Safe Alternative to Declawing Your Pets

[Lysaur]

Declawing animals is very selfish of humans. It is excruciatingly painful for the animal. They cut the finger tips off the cat. It's like having your fingertips cut off to the first knuckle except it's worse for the animal because they have to walk on their fingers and toes all the time.

I haven't researched many products but I just found this site. So in case any of you haven't heard of it, there are these little caps you glue to the claws that grow with the claws lasting about a month for 20 bucks. Sounds like a good product to me. I love animals so I had to share this.

http://www.softpaws.com/

[PurpleLama]

How about, if you love cats, don't buy nice furniture? Works for me....

[Lysaur]

Personally, I let my cat rip all my stuff to shreds. I figured we owe a couple to the animals. But the reality is that some people have to adapt to certain circumstances. Like how I recently moved into a furnished house and I don't want to give my cat away. Or you have the typical scenarios where young kids and teenagers have cats and their cruel parents want them to be declawed because they aren't aware of alternatives. The more options you're aware of, the better off you are.

[vano915]

You can buy a nail clipper for very little money -- bet you already have one, as a matter of fact. If you clip the cat's claws regularly, they do a lot less damage. My clipper lives next to my favorite chair. I have 5 cats, and whoever comes to sit in my lap gets his claws clipped whenever they start to feel sharp. If you don't know how, get someone to show you. And if your cat is not used to it, the important thing is to take it slow -- clip one claw, then give them a good scratch or some play time, then clip another claw, etc. If it takes 3 days to get all 10, just keep at it -- it gets less complicated as they become accustomed to it.

[Ellisa]

I have NEVER even heard of declawing cats! I think it may be banned here and be in the category of docking tails of dogs, cutting ears to make them stand up and other hideous cosmetic attacks we inflict on animals (and, I suppose, ourselves). Why would you get a cat if you want to tear out its claws and deprive it of one of its main sensors? I have had cats and dogs all my life. My cats use their claws in play to draw toys etc near to them. Mostly they withdraw them in the house and there is minimum shredding of anything inside. I have rarely been scratched by any of my cats, because usually cats retract their claws when they are contented. I only have one cat now. He knows he must not claw the furniture and has never done do, but sometimes he attacks the fringe on a rug I have, I throw a cushion at him, and he stops!. Don't have a cat if you cannot tolerate their natural instincts. Cats require more internal mental space than dogs to adjust to living with us. Cats allow you to live with them, a true cat person knows you do not own them. Why would you then want to maim them? It's a horrible idea.

[Lysaur]

I've never tried the clipping. But good to know that it works!

[Ami]

I used these years ago but it became too stressful for me & the cats.

I did succeed getting them on one cat a few times & they were great while they lasted.

Basically, the nails need to be trimmed before applying the nail covers with what I think is a type of super glue. My cats don't like to have their nails cut & forget about sitting still waiting for the 10 nail covers to dry. When the glue was dry & cats were released they would try to pull the covers off with their teeth.

I now have a 1.5 year old doberman & let the cats keep their claws.

If your cats do not like to be held or restrained for about 5 minutes you are going to have a hard time.

[KaiLee]

It is illegal in Australia to declaw cats or dock dogs tails or ears.

[DeDukshyn]

I never seem to have an issue with my cats destroying stuff - well except under the bed box-spring - he runs around under the bed upside-down using his claws in the thin fabric to propel himself around on his back .. pretty funny stuff.
That said, he does have some of his own furniture - he usually scratches on that.

I find the more love and freedom you give a cat, the less you have to "train" them -- they don't really train well anyway, positive reinforcements works but punishment doesn't work well at all - you may solve one issue only to create another ... ;)

[TigaHawk]

I bought a couch set for the living room for $300. Sides are nicely marked by my cat :) It's a couch. Still comfy to sit on and clean. Why people get expensive couches and pet's and expect them not to do what they naturally want to do? I don't get it.

[Matt P]

3 cat family here. They own the place and come and go as they please, as I'd treat any other intelligent life form. Like many of you have already said, we just don't buy couches and chairs we have to worry about either. They are trained just fine and don't destroy anything. If they get onto or do something I don't like, I have a little "Psssst" I give them and they know that sound means they're doing something or being somewhere we don't like and they remember eventually. I would never dream of cutting their claws. Cats are climbers and need to defend themselves. Removing their claws is removing a big part of who they are and how they experience life.

Matt

[Pam]

Declawing animals is very selfish of humans. It is excruciatingly painful for the animal. They cut the finger tips off the cat. It's like having your fingertips cut off to the first knuckle except it's worse for the animal because they have to walk on their fingers and toes all the time.

I haven't researched many products but I just found this site. So in case any of you haven't heard of it, there are these little caps you glue to the claws that grow with the claws lasting about a month for 20 bucks. Sounds like a good product to me. I love animals so I had to share this.

http://www.softpaws.com/

Thank you , lysaur, for bringing up something that is really important. Not only is it cruel to perform the procedure and leave the animal walking in a irregular fashion, the cat is left virtually defenseless. You may think that if you do this the cat will stay inside. Even with the best intentions, cats get out. Also, I have seen plenty of declawed cats at the cat shelter I volunteer at, they have been found as strays. Imagine what that would be like for the cat to be on its own, unable to defend itself and unable to get its own food.

There is a plastic sticky sheet you can buy to put on strategic areas on furniture to discourage the cat from clawing there. Also provide alternative scratching posts so the cat has a place to do it that won't destroy the furniture. PurpleLama, yours is the best idea, don't buy nice furniture. I buy decent used furniture knowing that my animal friends might be hard on it, if they do scratch it, I can live with it.

[Lysaur]

I heard another idea from someone: Put double sided tape on the furniture! That should help I think too.

Other people say to just trim the claws, get them a bare wood scratching post, a spray bottle and you're pretty much good. My problem is I'm in a very expensive furnished house with top of the line quality antique wood construction. I will try just trimming the claws, using deterrents, training him, and then maybe the soft paws. I'll also protect certain areas if I need to. I want my cat to move back home. When he lived with me, he would only scratch the chair. And I let him have his fun. Nothing else would he scratch, just the chair. I trained him not to scratch certain things. But I miss him so much. You single people know what I mean, how special a pet is. And they always know to come to you when you are upset ;)

[Michael Moewes]

I've 25 cats sheltered. non of them I cut the clawes. I gave them plenty of dry wood to sharpen and undoing their claws themselfs.
On the other hand, my Beagle/Pitbull mix I have to cut the claws all the time, as they grow faster as she can use them off.
She likes to greet everybody as friend - means she put her paws on you. as you can imagine she's a powerfull dog, she's strong.
and without cutting the claws, it hurts. but shes fine with it and I got a special clipper with a distancer to avoid to cut to much.

[vano915]

Lysaur:

Nice to feel useful! Do get someone to show you -- your local animal shelter or your vet or a neighbor or whatever. There's a vein that runs part way into the claw, so it's important not to cut too much off. It's like clipping your own nails -- it hurts if you get down to the quick.

[Gatita]

I have, literally, a house full of rescue cats. The only one that's declawed, is the one that my daughter re-homed with me. I have a steam cleaner for the carpets and furniture, and slip covers for the furniture. I have my share of scars too. It goes with the territory.

Gatita