I have made the difficult decision to get Kilalah's front two paws declawed when I get her spayed next weekend. I was pretty apprehensive about mentioning it here because many cat lovers seem to look down upon other cat owners who have this done. I myself was strongly against doing it when I first got Kilalah as well. She is my first cat ever, so I spent a lot of time reading up on how to care for kittens and cats, and I didn't like what I read about the actual procedure for declawing.

For the past two or three months I've had multiple sturdy objects and toys for her to scratch on, with different textures even, and somehow, even though my apartment is less than 600 sq ft, she seems to claw and scratch everything EXCEPT what I've given her. I have also tried putting her in time out when I see her doing bad things with her claws, but it just hasn't worked. She does actually let me trim her claws, all four, but that doesn't completely solve the problem either. I can't let her go in my bedroom because she climbs my canopy bed posts and has badly damaged two of them with her scratch marks already, but she's wrecking the carpet in front of my bedroom door by scratching at it when I don't let her in.

Playing and cuddling with her can also be painful sometimes if you're not using a large enough toy as her claws will accidentally scratch skin from time to time, or if she gets startled by something while napping on my chest and digs her claws in to jump away. I also don't want to have to deal with soft paws. I've looked at them, read about them and talked to others about them and just don't want to have to deal with the maintenance.

Anyway, long story short, I hope you don't all think I'm a terrible terrible cat owner for this, but I had to come clean. I felt like I was hiding this terrible secret.

I'm also writing for another reason however; I'm wondering what advice any of you have for post surgery care? The place I'm going to has been our family vet since I was in kindergarten, and they use laser for everything. They are also keeping her overnight even though her surgery is first thing in the morning. I want to do my best to make her comfortable once I get her home.

Ok.... this is very sad but I do see your point. Sparky has been LITERALLY climbing our knotty pine tongue and groove walls (we live in a rustic log cabin). The walls are very expensive but we're just going to live with it. I hear you though.

The best you can do for her under the circumstances is get her some pain meds for the first few days if the vet will give them to you. Make sure she does NOT run around or jump or anything once you get her home as the toes will only be glued together and will keep ripping open (like my Peaches' did - she was bleeding through her bandages really bad - it was HORRIBLE - had to take her back to the vet and she spent a week in a cage so her paws would heal). I felt horrible to say the very least.... at the time I did not know the pain would be so horrible that she would actually LITERALLY be bouncing off the walls. At the time, I did not know that much about de-clawing and I had her done thinking it wouldn't be "fair" to Milo and Muffin as THEY had been declawed before I ever even had a clue about the procedure. I am still kicking myself to this day for the pain I put them through - especially Peaches.

I, myself, will never declaw a cat again after what Peaches went through. I'm lucky she still loves me.

Just keep her as quiet at humanly possible. It will help her heal faster. Pain meds would be VERY helpful. Beg if you have to.

Please, please do NOT declaw Kilalah! Please, read all of the following very carefully, especially the articles in the links. There are other things you can do. And remember, she is a kitten still. When she gets older, she won't be climbing on drapes, etc. any more.

Declawing (Onychectomy) is actually amputation of the toe up to the first joint. It cuts bone, ligaments and tendons. Cats claws are not like human finger nails, they are an extention of the toes. It is extremely, horrifically painful!! Cats DO bounce off the walls of their cages after the procedure when they wake up from the anesthesia. (Do remember that cutting of the fingers is used as a method of torture for humans.)

Cats are toe walkers, putting their full weight on their toes with each step. After having the ends of their toes amputated, they must then change how their distribute their weight, in an unnatural way. This results in muscles in their shoulders and back being used in a way not meant to me. It will cause some stiffness and pain. It can also lead to atrophy of the muscles that were supposed to be used.

But, since they no longer have claws, it is then impossible for them to latch their claws into something to pull on to really stretch out the kinks and knots in those muscles, and to exercise them.

Imagine if you had part of your heels amputed, so that you would have to forever walk landing toe first, opposite of what is normal for humans. You would wind up with cramps and stiffness in your calves. Try it for a week- NEVER putting weight on your heels (wearing high healed shoes doesn't count, since you still have your weight supported). Then imagine you have NO WAY of working out the cramps.

Declawing is illegal in most European countries as being a cruel, inhumane procedure. Declawing is in reality crippling cats. That is the fact.

Sometimes there are complications to the surgery, resulting in severe pain to the cat, postoperative hemorrhage, damage to the radial nerve, painful regrowth of deformed claw inside of the paw, as well as some other complications.

You need to think long and hard if those possibilites are something you are fine with happening to Kilalah. Since declawing is a non-necessary surgery, I sure wouldn't risk any of those things happening to a cat of mine!

You can buy SoftPaws nail caps. They are little plastic covers that get glued over a cat's claws. Then you won't have the problems you describe.

Read about SoftPaws:

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You said:

Quote:

I've looked at them, read about them and talked to others about them and just don't want to have to deal with the maintenance.

So instead you want to have the ends of Kilalah's toes cut off? Maiming her for life?

Please, read these articles.

The actual, true details of declawing, written by a vet:

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Help for what to do instead of declawing- a great article!

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Be sure to look at this and imagine that being Kilalah:

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Do click the "enter" button on that site for lots of great tips to help with what to do instead.

This is MUST look at for everyone!

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I pray with all my heart that you don't put Kilalah through that unnecessary, crippling procedure.

Eclispe:

I hope you are still here and willing to read our messages.

Please let me pass on to you what I learned dealing with Little Bit.

Little Bit was taken from his kitty mother very early, at 6 weeks old. The person who adopted him did not care for him all that well. Needless to say, the inappropriate rearing caused problem when he came into my possession. Little Bit did not know how to use his “claws” properly.

Little bit would scratch (because he was never trained on what to scratch, nor given the proper toys to scratch). I can’t even begin to count the number of claw wounds I got – because he would use his claws on me.

While I was retraining Little Bit, I used soft paws on him. I only had to use one application. But, during the month to six weeks the soft paws remained on him, Little Bit learned not to scratch me and not to scratch inappropriate surfaces.

It has been several years since I had to use the soft paws. Now, he is fine. Whenever he wants my attention, all he has to do is to touch his paw on my shoulder. Before, he would have scratched me to get my attention.

Now, with all that being said, if you still feel the need to do something, I found an option where the toe is not amputated, but the tendon used to extend the claw is cut. This prevents the cat from extending the claw. You have to carefully trim the claws once this is done.

Mark

Tendonectomy (in which the tendons in the toes are severed) results in the cat still having its claws, but the cat is unable to control them. This procedure does not necessarily protect people from being scratched. In addition, it is associated with a high incidence of abnormal claw growth and muscle atrophy.

Since the claws are not removed they will continue to grow. The cat will not be able to scratch in a normal manner to keep the claws naturally shortened and to work off the old, dead outer layer of the claws, so it is VERY important that people trim the cat's claws on a routine basis. The nails must checked frequently. There is a risk of ingrown claws into the paw pads (if they are not kept trimmed).

To answer Kate's question on post operative care if a declaw surgery is done, or a tendonectomy, using newspaper or larger sized paper cat litter in the litterbox greatly reduces the chance of infection and allows for more comfort. Normal kitty litter can become trapped in the nail beds if a tendonectomy was done, and between the cat's toes. That will cause extreme pain and discomfort, and can induce serious infection. Paper litter should be used for at least one week after surgery or until the wounds are completely healed.

The litter box needs even more cleaning than usual, as small bits of fecal matter that can remain even after the box is scooped can lead to infection if the cat steps on it or little bits get trapped in the unhealed wound. I would completely change the litter every day to help avoid that.

The paws will need to be checked every day for signs of infection, bleeding, oozing of pus, or swelling. If a cat develops an infection, it may be necessary to require daily soaks, antibiotics, or other methods of care. Great attention must be given to look out for signs of infection since the cat could lose her paw or limb if an infection is overlooked and not properly treated until it gets too serious.

If there is infection or bleeding, do not use Neosporin or Polysporin or other topical applications without the specific advice of the vet. Never use human topical applications.

Using an E-collar may be necessary to prevent the cat from chewing or licking at her paws, trying to pull at the sutures or glue, which can cause bleeding, swelling, and infection. E-collars are uncomfortable to cats, and upset most cats. If an e-collar needs to be used, use the soft kind where a cat can lie down comfortably, not the hard plastic kind vets give out.

The home needs to be kept extra clean and sanitary to try to keep the cat's paws as clean and free of dirt and debris as possible. The paws will need to be checked several times a day and gently cleaned if dirt and debis is on them while the wounds are still healing.

Eclipse,

I just want to add that I know how difficult this decision is for you and you certainly have been agonizing over it. I would like to suggest something related to what Margaret said about Kilalah still being a kitten. This IS the problem - she is a kitten. She will outgrow the kitten scratching.

When Molly was a kitten I purchased an "upside down V" scratcher that is very sturdy and put it right next to the couch - the couch being the place she liked to scratch. Only about 2-3 times did I have to pull her away from the couch and put her paws on the scratcher before she went right to the scratcher. I showed her how to scratch on it by taking her paws and moving them up & down on the scratcher. She immediately preferred the scratcher. The same with Jeremy. I have a small apartment and both my cats know what they can and can't do, and they almost never scratch anything - because they're adults and know what "no" means.

If you can wait just a few more months, take some suggestions from the forum members, I really believe she will outgrow this. And you will have no regrets.

Maria

I am still internally agonizing over this decision and I do plan on having a very serious talk with the vet during Kilalah's examination the day before her operations.

What I have a slight problem with on this forum, is I feel most members here seem completely one-sided and judgmental on the issue. That is the only thing that bothers me about anything anyone has said against my position to have Kilalah's front paws declawed. I understand all of the arguments that have been proposed, but at the same time it can't be ignored that there are many people out there who have this operation done. A handful of people whom I personally know and have been trying to talk me into doing this surgery because they had no problems and their kittens grew up to live very long healthy lives.

I do appreciate being re-exposed to all the reasons why this could be a bad idea though. It keeps me thinking long and hard about the decision. Thank you also for the post op advice. I wouldn't have thought about a different kind of litter or cleaning it more often.

Hi Eclispe:

For cat owners, declawing is one of those emotional, all or nothing issues. It is like abortion, the death penalty or gay marriage. There are two sides and it is hard to find any common ground between the sides.

With that being said, please let me tell you a story. I once asked Little Bit’s first owner is he was going to have Little Bit declawed. I was shocked by the emotional nature of his reply. I thought declawing was a normal pet operation, much like spay or neuter. When I was growing up in the 60-70’s, all the cats I knew were declawed.

Now, if you have Kilalah declawed. I will not think any less of you. Heck, at one point, with Ranger’s FUS condition, and the possibility of continual blockages, I even researched an operation that would have removed his male plumbing and replaced it with, for a lack of a better term, female plumbing. (I’m trying to be very careful here with my wording. I do not want to run afoul of the anti-pornography filters and get the forum into trouble). This is a pretty drastic step, and a last resort, to keep him alive and healthy.

Personally, that is where I feel declawing should be a last resort option. However, that is my view and my view only. I should not, and will not try to pass judgement on you because I know you are going to do what you think is best for your kitten.

I will say right now that if the choice was to declaw one of my cats or be forced to give up my cat, the claws will come off. I may not like having to go there, but, if it is in my cat’s best interest, I’ll do it.

As to post operation care – my vet gives out a newspaper based litter after declawing operations. I don’t know if it is something they make up or if it is something like “Yesterday’s News”, which is available at the big box pet stores.

I don’t know if anything any of us will say can help you with your truly difficult choice. I do hope and wish the best for you and Kilalah.

Mark

Yes, the post operative information here was good - I forgot to tell you (Eclipse) about the litter. They might tell you to buy "Yesterday's news" and it's pretty good stuff..... it's pellets of used newspaper. We actually have it here in our local grocery stores.

I agree with Margaret and Maria and Mark that Kilalah IS still a kitten and has the (great) potential to grow out of the inappropriate scratching. I DO know how hard this is for you as I have 3 declawed and one non-declawed cat.

Please don't leave our forum because you think we are "one sided". If anyone seems so it is because we truly love our cats and do not wish them any uneccesary pain.

I know you will make the right decision with Kilalah, whatever that may be for you and for her. Either way, you will still be accepted here on our forum.

Just take really good post-op (and forever) care of that little girl if you do decide you have no other choice than to declaw.

Oh....and make sure you give her lots and lots and lots of hugs, kisses, scritches and treats.

And don't forget to beg for the pain meds if you have to.

Eclipse,

As Mark said, no one wants you to leave, and no one is going to judge you or treat you any differently if you have your cat declawed. As for the members being one-sided, I think if you check other forums dedicated to cats, you will discover that most of the people will give you the same information - and include their own feelings. It's a sensitive issue among cat owners, for the most part.

When I first got Molly and Jeremy, I saw no reason not to declaw a cat until I read up on the procedure and possible side effect. I decided to wait until my cats got over their kitten antics to make a decision. I actually found all the information on declawing on another cat forum - not here.

At any rate, it is your decision. I hope you will see that the members here are just giving you information concerning declawing, and of course it is human nature to express one's own personal feelings. Although it's a tough decision, it is your decision. Once again, no one is going to judge you.

Maria