Tuesday March 4, 2008, 6:37 pm
The cat COMES WITH CLAWS! If you cannot handle that..do not get a cat! These poor animals do not deserve to have to suffer (to lose part of their toes..this is awful!)

Tuesday March 4, 2008, 8:23 pm
This is still a toe amputation. Simply get a scratching post.

Tuesday March 4, 2008, 9:20 pm
... noted ...oxoxxoox,Blu'AbbeyCat ( I have claws too)

Tuesday March 4, 2008, 10:23 pm
My oldest cat, Natasha Marie, was declawed when she was a kitten. She was in a great deal of pain when we had this done almost 14 years ago. I said I would never do that to another cat again. Thank God their wasn't any long term affects, since she acts as though she still has claws.
Then recently we had a new home built and got new living room furniture. Our other couch was torn to shreds from my other cat, Nikita. My husband threatened that if we were unable to teach Nikita to stop, we would have to get him declawed. Luckily, so far, he hasn't done too bad.
But the truth is, if I had to make a choice of declawing Nikita or giving him up, I would have had him declawed. Because I know the fate of cats (especially black one's like him) if another home is not found and I could never allow Nikita or any of my pets to be put down.
I know 'to declaw or not to declaw' is a huge debate among pet parents/owners. Declawing is not something I support (so don't send me any hate messages) and I believe other methods should be tried. I don't know anything about the laser declawing, hopefully it isn't as painful as the old method. But I believe declawing is a last resort for anyone who loves their cat.
Thanks for sharing this article Betty. It is one of those topics that I have a difficult time with personally. I know I wouldn't want someone cutting part of my fingers or toes off and I would do all I could to keep that from happening to someone I love like my furr-babies. So I absolutely do not support it.

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 5:14 am
Declawing should be illegal. Why would anyone amputate their cats toes. We simply trim our cats nails so they are sharp, and also provide scratching posts for them.

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 10:08 am
Most veterinarians I know and have talked to in NYC and at the animal fairs and clinics WILL ADVISE OWNERS NEVER TO DECLAW A CAT!!!

THis is mutilation ... plain and simple!

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 10:28 am
This should be forbidden.
A cat's body is perfectly designed to give it the grace, agility and beauty that is unique to felines. Its claws are an important part of this design. Amputating the important part of their anatomy that contains the claws drastically alters the conformation of their feet. The cat is also deprived of its primary means of defense, leaving it prey to predators if it ever escapes to the outdoors.
Thank you Betty,for sharing the article.

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 10:29 am
I had a friend once who had her cat de-clawed on all 4 feet!!! That poor poor cat would hide and never came out from behind the couch after that!!! I was so angry at her for doing that to the poor cat!! It can't even scratch an itch comfortably! De-clawing is wrong!!

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 11:53 am
Mindy J. Please don't feel bad. I had to have my cats declawed because if I get clawed my skin bleeds. Of course it's been years ago and I know my furbabies are at Rainbow Bridge waiting for me. Oh, they didn't die because of being declawed. To be honest, I'd rather not go there. Thanks for the post, Betty.

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 11:55 am
I do not understand this business about cats distroying sofas. Are thes cats always alone?
After having around 50 cats in my life including quite a few how living to be more than 20-25yrs,
Declawed cats that get outside are at the mercy of the dogs and otehr creatures wondering by. Climbing trees becomes a ????
Cats need their claws
Cats with the right character for the situation will not show thier claws.

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 12:24 pm
De-clawing is illegal here in Australia along with tail docking and ear cropping ... the latter for YEARS. Personally, I think it is barbaric to de claw cats. Would you consider taking a dogs teeth out if he was a biter?

Mindy, try putting double sided sticky tape on your furniture ...

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 1:43 pm
OUCH !! THIS IS CRUEL, I HAVE ONE CAT CLAWED & THE OTHER WAS UNCLAWED WHEN I BOUGHT IT, BUT THE TOES ARE THERE !! WHAT IS THIS NONSENSE AGAIN, ARE SOME VETS. UNQUALIFIED !!

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 1:50 pm
I THINK PEOPLE SHOULD DECLAW THEMSELVES 1ST AND SEE HOW IT FEELS,SEE HOW IT IS NOT TO HAVE NAILS FOR ANY PURPOSE.IT IS INHUNANE AND I HAVE NEVER DONE THIS TO ANY OF MY CATS.I DON'T LIKE DEBARKING EITHER.
BRENDA

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 1:51 pm
De clawing is a cruel procedure, cats suffer all their lives with sore toes!! Don't do it, get them a scratch post instead. Just one other way how man can dominate animals, in a cruel way. It should be illegal!!!!!!!!!
don't have a cat, if you can't accept them in their entirety.

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 1:53 pm
It would be the same as de nailing us humans...not okay to do. They are born with claws. Teach them to not scratch furniture and get them a pole to scratch..noted.

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 1:54 pm
I'm really against declawing of cats.If you don't wan't your furniture shred to peaces DON'T take a cat!!!!!!!!!
I have"d many cats in my live, and some cats just keep on scratching your furnature no matter what you do, or how many scratching posts you put in your home.Cats have claws for a purpose , its in there nature to scratch.

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 1:55 pm
I have to say I commend all of you that have been educated about this since doing this. That is what we all must do..educate people that it is very cruel and not okay to do. Isn't there a law trying to pass about this?..Maybe I had a dream...

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 2:24 pm
I HAVE 7 CATS, 4 BUSH KITTIES I RESCUED LAST OCT. THEY HAVE DEFINATELY DONE A NUMBER ON MY FURNITURE ALTHOUGH THERE R LOADS OF CAT POSTS AND CONDOS 2 USE, BUT I COULD NEVER WITH A CLEAR CONCIENCE DECLAW NE OF THEM. PEACE RIV.I WISH I NU OF A SPRAY 2 DETRACT THEM THAT WAZ ACTUALLY NONE TOXIC.....

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 2:59 pm
I'm also against cat declawing like daniella is. How would you like your fingernails taken from you?

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 3:09 pm
Training is the key! Get a water spray bottle, only needs to be a fine one, but one that goes a long way,so you don't have to get out of your chair. Spray them when they are doing it on your sofa, LOL,It works most times. good luck.

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 3:53 pm
"You are glad there were no long term effect" Oh really!!! They never get to climb a tree, or even a cat tree, they can't mark their territory by scratching, they can't protect themselves. If you can't handle a cat having claws, because your furniture is too good, then a cat is too GOOD for YOU!!!!

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 3:54 pm
Cats need their claws - it actually affects their confidence and you can see outgoing cats become shy and withdrawn. Not to mention the pain of using a litterbox. No wonder some declaws stop - which ends up with them at shelters.

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 4:20 pm
noted thanks for posting

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 4:31 pm
I believe declawing is absolutely inhumane. If they should happen to get outdoors or are attacked they have no way to defend themselves. Additionally, it throws their balance off because of the amputation. I know some vets who refuse and I applaud them. I rescue cats and when I rescued 5 kittens and their mothers almost 2 years ago, I turned two potential adopters away because they have to sign an adoption agreement and one of the items is that the cats can not be declawed under any circumstance. The mothers got adopted and I still have the 5 kittens. Obviously, they are mine now. If people can not take the time to teach a cat to use a scratching post, a piece of carpet or something, then they don't deserve to have the cat. Declawing is just a solution for people who don't want to take the time to train and are thinking only of themselves and not the cat. God gave them claws for a reason; leave it to man to come up with a poor solution to replace the way of the cat that he thinks is better than what God created.

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 5:24 pm
When I've had cats, I've clipped their claws. I know they can still do a little bit of damage, but it's a lot easier to deal with. My last cat was angry when I did that, and she made it very difficult. I clipped them correctly, so her paws wouldn't hurt, but some cats are like that. However, it had to be done now and then, and so it was. After she hid angrily for half a day, I was quite apologetic and would get her favorite treat. We made up. Till the next time. :) Some cats just don't like being messed with. She hated being brushed, too! Couldn't tolerate it. Domestic animals have to go through so much! :)
I don't agree with declawing, unless it's a larger kind of cat that's been domesticated. Sometimes a little wildness can still be there, and the claws are larger, so declawing is necessary.
The biggest problem I have with declawing is that accidents, disasters, etc. do happen, and if a cat is outside without it's claws, it can be in a lot of danger. Claws are cats weapons to defend themselves, and, without them, they are pretty much defenseless.

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 5:26 pm
I once put woven mats over all the floors of my rented apartment and really saved the carpet, so it didn't need replacing.

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 5:52 pm
There is no dilemma for me.
De-clawing is simply never done.
I have heard it equated with having
one's fingernails and toenails torn
out.
De-clawing demoralises a cat quite
badly. With their claws gone, they
feel defenseless. They are not able
to groom properly which can lead to
skin diseases which can progress to
things more serious.
Any way you look at it, de-clawing
a cat is a horrible idea. It's become
very difficult indeed to find a vet in
the U.S. who still does de-clawings.
Thank you, Betty.
noted.

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 6:42 pm
I don't understand declawing. I have had many cats and never gave it a thought. As many have written, training is the key. There are even sprays available to assist in the training. Folks write and sign petitions to stop the declawing of large cats that are in captivity, and the pulling of teeth form other captive large beasts. Why is it socially acceptable to have a domestic cat's claws and toe parts removed???

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 7:20 pm
My daugher-in-law had her kitten declawed. The poor thing was crippled from it and when she accidently got out, was killed by a fox. I have never declawed, will never declaw and would rather have maimed furniture than maimed cats!

Thank you.

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 7:25 pm
Hey .. the cat is born with claws... cuz you are born with fingernails should we remove them... I say if you can't handle what the cat does you shouldn't get the cat... you have a responsibilty to that cat when you get it... & the cat trust you to love them no matter what they should do...if you want a nice house with nice things intact then don't get a cat.. we have 16 & I can say that declawing any of them is not on my mind EVER..& we do live with what they do.. CUZ WE LOVE THEM UNCONDITIONALLY...we may not have nice things.. but we do have HAPPY CATS... & thats okay by us

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 7:42 pm
I couldn't have said it better, Deborah, thank you!

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 7:57 pm
Beautifully stated, Deborah!
Thank you! :-)

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 8:48 pm
I am totally against de-clawing cats, I have 5 cats and yes, they are pretty distructive to furniture and woodwork, but I would never think of having their claws ripped out.

Wednesday March 5, 2008, 11:13 pm
I am against declawing.It is mutilation.If someone values furniture more than living creatures than buy a toy,and leave cats alone.

Thursday March 6, 2008, 1:53 am
This is cruel and highly inhumane. Respect the Creator; respect the creation!

Thursday March 6, 2008, 3:21 am
Deborah, that's a perfect one!
Much better to have happy cats, than sterilized looking "nice & new" things around the house. Most people change them anyway several times during a lifetime... so, what's the deal?
Cats have claws, de-clawing is much like de-tail them. It's a mutilation that is painful, senseless, and has bad consequences all life long.
Teach your cat to scratch the pole, not other things, nor people, and trim.
Worked perfectly with a cat I had and many cat of friends of mine.

Thursday March 6, 2008, 5:52 am
Furniture is just made from wood and cloth a cat is flesh and bone. If your furniture is so important then don't have cats!!
How can people be so shallow!

Thursday March 6, 2008, 9:06 am
It is NOT "declawing" it is digital mutilation. Where the hell the term "declawing" came from, I do not know. It's just another euphemism that originated in America, like "neuter" is used for castration (neuter means without a sex, neither male nor female) and "sleeping with someone" is used for having sex. (I slept in the same bed with my sister when we were young and we certainly weren't having sex!!) Perhaps if it were referred to properly, Americans wouldn't be so damn willing to mutilate their pets.

Thursday March 6, 2008, 12:41 pm
When I got my feral furbaby in 1996, she was about a yr old. She needed a scratch post and to entice her to use it I got fresh catnip and showed her the scratching motion while rubbing catnip on the pole. I have never had a problem with her, so hhhmmm tips are worth the try eh?

Thursday March 6, 2008, 4:12 pm
Sorry - declawing is barbarian. It is painful and the last diggit of the toe is cut of. I wonder if anyone would like to have i done to themselves. Scratch posts in the right places and hight are the answer. You can;t have the cake and eat it as well Don't get a cat ---- GRRRRRRR makes me mad

Thursday March 6, 2008, 4:44 pm
I brought in a stray cat who was severely hurt. The vet said he only had a few days to live. And we never declawed him. And guess what we have had no problems. Yeah his claws can sometimes hurt, but nothing like the pain and demoralizing that my loveable cat would have gone through.

Thursday March 6, 2008, 5:06 pm
Neither of my cats are declawed. They simply need a post to scratch on. I would never cut off my babies "fingers". I wouldn't do it to my kids and I won't do it to my cats.

Friday March 7, 2008, 6:10 am
I am so content in my choice to NOT declaw my precious Skyler. He went through so much already: he was found as a stray, starving and nearly frozen to death, with a tattered collar around his little neck, but no tag. We took him in after his "foster" mommy nursed him back to health; now he is in his forever home, gaining weight, healthy, happy, and affectionate. After all that, how could I have his first joints on his toes amputated unnecessarily??? He would have no idea what was happening and would wonder why I was letting it happen to him; plus, consider the painful recovery, in which he would have to paw around his litter box with sore, open wounds. I think it a cruel, unnecessary practice. As someone else stated, cats come with claws!!! Take them or leave them!

Friday March 7, 2008, 8:30 am
To cut claws of cats is like cutting fingers. They have nervs inside the claws and need them to move, climb and feel complete. These nerves are sensitive. Who does this cutting does not like cats.

Friday March 7, 2008, 9:54 am
I have 9 cats and 4 babies...and how would we like our own nails lasered off...leave the kitties alone like they are born!! not to human satisfaction!!!

Friday March 7, 2008, 10:17 am
It could be just nails, which might not seem like an important part to some people, but still it IS part of the cat and taking them off to prevent it from scratching is truly inhuman! They are given to the cats for a reason and no one has a right to remove them for any reason!

Friday March 7, 2008, 11:02 am
When our beloved Tigger first came to live with us after being abandoned by his previous family he went outside everyday as long as the weather was nice. I thought the sunshine, fresh air, and exercise were good for him, and he got to play and explore and cultivate his natural curiousity. I also had high vet bills because he got into fire ants, ate things that made him sick, fell into a cactus, and other things. After seeing a dog get hit by a truck one day I decided that Tigger would be an indoor cat. A couple of months later I weakened and let him outside. He got into three fights that I know of and his claws were a mess. I tried to clean and treat them, but they hurt too much. Some of his claws were splintered and there was nothing left but the quick. One was split and fur from his opponents was wedged in between the two halves of this claw. I noticed something funny about one claw and held it up to the light. It was filled with blood. I was terrified that some kind of pathogen would get into his bloodstream and maybe kill him or cause an infection in one of his beautiful forelegs. I was panic-stricken and decided to have him declawed. I didn't realize how painful it would be fore him. He recovered beautifully, and when he died about fourteen years later he still had all four of his beautiful legs. If I had it to do over again I would have kept him in so his claws wouldn't have been injured in the first place. He was so much healthier after he was declawed because I finally realized he was better off inside. I know most people who have their cats declawed do so because they want to keep them inside. I keep the two cats I have now inside because I don't want to have them declawed. If I could do it over again I would have kept Tigger inside so his claws wouldn't have been injured in the first place.

Friday March 7, 2008, 11:23 am
NO WAY IT'S ABUSE TO ANY ANIMAL!!!!!

Friday March 7, 2008, 12:02 pm
My cat Taz Dee came to me as a stray 14 years ago. She was declawed and to this very day has pain in her front paws because of it!

Friday March 7, 2008, 1:31 pm
No Dilemma for me!!! I have had lots of cats in my life over the years and never declawed any!!! I always educate friends and acquaintances in gruesome, painful and gory detail whenever they talk about doing this. And I'm usually successful... In general it creates more problems than it solves-- there are ALWAYS alternatives.

Monday March 10, 2008, 11:28 am
I have heard of a procedure called Lazering. My cats still have their claws and although the inside cat(I am still trying to get the outside cat to come in)has a scratching post, she has began to claw the furniture even after repeated scolding.I will have to have that procedure researched before I will agree to it. I have to becareful because I risk infection if she claws me while playing because of the leukemia.I have to disinfect any scratches I get. If my cat is going to be hurt by the procedure, I will not have it done. In my house the CAT RULES! She just let's us live here.

Monday March 10, 2008, 1:00 pm
Noted, thanks Betty and Jossie. I feel that cats should not have their claws removed. Just ask them and they will tell you no way are you going to remove my claws! Of course cats don't talk to us in the way humans talk but if they could that is exactly what they would say. I am totally against removing cat's claws. A spray water bottle works (sometimes that's what my daughter uses)but I feel if you can't deal with the claws then maybe you shouldn't have a cat. The animals rights and freedom come first before your own comfort and needs. I just think that if I were a cat I would rather be living in the wild then have my claws removed.

Monday March 10, 2008, 9:05 pm
People are being falsely led to believe that laser surgery will somehow be a painless procedure, and that it is OK to have your animal declawed by this method. Longterm problems associated with any amputation will still present themselves.

The following is a list of countries in which declawing cats is either illegal or considered extremely inhumane and only performed under extreme circumstances.

England, Scotland, Wales, Italy, France, German, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Slovenia, Portugal, Belgium, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Yugoslavia, Japan...

Cats need their claws !