If you own Cats do you have them front removed?

This question was talked about on ksr this morning. I thought I would ask this question here.

We own a cat and she has claws... if I did it over again, I'd have them removed. At this point through, she's already damaged what she's going to damage and the vet visits stress her out so I'll stick it out. 

My opinion is that there are so many cats without homes constantly. If declawing the cat means that you will take it in and give it a good home then absolutely do it! 

Have had at least one cat in the house for nearly 30 years, so I feel I've got more than enough first-hand experience to reply.  The first two (siblings) that we had, we got declawed.  Seeing them after the surgery, and then finding out what exactly transpires during a "declawing", has completely changed my position on the notion.  Every cat since then, has kept their claws.  In fact, my vet now refuses to do it anymore.

The key thing to remember is why cats will scratch things to begin with.  When you realize that, you'll know you absolutely HAVE to give them an alternative(s) to your furniture/walls.  We've had multiple scratching pads and posts throughout the house, and haven't had much, if any, of a problem.  Yes, they're not the prettiest of things.  Yes, they can, and will eventually, be destroyed.  But, buying a new scratching post every now and then is still cheaper than the kitty litter you'll be buying seemingly every week.  If you're going to have a cat, it's worth the extra cost.

For people that ask me about declawing a cat, because they don't want them to scratch the furniture, I usually ask them if they'd amputate the tips off a toddler's hands so that they couldn't hold a crayon and mark on the walls.  Obviously I get a horrified look and a response of "no", usually followed by something along the lines of "well, you can teach a child what's right and wrong".  I've got news for people...you can do the same thing with cats.  Most people just don't want to take the time and put in the effort.

On 4/26/2022 at 8:14 AM, CincySportsFan said:

Have had at least one cat in the house for nearly 30 years, so I feel I've got more than enough first-hand experience to reply.  The first two (siblings) that we had, we got declawed.  Seeing them after the surgery, and then finding out what exactly transpires during a "declawing", has completely changed my position on the notion.  Every cat since then, has kept their claws.  In fact, my vet now refuses to do it anymore.

The key thing to remember is why cats will scratch things to begin with.  When you realize that, you'll know you absolutely HAVE to give them an alternative(s) to your furniture/walls.  We've had multiple scratching pads and posts throughout the house, and haven't had much, if any, of a problem.  Yes, they're not the prettiest of things.  Yes, they can, and will eventually, be destroyed.  But, buying a new scratching post every now and then is still cheaper than the kitty litter you'll be buying seemingly every week.  If you're going to have a cat, it's worth the extra cost.

For people that ask me about declawing a cat, because they don't want them to scratch the furniture, I usually ask them if they'd amputate the tips off a toddler's hands so that they couldn't hold a crayon and mark on the walls.  Obviously I get a horrified look and a response of "no", usually followed by something along the lines of "well, you can teach a child what's right and wrong".  I've got news for people...you can do the same thing with cats.  Most people just don't want to take the time and put in the effort.

But did you think about the numerous cats who  will not get a good loving home because they might not be able to get their cat's declawed because it's been outlawed. So by outlawing it will make things worse than they are now with the cat population and having to euthanize. My cats had pain medicine and after a few days the cats are back to jumping and doing everything they did before. I personally would rather a cat have it's front claws removed if it is going to be  an indoor cat and get a loving home than see them get euthanized.

Also it don't matter how many catch scratch post you have in your house you will end up buying new furniture sooner than you would like.

Also a fun fact indoor cat's live 10-15 years or even a couple years longer,  Yet outdoor  cats usually live 2-5 years.

19 hours ago, GOREDDEVILS said:

Also it don't matter how many catch scratch post you have in your house you will end up buying new furniture sooner than you would like.

This is true whether you have cats, dogs, kids, or in my wife's case, a husband who likes to eat and drink while sitting on the furniture. Declawing a cat is literally like amputating every finger to the first knuckle and provides zero benefit to the cat. It can cause joint problems, and pain when walking. It can also turn cats into biters, because they've lost their main defense.

It's like anything else. If one of your big concerns in life is replacing your furniture too often, pets probably aren't a good idea.

2 hours ago, rjs4470 said:

This is true whether you have cats, dogs, kids, or in my wife's case, a husband who likes to eat and drink while sitting on the furniture. Declawing a cat is literally like amputating every finger to the first knuckle and provides zero benefit to the cat. It can cause joint problems, and pain when walking. It can also turn cats into biters, because they've lost their main defense.

It's like anything else. If one of your big concerns in life is replacing your furniture too often, pets probably aren't a good idea.

I just know my cats have 0 problem with their front claws removed. They run they jump from the kitchen table etc, they show no signs of it bothering them. Would you rather a cat get euthanized or get a good home?

2 hours ago, GOREDDEVILS said:

I just know my cats have 0 problem with their front claws removed. They run they jump from the kitchen table etc, they show no signs of it bothering them. Would you rather a cat get euthanized or get a good home?

Sure, and there are people living with having a hand/arm/foot/leg amputated, and they may have adapted to the point where it shows no signs of it bothering them, either. 

I'm sorry, you seem very passionate about saying these are "good" and "loving homes".  But to me, if you're saying they MUST be declawed in order to come inside...that's not true love.  That's a conditional love.  If you find an animal outside that you can't afford to bring inside because it'll scratch your furniture up...then maybe you're just better off taking it to a no-kill shelter.

38 minutes ago, CincySportsFan said:

Sure, and there are people living with having a hand/arm/foot/leg amputated, and they may have adapted to the point where it shows no signs of it bothering them, either. 

I'm sorry, you seem very passionate about saying these are "good" and "loving homes".  But to me, if you're saying they MUST be declawed in order to come inside...that's not true love.  That's a conditional love.  If you find an animal outside that you can't afford to bring inside because it'll scratch your furniture up...then maybe you're just better off taking it to a no-kill shelter.

I'm sorry, but you are way off and we are going to have to disagree on this matter. I got my cats from a shelter where they would have been likely been euthanized had I not adopted them.

Those people who have amputation  at least still have life. How about all those cats out there who didn't get a chance at life because they were euthanized?

54 minutes ago, GOREDDEVILS said:

Those people who have amputation  at least still have life. How about all those cats out there who didn't get a chance at life because they were euthanized?

I'm guessing your hypothesis is that Declawing cats makes them easier and more likely to get adopted/kept. That may be true in some cases, but Declawing doesn't solve all the problems that come with owning a cat, and can create problems of it's own, like biting, not wanting to use the litter box, nervousness/fearfulness, all of which can make a cat less desirable. I'm sure it's worked out for many cats, as it has with yours. But for many others, declawing is a cure that can cause worse problems. And the problems that declawing cures can just as easily be fixed by proper training  which doesn't come with any possible side effects.

18 minutes ago, rjs4470 said:

I'm guessing your hypothesis is that Declawing cats makes them easier and more likely to get adopted/kept. That may be true in some cases, but Declawing doesn't solve all the problems that come with owning a cat, and can create problems of it's own, like biting, not wanting to use the litter box, nervousness/fearfulness, all of which can make a cat less desirable. I'm sure it's worked out for many cats, as it has with yours. But for many others, declawing is a cure that can cause worse problems. And the problems that declawing cures can just as easily be fixed by proper training  which doesn't come with any possible side effects.

It is true more whether you want to admit or not that it makes cats harder to get adopted. I wouldn't have one inside if I couldn't declaw it. They also scratch the heck out out of you. I know I'm not the only one who wouldn't adopt if they couldn't be declawed on the front. I'm not going to sit here and argue all night because you and Cincy disagree with declawing.  This discussion is over.

1 hour ago, GOREDDEVILS said:

It is true more whether you want to admit or not that it makes cats harder to get adopted. I wouldn't have one inside if I couldn't declaw it. They also scratch the heck out out of you. I know I'm not the only one who wouldn't adopt if they couldn't be declawed on the front. I'm not going to sit here and argue all night because you and Cincy disagree with declawing.  This discussion is over.

Well that escalated quickly?. You asked a question, and I gave my opinion. I don't disagree that it works out sometimes. But it sounds like you don't even want to consider that there are potential downsides or outcomes that don't fit your belief. I wasn't arguing, just presenting the other side. I'm always for the least invasive, least expensive option. And in this case it's training. And I'll stand by the fact that if you're more worried about your furniture, you probably shouldn't own a cat or any other animal, or have children. Putting your cat through a painful, invasive procedure and what amounts to an amputation to save a couch just doesn't seem like a loving thing to do, especially when the outcome may make the cat even worse off. I'm sorry for presenting the reality of the situation.