pill pockets work wonders.

I know. I have to give my cat pills all the time.

I have a feeling that I may have to resort to that because my cat loves my son and my son hates it when the cat scratches him , and my baby is only 5 months old but I'm trying to see if the cat will stop as soon as he starts to crawl and move around and grab things better

You can buy rubber claw tips as an alternative. They last for a good 6 months and result in painless scratching. Buy them online and get your vet to glue them on. Declawing is cruel. How would you like your fingers and toes cut from the knuckle?

As much as I agree with finding alternatives to declawing if you can, 43, your argument is a little flawed. Cats' claws aren't analagous to human fingers and toes; they're analagous to human NAILS. Declawing is a certainly a procedure that comes with ethical arguments attached, but it's really not the same as chopping off someone's fingers.

No - declawing does not just take off the claws, it literally takes off up to the knuckles. THAT is a large part of why it is so cruel. America is the only place that still does this.

Kind of - they take off the distal phalange, the very last and very small bone. I'm not saying I think it's a good thing to do if you have other options, but given that scratching is pretty high up on the list of why cats are turned into shelters, one could consider it a better option than being abandoned and euthanized (right now, about 90% of cats turned into American shelters are being euthanized due to a lack of homes). For the record, my cat has all of her claws.

it may be mean but it saves you from spending a bunch of money from having to get new clothes and funriture often. I mean I don't like having to get my cats declawed but it save us Americans money.

Maybe you should look into getting a pet that doesn't inconvenience the state of your furniture and clothes.

If you can't put up with the scratching don't get a cat. Even In the case of small children that don't know any better I still don't think declawing is the right thing. I was scratched by my cat when i was a toddler because i pulled his tail so I pretty much deserved it. Cats don't often scratch without just cause and any cat that is moe agressive should be supervised or kept away from the kid, if possible. Declawing a cat to save your furniture is selfish and cruel. You know how i stopped my kitten scratching the furniture. I bought him a scratching post. Even clipping their claws will help for a bit and that doesn't hurt. Declawing is wrong. End of

Palmtrees: I don't think you read my statement properly; I did not say declawing was analogous to cutting off fingers, I just asked the person before me to consider what it would be like. You must consider that it is a form of amputation due to the claw being rooted deep within the digits. The main point of my comment was that declawing is cruel and unnecessary due to the development of these rubber caps I mentioned. And as for the moron who cares more for their clothes and furniture: your stupidity leaves me speechless...

It also permanently leaves them suffering with immense discomfort and imbalance when then walk. So imagine getting your toes hacked off to the equivalent extent; you wouldn't be able to walk the same again. Even so, lucky for humans, we have longer feet with much more surface area touching the floor as we walk than cats do, and they must support their while weight. A horrible procedure to undergo, indeed.

I was thinking the same thing. Quite perverse really.

I have three cats. One had to be declawed because there was an infection when we got her and there wasn't a way to treat it. No, my other two cats aren't declawed. The one that is may not like it, but she is not suffering. Stop acting like everyone who declaws their cats are animal abusers or something, because some people have a reason.

instead of declawing your cat, you could also just raise your cat correctly, we've had around 6 cats (3 atm) none has ever scratched me, my family, chlotes or any furniture. just raise the damn cat correctly and teach them that usinh their claws is a bad thing.

Many shelters in California, USA have rules/forms that you sign saying that you cannot/will not declaw your cat when you adopt.

#26, exactly. Why assume all pet cats are declawed until told otherwise? Also, OP, the cat is not an IT! Didn't the owner tell you the sex of the cat?

if u do at a VERY young age it does not hurt as much

declawing cats = Americans? didn't know that...

'as much' being the important part. It's not just the pain, either - cats need claws, that's why they have them. They use them to climb, and to fight neighbourhood cats and dogs. Declawing a cat makes them defenseless.

Declawing a cat is like cutting your finger off from the knuckle instead of trimming your nails. Just get a claw clipper or claw tips. There's no need to mutilate your cat for your own personal preference. Oh, and I'm American. :/

Are you saying cats are harmless, or Americans or harmless? Neither is the case. Most people let cats outside, where they tend to hunt the indigenous animals. Even with that, however, cats should not be declawed. Just keep them in the damn house or use a leash.

I had two cats, both of whom had their front paws de-clawed because my mother didn't like my sister and I being covered in scratches. It wasn't because we were mean to the cats or anything it was because they would jump on/off us with their front claws out. They would climb up our legs, furniture, and screen doors using their claws. we did not allow them outdoors so we didn't worry about them fighting other animals.

The biggest problem with them climbing on the screen doors was that neither of them could down once they got up so they would wind up just hanging there until someone got them down. That's not so bad if we were at home but a lot of times we weren't. That was when we had a screen on the inside instead of outside of the glass door.

actually 23 I just put them in a bucket and toss them in the local river, my sister does the same with puppies.

Its also because cats can get dirt and infections under their nails.. and then when that goes into a person's skin? declaw cats.

1) It is an American thing. Other countries refuse to do it anymore. 2) Declawing cats is literally cutting a chunk of their bone off, because the cats claws don't grow on the skin like human nails. The cats come from the bones and are retracted with a tendon. Not only can they never defend themselves, they can't climb, and they often develop behavioural issues such as refusing to use the litterbox due to the pain of their paws. Now your cat doesn't scratch you or your furniture, but he's a mess mentally and he poops in your shoes! Google "declawing", I can't post the link here apparently... pages come with pictures.

Why get a cat if you don't allow it outward... It's as cruel as declawing it ! Don't get pets if you can't let them go out or are unable to raise them so they don't bite or scrap people o_O

@94: Indoor cats have longer lifespans than outdoor cats. Both of my outdoor cats have had painful deaths: one was hit by a car, the other got into a fight with a dog. The vet actually recommended we keep our current cats indoors.

#51 many people don't let their cats go outside because of cars trucks and dogs. so then their is no need for claws.

America is the only country in the world where declawing is still legal, so the practice is of course associated with Americans.

how very American of you

Is it cold and wintery where you live? Then gosh, it must be winter and cold all over the world! How very egocentric of you. I realise OP is from the US, and in southern Florida and southern California, it's still rather warm. And golly, in the southern hemisphere it's summer!

Wow so OP either lives in Florida or California because DocBastard says so? You aren't God, buddy. It's perfectly reasonable to wonder why they would be wearing shorts in december. Considering there are 48 other much colder states. That comment wasn't egocentric at all.

it was 35 c for me today in nz and its hotter in austalia so op could be in southern hemisphere ?

I'm pretty sure it says he's from the USA.

it didn't say op did this in the winter, it was just added or whatever in the winter.

I know right, when you declaw your cat, you cut off their fingers (if they have any, which they don't) and protection.