Clipping Toe Nails on a Cat

[FallinWoman 1]

I got two cats as adults and they already had their front claws out. So I only occasionally have to clip their back claws. They don't mind a bit.

I got one cat as a kitten and decided not to declaw him. Two chairs and a sofa later, I finally gave in and had them pulled. Best thing I ever did. I stopped hating the cat for destroying my house while I was away.

~Anne

I'm a Doll!!!!

[Zenister 0]

thats it put the convenience and material things first.

http://www.declawing.com/

http://community-2.webtv.net/zuzu22/stopdeclawtemporary

http://www.catsinternational.org/articles/scratching_and_declawing/declawing.html

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Declawing is an inhumane, unnecessary procedure that has many alternatives. It is never in the cat's best interest. With declawing, we are interfering with a species' nature because of our own whims, mis-conceptions, misinformation, and sometimes, laziness." Neil Wolff, D.V.M.

Dr. Nicholas Dodman, author of The cat Who Cried for Help, and director of the Animal Behavior Clinic at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine has the following to say about the procedure: "Declawing fits the dictionary definition of mutilation to a tee. Words such as deform, disfigure, disjoint and dismember all apply to this surgery in veterinary medicine, the clinical procedure serves as a model of severe pain for the testing of analgesic drugs."

Declawing is actually multiple amputations comparable to the removal of human fingertips at the first knuckle. Sensory and motor nerves are cut, damaged, and destroyed. Recovery from the surgery is a slow and painful process. This procedure can hamper the sensations and enjoyment involved in walking, running, springing, climbing, and stretching.

While declawing is a popular and lucrative practice in the United States, it is not practiced in European countries. It is, in fact, against the law, in many countries including England, Germany, and Switzerland.

Cat Owners who elect to have their paws declawed generally do so with the belief that they will never have to deal with fabric damage due to destructive scratching problems. However, paw sensitivity resulting from the declaw operation may result in litterbox avoidance and urine-soaked furnishings or carpeting.

Without its #1 defense system many declawed cats resort to nipping or biting with very little warning. They often use oral means to express their insecurity and this may also result in destructive chewing problems.

Cats, like people, react differently to physical handicaps. Some appear to be unaffected and others become nervous and defensive. When a dramatic temperament or behavior change occurs, the cat owner often decides to take the cat to a pound or shelter or have it euthanized by a veterinarian.

Destructive scratching problems are 100% correctable. Providing the cat with suitable scratching targets to satisfy this instinctive behavior and encouraging appropriate behavior is generally all that is required.

if your thinking declawing is a good option, you dont deserve cats. Give them to someone who cares more for them than for material possesions.

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[Michele 1]

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HELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLP!

this is RIDICULOUS!

ROFLMAS, yes, it is.

I got around it by using those circular clippers. All of my guys can handle that, as long as I don't get it too close to the quick. You can get them in any pet store.

And please don't get them declawed. They don't just take the nail, they take the whole knuckle. That leaves them with really deformed feet, which leads to back, hip and shoulder problems later, not to mention that most things other than smooth floors create pain - like litter. So many people complain that their cat won't use the box after they get them declawed, but never realize it's because they were declawed and it hurts to use the litter!

Good luck!

Ciels-
Michele

~Do Angels keep the dreams we seek
While our hearts lie bleeding?~

[FallinWoman 1]

Do you spay or neuter your cats? That is "mutilation" also, but you cna't convince me that is wrong, either. I think you are assigning very human emotions and characteristics to a cat. In the 15 or so cats I have lived with in my life, all but one has been declawed. Not one has had issues with the surgery after a few days of being tender. They have all used the litter box, and continued to scratch as if they have claws. I just don't think it affects a cat in the manner you might expect a similar procedure to affect a human.

[Zenister 0]

far different things, i suggest you do some extensive research.

what you 'think' because it assuages your conscious, and protects your precious possessions is completely refuted by nearly every expert on cats and their behavior.

i'm sure you'd adjust to life without your first knuckles too, but you damn sure be bitter about it. fortunately for you, and unfortunately for your cats, they cant tell you that.

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[weegegirl 2]

Okay people. HELLLOOOO? I will state right now....

I AM NOT PLANNING ON DECLAWING MY CATS!

Like most, I think declawing is cruel. That was not the point of my post. My post really had no point but to make people laugh at the struggle I was having by doing my semi-annual cat toe nail clipping festival.

So can we get over this serious debate thing or can this thread be moved to the Speaker's War Zone?

[/rant]

[Shotgun 1]

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Its easier if you dip/dunk the cat in a tub of water first.

Ok, THAT made me spit my drink out.

[FallinWoman 1]

How are they different? they are both mutilating surgeries that human elect for their cats....how can you defend one and not the other?

~Anne

I'm a Doll!!!!

[Shotgun 1]

We clip the cats' claws about once a month... it is always a challenge! The little girl (Moonshine) is fairly easy, but the boy (Iggy) throws quite a fit - we have to wrap him up in a towel and only allow one leg out at a time, otherwise there is serious carnage.

Have fun!

[Zenister 0]

cats never notice the loss of their reproductive organs once they are gone, nor would you if the same operation were performed at an age when you had no clue what occured.

now imagine going through life without your first knuckles, and btw dont forget the first knuckles on your toes as well....

http://www.avar.org/avar_cat_declawing.html

http://cats.about.com/od/declawing/

http://www.catscratching.com/

http://www.catsonly.com/Med%20Declaw.htm

http://animal.discovery.com/guides/cats/catcare/declawingintro.html

how about you actually READ and do some research instead of trying to defend an ignorant position.. find me one recognized animal professional who believes declawing is a GOOD idea.

yes the alternatives take more work and time, if you cant give that time and attention to your animals DONT ADOPT THEM

you cant go back and fix what has been done (i didnt speak to my mother for more than a year after she declawed one of my cats when i was away, i'd have rather her given her away..... ) but you can stop mutulating your animals from here on out, unless its to much bother to actually CARE for their well being over the integrety of a couch....

sorry if i get worked up about this... no actually i'm not. Cats a very dear to me...

if you cant take proper care of your pets, without unnessesary, unwarranted mutilation and surgery, you dont deserve to have them....

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[FallinWoman 1]

If a cat won't notice their reproductive organs missing, how will they miss their claws if taken at an equally young age?

I am not going to search the internet to find people who agree with my position, i have better things to do with my time.

Nothing you have shown me has convinced me that I am wrong, or that the removal of a cat's claws is detrimental to the animal in the long run. My cats are all loving, happy creatures...without front claws. I also now have furniture that is not torn to shreads....we are all happier.

Of all the issues in the world, why get worked up about this one?

~Anne

I'm a Doll!!!!

[peacefuljeffrey 0]

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ha! you're cute. i would LOVE to take the easy route, but my cats HATE the car. i can't stand their sad little meows all the way to the vet, etc. So I only take them once a year and that's that. I've got about 1 1/2 paws done on Alphonzo G. Kitty, and Dozer is all set.

OMG, my cat gets so sad in the car!
My old cat, who died, made the saddest warbling groaning meooownnn... Just about broke my heart.

But my "new" cat, she freaked me out on a FL - NY drive. I stopped in MD to get some gas to get me farther to NJ where the gas was cheaper. So at NJ, I gassed up, then drove over to the rest stop building, went inside to make a phone call, and came back out to the car to drive the rest of the way to L.I.

I wanted to check on how the cat was feeling -- she had gotten very nervous during the trip and liked to hide, or sit on my lap (and try to get down to the clutch pedal!). "Featherrrr... Honey, come out. Where are you?"

Nothing.

"Featherrr! Come on out, honey!"

Nothing.

I proceeded to move everything around the back of the car (a hatchback Subaru wagon) looking for her. I became convinced that she had managed to slip out of the car unnoticed about 100 miles back in Maryland, and that she was now wandering around the rest area parking lot, or worse, in the woods.

I broke down and started crying/yelling at myself. People even saw me despairing there in the parking lot. But for some reason, unwilling to admit loss, I checked over in the car one more time, and this time -- found the cat securely sequestered far under the driver's seat. Prior to that, I knew, she had enjoyed sitting in the rear passenger footwell for much of the trip. I had no inkling that she would wedge herself in with all the wires and rails under the seat!

I chastised her for having a laugh at my expense, and we continued on with the trip.

What a nightmare! I can just imagine how I'd feel if I had really let her get away on the highway!

-Jeffrey
-

-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

[weegegirl 2]

awe! jeff! i love your story!! i can just see you standing there screaming at yourself on the side of the road!

i know what long trips are like. i drove a big yellow truck with everything i owned from Massachusettes to Michigan a few years ago with my two cats sitting shot gun. 17 hour trip!!!! My boys are tough. They can hang.

[misskriss 0]

I completely agree with you. I have two cats and will never have them declawed. What happens if they get out and can't defend themselves, etc? Yes, they have clawed one side of my leather clouch and like to claw at the carpet. I have also bought toys for them to claw and scratch on. If I cared so much about my material possessions, I would not have pets.

[FallinWoman 1]

My cats never go outside. I would never declaw a cat if I intended for him to go outside, clearly then he would need the claws. My cats are indoor cats. They never go outside. Why do they need claws?

Take them out when the kitten in young, then he will never know they are missing and adapt to life without them, jsut as he will to life without his nuts.

~Anne

I'm a Doll!!!!

[misskriss 0]

If I never went outside again I would still use my fingers... If I did not have my uterus I just would not be able to have babies. That will not hinder my everyday life unless I emotionally wanted a child. Neutering or spaying your animal keeps unwanted animals from being born and possibly having to be put to sleep, etc because there are not enough homes for them . Not having fingers would hinder my everyday life. Let's cut the fingers off of an infant and since it was done when he was young he'll never know what he is missing?

n.

[skycat 0]

Here is how it is done in my house.

1) Get 2 scratching posts
2) Train dog to know the difference between claws scratching the post and claws on the furniture
3) Train dog to chase cat when it's scratching the furniture
4) Cat learns to only scratch the posts

Dog is currently miffed about #4, was enjoying daily romps around the house with the cat.

Fly it like you stole it!

[Paige 0]

When I moved to FL, Carrie my roomie, had 2 cats. I don't recall her ever trying to clip their nails. For reasons that probably don't need to be stated. I suggest having your vet do it at their check ups. I know this is how it was for my dog. May be a little more expensive of a visit but it will save you pain and suffering if the kitties don't remember you doing it.

Hope all is well and that your b-day went well.

Tunnel Pink Mafia Delegate
www.TunnelPinkMafia.com

[Paige 0]

Hey girlie
I so hope you and 'the Wrong One' are doing well. I've never seen him so happy so I'm pullin for you both; to see what you can show our resident FFliers or Tunnel Fliers can do.

Even with a broken hip and all, I would love to fly in the tunnel (If you guys are ever down and I'm good enough- I should be with Ari (needtojump) as my coach. I'm not one for relationships but he's the best ever. Shhhhhhh, don't tell him He's sleeping next to me but I'm not one to let boys know how I feel. I always trust the wrong ones but this time it feels right. Okay, I'm done being a girl.

I hope you and WW will schedule a visit for next time you come down to FL; if not, I'll make it out to where you guys are, given it's less than 2 hrs. each way.

Miss you both much and hope all is welll. Glad those Gatorz are workin out for ya!

Tunnel Pink Mafia Delegate
www.TunnelPinkMafia.com

[peacefuljeffrey 0]

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Do you spay or neuter your cats? That is "mutilation" also, but you cna't convince me that is wrong, either. I think you are assigning very human emotions and characteristics to a cat. In the 15 or so cats I have lived with in my life, all but one has been declawed. Not one has had issues with the surgery after a few days of being tender. They have all used the litter box, and continued to scratch as if they have claws. I just don't think it affects a cat in the manner you might expect a similar procedure to affect a human.

My family's experience with declawing is similar to yours. It didn't seem to take but a few days for the four cats we had to adjust to life after declawing.

However, I still would not do it to my cat. My mom made the unilateral decision to have my brother's two cats, my sister's one and my one declawed in 1989. She had it done without consulting us, nor did she mention to the vet, for whom my oldest sister had worked, that none of us kids knew it was being done.

I came home from school one day to find that all four cats were nowhere to be found. When my mom told me what was happening, I was furious, I cursed her out, called the vet and blasted him for doing it, and enlightened him that we kids did not know it was underway. He had already done two of the four cats, though, and told me that it really needed to be all or none. I told him that I was not going to be the one to give the go-ahead. He had to call back and speak with my dad at that point. I didn't speak to my mom for like a week.

Of course... Once the cats were healed up, the fact that they were declawed did seem to make them more docile, and since they were very personable and liked to sleep on me, it was nicer when they started to knead their paws on my neck or chest and I wasn't being gouged with ten little needles.

Still, even with that benefit, I won't have my current cat "modified" that way. If I couldn't live with a bit of clawing, I wouldn't have gotten the cat.

Put it this way: would you do it to a dog so it wouldn't scratch your wooden floors?

Blue skies,
-Jeffrey
-

-Jeffrey
"With tha thoughts of a militant mind... Hard line, hard line after hard line!"

[Zenister 0]

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If a cat won't notice their reproductive organs missing, how will they miss their claws if taken at an equally young age?

do you use your reproductive organs every day? how about your hands...

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I am not going to search the internet to find people who agree with my position, i have better things to do with my time.

you should look, I would think 10 min of your time isn’t as precious as the limbs of your pets, but that is just me… the FACTS are there are NO recognized animal experts who will agree with you. Of course your couch is more important to you than the welfare of your animals so......

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Nothing you have shown me has convinced me that I am wrong, or that the removal of a cat's claws is detrimental to the animal in the long run. My cats are all loving, happy creatures...without front claws. I also now have furniture that is not torn to shreads....we are all happier.

your cats tell you this?? talk about projection issues.....

did you bother to read any or all of the links i provided? The evidence is consistent and overwhelming....but you cant be bother to research it at all can you???

Ignorance truly is bliss for some it seems, and painful for others (your cats) particularly when it interferes with your personal convenience and the continued existence of your couch...

how sad... for your pets at least... you don’t deserve their company....

Perhaps we should do the same (take away the first portion of their digits) to your children and see how they adjust to the world, maybe that would open your mind and your eyes?? You can always keep them inside too…..

Some humans make me sick….

____________________________________
Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[Keith 0]

Are you sure you want everyone one the internet to have your phone number? Might want to PM it.

Keith

Don't Fuck with me Keith - J. Mandeville

[champu 1]

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the easy way:

pack cats into carrier.
put carrier into car.
drive to groomers.
remove cats from carrier and hand to groomer
pay $5 per cat.

You know for several years my dad and I would trim our African gray's beak/talons/wings ourselves. We'd use the towel method, my dad would hold the bird, and I would check everything and do the trimming.

This was fine until she developed a signifigant vocabulary and would start pleading with us. I'd hold her foot and just as the clippers touched the claw she'd exclaim, "Ryan... I'm your sweetheart girl!"

I couldn't take it, we had to start bringing them to the vet to have it done.