OK, I'm getting a kitten & need advice

But if your cat is declawed and it accidently gets out, it has no way to defend itself.

If you want to do it, fine, but just get more information on it. Some vets just won't do it.

Here's an article on it.

http://www.declawing.com/


Good luck and I hope you love your new baby (ies)!!!
 
>I had definitely planned on getting the kitty de-clawed (and
>nuetered, of course), mostly b/c of the dogs & especially b/c
>of Max (pugs have such big eyes & it seems like he'd be so
>exposed!). I'd never heard de-clawing was a bad thing--why
>should I not do it? Give me a good enough reason & I'll start
>manicuring both Max & the cat.

Unfortunately, people have come to think of declawing as just a simple operation. I'm appalled by how many people come to the shelter looking for a cat, and one of the first things they mention is declawing. I ask them why they want to do it, and most have no other reason than "it will be an indoor cat." And so?

Declawing is not as simple as it sounds: it is not just 'removing a nail," but the amputation of the first joint of the finger. Many cats at the shelter who are declawed have deformed (IMO) paws, not the pretty natural paws they were meant to have.

Also, though many cats who are declawed seem to suffer no ill effects, some do, including nerve damage, phantom pain, behavioral problems (quite a few become biters, because their 'warning system" has been removed. And if you see the pain they are in immediately after the operation, and a few days after, and you recognize that pain, you, like a friend of mine, might vow to never declaw again.

Here's one site with some info: http://www.declawing.com/ It is from a vet who is opposed to declawing. There aren't a lot of them yet (because they make money on it), but there is a growing movement of vets who are opposed to it and are hoping to make it illegal.

ETA: I just recalled that you are in a higher income bracket than I am, and a rather fashion-conscious person. An alternative to declawing is to have caps placed on kitty's claws (this has to be redone every few weeks? months? I've never considered it, so I didn't pay attention). The caps come in a variety of colors, so you can change the color each time, or maybe even mix colors!
 
I'm laughing at the whole "psychotherapy" reply that one of the posters put about cats being declawed. That is just too funny.
Laura, I think that the whole "don't declaw" thing is just kind hearted cat owners that think it's crewl to declaw. But I could be totally wrong, I'm always willing to admit that. There may be more to it, I'm not sure. But both of my cats are declawed because they are indoor cats, first of all. Secondly, they were ruining my leather couches and my carpet. I don't see a need to have 2 cats, I just love cats, well, ok, animals in general. Hence my petting zoo at my house (2 dogs, 2 cats, 1 bird and 2 fish! :eek: ) But my 2 cats do not get along very well. They tolerate each other but that is were the line ends. I did not get them at the same time though, so that could have something to do with it.
BTW, I do not have any mice problems, but cats love to chase and kill little mice. Of course there is every now and then a fairly foul smell coming from the ceiling in my basement, and I'm sure it's a decomposing mouse. Yuck! The smell goes away after about 3 days though. Every now and then we let one of them out in the garage in the fall to mouse.
I don't knwo whether a male or female cat is best. I have one of each ( this could be part of my problem as well with them not getting a long that well). The male is definately more cuddly, but the female will come up into my lap and accept a good petting. I love them both, so it's hard to say. The female is far less tolerant of small children petting her in a less than acceptable manor though. The male just goes with the flow and lets the children pick him up and carry him through the house.
There are some deep thoughts on cats by Kathy..
Hope this helped!

P.S. Give Cosmo and big hug from me!!
 
Hey, how do you know how much I make? :p OK so I'm gonna get my cat a pedicure. I don't even get myself a pedicure. This is too funny. But for you Kathryn, I will look into alternatives to declawing. Like I said, my main concern is my dogs, not my furniture. When you have two dogs worrying about your furniture is an exercise in futility.
 
Please, please do not declaw the kitten(s). It is cruel, and similar to removing the extremity part of the fingers on a human. There's a reason why it is ilegal in so many places. And yes, they probably adapt and forget about it - just like any human learns to live with their disabilites - that doesn't mean that it's OK to do. There are so many ways to make sure that they don't scratch what they are not allowed - and you've had quite a few suggestions here. Claws are also helpful when they need to defend themselves if they ever get out and are attacked - and that can happen even if you keep a close eye on them, there's very little chance that you can keep them in 100% of the time - they are cats and they like to sneak around you.

I could go on and on. My sister has 2 cats, and she's had 2 babies since she got them - never once the cats tried to attack the babies or claw their eyes out. They have scratching posts and they love it. I know it seems like it's something they would do (attack or try to claw other creatures' eyes out), but nicely behaved and well socialized cats will interact with all their cohabitants just fine. I would say - just make sure you get a well behaved cat, or - if it's a kitten - try to spend some time socializing it as it grows up, spay or neuter it, and you will not have a problem.

Please, PLEASE DO NOT DECLAW!!! If you don't believe us about it being similar to removing part of the human fingers, just google some information about what they remove by declawing and how that relates to the rest of their paws.

Thanks on behalf of your kitten, :) :) :)
 
Laura,

Don't be so fast to disregard the positive aspects of a cat's claws with your dog. My dog Gracie had a few bloodied nose episodes (nothing serious, just a little scratch or two), before she was taught what our cat will and will not take during playtime!:) It was a "learning process" but they get along fine. Yes, Gracie chases him off the bed sometimes, but Archie takes it all in stride and they usually end up side by side asleep with each other before the night is over!

tpf
 
>Hey, how do you know how much I make? :p

I haven't investigated the exact amount, but Ikind of got a clue after seeing how much you payed for a diamond belly-button ring.;-)

And if you visit that link I gave you, there is a link at the bottom to more info (if you need more!), and to the Soft Paws. They come in red, light blue, dark blue, green (thihk Christmas!), yellow, and a combo of green and yellow or red and blue. (And they're cheaper than I thought they'd be...that is, if you can do the gluing yourself. If not, you'd have to pay a vet...probably a vet tech or even a groomer...to put them on.)
 
Laura, your concern is valid. Here's what led to my decision to have my cat declawed.

I have a rare eye condition. At the time I had a cataract and glaucoma in one eye. In a burst of playfulness, my kitty scratched my good eye diagonally from the 11:00 to 5:00 position. It was a serious scratch that required emergency treatment and took about 6 months to heal. For a couple of days I was effectively blind. Eye scratches are quite serious.

I worked for a veterinarian for many years. The vast majority of cat owners opt for declawing their cats. I don't recall any major or lasting problems when this procedure is done on a kitten, however, I would not do this to an older cat.

I'm not an advocate for declawing--I think it's a personal decision. If you find a viable alternative then go for it!! If you decide you want to declaw, then do so with a clear conscience.

Kathryn, I have a great deal of respect for your opinions but I have to respectfully disagree with you about vets doing this procedure for the money. The vets I worked for laid out the pros and cons in an unbiased manner and let each client make their own decision about it.
 
> The vast majority
>of cat owners opt for declawing their cats.

This is the last I'll say about the topic, but I find this very sad, and hope it's not true!

(Well actually THIS is the last I'll say: Soft Paws would eliminate any cat scratch risk just as well as declawing. )
 
OK chill guys, I don't want anyone to argue over this. Michelle the eyes are exactly what I'm afraid of. In fact, a vet once told me a declawed cat can still harm a dog's eyes b/c they learn how to use their rear claws for defense.

Kathryn, I am LMAO at those Soft Paws. I mean, they are REALLY funny.

In any case, I'll talk to my vet & get his recommendations.

Kathy, Cosmo sends hugs back to you. :*
 
No disrespect intended, I promise:)

Laura, good luck!! I think adding a kitty to your menagerie is a great idea and one you won't regret.
 
I tried the SoftPaws. They're a great idea but they just don't work. The cat WILL get them off. (My female in particular perfected the art of having them off within 30 minutes.) I also tried the sticky stuff on the furniture, deterrent sprays, and all manner of cat-scratching apparati in an effort to deter them from the couches. Nothing worked. Needless to say, all of my cats are declawed. No one is deformed and we haven't had any ill effects. I had them done as kittens at the same time they were neutered/spayed. I did feel bad about it, but I would have felt worse if I had to get rid of them in order to live in a house that didn't look like a junk yard.

Anyway, I'm not an advocate either way, and I do think it's a personal decision. BTW, you need to be really careful of the claws with a pug because their eyes are so prominent. I'd talk to the vet about that...

Good luck, Laura! Cats are great pets.

Marie
 
Laura-

Congratultion on getting a new cat! I do vote for getting him/ her fixed sat the right age. He ? She may get out and will reproduce if so.

My cats are amazing at getting rodents. The previous home owners here were getting many mice in traps, and my cats have done an excellent job of keeping the mice out. (And of bringing us prizes from out side )


Judy "Likes2bfit"


If you fail to plan, then you plan to fail.



http://im1.shutterfly.com/procserv/47b5ce27b3127cce94279e1404fa00000016108AatHLZo3buN

http://www.picturetrail.com/gallery/view?p=999&gid=9978144&uid=4817615&members=1
 
As you may know I have 4 dogs and 1 cat, they get along just fine.

In the beginning when the puppies played a little too rough my kitty would hit them over the head and on the nose. That warning shot was enough, now if Tuxedo and Scooter get a little to much out of control for Nemo's taste, he will just lift his paw and they will back off. I think it keeps "natural" balance, otherwise the kitty would be at a real disadvantage, just based on size.

I have had dogs and cats live together in my house for the past 10 years, there was not once an incident where one of the cats had actually injured a dog or a child. A well balanced cat will show the dog when he/she has had enough and most of them won't strike without warning. Over the past 10 years we have probably had 10 to 12 different cats.

Someone above mentioned that they declawed their cat because of an accident with their eye. This is very unfortunate but it is an accident. When my son was 2 or 3 years old, he was sitting on my lap, playing, he scratched my eye with his fingernail, requiring several eye doctor visits. What can you do, accidents do happen. However, noone would seriously be thinking about removing a child's fingernail for that, would they?

I personally am against declawing, but I am from Europe where it is outlawed anyway. I find it cruel, it is the equivalent of removing the first joint of your finger. A lot of cats will have physical problems like their sense of balance will be impaired and weaken it from muscular disuse.
My neighbor just had their cat declawed a few months ago and supposedly he was going to stay inside. Cats sometimes have a funny way of deciding themselves if they want to stay in the house or not. To make a long story short, the declawed cat escaped and we found him a couple of days later by the wash a few houses down the street, half-eaten by a coyote.
Declawing does render cats defenseless, if they escape and there is a good chance an indoor cat will sneak out, they won't be able to climb up a tree to escape a predator and they won't have the slighest chance of defending themselves.

I would get a kitten though, it is much easier to get them used to dogs! Good luck with your new addition, don't forget to post a picture of the new kitty :)

Carola
 
>As you may know I have 4 dogs and 1 cat, they get along just
>fine.

One thing to add: despite the cartoons and movies that show dogs and cats as mortal ennemies, they can often be very good friends. A friend of mine has 4 dogs and 2 cats, and the cats are better friends with the dogs than they are with each other. Also, some of the dogs seem to love the cats more than they like the other dogs!

And my cat Scooter seems to love dogs! He's at least fascinated by them. When a big sheepdog lived next door, and Scooter and I were out (I let my cats out under my supervision, on leashes, unless they are like Scooter and don't roam at all) he would always go right up to the chain-link fence to see the dog! And the last time he had to stay at the vets (he's diabetic, and needs medical supervision when I'm out of town), the woman who visited him for me said he wanted to wander around and check out the dogs in the cages when he was out.

I've even seen a huge dog (maybe a german shepard mix?) playing with a tiny kitten oh-so-gently (though I wouldn't recommend unsupervised play until you know how they will react to each other.)
 
>As you may know I have 4 dogs and 1 cat, they get along just
>fine.

One thing to add: despite the cartoons and movies that show dogs and cats as mortal ennemies, they can often be very good friends. A friend of mine has 4 dogs and 2 cats, and the cats are better friends with the dogs than they are with each other. Also, some of the dogs seem to love the cats more than they like the other dogs!

And my cat Scooter seems to love dogs! He's at least fascinated by them. When a big sheepdog lived next door, and Scooter and I were out (I let my cats out under my supervision, on leashes, unless they are like Scooter and don't roam at all) he would always go right up to the chain-link fence to see the dog! And the last time he had to stay at the vets (he's diabetic, and needs medical supervision when I'm out of town), the woman who visited him for me said he wanted to wander around and check out the dogs in the cages when he was out.

I've even seen a huge dog (maybe a german shepard mix?) playing with a tiny kitten oh-so-gently (though I wouldn't recommend unsupervised play until you know how they will react to each other.)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top