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When my cats would tussle (play), they used to grab each other around the heads and roll around. My male cat would sometimes put an arm lock on the dog’s head (60lb Aussie) and play bite. They rarely used their front paws in an aggressive way.
In a real fight, having front claws lets them hang on better, but the most damage would be done by the hand claws gouging at the soft belly.
I would think going for the belly with the hind quarters(which I had heard) and biting would cause the most damage. I have seen cats play but not actually FIGHT
Eek, I’m sorry to hear this situation! 🙁 If your husband is in real danger from getting an infection or worse from your cat, I regret that I don’t think that declawing would remove that danger. If you cat likes to play, you know it’s natural for them to kick and use their back claws as much as if not more than the front. Especially ‘accidentally’ such as jumping off of a person (I’ve gotten my worst scratches from a cat using me as a springboard). And of course there is always danger if your cat likes to play bite at all.
I would try the soft paws, and if they do not work I’d consider rehoming the cat until your husband is well/recovered… especially since you are pregnant. 🙂 The cat’s quality of life will remain high for not being declared, and your husband would be in no danger that way.
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My art: featherdust.comskigod377 wrote:I dont think its as traumatic as chopping off fingers or docking a tail/ears, but I do think you should give the alternative a try. If it does not work, then I say do what you feel you need to. I think Rusti said that there is alot worse that can happen than declawing a cat (Abandoning it, mistreating it, not vaccinating it, killing it…etc etc). Just make sure kitty is forever inside if you do it. Claws are pretty much their best defense and if you take that away, you need to make sure kitty is kept safe. If I was in your situation, I would either find kitty a new home if he was young, or I would declaw him.
(This message should be read imagining my voice tones to be gentle and calm statements of fact, not angry, a bit impassioned perhaps, but not angry.)
Actually, Ski, declawing IS taking off the first joint of the cat’s “fingers”. You can’t remove the claw making tissue without taking the bone it is attached to.
Sorry, but declawing is a cruel and inhumane thing, and those who think it doesn’t bother the cat haven’t been there when he wakes up from surgery, the vet usually keeps them overnight for a reason, owners don’t really want to face the pain caused their cats.
Typically the cat is okay as he wakes up, but the next day when fully alert they cry, lick their paws alot, shake the offending paws trying to get them to stop hurting and wince when attempting the litter box, even with shredded paper. It’s really sad to watch them, it is obvious they are hurting alot.
The vet I worked for hated doing declaws, but felt that versus homelessness for the cat it was sometimes a necessary evil, but he avocated against it.
Also, especially for older cats, often they stop using the litter box altogether in favor for soft cloth, usually any clothes you may leave on the floor. You can almost always be sure of some kind of abnormal behavior or some kind of disorder right after surgery. Alot of the folks who declawed came in later complaining about the failure to use the litter box after. They were warned.
Sure, after the surgery many cats recover and get over it, but it is still physically and emotionally hard on the cat, and some end up with permanent issues. So easy for people to casually chop off the defenses of a cat, but it isn’t that simple in reality.
Granted, in a younger cat the affects in behavior are not as pronounced, basically if you are going to declaw it should be done when they are very young before they learn dependancy on their claws for climbing, balance, etc.
(Now you guys know why I didn’t want to go into it.)
Also, in the case of PurpleDoggy’s cat, this is one of the cases where if the Soft Paws option does not work, then I support declawing him, however, I’d like that to be absolute last resort. And very few vets will ever agree to back feet too, and the reality is that if Danny is to avoid any risk of being scratched that would be the only solution.
I would opt for the Soft Paws and training, no more roughhousing with the cat with hands. Play with kitty with toys and discourage any clawing behavior with negativity, he will learn not to do it.
Getting off the soapbox. And sorry if I seem a bit harsh Ski, declawing is a big negative thing for me, so try not to take it personal, it isn’t meant to be, just your comment about it not being finger chopping is misinformed.
Kyrin
Been a vet tech for five years and I just disagree with you Kyrin. 😉
All the declaws I’ve ever seen were doing the foot shaking because of the booties. As soon as the booties came off, they cleaned their feet and left it at that.
I have never heard of litterbox problems afterward if the owner used a substitute like Yesterday’s News for ten days after the surgery as opposed to immediately putting them back on hard litter. Not one.
Yes, declawing is removal of the first joint on the foot. And as ddvm said, done properly and with the right pain management, kitty would do wonderfully and be just fine.
Doing what I did, I wasn’t in a position to judge or take extremist stances, otherwise, my boss wouldn’t be the only thing burning me out. Personally, I feel that rehoming the cat, especially if he’s so attached to his owners, would be more traumatic and stressful than a declaw.
And Purpledoggy can do the litterbox, but she needs to get some latex gloves, dust masks and wash her hands thoroughly afterward. It’s unlikely her indoor kitty has toxoplasmosis, but the gloves and the mask are good precautions.
Kyrin wrote:skigod377 wrote:I dont think its as traumatic as chopping off fingers or docking a tail/ears, but I do think you should give the alternative a try. If it does not work, then I say do what you feel you need to. I think Rusti said that there is alot worse that can happen than declawing a cat (Abandoning it, mistreating it, not vaccinating it, killing it…etc etc). Just make sure kitty is forever inside if you do it. Claws are pretty much their best defense and if you take that away, you need to make sure kitty is kept safe. If I was in your situation, I would either find kitty a new home if he was young, or I would declaw him.
(This message should be read imagining my voice tones to be gentle and calm statements of fact, not angry, a bit impassioned perhaps, but not angry.)
Actually, Ski, declawing IS taking off the first joint of the cat’s “fingers”. You can’t remove the claw making tissue without taking the bone it is attached to.
Sorry, but declawing is a cruel and inhumane thing, and those who think it doesn’t bother the cat haven’t been there when he wakes up from surgery, the vet usually keeps them overnight for a reason, owners don’t really want to face the pain caused their cats.
Typically the cat is okay as he wakes up, but the next day when fully alert they cry, lick their paws alot, shake the offending paws trying to get them to stop hurting and wince when attempting the litter box, even with shredded paper. It’s really sad to watch them, it is obvious they are hurting alot.
The vet I worked for hated doing declaws, but felt that versus homelessness for the cat it was sometimes a necessary evil, but he avocated against it.
Also, especially for older cats, often they stop using the litter box altogether in favor for soft cloth, usually any clothes you may leave on the floor. You can almost always be sure of some kind of abnormal behavior or some kind of disorder right after surgery. Alot of the folks who declawed came in later complaining about the failure to use the litter box after. They were warned.
Sure, after the surgery many cats recover and get over it, but it is still physically and emotionally hard on the cat, and some end up with permanent issues. So easy for people to casually chop off the defenses of a cat, but it isn’t that simple in reality.
Granted, in a younger cat the affects in behavior are not as pronounced, basically if you are going to declaw it should be done when they are very young before they learn dependancy on their claws for climbing, balance, etc.
(Now you guys know why I didn’t want to go into it.)
Also, in the case of PurpleDoggy’s cat, this is one of the cases where if the Soft Paws option does not work, then I support declawing him, however, I’d like that to be absolute last resort. And very few vets will ever agree to back feet too, and the reality is that if Danny is to avoid any risk of being scratched that would be the only solution.
I would opt for the Soft Paws and training, no more roughhousing with the cat with hands. Play with kitty with toys and discourage any clawing behavior with negativity, he will learn not to do it.
Getting off the soapbox. And sorry if I seem a bit harsh Ski, declawing is a big negative thing for me, so try not to take it personal, it isn’t meant to be, just your comment about it not being finger chopping is misinformed.
KyrinNo worries Kyrin. I have never declawed a cat… only read about it (And seen a few who had it done) and I know it is contoversial. I just think that if she has to choose, she should keep declawing as an option, depending on how attached she is to the cat. If she wont get rid of it, I would think declawing is a better option than others. Its what I would do in her situation of the alternative does not work. I have only seen a few declawed cats and they were pampered, inside cats. They did not seem unhappy, though I am sure the procedure was rough for them after the fact. What surgery isnt?
All 8 of my cats are front declawed. They had their pain meds after the surgery. They are happy, well adjusted cats. They still “scratch” the furniture as if they still have claws and catch the crickets and occasional mouse that come in this time of year. They are all rescues or strays. If I had more room, I would give more cats a good home. Normally I wouldn’t post, because this is a controversial subject, but I wanted you to know it’s possible to have healthy, happy declawed cats. I respect everybody’s opinions and I hope you respect mine.
Kyrin wrote:skigod377 wrote:I dont think its as traumatic as chopping off fingers or docking a tail/ears, but I do think you should give the alternative a try. If it does not work, then I say do what you feel you need to. I think Rusti said that there is alot worse that can happen than declawing a cat (Abandoning it, mistreating it, not vaccinating it, killing it…etc etc). Just make sure kitty is forever inside if you do it. Claws are pretty much their best defense and if you take that away, you need to make sure kitty is kept safe. If I was in your situation, I would either find kitty a new home if he was young, or I would declaw him.
(This message should be read imagining my voice tones to be gentle and calm statements of fact, not angry, a bit impassioned perhaps, but not angry.)
Actually, Ski, declawing IS taking off the first joint of the cat’s “fingers”. You can’t remove the claw making tissue without taking the bone it is attached to.
Sorry, but declawing is a cruel and inhumane thing, and those who think it doesn’t bother the cat haven’t been there when he wakes up from surgery, the vet usually keeps them overnight for a reason, owners don’t really want to face the pain caused their cats.
Typically the cat is okay as he wakes up, but the next day when fully alert they cry, lick their paws alot, shake the offending paws trying to get them to stop hurting and wince when attempting the litter box, even with shredded paper. It’s really sad to watch them, it is obvious they are hurting alot.
The vet I worked for hated doing declaws, but felt that versus homelessness for the cat it was sometimes a necessary evil, but he avocated against it.
Also, especially for older cats, often they stop using the litter box altogether in favor for soft cloth, usually any clothes you may leave on the floor. You can almost always be sure of some kind of abnormal behavior or some kind of disorder right after surgery. Alot of the folks who declawed came in later complaining about the failure to use the litter box after. They were warned.
Sure, after the surgery many cats recover and get over it, but it is still physically and emotionally hard on the cat, and some end up with permanent issues. So easy for people to casually chop off the defenses of a cat, but it isn’t that simple in reality.
Granted, in a younger cat the affects in behavior are not as pronounced, basically if you are going to declaw it should be done when they are very young before they learn dependancy on their claws for climbing, balance, etc.
(Now you guys know why I didn’t want to go into it.)
Also, in the case of PurpleDoggy’s cat, this is one of the cases where if the Soft Paws option does not work, then I support declawing him, however, I’d like that to be absolute last resort. And very few vets will ever agree to back feet too, and the reality is that if Danny is to avoid any risk of being scratched that would be the only solution.
I would opt for the Soft Paws and training, no more roughhousing with the cat with hands. Play with kitty with toys and discourage any clawing behavior with negativity, he will learn not to do it.
Getting off the soapbox. And sorry if I seem a bit harsh Ski, declawing is a big negative thing for me, so try not to take it personal, it isn’t meant to be, just your comment about it not being finger chopping is misinformed.
Kyrin
I have to agree with Kyrin on this, I worked for a vet for many years, and this was a horrifying surgery to attend. I can’t put it any better that she did, however I also agree with her that if Danny’s life is on the line, this should be done as a last resort, he is after all the most important in this situation, and while it’s not the cats fault, he would probably still scratch accidentally even if his fronts were removed. and also, you can’t do anything about the teeth. I’ve had even my most loving and adoring baby Emma nip me when she was hurt or afraid. I hope that you can find a solution for this. I’d also like to point out that when i had ovarian cancer, my immune system was toast because of the chemno, and nobody said anything about my cat. That was just my situation though, Best of Luck!!
I’m not agreeing or dissagreeing. I don’t like declawing. But, as a last resort do it. I’d much rather see a cat with it’s family than abandoned just because of claws.
But, I’m just going to point out. Alot of cats get more agressive after the declawing! I’ve gotten more scratches from back claws, believe me the back claws do much more damage than front claws. I don’t know of one vet who will declaw all claws. If they do then it’ll be two seperate opperations.
My short two cents. I would never declaw any of my cats. -Never- “Last resort” or not. I would find another option, no matter what.
My own opinion.And soft paws work, depending on the cat. We’ve used them on one of my cats, but he’d get them off in a week or two, so we stopped caring lol.
Soft Claws or Soft Paws Work! I have 3 cats now and all of them wear the Soft Paws. The cat and kitten store on Ebay has great prices.
They do work and declawing is controversial.
I was already to get our new kitten declawed and my husband actually was against it because I told him what the surgery entailed.
I felt so guilty….I could not do it. Most medical precautions with cats are based on a cat that goes outside and roams. Inside cats do not usually carry the same risk as outdoor cats and that is the same for the litter box issue.
If you get a biodegradeable cat litter like Feline Pine, or a compressed pine product, you can safely dump the litter outside and use gloves and a hepa filter face mask. This eliminates having to sift litter in the box. I do this with my cats. More expensive, but well worth it. This should prevent Toxoplasmosis that could cause birth defects.
There are solutions other than declawing, if you make the effort.
Here is a website that details diseases people can contract from cats. Please note that a cat that has been indoors its entire life will probably be of little risk, even to the immunosuppressed and pregnant.
There is info on the CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/bonemarrow_transplant.htm about having cats and an organ recipient in the house. Also from OSU: http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0017.html They don’t specifically recommend declawing. However I would discuss it seriously with his doctors (in case there is something unique about Danny’s case).
ddvm wrote:There is info on the CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/bonemarrow_transplant.htm about having cats and an organ recipient in the house. Also from OSU: http://ohioline.osu.edu/vme-fact/0017.html They don’t specifically recommend declawing. However I would discuss it seriously with his doctors (in case there is something unique about Danny’s case).
Fantastic reference! Again, I will stress, most of the issues that come up with cats have to do with young cats or kittens and about animals that are allowed outside.
If your animal has been vaccinated and vet checked and you do not let it go outside, then you have less to worry about. If you keep your animal flea free and keep a litter box you can just dump, like the biodegradable pine litters, and you use gloves and a mask…then relax!
Obviously, use the claw caps and start training your cats (I think they are smarter than my dogs) and you should be okay.
Also, give the cat toys to play with and do not use your hands to wrestle with the cat.
I hope these websites help you! Please read them, they are valid, non biased links!
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