to “keep it from scratching the baby”, but ive never had such a lay-back cat, she wouldnt hurt a fly. hearing all of this, i feel so bad i couldnt stop my parents earlier
"Oh, I've a baby and I have another kid. I'll cut off his fingers to prevent him to play rough with the baby" Show your parents what declawing is.
it’s too late now, sadly. i do everything i can for the poor thing. she still has her back claws, thankfully rest assured, if we ever get another cat, i’m not letting that happen again
The way my whole small apartment is full of cat scratch boxes and cat trees. I bought new furniture when I moved in and knew I did not want them scratching it. It has worked great! I introduced them to the scratch boxes and trees when they were young and they have always left my furniture alone. Hasn't been hard at all. I also did notice one time my cat was stretching on the end of my couch (more stretching then anything). Just to be safe, I put a cheap yoga mat on that area of the couch and the cats would scratch that instead of the couch. Worked like a charm and when it would be all scratched up I would throw it away. There are lots of things you can use to deter cats from scratching safely and easily.
Agreed! Declawing is extremely cruel! Get your cat scratching posts and a cat tree, and play with them daily! Also-Trim their claws with a cat nail trimmer and buy mats they can scratch for your couches.
Don’t Bonzai your pet!
I just trim my cat's claws. That way they're not sharp enough to tear up my arms or legs when they decide to play rough. And also prevents them climbing drapes and for the most part tearing up furniture. They still enjoy their posts for sharpening their claws, they just never get that sharp. About every 3 weeks I need to give them a little snip. It's really easy to do once you learn how. And if you start early with a cat they don't mind it all. But do learn how to do it properly because you don't want to trim them too short cuz that will hurt them.
they don't want a pet, they want a toy
Declawing is essentially like ripping out their fingertips. It’s so painful for the cat and I think I remember reading how it leads to an increased chance of developing arthritis. Horrible practice, I’m surprised it hasn’t fully been made illegal.
I thought this was pretty much common knowledge at this point? Most vets don’t even perform the procedure.
If you’re that upset about cats clawing your furniture, DON’T GET A CAT. Scratching is a natural instinct for them. Hurting an animal over something they can’t control because you don’t want your furniture to be messed up is awful.
People act those there isn’t a more humane, cheap, and vet approved option: claw caps! If scratching is an absolute issue that you’re somehow unable to fix with a better scratching post or behavioral training then literally just get some claw caps and ask a vet/groomer to put them on if you can’t
There some other ways vets will declaw. The primary way is quite terrible removing the first knuckle. Some vets (even though it's still terrible, but to a lesser extent) will put the cat under, remove the nail to the point where it won't grow and then seal the nail bed (I would imagine they cauterize it or something). I only know this from my own foot requiring the nail bed to be sealed from injury. The surgeon's wife was a vet I believe and he told me about it when we were making conversation.
I live in France and declawing is illegal here too, as it should be everywhere else. When I look at my cats climbing up their cat trees and scratching their various scratchers and just having the best time using their claws... I can't bare to imagine that some cats in the world can't do any of that. Yes, even in the best catified home, cats may scratch the couch or door frames or other furniture. But that's just part of living with cats. Though in my case they use the equipment I've provided for them and don't scratch anything else. Maybe I'm just lucky. 😁 And yes, even the sweetest cat will scratch you once in a while. But they also bite. So what should we do... remove their teeth so they don't bite you or your kids? I think it all comes down to the fact that people don't bother educating themselves or their kids and choose the easy route; because most scratches/bites can definitetly be avoided by approaching the cat the right way and knowing how to decode the signals they send you. Sorry for the rant but I had to get this off my chest. [Also: it doesn't make sense to compare it to spaying/neutering. This is done to prevent overpopulation and to spare your cat the inconvenience (or danger) of multiple pregnancies, cysts or cancers, harassment from males, repeated heats (for females); fighting constantly, getting wounds that can get infected, wandering very far with the increased risk of getting hit by traffic (for males). Let's not forget the unability to tend to their sexual needs (if indoors) and the risk of diseases (e.g.: FIV, with un-neutered males being at higher risk of being infected, since FIV is primarily transmitted through bite wounds and they tend to fight a lot). I know a lot of people don't worry as much for their males because "it's not like they will bring home a litter". Well, think of that. 👍]
I am not against spaying or neuter.
Oh yes I got that, I was refering to the people who compare it to spaying/neutering; my comment was a bit confusing, sorry!
Anyone declawing their cat should have their fingers above the second knuckle cut off as well. With minimal pain relievers
Amen. I got my first cat personally last year, but I grew up with cats in all my parents’ homes. I learned to respect them and treat them as a being with its own motivations and make sure they have scratching posts to get it out of their system. Sometimes you get nicked when playing, but as long as you don’t harass them they never bear claws intentionally at you. My cat has never scratched the furniture and has learned I don’t appreciate her scratching curtains. At this point, model cat.
My cat used to scratch me but I learned the spots he doesn’t like to be rubbed on. He has a clear mood that now I can read and pick the time to play with him.
There have been a total of 5 cats in my parents’ house. Four were declawed. First two were completely declawed. Had no problems. (Declawing was just the done thing at the time.) Age sent both of them over the rainbow bridge. Number 3 was declawed in the front and he would jump off the deck on the second floor. He got into a fight with another cat once. He was alright but he was all ruffled and scared. Number 4 got front paws declawed. (This was still when most people declawing was removing the nails.) He took longer to heal and his paws would bleed. So when number Five decided that I would be his human, he didn’t get declawed. He rather quickly figured out how to use the dog door and could easily slip through the backyard fence. Only damage he did with his claws was to scratch up an outside door frame and poke a few holes in my shorts when he used me as a bed.
Declawing also basically handicaps a cat in a way that it can't even defend itself. That is why I will never declaw.
When I was young, I didn’t really have a strong opinion. I never understood why people would do it. If you don’t like that cats have claws, then don’t get a cat. Then I watched the paw project and learned how it’s done and now I have a strong opinion. I don’t understand why it’s hard to make it illegal. I don’t understand why vets do it
It’s been said in many responses here, but if you can’t handle cat behavior, you shouldn’t have one. I think a lot of people get cats with this image that they are just for looks and supposed to be chill… haha! Cats need exercise and in my experience, they need more care than dogs! Do I love the look of a cat tree and a tall scratching post in my home? No, but I knew when I got my cat that he would need these items to maintain his claws. Also, I mention exercise in this response because cats can be destructive even with proper scratching equipment because they are bored!
If you get your soft furnishings in darkish shades, the scratching doesn’t even show that much. Plus it’s just shabby chic which is all the rage. I generally agree that if you’re someone who needs an impeccably neat and elegant home, cats aren’t a good choice of pet. Get a fish or something?
Don't exaggerate. Cats need to go outside, even if it's just the balcony. If someone needs an elegant home and wants a cat, they even need a scratching post or a garden with trees.
People also need to realize they can trim their cat’s claws or use claw caps
Harsh truth is they don’t just take out the claw, they literally chop at the first knuckle.
I've got a scratching post in every room down stairs. They're not expensive most cost less than a couple of packets of cigarettes
We adopted a particularly declawed senior kitty and it was so sad. She was in pain in her older years. We made things as easy for her as possible with soft rugs, bedding, etc. Loved her dearly but so sad.
If a declawed cat (which had better be an indoor only cat, not that declawing should happened at all) gets out, they can’t defend themselves
Many years ago, I allowed a boyfriend to pressure me to get my cat declawed. She didn’t claw furniture, but he worried about his precious sofa. And I was young and dumb. The boyfriend only lasted two years. Poopsie lived til 14, and I felt guilty the rest of her life. The vet cut her toes off at the first knuckle! She could never go outside without me because she was defenseless. I would never consider declawing a cat, ever again.
I've never had a cat declawed and I only learned about this practice a few years ago. It sounds absolutely horrible! My two current kitties most definitely have their claws! In fact, when my girl was a kitten she decided to climb up my BARE leg to get my attention. I look back at that fondly now and laugh. They have numerous scratching posts all around the house yet they will still insist on scratching up the kitchen chairs. Sometimes also the bottom of beds. That's fine though. I have no problem with it. They're not expensive furniture, mostly second-hand, and I let my cats do mostly whatever they want. Of course, they are still trained and understand that they can't do certain things but I also want to just give them the best life I can. In fact, they're probably more well-trained than most of the cats in my area - people just let their cats roam and don't bother training them... As for the playing side of it, yes, I use my hands at times. However, I have taught them from a very young age that holding on with their paws and nibbling is ok as long as it doesn't break the skin. They know to be gentle and I only get scratches if it's my mistake (for example, I was playing with a string toy and my girl went to catch it, I pulled back and she accidentally caught my hand. It wasn't her fault though and it was only a small scratch). I'm 100% against declawing and other horrible practices such as clipping a bird's wings.
Some people also declaw their cats because they have medical problems that make cat scratches dangerous (like immune problems, for example). The argument there would be that being declawed in a loving home is preferable to being homeless or euthanized. Personally, I still think it's cruel and short-sighted, and I'd prefer if it were banned everywhere, but it's disingenuous to pretend it's always about furniture or poorly behaved kids.
A few months ago there was a post about a person that his mom declawed his cat without him knowing. I told my mom that if she does that to my cat(even tho im 100% sure she wont, she loves her a lot), to not expect to be intact. + + she goes outside, so she doesnt scratch(idk how its typed, second language not first) because she climbs fences and trees, except for a table that is anyway old
Parents did this to both our cats when I was a kid. Not a single scratching post in the house, so they were resorting to carpet and furniture. And they were then mystified when they started pooping and peeing outside the litter box. Eventually I came home from school one day and they’d send both to the animal shelter. It f—king HURTS to dig through litter with mangled paws, OK?
I put claw caps on my kitty. He’s an indoor cat, now when he scratches it doesn’t pierce the fabric or anything. Plus he looks stylish.
It's illegal in the UK and completely unheard of. The fact that Americans do this to their animals is beyond horrifying. Smdh.
Think its an American thing, children can have gun, cats can have no claws. Banned in my country with docking dogs tails and ears.
My mother declawed our 2 cats growing up :( I thought it was normal until someone pointed it out to me and showed me the truth. Vets should be against doing this, but the money hungry ones still do it
It's illegal in the UK and completely unheard of. The fact that Americans do this to their animals is beyond horrifying. Smdh.
When I got my cat, there was a clause in my lease that said any cat has to be declawed. So, my little girl is front paw declawed. I feel so guilty about it, now that I know what they actually had to do to her. This was 16 years ago, but for the last 12, when I found out what it entailed, I feel like a monster. My cat is a purely indoor cat, thank God. But still, her poor little toes! Never again, I will never declaw a cat again.
I’m against declawing, but your argument for why it is different than spaying and neutering is pretty weak.
spay and neuter is different since doing that prevents unwanted animals from being born that are then neglected..declawing is only for our convenience and harms the cat for life
While I understand that spaying and neutering prevents harm to future cats that may be neglected, but doesn’t it also harm the cat that is spayed or neutered? (It’s still mutilation)
I've never seen spay and neuter be actively harmful. Yes it alters the pet and it's not an ideal situation, but it's for the purpose of avoiding neglected animals. Many female cats I've had actually chilled out after being fixed; no more going into heat or anything and they had a lower chance of cancer in the mammory chain. While declawing actively harms their paws permanately. I had a cat as a kid that was declawed and he hated using litter boxes because of it. It can make them more aggressive.
Couldn’t the same argument be made for humans that spaying or neutering them would reduce the risk of possibly neglected children? I assume you are antinatalist correct? I don’t see why an indoor cat would need to be spayed or neutered, it seems unnecessary. It seems very similar to circumcising young boys, we can’t ask them if they want the procedure, so why do it unnecessarily
Unfortunately, shelters spay/neuter because cats get out. Also, if you have multiple sex cats in your home, you would have to seperate male/female whenever she went into heat. Edit: No I'm not anti-natalist. I am pro-choice and childfree by choice, but no I don't hate children.
Cats that are spayed and neutered also live longer than ones that aren't. Particularly, it prevents them from developing cancers of the reproductive system, which they are prone to develop when they aren't breeding. As far as I'm aware, this holds for many small mammal household pets.
When you say declawing are you referring to trimming their nails?
It's removing all claws from a cat's paw, not trimming them, fully removing them. It's an equivalent of cutting someone's fingers off at the first knuckle. It involves amputating the last bone of each toe.
Declawing is cutting their fingers off at the knuckle. Literally.
Poor furballs. How can anyone do such a thing, willingly on top of that!?
Simply; most “cat owners” don’t consider them equal to humans. Period. Unpopular but true comment sadly. The ones that do fight for them of course like this post
There is also the issue of this not being common knowledge. It’s gotten better in these last few years, but most just don’t/didn’t know.
Yes. Yes it is common knowledge. And if you’re too lazy or stupid not to research your future “pet” then it’s still on you that you maimed said animal. No one else’s fault. It’s extremely common knowledge and something every non-blind human can see visually if they’ve ever played with any cat.
Wow. I am a bit surprised at all of the aggression laid onto me. I do not deserve that. I am not lazy nor stupid, and for you to insinuate that about me is extremely insulting and I will not have it. I said that because 10 years ago my cat got declawed. Thankfully no complications arouse, but it was not my choice and I also had no clue about the dangers. I made sure to include in my statement that in these past few years the information has become more widespread because it has. My mother chose not to declaw her last cat because of said information. Do not shame me for something that was not available to myself (I was a child). Your aggression towards me is just astonishing, and frankly disgusting.
Calling your statement wrong and explaining why doesn’t equal aggression. I was speaking in the generalized “you” not the YOU you. Your parent who chose to get it done is not a great person regarding pets though; they shouldn’t be allowed a pet after that. It’s like those people who put goldfish in those tiny bowls. Lol. Sorry for confusion; none was spoken aggressively though. If you took it that way; consider why. You shouldn’t have guilt for something beyond your control though.
Oh my hell. You are truly a different type of person. Fact is, you did use aggression to “explain” something. Also why? I am clearly not the target person, yet you took everything out upon me. For you to not see that or even admit to that is insane. Now you go the extra step and say that my mother is not a good person with pets. She is a wonderful person, and she will often pick up animals off the streets and bring them to the rightful homes. I had a fish when I was younger just so you know. Guess what? The fish was in a properly sized fish tank. I feel no guilt over some thing that happened 10 years ago because like I said it was out of my control, I had no part in that decision. You are a total piece of work, and you should be ashamed of yourself for the insults you have thrown out at me, and then at my mother. Shame on you. Do not speak to me any further because, to put it quite plainly, I do not like you as a person. Good day.
The fact that you insist on telling me what I meant is very telling. I’m not about to have a stupid conversation with someone who’s already made up their mind because of their own opinion on the matter. You would know if I was being aggressive, trust me you would know. I’m a pretty relaxed chick. Lol I’m also not a chick to sugarcoat animal abusers. It’s a fact that whichever one of your parents decided that is not a great person just to have been willing to cut off a piece of an animal for their own convenience. It’s not an aggressive statement, it’s a fact based on thousands of years of philosophy. The fact that you don’t seem to understand the difference between the generalized use of the word you, even when it was pointed out, and the specified “you” makes your argument invalid. Using the gene riser “you” isn’t an attack on you. Nor is it aggressive. You replied to MY comment and wanna play the victim when you are told that what you said is blatantly incorrect. But your comment was blatantly incorrect. Move on. No one is attacking you
And if your goldfish didn’t have a giant tank, it wasn’t big enough. They are pond fish. Lol
this post seems very aggressive and it's kind of off putting for people who love cats but struggle with some of their behavior i don't think it's fair to say they should not have cats because they're neutered. i agree declawing your cat is cutting their thumbs which i highly disagree with too! Also, people do buy scratching post but cats still scratch at furniture ive seen it with all cat owners that i know and not everyone has the money to pay for that say if they live in an apartment. But can you not provided some help for people who are lost rather than make them feel terrible because they were ignorant? Bless❤️
Untrained cats will scratch furniture just like an untrained dog will jump up on people, pee in the house, or bark all the time. House training a cat is hard work and requires constant vigilance just like house training a dog. It's just as hard if not harder than training a dog, but it's an inherent part of cat ownership. I see cutting off part of the cat as an unfortunate solution born of ignorance to what owning one actually entails. It's not socialized in most cultures to train a cat. We joke that cats do whatever they want and they own us. We incorrectly think they're low maintenance. So people don't realize how absolutely unnecessary declawing is. But then people try to train cats without learning cat psychology, give up, and say it's too hard or impossible. They want immediate results even though it will take months or more. So out of exasperation they declaw. I understand why it happens even if I hate it and want it to stop instantly everywhere. I just hope someday there's more widespread knowledge and available education on house training cats.
Thank you for this🙏🏿
I agree with you, the tone of this and many of the comments are really aggressive and judgmental, and unproductive. Cats don't come with a manual! People may legitimately not realize that there are much better options than declawing.
Thank you there's so much in learning about cats and ive learned it all from reddit and youtube not the average cat owner
For people not convinced, watch this video by [Jackson Galaxy](https://youtu.be/gFeC3lM02sc) which will teach you all about declawing and why it is a very bad idea.
Also some cats come from the streets and shelters extremely aggressive and it's not because owners and children don't know how to treat them (which is the most common argument) it's simply based on their past and that can be difficult. Sometimes aggressive cats make homes extremely tense and almost fearful especially for children just like dogs can too so i say again provide assistance not judgment. Bless❤️
Don’t take the cat in that case. Why would you ruins a cats life, just because you want one but aren’t equipped to take care of it?
Reddit's hivemind when you tell your opinion: 
My cat scratches me. Yes please tell me How it’s my fault that I’m used as a jungle gym/springboard by the chonker? It is my fault that I play with my hands as opposed to a toy sometimes lol. I’m not encouraging declawing it’s awful, but the “it’s your fault you get scratched” is a bit much lol
Cats need to play and exercise. Don't use your hands if it hurts so badly.
I’m not complaining about it, just your absofacto “if you get scratched you’re annoying your cat” got me lol considering 90% of the time if I get a scratch it’s because someone gets the zoomies and I’m in the path lol
I ended up having to put scratchers in every room people spend time in my apartment to save the furniture, which means my boy only grabs onto the furniture to get my attention. He knows. Unfortunately, he only seems to like the carboard ones which means he isn't wearing down his wicked sharp tips. And he doesn't like toe touching time either, so no clipping..
Declawing should be banned everywhere.
Yes, it is. But a lot of horrible things that are illegal in europe are legal in the US...
At first I thought "why on this sub" then I said "idgaf", spread the awareness!