views on declawing

I have two cats that are declawed and one that isnt (because she has never been a furniture scratcher). One was declawed the old way, you could tell she hurt for a week or two after the surgery, my other cat was declawed via Laser and he only acted like he was in pain for a couple of days. The laser method is more expensive but involves less bleeding and quicker healing. My cat's personally have not became biters after their de-clawing. Good luck to you and the cat on your choice.

Well I made the appointment to get him fixed, he'll be going in next friday.

She asked if i wanted him declawed and i said "i'll let you know".
Im going to try the nail caps as many of you suggested first. The funny thing is, Mikey is a 6 toed cat...think they'll charge me extra! hahah

anyways,
he's got a week of nail caps to try out.
I dont think declawing is something i wanna do to him, I see how much he uses his mitten like paws and cant imagine the pain he would be in (he uses his paws more like a human uses their hands).

thanks everyone!

Don't declaw older cats...its just not cool.

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Originally Posted by elevatethis

Don't declaw older cats...its just not cool.

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not cool like hippee not cool, or smoking not cool?

totally not gonna do it now. just read a fact sheet that someone posted....um no way!


I had not idea what it all incluced, to much that can go wrong.
Besides...the couch may be a thousand dollars but mikeys happiness and health means more to me.

I don't like declawing. It just seems like the lazy way out for people who don't want to provide a scratching post or other outlet for their cat's natural behavior. Our cat is fully clawed, and my boyfriend built him an awesome cat-scratchy-post thing, and he has never clawed our furniture. Also, I know that if he somehow got outside (he is an indoor cat) he could have some sort of defense against the coyotes/etc. Or, heaven forbid we can't keep him anymore, someone could possibly end up with him who let him be an outdoor cat and he would have no defenses; I just don't like it!
As for spaying and neutering; it is just asinine not to fix a cat. Unless you're into cat breeding and showing that sort of thing, what good reason is there not to?

When you're in at the vet having Mike neutered ask a vet tech to show you how to safely trim his claws at home. I did it for years with our cats. The male didn't like it but then I didn't start till he was an adult. The female was used to it since kittenhood. I'd trim back the sharp bit of her claws, give her ears a quick cleaning, etc....called it her "day of beauty" LOL. Course she was smart enough to know that there was a nice treat waiting afterwards.

Maybe if you could get Mike to accept a nail trimming you could cut back on some of the damage. Try having someone help you and they can feed him bits of tuna while you snip away (be very careful of the quick or pink area...have the vet tech show you and also what to do if you nip into that bit).

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Originally Posted by frankykeno

When you're in at the vet having Mike neutered ask a vet tech to show you how to safely trim his claws at home. I did it for years with our cats. The male didn't like it but then I didn't start till he was an adult. The female was used to it since kittenhood. I'd trim back the sharp bit of her claws, give her ears a quick cleaning, etc....called it her "day of beauty" LOL. Course she was smart enough to know that there was a nice treat waiting afterwards.

Maybe if you could get Mike to accept a nail trimming you could cut back on some of the damage. Try having someone help you and they can feed him bits of tuna while you snip away (be very careful of the quick or pink area...have the vet tech show you and also what to do if you nip into that bit).

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thanks!
mikey is pretty laid back and understands I only wanna "love" him (thats what i call it when I gotta do something that irratates him..like the time her ate string and i had to pull it outta you know where...yuck!).

Over all hes a good cat, he acts sassy when i dont show him full attention when i come home from work. but other than that he is a sweety so nail trimming shouldnt be a problem.

Thanks again you guys! I needed a little push in the right direction!

Ps. I suggest to anyone ever wanting a cat...look for a 6 toed cat (hemingways) they have a great personality and truly are one of a kind...Oh and try using an Elton John song as a middle name! or little guys name is Mikey Elton John Tiny Dancer (makes the vets go crazy when they call for us in the waiting room!)

I love Hemingway cats! :) My Cleo is declawed, but she was declawed when she was spayed, and both she and I were youngins at the time. A bit late jumping in here, but yeah I agree with the general concensus and glad of the decision! Mikey sounds like a sweetheart!

little guys name is Mikey Elton John Tiny Dancer (makes the vets go crazy when they call for us in the waiting room!)

Is this all one name?? I'm already crazy, don't need any help!! Several pets around here go by same name, such as lil guy, big guy, etc.