Cat Laser Declawing-Should it be done?

Posted on by

Everywhere you look online about Cat Declawing you find people ranting and raving about how bad it is for cats, it hurts them terribly and that it changes their personality. I have to say after having my two cats laser declawed with very very minor issues afterwards that I feel very strongly about favoring LASER declawing. I can understand the issues with regular declawing I would never do that to my cats but laser declawing has alot of benefits. People will say I shouldn’t have adopted the cats if I was going to get them declawed. Ok, I looked at this and came up with a different perspective, first they both were in a society where they would have been killed if they weren’t adopted, hmmm who’s the enemy here I wonder. Second I spoil my cats as if they were my real children (in my mind they are my babies) any little problem I run them to the vet, any new toy I see or special food, litter for them I buy. I only want the very best for my cats. So when I was considering declawing I did a bunch of research on it. I found out that yes you are still removing that part of the cat but it is a quick procedure where the wound is sealed up immediately. After the procedure my cats were put on a heating blanket to sleep of the anesthesia. The vets called my 15 minutes after the procedure and let me know how everything went. They keep the cats for 2 days just to make sure that nothing goes wrong and you are allowed to visit after the first day. Our cats came home without limping and with very very little blood. Yes they could tell something was different but within a couple of days you couldn’t even tell they acted any differently. Our cats still claw on furniture and everything as if they have claws they still hunt their toys and they still do everything that they did before. There was no change in their personality. People say to train cats to claw on specific things which I think is easier said then done. When we got our first cat we tried that and it did not work she has an attitude that whatever she wants to do she will do which is why she fits her name (sassy). If other ways work for you I’m all for you using the other ways but do not condemn before you hear everything. I saved my cats life and they live a life that I think they love now. Would I change what I did? Never!! I did what I think was best considering the circumstances.

185 thoughts on “Cat Laser Declawing-Should it be done?”

  1. It’s funny how most of the people on here that claim to be educated cite sources that have no real value or merit. Both sides can find an infinite number of websites, both decrying the position of the other. Instead of giving links to people who have shows on Animal planet, or some obscure vet who may or may not be certified to care for animals, look at real evidence. Google is our friend, but sometimes Google Scholar can be what ends these trivial debates.

    http://scholar.google.com/scholar?hl=en&q=laser+declaw&btnG=&as_sdt=1%2C18&as_sdtp=

    A specific article, from Cornell University is a case study of cats that underwent laser declawing procedures. A quick read of the abstract is enough to see the results of the study, there are even more on there to read up on.

    I supposed these “educated” people never learned that you need to pick reputable sources to cite. Else, you’re only contributing to base-less mud slinging.

    Also as a side note, people have elective surgery constantly, I realize few opt to have fingers removed, but as cats aren’t picking up a pen to take notes or grasping handles, it’s not entirely a fair comparison. It’s more like having a toe amputated, or a toe nail permanently removed. Granted, there is no bone loss with a nail removal, the pain and blood loss as compared to the laser surgery seems comparable.

    https://dspace.library.cornell.edu/handle/1813/13455

  2. Thank you!!!!!!! I to have two cats that I rescued from certain death 6 years ago. Spoiled beyond belief. Nothing however soothes them enough to not tear up every piece of furniture in the house. With a heavy heart, i will be taking them for the laser surgery. Certaintly this is a better life for them than facing the gas chamber.

  3. After trying multiple ways of trying to discourage scratching of unacceptable things (furniture, carpet, doors, etc.), SoftPaws, and other alternatives, i began to research laser declawing. i am happy to report that the procedure was a COMPLETE success on my strictly indoor cat (front paws only).

    He was only away from me for a single day/overnight stay and had little to no discomfort after the surgery. He will still paw at things like a stippled wall, his cat house, etc. but his personality was completely unchanged after the procedure.

    i HIGHLY recommend the 249 clinic in Houston. They provided the best possible care and service to my Mildmay. The prices are also incredibly reasonable!

  4. I have two cats and I had to get them both front declawed years ago. One I adopted at the pound and the other I rescued from a physically abusive owner that also neglected her basic needs like water and food. Neither one of my cats had any problems. They still do this day 6 years later jump off stuff and are playful. Their personalities did not change. As a renter most rental properties will not rent to a tenant unless the cat is declawed and spayed.

  5. Thank goodness, California passed a law that restricts local governments from deciding what should be allowed and they now leave it up to the professionals. Tennessee and Georgia have also enacted similar laws and hopefully this will protect the rights of many from the rants of few. 🙂

    …Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law legislation forbidding California municipalities from outlawing veterinary medical procedures considered legal by the state, effective Jan. 1, 2010.

    “S.B. 762 is not specific to veterinary medicine but protects all healing arts licensees engaging in acts or performing procedures that fall within their professionally recognized scope of practice. The California VMA supported the legislation to counter efforts to ban state-approved veterinary procedures at the local level.

    Two states enacted similar legislation earlier this year. Tennessee prohibits local governments from restricting the authorized practice of veterinary medicine, including the regulation of any act or procedure used within the practice of veterinary medicine. And in Georgia, local governments can’t adopt any regulation governing animal husbandry practices involved in the production of agriculture or farm products on private property.”

  6. Make whatever rationalizations and excuses you want. You are still mutilating and creating severe pain to a defenseless animal. I’s even worse if you are doing it because of your FURNITURE!!! You don’t deserve the love of a pet! However much you spoil them afterwards doesn’t make up for it. You should be ashamed!

  7. When I was a little girl my Grandmother had her cat declawed because of that she was able to bring her cat with her to many no pets allowed apartments. Many apartment owner’s will not allow you to have a cat because they are worried about damage to the apartment but will make an exception for a declawed cat. (I have personally seen 5 different apartment owners do this.) I know allot of people who get rid of their cats because they are forced to move (jobs, family ect.) these cats are usually older so are less likely to be adopted, they don’t know why they were abandoned nor will they know the reason behind there death.
    I know that if someone gave me the choice I would choose life over death but I suppose that is just the opinion of a few.

  9. Wow. Ok. I have three adult cats, and we just took a 14 year old cat in that had nowhere else to go (her owner died). So part of the deal was that we front-declaw out cats so they wouldn’t hurt the new cat. (New cat is only 5 pounds and smaller than all three of mine).

    Our cats are our children. My heart aches for them. The two we’ve raised from kittens have never been outside except in a carrier to the vet. They are happy, healthy cats.

    As a young person I didn’t care that my furniture was getting torn up. But when we bought a house, and the furniture got nicer, the damage of claws became serious. They have clawed into the walls of our doorways, damaged our basement stairwell wood, torn up every chair and table leg of our once beautifully finished and priceless furniture we inherited from grandparents. Any chair with exposed wood has been destroyed. Carpets are the least of my concerns… Not to mention our ‘problem child’ that doesn’t like anyone but us swings her claws at anyone that tentatively walks near her, including two small children that were not tormenting her. She just has an ‘attitude’ but won’t hide from strangers so I have to constantly play guard with her so that she doesn’t walk up and scratch people.

    We were getting frustrated, the sounds of clawing on furniture pulls us out of a dead sleep.

    Sure cats can be trained, but for two working ‘parents’ trying to train 3 cats to ‘not claw on things’ is a joke.

    We’ve lived with it for 6 years. enough is enough. If I didn’t love them, trust me, I would’ve gotten rid of them long ago. But I cannot. I adore them and they are our kids.

    So we spent on all we could for a state of the art facility to use laser surgery. I think the process of being taken out of their house and spending the night away from us has been the most traumatic part. All 3 came home in good condition, walking and jumping without problem RIGHT AWAY, only needing reassurance. Which we gave them a ton of.

    Our cat had a toothache last year. I can tell you 3 days of yowling, growling, and hissing let us know that she was in pain. She was in more pain from that than she is about declawing.

    I think everyone needs to calm down a little. I’ve never personally heard these ‘horror stories’ from anyone I’ve ever met. It’s only on these message boards which makes me think that there is a fanaticsm going on here.

    Someone said earlier, and I totally agree with, would you rather these cats roam wild in the streets, catching diseases and infections, fighting eachother, getting hit by cars, or going to shelters where you KNOW they will not be adopted????????

    SERIOUSLY! Our cats live better than probably 90% of the world! They are loved, pampered, given ample food, they are protected from dangers, they play, run, cuddle. I know my cats and I’d know if they were miserable. Nope. They are happy housecats. And they will have long healthy lives with two happy parents who won’t be constantly yelling at them for destroying our furniture or hurting our guests.

  10. Why are we even debating whether a procedure which removes essential parts of cats is more humane by lasering then off rather than cutting them off?
    Why are there people here trying to justify having this done to their cats when there is never any justification?
    How gullible one is giving a link to a clinic desperate to sell its laser surgery,believing what they show you.Do you honestly think those doctors declaw for the good of their patients?
    Have you not heard of the money they make by this abuse?
    Are 38 countries wrong?Are non declaw doctors wrong? Are millions of people worldwide who are filled with horror at the very thought of such abuse wrong?
    The few of you remaining who masquerade as cat lovers are the ones who are wrong.No TRUE cat lover would put a cat through needless pain,bewilderment and at risk of the countless problems caused by declawing.
    You pathetic few will never convince those who are campaigning to get this abuse stopped that declawing is acceptable,there are millions worldwide right now determined to get it made illegal and asap.
    Cats are born WITH claws as they NEED claws.
    Q.E.D

  12. You want some links to look at guys?
    For every link promoting declawing there are telling the truth about it.
    Don’t be fooled by those clinics promoting it,clients don’t see the pain and shock of the post operative cat.Laser is no kinder than any other method,it amputates the last toe joints through bone,tendons and ligaments,the thought of the smell of burning flesh might get through to you what happens.
    Let’s see now…here is a page written by a very eminent veterinarian

    http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=declawingandscienceasummaryofthefacts

    look and learn just what you did to your cats,those of you who had them declawed.
    Open your eyes to the truth.

  13. PS your cat does not have toes, he has only had part of them left since you paid to have him crippled as a kitten.
    Think if it was yourself,if you had no finger ends all your life since you were a baby because your mother didn’t want drawings on her wall…….
    SAME thing !!!!

  14. KITTYSMOM, you say your cat was declawed at a young age…..hang on…declawing is supposed to be a last resort for serious scratching behaviour. How could you send a baby to have his toe ends amputated instead of teaching him to use a scratching post, that is very bad ! Oh dear your vet went against the AVMA policies AND broke his oath to harm no animal too.What a shame you don’t have a decent vet rather than a money making one.
    9 years old, well he is very lucky to have had no problems …so far ….but you do know that almost all declawed cats develop painful arthritis in later life, you’d better keep a very close eye on your poor cat as cats hide their pain.
    Many are suffering in silence, are you sure yours isn’t ?????
    He pretends to claw the furniture, poor poor little soul, trying to do what cats need to do.
    Watch out he doesn’t harm his stumps by trying to follow his natural instincts,some declawed cats develop calluses,and in some the stump of bone eventually protrudes throgh the flesh.
    You see declawing causes lifelong problems and they can occur at any time.
    It’s people like you who make it imperative that this cruelty is BANNED and it will be VERY SOON !!!!!

  15. KATTLOVER,

    I get it that you think I am horrible, perhaps you should begin your own research with this website: http://www.valleyanimalhospital.com/laser_procedures.htm I suppose for every website you can produce against I can provide one for. But the deal is that a person who can provide a good home for a cat should. And I do advocate neuter and spay. I have done a whole colony of feral cats on my own dime…so please give it a rest. My cats have NOT had any adverse reactions to their declaw. They are HAPPY and HEALTHY cats! Do you really think it is better to kill cats than have a declaw. I do not know about the statistics for declawed cats having more problems finding homes, but I do know all cats are having problems getting homes in today’s world. To say a person is not a not lover because they have their cats declawed is beyond ridiculous. You want to preach to someone, try the folks who abandon their cats or drop them off in the country assuming the cats can take care of themselves. This seems a worthy cause to me!

  16. As the owner of a 9 year old half Persian half Siamese male who was declawed at a young age I would like to weigh in here. He has never had a problem as far as I can tell. He stretches, he goes out and climbs up on the rail around my deck to sun, he catches little lizards and chases bugs and butterflies, he pretends claws my furniture, we have never had any litter box issues. He is a very happy well adjusted cat. Very affectionate and loving. Very playful. He often gets a little too playful and I have to watch those back claws when we are playing. Those are the claws they use for defending themselves.

    I have seen catch and kill birds and try to bring them in my house. He has caught and killed field mice. He climbs on things with no difficulty.

    I really think you people are over dramatizing this entire subject. It should be left up to the individual.

    Give your cat love and a good home. That is the important thing. If you want to declaw it be sure you use a reputable vet. Never leave kitty outside unsupervised and never let him wander off, but that is true of a cat with claws also. Even a cat with claws can be ran over by a car, attacked by a large dog etc. Use common sense and both you and your cat will have many happy loving years together.

    You heretics on here just stop trying to put guilt trips on people that just want to give a cat a good home and will leave them in shelters or as strays thanks to your ugly, nasty remarks. Shame on all of you saying they are better off that way. And you call yourselves Humane? My cat has toes he just doesn’t have claws on the ends of them. He not only walks fine he runs, jumps and climbs. And he can tear you up in a heart beat. Sic em kitty!

  18. REDTLT and anyone else who thinks ten painful amputations and a life of disablement are a fair price to pay for having a home,you are SO WRONG.
    Anyone who will only give a home to an adapted cat is NOT a fit person to have a cat in their care.
    Laser declawing or any other method of declawing is cruel,painful and uneccessary and that is why it is banned in 38 countries as animal abuse and very soon to be banned in the USA too.It will be interesting to see then how many real cat lovers live there,the ones who know cats claws are essential to their health,who don’t take the easy selfish way out by paying a corrupt vet to cripple their cat.Thankfully those who think disabling cats is fine will no longer have cats in their care.Roll on that day !
    Cats are born with claws because they need claws, it’s as simple as that.
    It’s disgusting that anyone can get a tiny kitten declawed rather than buy him a scratching post.Ruining cats lives that way is not acceptable !
    Look at the Shelters with abandoned declawed cats, the ones who survive that is, as most are killed on admission to kill shelters or caged for life in no kill shelters, because they are unadoptable due to problems from the amputation of their toe ends.Yes the very people who have this done to them don’t want them around any more,they are called ‘bad cats’ and dumped.
    Do some research before trying to justify such a cruel operation !
    Yes turn your attention to encouraging the neutering of all cats, instead of encouraging the disabling of them.
    Vet tech

  19. REDTLT, it isn’t a life with no claws, it’s a life with no toe ends, no means of exercising the muscles in paws, legs, chest and back, an altered way of walking because the toe ends are gone, phantom pain in the missing digits, real rheumatic pain in the joints, fear and aggression, abuse by children and dogs, danger if they escape their indoor incarceration, rejection if they avoid raking litter and choose a softer toilet area due to sore paws, ulceration of the pads, calloused pads, claw regrowth when an incompetant vet fails to remove enough bone and claw cells regenerate. Charring of the surrounding area during lasering can become infected leading to loss of paw or limb.
    You think a cat would choose any of these things? Why should he? Declawing is ignorant, unnatural, selfish and peculiar mainly to North America. You should be using your energy to campaign to get more cats neutered (or fixed as you say)so there aren’t as many in shelters rather than condoning a disgusting procedure like this.
    But you’ll see soon enough, declawing WILL be banned and then you’ll all have to decide if you really wanted cats or if you really wanted breathing soft toys with all sharp bits removed.

  20. Petra,
    It is sooooo good to know there are people out there like you who keep cats from otherwise good homes. Kudos to you…where I live 60% of cats brought in to shelters are put to sleep. Now to my mind THAT is unacceptable. Call me crazy if you like, but I think a good home regardless of declawing (especially done by laser)is the best idea rather than the alternative! So keep up the good work, I am sure there are thousands of cats that would choose to have a life with no claws than no life at all. And no kill shelters are few and far between. They are even having a hard time finding homes for their cats. So again, I applaud you…good work!

  21. To Kay. Good I’m glad you were turned down, a home that would declaw a cat is not and never could be wonderful. Full marks to whoever refused you, they certainly know their onions. Crippling cats to make them acceptable is hardly loving is it?

  22. i want to say,i feel if a cat has a wonderful home to live in then they can be lasered declawed.i was turned down for a cat because i was asked if i had a cat that tore my house up would i consider declawing and i said yes,so they turned me down what a waste my cats live better then most people?but yes i love my house.so leave the people alone if they declaw there cats.at least they have a home

  23. I did lots of research and feel that the laser procedure is right for us. Our cat is loved, but we also have a young child that we don’t want to be scratched from our kitty. there will always be debates over this topic but I respect those who do not opt to declaw and think they should respect those of us who chose this route after having done the research and bring our pet to a respectable vet.

  24. Petra, if you are going to make comments concerning other comments perhaps you should read them a little more carefully. First I have never adopted a cat from someone who has a contract, because I have never broken a contract in my life. As for dignity, are you kidding me?! My cats are smart enough to walk on leashes and really enjoy them. As for the strollers again I say what is your problem, my cats are safe…they are indoor only cats and will have a LONG and healthy life. If laws are ever passed to prevent declawing I will abide by them. I do not think that will happen any time soon. They have not passed any laws that prevent people from docking and clipping dogs ears and tails so please give it a rest. It seems strange to me that people who are against declawing are the people who stoop to name calling and outright defaming folks who are adopting and caring for cats who could have been killed outright from overpopulation. I do not believe that I can change any ones mind about declawing and I know no one can change my mind, so I will not argue with anyone over this. I just wanted to make my opinion known. Debates are meant to create an atmosphere where both sides of a subject can be posted and discussed not a forum for a personal attack on any individual that happens to disagree with one side or the other.

  25. So REDTLT you think you’re a “good cat mom” despite repeatedly subjecting cats to amputation from the last knuckle of each toe and you think you know more than the people who prohibit declawing and demand a signature on a contract before allowing you to adopt a cat, a contract that you are apparently willing to break as all of your “babies” are rendered disabled by declawing. In fact your whole attitude sickens me and I feel very sorry for the cats in your power. Not only are they surgically mutilated, they are subject to leashes and to the stupid stroller which must be the greatest indignity ever inflicted on a free spirit such as a cat. Just because you are too pigheaded to heed the statistics that prove declawing is cruel and inhumane that doesn’t mean that they are incorrect. I’m just waiting for the day when you will be stopped by legislation from the cruelty you have inflicted on cats for years by declawing, and rest assured that day is coming when America and Canada will catch up with the rest of the civilized world and adopt humane welfare laws for animals.

  26. I have often had this conversation with folks so here it goes again. I am one of the horrid people who declaw their cats. I have been doing this for 20 years and yes that means I also had them declawed before laser surgery was available. NONE of my babies ever showed any signs of any problems so I do NOT think much of some of the statistics quoted here. I have been owned by 12 cats over the years and have never had a problem. I now have the laser surgery done and this is even better. I have been called names and some people will not allow me to adopt an animal unless I sign a contract stating I won’t have them declawed. This is amazing to me in this day and age when so many animals are killed daily because of population problems…I take my cats everywhere with me in my RV and they walk on leashes and have their own stroller for times when there are too many people around for their comfort on a leash. I think of myself as a good cat mom. I take care of feral cats, trap, fix and release…feed and water them. So what gives anyone the right to judge me as unfit when I declaw. My cats are HAPPY and HEALTHY! So give me a break!!! Do you persecute those who remove puppies tails and cut their ears. How about surgery to fix them…no, well leave loving cat parents alone!

  27. I found this site when searching on reasons to why someone should or should not declaw their cat. I see the side of anti-declawers quite well. There is usually no benefit for the cat, there are alternatives, it is a painful process since the digit of the cat’s paw is removed and sometimes there is a change in the cat’s behavior. However, I do think emotions sometimes get in the way of logic making arguments flawed leading to generalized statements. I also think people need to find better sources than websites (those with no or just one journal or article cited) to support their opinions. Now, I’m not completely for declawing but I’m not completely against it either. I think if all resources are exhausted or if it’s the choice between having the cat euthanized and having the cat have a home then yes, get it declawed.
    Don’t you think that if there was a ban put in place to make it illegal to declaw cats, that the rates of cat abandonment and euthanasia would rise since the last resort to keeping a cat is now taken away?

  28. I currently work for a vet and have for the last 5 years. There are certain pet related practices I completely disagree with and would never work for a vet that performs them, but this is NOT one of them. We ONLY perform laser declawing because we agree any other way is inhuman. I have helped with and taken care of hundreds of laser declawed cats in the last 5 years and have yet to see one with any complications or behavior changes after. They do receive a post op pain injection that lasts for 24 hours and stay for 2 days for medical observation. I recently made the decision to have one of my own cats declawed. I rescued him from being euthanized and he Is a wonderful addition to our family. I would have NEVER had one of my cats declawed if I had ever seen anything bad! If you had a bad experience it’s probably because of having the wrong person do the precedure than the precedure itself. I do believe this is a personal choice each pet owner has the right to make. Neither discision is a bad one.

  29. So, Big A if you have 10 cats and one poor thing has been disabled by declawing that is a 10% likelihood of a cat’s paws being ruined by some incompetent pimp who declaws for profit. Sickening! As sickening as the fact that you sit back and take it, as though the root cause of your cat’s paw problem isn’t YOU who paid an ignorant butcher to mutilate your cat. I would love to say I hope you come back as a cat and share the same fate but I love cats too much to wish that on one, even if it is you in your next life!

  30. I have ten cats that have all been declawed and as a matter of fact only one showes any change and that is because the person who did the job did not know what they were doing and they messed up . So I say if you have a good surgen that is one with a recored of doing the procedure then use then because it they dont know what they are doing then it is likely to turn out bad. So just look for a profesional that is all there is to it.

  31. 4Greatergood, the way you talk is not helpful to your side of the debate. You don’t want to see the other side – you treat the other side like people who don’t care about their cats (we do care about them very much, or we wouldn’t have bothered to look up information on this subject).

    If you want to make a case for why cats should not be declawed, just state your facts and give sources. Don’t talk down to those who don’t agree with you – they stop listening very quickly and label you a “nut”.

    There has been a lot of good talk on both sides of the argument here, but I have to agree lately there’s very little that is constructive. I think this site used to be moderated, but I don’t think it is anymore.

  32. What I don’t understand here is the vehemence with which those in favor of the amputation defend their decision. You seem to dig in your heels and refuse to realize there is another side to this. There are not a bunch of nuts out there contracticting you because it is fun. Did it ever occur to you that those who oppose declawing have personal experiences that made them realize just how horrible it is? Why can’t you simply open your mind. While it is true that some people experience no complications, they are not in a majority. I have seen and worked with far too many declawed cats obviously suffering, including one of my own. For any feline to show pain, it must be excruciating – cats are notorious for hiding pain by instinct because it makes them vulnerable to show weakness. My husband has MS and is on immunosupressant drugs. We live with four cats with claws. His doctors are not concerned with the claws because the adverse behaviors like biting and defecating inappropriately could cause more serious infections than a cat scratch would. Quit hurling insults. If you feel you are doing the right thing by, yes, “mutilating” your animal so you won’t be inconvenienced, then lucky for you for being among the minority who have not seen the devastating effects. I still feel sorry for your cat.

    And as for the rest of you relying on the information here to weigh the decision to declaw, why CHOOSE to declaw with there is about a 70% chance that you will be doing much more harm than whatever good could possibly come from doing it?

  33. Babz…puhlease! you and your self-righteous attitude needs to go preach somewhere else. I have a cat who has been declawed and he does not act as if he lives with a disability at all. He is a very happy cat and still lives as though he did before I “mutilated” his knuckles, as you so elloquently put it. You can use all the scary terminology you want to, but you are only doing so to try and argue your point and get people to change their minds and agree with you. However, it doesn’t happen that way. And I doubt a cat would rather be homeless than declawed and spoiled while living in a home where they are loved endlessly. If you need proof, just ask any human being with an amputation if they would choose homelessness over losing a limb. You are ridiculous. Anyone who can care for a cat financially and can provide a safe and loving environment does have an automatic right to own one if they so wish, it is not illegal, therefore it is their right, and if they can afford the surgery and they own the cat, again, it is their automatic right to have it done. If you don’t like it, well too bad, you aren’t the owner of that cat, now are u?

  34. I have no need to defend myself against the attacks of bullies who have taken up a cause they believe this strongly in. If they would rather see a stray cat starve to death and be left out in the cold to die of flea and tick infestation than to be taken into a loving home and endure a couple of days of discomfort at the vets office while being cared for and kept sedated, then they are too irrational to even have a conversation with. I came here for information not to be judged, I already made my decision. I love my cats and they are well cared for in a safe and caring home, they were both orphans, a plight I could relate to, and I believe the cats live in the moment and forget the pain and move on within a few days. Unlike people, they live in the present, not in the past. I guess if some folks had their way cats would rule the universe. I love my cats, but they live in MY home I do not live in theirs. They are pets. Try to keep that in mind. Cows are not fond of being branded. Male dogs and cats are not wild about being neutered. Domestic birds would rather not have their wings clipped. We do all these things for OUR convenience in living with our pets. If these animals were in the wild they would not be forced to endure any of these things.
    My male cat has been outside many times and he has never chose to run away from home despite the fact he came to me neutered and declawed and that was many years before they offered the new laser treatment. He likes to lay on the porch in the sunshine and climb up on the railing, sometimes he catches a bird or a rabbit and tries to bring it inside the house as a gift for me. A cat will often slap a dog on the nose or grab something with those front claws but as a rule they do most of their fighting with their hind claws or their teeth and as far as defending themselves if a large dog attacks them there is very little they can do to defend themselves anyway. If a rottie or a Shepard attacks them they are pretty much goners with or without their claws. The dog may get a few wounds if they have their claws but they are going to win in the end. My cat stretches all the time without his claws. I am sorry but this irrational attack on me for declawing my cat is not flying with me. My big fat healthy male cat climbs, goes outside, kills things, and acts as if he doesn’t have a clue he has no front claws. Stop over reacting. I too was afraid to let my cat outside at first but he would sit in the window and beg to go out constantly. One day he managed to escape and refused to come back in for several hours. I was frantic. All he wanted to do was walk around and look at things. He finally came back to the door and wanted in. I started relaxing a bit and letting him out. He never goes far he just likes to go out and play for a couple of hours and then right back inside. I came to realize that every living thing needs sunshine and fresh air in order to grow and be healthy. Even a declawed cat. They are not helpless. They have teeth and back claws. Declawing a cat is not rendering them useless! Geeze!

  35. Well Linda the reason they keep cats in 4 days is to ensure there is no uncontrollable post op bleeding or life threatening haemorrhaging and so that you the owner who has paid for the cat to be mutilated are protected from seeing the pain and torment your cat is in for the first few days after de-knuckling. That is what you are paying the pimp/vet for. This is what vets rely on, if people really knew what cats suffered post op declawing would die out overnight!!
    I kind of think that the cat would have been better off left to live outside as she was, if given the choice I think she’d choose her toes over disability in your home.
    As for the nastiness you mention, yes there is nastiness and it is in the minds and attitudes of those who assume the right to have perfectly healthy parts of cats amputated to suit their lifestyles.
    MS is no excuse, there are people with MS here in England who own cats and who take sensible precautions not to get scratched, if they aren’t prepared to do so they do not have a cat! You do not have an automatic right to own a cat or an automatic right to mutilate one to protect yourself.

  36. Hi Linda, yeah it does get ugly here, but don’t let it bother you. I’m not sure why the vet wants to keep your cat for 4 days, but I would ask. I’m pretty sure I got my back the next day. They did have to wear the collars (and maybe bandages on their paws) to keep them from biting their paws, and one of the collars was too short so he managed to get to his paw and cause a little bleeding. I think more stressful for me than him. The other unpleasant part was having to use appropriate litter, it took a few tries to find one the cats would used, but we did until they could go back to their normal brand. Again, I would talk over your concerns and questions with your vet. They should have answers.

  37. Wow I just came here to get some information on laser removal. I have a 7 year old cat that I adopted 5 years ago, who was already declawed. He is half persian half siamese and weighs 20 pds and claws everything in my house including me and I am so glad he has no claws! I just had a stray move in under my house, so I cleaned her up, got her spayed, and now she is clawing me and the furniture and since I have M.S. and can’t take the chance of an infection as I don’t recover like other people do I have an appt on Thurs to have her claws done by laser. I just wanted some information on the procedure and what I should expect and why they are keeping her 4 days. This website was certainly more than I bargained for. What a bunch of ugliness here. I see a whole lot of people that just like me love their cats but instead of sharing that love and enthusiasm some of you have chosen to just attack each other over the way you have chosen to raise your cats. Hey as long as you love your cat and care for you cat and give it a home rather than let it live under my house half starved and full of fleas I say “bravo for you!”

  38. I have a 3 year old male tabby cat who weighs in around 18lbs. Needless to say he’s a big boy. When I adopted him I was warned that his father was quite aggressive. I had previously volunteered at a few organizations for animal care and welfare and had heard all of the horror stories regarding declawing and had decided against it for myself. Two years later it was becoming quite apparent that Jack was very much like his father, spontaneously aggressive (to the point of drawing blood on a daily basis). It was nearly impossible to have him around friends or family as he would often attack them too. I tried everything, from soft paws (which could only be applied when he was heavily sedated at the vets) to ‘calming sprays’ and he had every toy known to man, but he is the way he is. After a lot of thought I started doing research into declawing. As a physician I found the information on the classical surgical declaw to be quite disturbing and knew there was no way I could put my little guy through that. I stumbled on to some information about the laser declaw and eventually found a place nearby that did it. It was expensive, but ultimately well worth it. Instead of the tissue being crushed and torn as it can be in standard surgeries it is cauterized and cut cleanly, leaving no open nerve endings as a source of pain, it is also very precise and causes minimal blood loss.
    Jack had the procedure on a Friday. He was a little dopey that afternoon from the analgesic and anaesthetic medications he had been given but was up and about, eating well and all the next day. I took him home on post-op day 2, for my purposes rather than his (I was moving at the same time). He was walking and playing much the same as he did before. He was only taking an anti-inflammatory medication (similar to advil) for pain control and only occasionally would shake one paw or the other for the first day or two. We’re about one year out at this stage and he is happy as a clam. He still claws furniture and occasionally stalks me around the house and bites, but he has calmed down quite a bit. He still toilets appropriately and has none of the horrific misbehaviors reported for cats following a declaw.
    I don’t write this as encouragement for others to declaw their cats. My purpose for writing this is to shine a little light on a viable alternative to the traditional declaw procedure if you have NO OTHER OPTION for your feline friend.
    Jack was 3 when he had the procedure, which was enough time for me to know him and his behaviors and give good trials of all the less invasive alternatives. Only after failing all of them and realizing that his aggression was just his nature and concluding that if I didn’t do something I might have to give him up, did I even consider the declaw. I would strongly urge others to go the same route. Try everything else first. If that fails and you feel declawing is your only option laser should be the only way you go.
    Thanks!

  39. It’s great to see a forum where everyone’s strong opinions are out there – it is helpful to weigh-in on both sides of the argument. I have a story to share:

    I have never been without cats. I love them, the way they look, play, purr, etc. 20 years ago, I adopted a gorgeous male persian cat. He was a human trapped in a cat’s body, and was the most amazing, playful companion. I was single and traveled a lot – with my cat. When my cat was 4 years old, I met a man and fell in love. When we decided to move in together, he said he wouldn’t live with a cat with claws – Reason: he had a house full of leather furniture, and didn’t want it destroyed. I had never thought about it. I asked my vet, and she told me as long as my cat remained indoors, there was nothing wrong with getting him declawed. Four days and $500 later, I brought my cat to its new home. I’ll never forget the expression – I’m not crazy, I could see it. He was in pain. After the bandages came off, he groomed and groomed his paws, and he’d stop to look at them, then groom some more.

    From that day forward, he never used the litter box except to pee (thank goodness he could still use it for that). He peed with his hind legs in the box, and his front paws out of the box. To do his real (#2) business, he couldn’t stand to dig to cover it up. I trained him to use the bath tub (which he did for 15 additional years of his life). This was completely unacceptable to the man in my life, and he ultimately said, it’s me or the cat. I chose my cat and dumped the man.

    He tried to use his scratching post and while he could get a brief grip with his paw pads, he couldn’t do his long stretch as usual. He didn’t play with his dangling toys the same way either. I’d hold it over him, and he’d roll over and try to catch it with his back paws. Wierd! I later adopted a kitten, who became the constant companion of my declawed cat. When they would play/fight, she would use her front claws, and my declawed cat used his hind claws and learned to win because he would bite her. In a way he had the advantage because he was bigger (by 10 pounds), however if he encountered a larger male cat, he would have lost the fight.

    I later met and married another man who made the same ultimatum when he was put on immune suppressant drugs due to a health issue. I decided to research declawing, and found that there are doctors that recommend against declawing because of the risks associated with cat bites and exposure to uncovered feces. We discussed this and spoke with his doctor, who did his own research. After researching it further, his doctor agreed, and we decided not to have our little girl declawed. We never encountered any health issues, and I kept a spray bottle of clorox in the bath tub to clean up after our declawed guy. He eventually got such severe arthritis in his shoulders, he couldn’t jump into the tub, so I bought him a very low rubbermaid container, which he used for the rest of his life.

    I now have four cats and all of them have their claws. My Husband and I are still happily married, still have health issues, a house full of leather furniture and a toddler that teases the cats. While my son has been scratched occasionally, that has never cause a problem, and it has taught him not to torment the animals. He now plays “nicely” with the cats without incident. We are all living happily ever after.

    The end.

  40. Education:
    What does a cat use it’s claws for?

    1)A cat’s claws are used for balance, for exercising, and for stretching the muscles in their legs, back, shoulders, and paws. They stretch these muscles by digging their claws into a surface and pulling back against their own clawhold – similar to isometric exercising for humans. This is the only way a cat can exercise, stretch and tone the muscles of its back and shoulders. This bit of info was taken from the helpful link I’ve added twice but no one seems to want to check out. Here it is again:
    http://www.declawing.com/
    2)defense
    3)catching themselves should they miscalculate their jumping aim
    4)hunting
    5)removing the dead nail husks

    So now you know why a cat has claws.
    Now for a fact:
    Cats are the ONLY animals to have 10 small necessary body parts removed for the CONVENIENCE of HUMANS.

    Now we get the argument that “isn’t it better to declaw than to have to surrender your cat?”. First, why would you have to surrender your cat?
    1)renting, landlord says cats must be declawed. Here’s where the education comes in. Educate landlord. Explain alternatives. If nothing works, as a last resort, declaw. Make sure the vet does not cut the pads! See above link.
    2)cat scratch fever. Well, unless you have an immunodeficiency problem, as long as you wash the scratch with soap and hot water, your chances of getting it are slim. I have had cats for 25 years, and currently have 12 cats. I frequently get scratched(most due to missed jumps and catching themselves on me). I wash and apply aloe. NEVER had a problem. If you have an immunodeficiency problem, look for a cat that is already declawed.
    3)don’t want furniture destroyed-get a declawed cat or don’t get a cat. You find clawing an unacceptable behavior. Since this is a normal cat behavior then I’d recommend not getting a cat. It means you value your furniture over the life of the cat. This is also the main reason cats are declawed and is not an acceptable reason to declaw. If you did honest research on declawing and cat behavior and you still choose the furniture over the cat, don’t get a cat. If material things are more valuable to you than a life is, I’m sorry for you.

    Behavior issues.
    I have a declawed cat. He’s a rescue. And if any cat should have a problem being declawed it’s him. He’s part bobcat. He uses the litter box, doesn’t bite. From looking at how he behaves, one would assume he has no issues. However, as has been pointed out here before, cats are masters at hiding things. Now, when I first got Frisky, he weighed close to 30 pounds and was not overweight! In the first three weeks I had him, I never saw him. He hid. I expected this. He also lost almost 10 pounds. He has never gained any of that weight back in the two and half years I’ve had him. He is slightly under weight now. Why? Vet says stress. While it doesn’t show, he is under more stress than my other cats because he KNOWS he can’t defend himself.
    Note here, my vet DOES NOT DECLAW!
    Just because there have been “studies” that say “there are no behavior issues”, just remember, behavior issues won’t be so easily seen.
    So, you declawed your cat and you say your cat is acting normal and is happy.
    Based on Frisky, I’d say every declawed cat will always be under more stress than non declawed cat simply because they are aware that they can longer defend themselves.
    Last bit of info, cats normally strike out first their front claws. They can bite, but the paw is the first reaction. They can rabbit kick with hind claws, only because they hold onto whatever it is with their what? Yup! Front claws.
    So in closing, I hope this has been educational. For me, the issue is what is more important to you? An inanimate object or a life?
    For those of you who adopted a declawed cat, great! I’m sure your cat will be as happy as it can be.

  41. Wow – all I can say is that there are definitely strong opinions on this subject. I did not come here to be told that I should or should not declaw, that decision has already been made. I came here to find out from other owners that have already declawed, using a laser, what their experiences were.

    I would say to the anti-declaw people, that you catch more bees with honey than vinegar. Maybe if you try to educate instead of preaching, you will sway more people to your side. It does seem like there are an awful lot of mean comments where people are being told they are bad owners, monsters and should never ever own a pet.

    I would also say that every state in the US already has animal cruelty laws. If you believe that delawing is cruel, why not try to enforce the laws that are already there?

    Thanks to those people who actually shared their experiences, good and bad. That’s what I was looking for.

  42. Tina said my analogy was flawed. It was not. She missed the point. No one can say with any certainty that their cat, or any other pet is happy. They can only say it based on their pets’ behavior, “My cat seems happy.”
    Or unhappy, if that is your choice.
    “As far as I can tell, all my cats are happy.”
    Argue all you want. But the fact is, cats are the only animal that has 10 small body parts removed for the convenience of humans. It doesn’t matter to the human if those body parts are needed by the cat or not.

  43. It is unfortunate that those espousing the virtues of declawing take it upon themselves to vilify those of us that don’t share their point of view. I do believe that some folks sought this forum to find support from others that share their belief that there is nothing wrong with declawing because they really do want to do what is best. I feel for them, especially for those who have already had their cats declawed. It is difficult to learn that what we have believed to be true is indeed false. It takes courage to shift the paradigm and acknowledge that our thinking is flawed. Ego is a powerful force that is resistant to change.

    Throughout history, people have resisted changing their beliefs, especially when it means they must acknowledge that their actions caused harm. It was once considered common practice to lobotomize people with mental disorders, hang and burn intuitive women believed to be witches, and deny rights of individuals because of the color of their skin. While these practices seem abhorrent now, their proponents argued that they were good for society. These beliefs were deeply ingrained, and people resisted changing their minds for decades.

    Changing the mindset about the practice of declawing is conjuring the same resistance. Declawing has been so routinely practiced in the United States for such a long time that people are resisting the notion that it is inhumane. It is only recently that research has proven that the procedure causes long-term pain and suffering, even when it is not obvious (remember, cats instinctively hide pain to make themselves less vulnerable). It is time we as a society acknowledge this, and change our point of view.

    Before laws protecting human rights were ever enacted, it took years of educating the public. The same is true of laws that are being passed to protect the rights of animals. These animals have no voice, so it is up to us to speak for them. They rely on us as their guardians to protect them, and for the joy they give to us, we owe them that much.

  44. I’m with you, Anonymous, I’m out of here. When there are people who will be out and out hateful and rude if someone has a view that is not the same as their own, it’s pointless to have a conversation or debate.

    There are many reasons that declawing should be illegal and there are many reasons that it should not be illegal. My personal belief is that we should not make criminals out of people who have a qualified vet perform the procedure, using sterilized equipment and pain management. That is not cruel. Being cruel would be to have someone do this or other procedures in back alley conditions.

    Having seen an aunt struggle for survival from Cat Scratch Fever, she nearly lost her entire left arm from the shoulder down, having seen the bond that elderly people have with their cats (its many times the only company they have) and their living situation does not allow cats unless they are declawed, and having seen people with diseases such as cancer, AIDS and diabetes that might have to choose between their live or declawing their beloved pet, I cannot condemn the practice.

  45. http://www.petdr.com/declawdesc.htm

    So many cats, including ours, ARE declawed-Safely.

    I’ve seen ALL Declawed cats run, jump, play and behave as though they still had CLAWS. I just wish all of you nah-sayers would get off of your high horses of a band-stand and believe that owners who love their cats have them declawed for many reasons and safely. This is ONE subject that will NEVER be resolved. I remember being in the cat news groups many years ago, when this same discussion ensued. It came out with the same results: People dissing one another, insulting, and NOT understanding. How sad indeed. We – LOVE our Happy Cats and they ARE Happy and I don’t have to ASK them . They play and jump and do all of the things that a clawed cat would do. They’re loved, protected and Declawed. If I had it to do over again, I would with the same results.

    I’m done and finished posting here. It’s a no-win, lose situation. People just won’t open their minds and be objective. They only call you Mean, Cruel for declawing your cat!

    That’s it for me. Take care.

    Anonymous (Thank Heavens!)

  46. “only acceptable where, in the opinion of the veterinary surgeon, injury to the animal is likely to occur during normal activity. It is not acceptable if carried out for the convenience of the owner … the removal of claws, particularly those which are weight bearing, to preclude damage to furnishings is not acceptable.”

    If in its normal activity, it scratches elder people or children or is destructive to the point that the owner is likely to beat or abuse the cat, due to the fact that they just can’t take it anymore an acceptable reason? You own laws leave room for interpretation. Let’s all just nic-pic them apart to make them fit what we want them to fit.

    I still say that as an American, I should have the freedom to choose what I feel is best for my home, my life and my family (including my pets). This country is based on personal freedoms. Many complain that the government interferes too much as it is. Why make one more law that would have so many loop holes that it is ineffective and difficult to enforce in the first place?

  47. ” In Fact, there are no such bans in ANY of these countries! ” Oh yes there is, here’s just one example.

    United Kingdom
    In the United Kingdom, declawing was outlawed by the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which explicitly prohibited “interference with the sensitive tissues or bone structure of the animal, otherwise than for the purposes of its medical treatment”.”
    Even before the 2006 Act, however, declawing was extremely uncommon, to the extent that most people had never seen a declawed cat. The procedure was considered cruel by almost all British vets, who refused to perform it except on medical grounds. The Guide to Professional Conduct of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons stated that declawing was “only acceptable where, in the opinion of the veterinary surgeon, injury to the animal is likely to occur during normal activity. It is not acceptable if carried out for the convenience of the owner … the removal of claws, particularly those which are weight bearing, to preclude damage to furnishings is not acceptable.”.”

    (Weight bearing: In orthopedics, weight bearing is the amount of weight a patient puts on the leg on which surgery has been performed. It is generally described as a percentage of the body weight, because each leg of a healthy person carries the full body weight when walking, in an alternating fashion.
    After surgery of the hip, or of the bones of the leg, ankle or foot, it is of the utmost importance for recovery to get the right amount of weight bearing when moving around with crutches or frames.
    The grades of weight bearing for each phase of recovery will be determined by the surgeon.)

  48. Of course, maybe some of us Americans don’t want your beliefs forced on us. We choose to live with the freedom of choice. Isn’t that the reason that we left England all those years ago.

  49. Here we are again with a lot of misconceptions. The fact is:

    “Declaw Ban Proponents have testified that “The painful procedure of cat declawing is regarded as so inhumane that it is illegal in many countries around the world, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom.”

    In Fact, there are no such bans in ANY of these countries! Following is a world-wide, country-by-country review of Animal Welfare Laws detailing the country, the web-link to the actual law, and the actual statutes: FEDERATION OF VETERINARIANS OF EUROPE http://www.fve.org The Federation of Veterinarians of Europe (FVE) has no policy statement on declawing of cats, and FVE spokesperson, Ulrike Tewes says “There is no legal ban in any European country prohibiting declawing.”

    advocatesforfacts.org

    It may not be done due to peer pressure, but it is not illegal. Keep spouting the BS and no one believes anything else you have to say – kind of like the kid who cried Wolf!

  50. Do you think people who care about animal rights and welfare can only deal with one aspect of cruelty at a time? My colleagues and I campaign against those things you mention, and I’ve done plenty of feral catching, neutering and releasing in my time too. This doesn’t mean I don’t make time for, and care deeply about, the plight of declawed cats. Those 25-30% of americans who declaw their cats are going to have to think again very soon when declawing is banned in the US aren’t they? Like those of us in the 38 countries where it is considered abuse you lot will have to live with the claws or not get the cats.

  51. My kittens were declawed by laser about a week ago. They have been fantastic since the time they returned home – no bleeding, no limping – running around like little speed demons. They were even climbing their 5 foot plus tower the next day. They have done “ok” with the newspaper pellet litter, but I think we will all be glad when they can go back to their normal litter.

    As to the comments about us humans having it done. My father had all his toenails removed and my brother had all his joints in his toes removed due to RA. Both of them were sore, but the pain was controlled with medicine. After they were healed, they both walked fine and said that they would do it again.

    None of us can actually know what a cat does or does not feel, we can only assume based on human emotions. Given that, I would make the assumption that if my cat had the choice between living in my home declawed or going back to a shelter (perhaps even being put down), I’m sure they would choose to live with me.

    This morning, as many mornings, I was awakened by my cat “kissing” me. He slams his nose into my cheek and rubs it all the way to my mouth – does this sound like an unhappy cat?

  53. For every botched declaw there are hundreds if not thousands of non-botched declaws. You have to consider that 25-30% of Americans declaw their cats. And yet, you only hear about it when something goes wrong. Whenever someone tries to tell of a non-botched declaw, the anti-declaw people slam them down, or rude and just don’t want to listen. I guess it takes all kinds of people. I would think that the activists time would be better spent on controlling the feral population and/or making it illegal to eat cats and dogs in other parts of the world. Which is worst, having someone declaw fluffy or having them boil her alive and then eat her? Just do a google search on Countries that eat cats and you will be shocked!

  55. As for all the other countries that “supposedly” have a ban, check out http://advocatesforfacts.org. Anyone can say anything they want on the internet, but that does not mean it’s true. Please do not quote misinformation and pass it on like it is factual information.

    What I would like to know is if any new studies have been done regarding laser declawing. Since a laser cuts a 1mm path, this is very exciting for all types of surgeries not only declawing.

    As far as California goes, it is now past the Jan. 1st date for the new state law to go into effect that stops local communities from creating ordinances that affect medical and/or vet treatments. So sad for the activists – they now have to take on the entire state instead of just guilting the local governments into passing unnecessary and potentially harmful laws.
    How about all you UK people – do you enjoy ferret ownership, too. In California, ferrets are illegal. How would you like your government to come in and take your fuzzy friends (ferrets/polecats) away from you because some other activist decided that ferrets should be wild animals and they might become feral and damage their crops…?

  56. Tami says, “Please ask your kitty if she is happy then post it. You cannot be 100% sure your kitty is happy. You have removed her main defenses. Not one person can actually say “oh, my cat is happy”. You can only say, “My cat seems happy.” That goes for any cat, declawed or not. Unless you can read their thoughts and sense their emotions, please don’t say they are happy.”

    Can you ask a declawed cat if it is unhappy? Your analogy is flawed here.

  57. Dear Babs, Please ask your kitty if she is happy then post it. You cannot be 100% sure your kitty is happy. You have removed her main defenses. Not one person can actually say “oh, my cat is happy”. You can only say, “My cat seems happy.” That goes for any cat, declawed or not. Unless you can read their thoughts and sense their emotions, please don’t say they are happy.

    http://www.declawing.com/htmls/declawing.htm
    Declawers, please check out the anatomy of declawing with this site.

  58. We had our most recent kitten “Laser Declawed.” She, as the other 2 we have, exhibited NO adverse effects.

    As a matter of FACT, she was bouncing around, clawing at the furniture, etc.

    I have NO problems with having our cats declawed.
    There’s NO difference in/with their behavior.

    They’re inside only, and all have been and are very happy, loved and content.

    Hugs To All,
    Babs

  59. Amazing ho9w fanatists of an outdated practice that just about the entire world condemns, still finds claw management to be one too much, and far too difficult. Saying it keeps cats in homes is erroneous, as just about all shelters know, and the proof shows that those caring owners are at the shelters faster than your head can spin when kitty becomes a house soiler or biter. I love how they single out individual cases, when the proof to the contrary is built on hundreds of thousands of cases.
    Obviously not everyone can be a good cat owner, as is evident on here, some will need more laws to force them into being a responsible owner since they cannot see how to do that now, when over a billion people already do it with ease without thinking they need to change how a cat was made, or thinking they do not need what they were born with. NOT HAVING A CONCEPT OF HOW CATS HANDLE PAIN IS, OF COURSE ALWAYS HANDY THERE. [EMPHASIS].
    There is a vast amount of proof, and studies done, for those seeking the truth. For those who actually care.
    In the last 40 years we’ve learnt about not having to beat the daylights out of our kids for them to listen to us – so why back this practice? Outdated, backward, and shows a very clear need for education.

  60. To finish my last post, as I was interrupted.
    How do you, or even any vet, know if a declawed cat is happy or not? Did you ask the cat? Did the cat say “Yeah, I’m fine with having my defenses removed.”?
    So, you can’t say, “My cat is happy healthy with no claws.” You can only say “As far as I can tell, my cat is happy and healthy with no claws.”

    Fact: cats are the only creatures that get 10 small body parts removed for fear of or because of, destroying furniture.
    There are arguments, pros(1) and cons(2) to declawing.
    Pros: no scratching
    cons: cat has to walk on painful, healing toes; has no way to defend itself.

    Rescuing cats is another lame argument for declawing. The only person who should ever get a cat declawed is someone with an immunodeficiency, and even they should try and find one already declawed.

    My vet declaws only if the cat’s life is threatened because of the claws.

    Training to use the scratching post. Actually, people go about this the wrong way which is why it doesn’t work.
    First find out what material your cat prefers to scratch on. And yes, cats have preferences.
    Second, make a scratching post with that material.
    Thirdly and most importantly, get the cat to play with the scratching post, use string or laser light or whatever your cat likes best to play with. Don’t MAKE the cat use the scratching post. From the cat’s perspective, making them do something they’re not interested in or don’t want to do, gives them a bad experience with the something. In this case, a scratching post. Maybe try making them scratch the couch? Just a thought.

    Last but not least, BEFORE getting any type of pet, learn about the natural behavior of that animal, why it does what it does. And if some of the behaviors aren’t acceptable to you in any way, DON’T get that animal.
    (My capital letters aren’t for yelling, they’re for stressing those words.)

  61. Sorry, my last post reads “does not his testicles to live”. Should read “does not need his testicles to live”.

    Once again, I point out to you declawers, you value your furniture over your cat.

    Two and half years ago I rescued declawed cat that is part bobcat(blood test confirms this). He doesn’t bite, uses the litter box and moves normally as the pads weren’t cut when he was declawed. He seems happy. The operative word here is SEEMS though. He may seem happy to me but I noticed he is easily stressed.

  62. Once again, I must stress to those who declaw their feline friend, whether it’s humanely done or not isn’t the issue. A bull does not his testicles to live, only to breed. The cat needs it’s claws! The issue is why do it in the first place?
    1) Because I don’t want my furniture torn up.
    a: this tells me your furniture is more important than your cat
    b: adopt a declawed cat
    c: there are other workable solutions
    2) I don’t want my children myself, or someone with immunodeficiency problems getting scratched
    a: adopt a declawed cat
    b: as a last resort decalw with the cosmetic surgery.

  63. Oh but our “incessant harping” will, has and is ruining the availability of declawing as a choice, very soon whether you “need” it or not you won’t be able to have your cat disabled by elective cosmetic surgery. Then you will have to either live with cats with healthy paws or, better still given your attitude to cats, live without one.

  64. I, too, have unsubscribed to this thread. The rhetoric from those opposed to it has gotten tiresome. They’re never going to change their perspective. Hopefully their incessant harping doesn’t ruin the availability of it as a CHOICE for those who need it. Good luck and thanks to everyone that contributed their helpful advice.

  65. After almost 3 years in this thread, I am unsubscribing today. Thank you for having contributed to my understanding of the medical facts. Thanks to those who were willing to share useful info. Thanks, even, to those who illustrated that their own voice must be heard above all others.

    I joined here before I adopted my cat. I came here with an open mind, and hope I can still be described as such. What have I concluded in the journey?

    That declawing is still a reasonable choice – as described at WebMD’s fact-based summary (which, incidentally, debunks claims that declawing causes biting and litter box problems): http://pets.webmd.com/cats/guide/declawing-cats-positives-negatives-alternatives

    I want to emphasize how my life history supports my own conclusions.

    I grew up on a small family dairy farm, where I learned: some things you reasonably do, to protect your animals and your family from harm – and sometimes this requires humane, medically based treatments. For example: bulls routinely get neutered to reduce their natural, testosterone-based aggression; this protects the rest of the herd, as well as the human owners. And cows and bulls routinely get de-horned: again, to protect the herd and the human family farmers from the risk of being gored. I grew up being taught this as loving wisdom in the care of animals. I accept it to this day, for I saw its benefits illustrated over the years of my developing young life as a farm kid.

    Unlike dairy animals: we bring cats into our lives for our pleasure and, altruistically, for their pleasure and protection. I extend the same principles I learned, growing up on the farm: that if you need a humane procedure to support that human-animal relationship, you have permission from nature to do so – or else that relationship may not work.

    I have learned it is a mistake to anthropomorphize (improperly attribute human traits) toward pets. Grasping that has helped me develop better pet relationships, for I can better see what motivates me, will be very different from what motivates my cat. Even though I playfully call myself “dad” to my cat: he is not my “baby” and never will be. He is a domesticated animal. But I still love him as a different-species friend, and he clearly picks up on that. He came into my home 2+ years ago as a cowering, aggressive creature, evidently treated poorly by his previous owners (the history claimed they put him up for adoption when he could not get along with a newly adopted dog). This cat has transformed 180 degrees under my care: he supports a proud posture, he plays, runs, nuzzles, does tricks, appears relaxed. Early on, he used to bite me relentlessly and aggressively: now he never bites, other than the gentlest, most playful tooth nick sometimes that tells me he needs to play ball – and so we do.

    I adopted him as a previously declawed cat. I felt ambivalent about the act of taking a cat with claws and performing a declawing procedure, so I purposefully sought to adopt a cat that had been previously declawed. I was influenced by some of the voices in this thread, and other opinions I read elsewhere: that since I had not yet decided if declawing can be humane, I preferred to not add a declawing act to the world.

    I have since learned that declawing can indeed be very humane, if done well. This is my third cat who is declawed, and, like the other two, he is playful, happy, athletic beyond words, he grips objects in his declawed paws with remarkable strength and dexterity, he has no biting problem, no box problems. He’s a great cat. So: can declawing be a humane act? I strongly believe it can – based on decades of pet history. I feel those who claim it never can be humane: might be willfully ignorant, perhaps fanatical, but in a simple word: misinformed.

    However, it appears not all methnods of declawing are wise or safe (again, check out the above link for more facts). And: it is major surgery, so it has risks. So anyone intending to declaw a cat should examine not only their motivations but also should do as much fact-based research as they can to choose the right procedure and medical provider.

    It’s been a rewarding ride, reading and contributing to this thread, but I can’t stand the recurring email links any more that claim anyone who would declaw a cat is a demonic torturer. We – they – are anything but that.

    Bye, all, and the very best to all of you.

    Jerry

  66. I cannot stress enough the decision to declaw is plainly and simply that your furniture is far more important to you than the health of your cat.

    There is more going on when a cat “sharpens” it claws than just sharpening the claws!! There is a natural and biological reason cats have claws. To remove them just for the benefit of humans is typical of the thoughtlessness of humans.

  68. To declaw or not to declaw.
    First what are the benefits?
    No scratched furniture or people. But those benefits are only for humans.
    The benefits for the cat?
    Oh, there are none.
    Hmm, declaw or not? What’s more important, my cat or my furniture?
    Sorry folks, that is what declawing comes down to. What is more important to you, your cat or your furniture. Doesn’t matter if you rescued or not. You declaw your cat, your furniture is more important to you than your cat.

  69. Whether a scalpel or a laser is used, the same section of bone, muscles, nerves, ligaments etc. are removed during declawing. Otherwise claw regrowth will occur. This is not an opinion- it’s an anatomical fact.

    Jerry: Part of a cat’s desire to scratch is to mark territory with the scent glands on their paws. They need to top up this scent marker every time it begins to fade, which is why cats like to scratch in the same places. This is why your cat continues to attempt to scent mark his scratch post. Perhaps you didn’t know this, but they will rarely scratch the places that they scent mark with their facial glands. For this reason Feliway is a very simple but effective deterrent to stop unwanted scratching of items such as furniture.

    Perhaps you are not aware either that it is only in North America and a few Middle Eastern countries where declawing is still legal? It is considered an act of animal cruelty by vets in at least 38 countries and banned for that very reason. In the UK, it is legally referred to as an “unnecessary mutilation” and the law states;

    “From 6 April 2007 in England, and 28 March in Wales, the mutilation of animals was banned under the Animal Welfare Act 2006, with certain exemptions set out in the 2007 and the 2008 (Amendment)Regulations. “Mutilation” covers any procedure that involves interference with the sensitive tissues or bone structure of an animal other than for therapeutic purposes (medical treatment).”

    http://www.defra.gov.uk/foodfarm/farmanimal/welfare/act/secondary-legis/docking.htm

    It’s also banned in all member countries of the European Union for the same reason;

    http://conventions.coe.int/treaty/en/Treaties/Html/125.htm

    Long before declawing was legally banned in the U.K. vets refused to perform the procedure. In fact, Appendix B in the report on animal mutilations prepared by the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS) which was endorsed and accepted by Council June 1986/February 1987, stated the following regarding the removal of claws;

    “This procedure is only acceptable where, in the opinion of the veterinary surgeon, injury to the animal is likely to occur during normal activity. It is not acceptable if carried out for the convenience of the owner. Thus the removal of dew claws in certain breeds of dog where they protrude from the limb and are likely to become caught and torn is justifiable and even advisable. On the other hand, the removal of claws, particularly those which are weight-bearing, to preclude damage to furnishings is not acceptable.”

    http://www.cdb.org/vets/mutilations.htm#Reasons

    It’s sad but true, that money is the main motivator for vets in the USA to promote declawing. To date the procedure has generated in excess of 3 Billion Dollars for them. Personally I’d prefer the services of a vet who puts the welfare of my animals ahead of his bank account.

    http://www.hsus.org/web-files/PDF/hsp/SOA_3-2005_Chap3.pdf

    There are literally millions of people worldwide who happily live with cats and their claws. Those who choose to declaw them are in the minority. Thankfully 8 cities in California have recently voted to ban the procedure, which means that more vets in the USA are prepared to stand up and speak the truth about how unnecessary declawing is.

    Whilst your cat may not appear to suffer ill effects, there are thousands that have. Nor does declawing guarantee them a home for life otherwise it wouldn’t be possible to adopt an already declawed cat would it?

    BILL: If your comment was directed at me about equating pets with children – then I suggest that you re-read the O.P’s comments as it was they who used this as a comparison to justify their actions. I was merely trying to making an analogy, which they have chosen to ignore. Rest assured, I am not in favour of murdering anyone however cruel or uneducated I consider their beliefs. It’s rather worrying if that is how your mind works though!

  71. I have been following this site and reading all the post for the past few years now. This site has helped great deal in making my decision not declaw my cat , not because I am against it, but because I think it is absolutely the last resort and should NEVER BE TAKEN LIIGHTLY.
    However, I have to say, it is sickening to see some of the extremely judgmental comments pass around here from those against declawing . I can see the compassionate intention there. However, when you are been so righteous and judgmental on this , you miss the big picture.

    Let’s no forget these :
    There are plenty people who abandon their cats because of can’t deal, or don’t want to deal with their behavior problems , which those cats end up on the street, in shelter and get euthanized
    There are plenty people who can’t deal with their cats scratching issues and chose to keep the cats outdoor, as result getting hit by car or hurt , eat by wild animals. ( that is how I got my little boy Angel )

    If you are telling me that those abandoned cats are still better off die on the street, get euthanized than getting a declaw, then, I don’t know what to say.
    You may say those people who abandon their cats because of behavior problem should never deserve them at first place.
    You may also say those people declaw their cats should never adopt at first place.
    But , the truth is we don’t have enough people adopting, declawed or not declawed. Cats get abandoned on daily basis, and they get euthanized on daily basis.

    The big picture is , let’s get those poor abandoned cat a loving home first, give them a chance to live first.

  72. I’m amused by the strident way some of the fanatics extend their arguments with broad claims about ‘all’ and now calling it a full third of a cat’s paw? And then equating pets with children. OMFG! THE CHIIIIIILDREN!!!!!!! Puh-leeze.

    And of course vets spend all their time and money going to college just for the profits in declawing!

    It’s clear they’ll go to any lengths to support their fanatical claims, even when it means clearly exaggerating, if not stating outright lies. What’s next, murdering vets that declaw? Doesn’t seem much of a stretch listening to their nonsense.

    Meanwhile folks that dearly want to provide their pet a home have a choice. Let’s hope the fanatics don’t overwhelm the reality of need.

  73. Here’s a question for those opposed to declawing.

    When I adopted, I chose a chat who was already declawed. But I wonder:

    Would those here who are so stridently opposed to declawing, have rejected that cat because he was declawed? Or would you have adopted him, regardless? (All else being equal – that you found a friendly, affectionate cat who you really liked and felt you wanted to adopt.)

  74. Michele S., you say “All techniques have the same result, in that the cat will never have normal paw function again.”

    False. My declawed cat has remarkable grip functions in his declawed front paws. He also loves to use his scratching post at least daily – which I provide: not because he needs it, but because he loves to use it!

    You also say: “Just because some people will ONLY accept a cat if it is declawed – don’t kid yourselves that you have somehow “saved” them from euthanasia. There are lots of people out their who happily accept cats and their claws. How arrogant to think that it is such a privilege to live with you that a cat would be happy to have it’s toes amputated in order to do so.”

    Again, my experience, is that I provided a loving owner and genuine, loving friend to a cat – and on terms that were workable for our family: that that cat must be declawed. How is it less arrogant for you to say: that only you know how everyone should adopt and care for a pet and that it must only be done your way, when the medical veterinary establishment continues to support humane declawing?

  75. And if you still believe that 25 – 37 other countries have banned declawing check out this:

    http://www.advocatesforfacts.org/uploads/The_Great_Declaw_Deception_Final.pdf

    In fact, everyone should read the “facts” that are backed up by credible studies and sources at:

    http://www.advocatesforfacts.org

    Any side to a controversial subject can throw out quotes and numbers, but can you back them up with credible studies and sources or are you just playing on peoples emotions?

  76. I don’t understand how you can say you love your cats like your children, after having had the ends of their toes amputated for your convenience. Would you also do that to a human child who was taking time to learn manners? Unless you would, please stop trying to justify your actions with this pretence. Laser declawing is no less painful than traditional methods as bone, muscles, nerves and tendons are still removed. All techniques have the same result, in that the cat will never have normal paw function again.

    Scratching is natural and instinctive behaviour for cats, but they all have individual preferences for what they like to scratch. This is why it can sometimes be a case of trial and error until you find out exactly which texture your cat likes scratching the most. Nevertheless ALL cats can be taught claw manners. It just requires a patient and loving owner.

    Bill, I’m sure that vets in the U.K. and the 37 other countries where they refused to declaw long before the law made it illegal, will be amused by your comment that people opposed to declawing are fanatics. By ignoring the truth about feline anatomy and cats’ reputation for hiding their pain – it is you who is in denial and looking at the subject from a false perspective.

    Just because some people will ONLY accept a cat if it is declawed – don’t kid yourselves that you have somehow “saved” them from euthanasia. There are lots of people out their who happily accept cats and their claws. How arrogant to think that it is such a privilege to live with you that a cat would be happy to have it’s toes amputated in order to do so.

  77. Jerry, you’ve summed it up effectively. They’re fanatics and can’t see any perspective other than their own. Plenty of owners and vets have dealt with declawing effectively and have saved many a cat from being separated from their homes. Sure, there are always going to be edge cases where things go wrong. Either by accident or incompetence, but that’s true of anything in life. The fanatics want to see the world only through their rose-colored glasses. They’re never going to believe otherwise and only serve to whip themselves up into more and more of a frenzy. One could argue it’s better to have them consumed by this issue instead of having them latch onto something more harmful. Look no further than religious fanatics to see just how bad their psychosis can get. It’s pathetic.

    The rest of us live in reality and are glad we’ve been able to give our cats loving and long-lasting homes.

  78. I am about to discontinue receiving emails regarding this subject. But, before I go, want to offer one more but of information that contains actual studies and sources that are quoted in why declawing should not be banned and why as a last resort, it should be available to owners. You may need to copy and paste the address since it is a long one. I think it is well worth the read. I strongly believe that declawing should be left up to a well informed owner and each case should be carefully examined before someone surrenders their cats.

    http://advocatesforfacts.org/uploads/Response_to_the_San_Francisco_Cat_Declaw_Ban.pdf

  79. I hope readers are checking out the older comments link, too, which currently supports a balance between pro and con comments.

    As for me, I have followed this thread for years, and I seem to see little recognition from the fanatics that there can be a healthy, successful declawing experience. But: there most certainly can be.

    Like any surgery, declawing has its risks. But for me and my household, it has made the difference between:

    1. Being able to rescue a cat (one that was already declawed)

    – versus –

    2. Not rescuing a cat at all, in which case he could well have been euthanized by the adoption provider if unclaimed by others.

    Again, as I have stated repeatedly in these pages: declawing has always resulted in wonderfully adapted, athletic, pleasant, non-biting, happy, and long-lived cats who were loved and cared for intensely, in my experience.

    So why all the murderous warnings by the fanatics?

  80. Have you never thought that the reason that everywhere you look online you find people “ranting and raving” about declawing is because so many people are concerned about the declawing of cats and are doing their best to educate cat owners and so save more cats from this painful and mutilating procedure?
    If you only wanted the best for your cats you would never have considered this dreadful operation and I’d like to ask you what the “minor issues” were that your cats suffered? And who decided they were “minor” for that matter, if you are talking about pain following the amputation of their toe ends then perhaps you need to realise that cats are notorious for hiding the fact that they are in great pain, so to the cats the issues might have been major, but who asks cats for their opinions? No one! And what’s this about “regular” declawing? I can assure you that no declawing is regular, only the USA and Canada still cling to this barbaric practice, in 38 other countries it is far from “regular” it is in fact illegal because it is animal abuse.
    So, on to the benefits of laser declawing – obviously there are no benefits for the cat so you must mean the benefits for yourself, which is very nice for you because you were not the one who was anaesthetised and robbed of a very necessary part of your anatomy, you didn’t wake up post op with throbbing stumps or aching muscles because your paws had been pulled every which way for the butcher/vet to get at those toe ends. You ask who the enemy is? The enemy is declawing, and by adopting those fully clawed cats, and paying someone to maim their paws for you, you probably deprived them of a safe loving home where they would not have been abused, I’m afraid your sentiments about your cats being your children, your babies in fact, are a load of twaddle, who would mutilate their children or babies in the name of love?

    One thing I do agree with though is where you say you spoil your cats, yes ma’am you certainly have spoiled their paws!

    You glossed over the procedure and post op, do you imagine your cats slept like babies on their heating blankets? Do you not think they were in shock and pain when they woke up? I’m quite certain, as you said; they could tell something was different, and they acted differently, but in the end what choice did they have? The toe ends were in a surgical waste bag, they had no choice but to adapt, another thing that cats are good at, but why should they? How would you adapt to losing the ends of your digits? You’d make the best of it you could but it wouldn’t be like being able bodied would it? Well it’s the same for cosmetically disabled cats!

    Your original post seems to be 2 years old, I sincerely hope, but only for your cats’ sakes and not for yours, that your cats are still well and haven’t developed physical or psychological problems due to the declawing. Or did they and did they end up back in the shelter declawed, un-rehomeable because of this and euthanized after all?

  81. There is never a good reason for declawing a cat, no matter which method is used, the cat has 10 amputations and is disabled for life.Cats come with claws because they need them, those claws are firmly embedded in bone and not meant to be removed.
    Declawing is banned in our country but even before it was, our vets would never do it.Vets take an oath to harm no animal, declawing most certainly does harms them.
    You say your cats are your ‘real babies’ I don’t think so ! If you love them as much as you profess to, you would never ever have had them put through this pre meditated abuse and left them at risk of all the problems declawed cats face for the rest of their lives.Problems that can arise even years later.
    I hope your cats are lucky but if not, remember YOU and your corrupt vet did this to them and you owe it to them to look after them no matter what !!
    No one can say they love cats and think declawing is acceptable ! You don’t love cats, you only love YOUR idea of how you want your cats to be.
    CATS NEED CLAWS !
    Retired vet nurse

  82. For those whom think laser declaw is somehow a better way to sever off the healthy body parts of animals, please read Tazzy’s story, a cat whose owner took the unnecessary risk to have her finger digits burned off and then watched her cat DIE AFTER LASER DECLAW SURGERY:

    “….It’s been over 3 months and I am so much worse off then I was before, I am dreaming of her, I have so much guilt for what I have done. I lost my baby, she would have been 14 this April, she was still playful, she loved us, she counted on us to take care of her and I let her down, over some stupid furniture that now I have been wanting to burn, Material things are nothing, my cat was my life and I took it for granted. Laser Surgery was not better….the decision to get her declawed is the worst decision I have ever made, it took a life, my Tazzy’s life. I will not be able to get past this, what I have done, the torture my baby went through. DON’T EVER DECLAW, I would do anything to have her damaging my couches right now, I would let her tear my house down to have her right now, I hate myself for what I have done. Learn from my story PLEASE REMEMBER MY STORY FOR OTHERS.”

    http://network.bestfriends.org/groups/celebrateclawsnotdeclaw/news/archive/2009/03/27/cat-dies-from-complications-after-laser-declaw-surgery-read-tazzys-story.aspx

  83. Dr. Jean, it is good to see a vet weigh in here. If you read my entire post, you would have seen all the alternative methods I have already tried. The procedure has been explained to me and I have reviewed the graphic detail photos and videos of the laser declaw being done. I have not gone into this uneducated. That being said, is it not true that a cat’s 3 digit functions differently than a humans had and/or foot? Is it not true that the digit is retracted into a “v” type position when not being extended? I am not looking for a fight here, but let’s compare apples to apples – removing the 3rd digit on a cat is not the same as cutting off a human’s finger or toe. And doing the laser surgery which seals the nerves and blood vessels is not the same as doing the old style traditional surgery. As a side note, my brother suffered many years from RA and he had all the joints removed from his toes. He was able to walk normally (and with much less pain) after he healed from the surgery. (But he did loose 2 shoe sizes.)

  84. Declawing is amputation of a third of the cat’s paws. It alters the way they walk and leads to chronic pain and arthritis. Most people don’t notice these problems because cats are masters at hiding pain, and in most cases they simply learn to live with it.

    If you read the AVMA guidelines, you’ll notice they mandate full disclosure: your vet should explain the entire procedure in detail, disclose that medical complications are very common (in numerous studies, from 20-80%), and that studies show that up to 1/3 of declawed cats develop serious behavior problems post-op (mainly biting and failing to use the litterbox). Your vet should tell you that there are more than a dozen human alternatives, and insist that a sincere effort should be made to use these before declawing is even considered. “Preventive” declawing of cats or kittens is a violation of veterinary ethics. Please visit my website, http://www.littlebigcat, if you would like to know what declawing is, what the science actually says (AVMA seems to have forgotten many important facts), and what alternatives exist. BTW, I got my veterinary degree from Colorado State University.

  85. In my opinion, and also in over 37 countries around the world, there is no justification for declawing a cat.

    What you call “ranting and raving” is from cat lovers who deplore this brutal surgery. Imagine having the last joint on your fingers amputated so you never need a manicure again. Remember the excruciating pain of a hangnail? That pain pales when compared to the amount of pain that cats must endure no matter what kind of pain medication they receive.

    Folks that truly love cats take the time and are patient enough to learn how to trim claws, to teach their cats to use scratching posts that are actually designed for cats to use them, and with training and nail care cats do not have to ruin furniture ever. My cats have never destroyed mine at all.

    Even the AVMA suggests that declawing be done only as a last measure, but there are those veterinarians who peddle their wares and sell declaw surgery as a package deal with neuter/spay.. even kittens as young as 9 weeks of age are declawed. Have they had the opportunity to prove that they are not destructive? Have they had any chance at all? No! This is appalling.

    I won’t repeat all the excellent information provided about why cats should not be declawed, but I guess if God felt they did not need them he would not have provided them with claws.

    As far as the rhetoric used that declawing can save a cat’s life, many declawed cats stop using their litter boxes, and become aggressive. These poor cats are surrendered to shelters and due to their “behavior problems” are not candidates for rehoming so are euthanized due to no fault of their own. So if this is saving lives, please explain this to me. I don’t get it.

    There are cat owners and cat lovers. Cat lovers would never do this to their cats. Cat owners, on the other hand have to have control and don’t partner with their felines. Sorry, but there is nothing positive as far as I am concerned about subjecting cats to this horrendous procedure.

Leave a Reply