I was forced to declaw my cat.?

I have had this cat for my entire life, since the time I was 5.


My mother freaked out when the cat clawed our unbelieveably expensive couch, and blamed mine because the other two cats are already declawed.


I'm not ever going to give up my cat, he's my baby. But my mother said "Declaw or we're giving him away." I regret having his declawed and it's only been a day since the procedure. I feel terrible for doing this, I have always viewed declawing as inhumane and I fought tooth and nail to get my mother to change her mind.





I obviously had no choice, I was not parting with my baby. So now that it's done, I went to look up information on how to make him more comfortable and make him feel better so that he doesn't suffer. I'm terrified this will change his personality, he is literally the best cat ever. But every website I have come across tells me declawing is cruel which i KNOW. I want to know how to make him feel better! Help!

I was forced to declaw my cat.?
you have my sympathy. I hate declawing also, it is cruel and inhumane. Your kitty will be fine. his feet will be sore for a few days and it would be best if you just put shredded newspapers in his liter box for 7-10 days. He will probably wash his feet frequently but other than that just cuddle him and love him like you always have. declawing should not change his personality at all, he just should NEVER be permitted to go outside because he no longer has any defense against preditors.
Reply:If you have had the kitty that long, then give him plently of love, separate him from the other cats. Your cat may act frightened now, he will recover, give him reassurance just as you would to a human who had had surgery. Give him a "special blanket" to lay on and keep food and water close, so he doesnt have to walk so far.
Reply:take it to the vet, AND LET THEM GIVE HIM/HER SOME PAIN PILLS!
Reply:Just to let you know that declawing a cat will not change a cats Personality at all. People are getting it all wrong. It does not change their behavior or what they do.


Just give your cat a lot of love and attention.





My cat was declawed and she is living a happy life and she can jump up and down from my furniture and play with her toys and she has no behavorial problems. She can do everything.
Reply:declawing ur cat dosent change his persanality....i declawed my two cats and they act the same....just let him heal and he'll b good as new....he will always b ur baby wether declawed or nt...
Reply:Just give your cat lots of loving!!!!! I feel as you do %26amp; never had my cats declawed for that reason. Unfortunately, you have to listen to your mom, who does believe in declawing. As for changing his personality, I have never heard of declawing affecting the personality.
Reply:My cat was declawed just before I got her. She was a little sore for a few days but bounced right back. She was a little shy and aprehensive for a while and she is still (7 years later) very reserved around new people in the house. I jus t make sure to give her lots of reassurance and love and I provide her with plenty of hiding places she can go to when she does not feel safe. Another thing is that she no longer likes to be picked up. She loves to be held and snuggled but only if she comes to you. Try to let your cat still be the "boss" and he /she should be fine. I would also warn against letting him out... declawed cats are pretty defenseless and should not go outside.


PS: My cat's balance was not affected at all.
Reply:Oh that poor baby! I have never done that to my cats mostly becouse there outside. And I had tought them when they were kittens that they were not to claw things. All I can say. is dont put them on high places, becouse he cant balance anymore. And Maybe little ooties with cusion in them might help. Sry your mom made you do that! Good luck on keeping hi comfy.
Reply:did the vet give you pain meds for your kitty? that will help alot. also use shredded news paper for him for at least 2 weeks instead of regular cat litter. make sure he does not jump off of anything too high for a while. if you dont have pain meds for him, get some! buprenex is a great one. talk to your vet or find one that does prescribe it.
Reply:well it probably wont change his personality I agree u shouldnt have to I think its cruel 2 but I think u should baby him more then u usually do after the declawing it's going to b harder on him then it's going to b on u remember dat


%26amp; u may b mad @ ur mom but when u get angry and want to yell @ her just go take care of ur baby who is in pain
Reply:he's a cat he needs claws. he will not feel like a cat without them. there is a certain age when cats are too old to be declawed. reason being is because they get used to using them and most of their scent glands are in their claws. i think you should have explored your options a little better. maybe trim or cut claws.your cats personality WILL change!
Reply:I'm with you, declawing is cruel and unneceesary. I have 2 cats that I adopted that were declawed by their previous owner, and I truly believe it traumatized them both. However, for your kitty, the deed is done.


Make sure he has adequate pain medication. Make sure it's quiet for him, and the other kitties don't bother him. Give him lots of affection and attention while he's recuperating. Give him his favorite treats. Reinforce to him that you love him, and that will go a long way to keeping him happy. But you can never, ever allow him outside.


I'm sorry your mom made you do this. You sound like a wonderful pet owner, however!
Reply:declawing a cat will not heart it. or pother the personality it will still think it has claws and tries to sharpen them put it wont do nothing to your moms couch
Reply:De clawing is much easier on them when they are kittens and don't have as much weight to carry. Did your vet offer you anything that they called a Fentanyl Patch or Morphine Patch? If so that is the best pain relief. It is a sticky patch that is placed on a small spot of shaved skin and the medication is slowly absorbed through the skin and lasts up to 3 days. After 3 days the cats are usually over the most painful part. You also want to keep him from jumping on and off of things as this will cause more trauma. I know he's a cat and it is hard to do. If you think he is still having some pain the vet can give you some pain relief tablets to give him for a day or two. Don't use human pain relievers as cats are very sensitive and this could do more harm than good!





Please keep in mind that when your cat was declawed he did NOT feel a thing while the procedure was happening. He was under anesthetic in a deep sleep just like he would be for any other surgical procedure. Cruel??? Personally I think it would be more cruel to have to find him a new home or have him end up in a shelter.





All of my cats have been declawed and they are all happy healthy kittys and still play outside. In fact my one cat, until his old age caught up to him, would still climb trees and come back down. He is still an awsome hunter. My cats are only front declaws which is the common practice so they still have some protection from their back claws. A cat that has been declawed front and back should be kept strictly indoors as it has no way to protect itself.
Reply:when i had my cat declawed, which is a horrible thing to do, i just gave him his meds, placed him on something soft and fluffy on my bed. then i put a litter box of dry oatmeal next to the bed so he didn't have to go very far. i had food and water near him too. this way , he didn't have to go far for anything until his paws healed. i also layed by him and loved him and petted him. your cat will get better each day. don't worry. it'll be o.k.
Reply:I'm sorry you had to declaw your baby. I know how hurt you are. I had one of my cats declawed. Here's our story. Velvet was about 7. She was constantly scratching the furniture and chewing on her nails. I tried all the tricks I had read about or thought about to keep her from scratching. Nothing worked. Unfortunately, all this happened before the internet became big and I didn't know it was "cruel" to declaw and I really didn't know about soft paws nail caps. I decided to have her declawed, not because of my furniture but because she seemed so unhappy and I didn't know what else to do. So I took my cat to the vet and tell them I want her declawed. When I came back that afternoon to visit her, all 4 of her paws were bandaged. I was livid, I was hurt, I felt a level of guilt that I didn't know existed. How could they have declawed her back feet?? That is so wrong, terribly wrong. I calmly went to them and told them that they made a mistake and I was only paying for the front paws. They were ok with that. If I hadn't done it as calmly as I did, I honestly believe I would have snapped and I would have done some jail time. The recovery was difficult since she was so old and it was all four paws. BUT HERE'S THE THING....after she recovered, she was happier than she had ever been. She was kneading me for the first time ever, and purring like crazy. She didn't seem to be nearly as aggrevated by not having claws as she was by having them. I know at the time I was uneducated on the best way to take care of a cats claws and that's my fault. But I was fortunate enough to be blessed with a wonderful cat that forgave me and is now happier than she was before. The down side is that she has phantom toe syndrom and will sometimes chew on her feet until she yelps in pain and runs away. I just think of this as God's way of reminding me to always research any big decision I'm going to make before I make it. Make sure I know ALL the facts, all the pros and cons. It took me about 6 years to get over the guilt of what I had done but I've finally forgiven myself because of how well my cat turned out.





You need to remember that this was not your choice. This was your mother's choice. You fought for your cat and because of your age you lost. You have nothing to feel guilty about. Know that your cat will be fine.
Reply:Since you have to liston to your mom you were not the cruel one. Once you move out don't declaw. Give him his meds. and don't let him out he can't defend himself now. Keep on loving him and he'll feel better. Also try not to mess with his feet for a while
Reply:I feel really sorry for your cat (and for you) I know how you must be feeling right now. But I feel your mom didn't give you the right options to stop your cat from scratching anything, instead of declawing your cat (which I consider is one of the most cruel things you can do to it) you could just clip it's nails periodically (it's less expensive and not cruel) and buy it a scratching post, besides your mom should know it's in a cat's nature to scratch things and if they didn't need claws they would be born without them.





I hope this answer helped


✭gabydt8✭
Reply:I have heard that declawing a cat at an older age can have an effect on it.. BUT... just give him lots of extra attention... and be prepared that he may have some changes in behavior--maybe litter box issues...





you need to separate him from the others and put him in a room w/ his own litter box that has paper litter--I just tore up news paper when my cats were declawed.





Also, I'd like to recommend a homeopathic remedy.. a lot of the volunteers at the animal shelter swear by this stuff!





it's called "rescue remedy" and it's available at Whole foods (maybe central market or other places like that). It's droplets, or spray (that I know of). it basically helps calm your pet when it's been through a stressful event. I used it for my kittens who got a kitty cold, and they seemed more relaxed and calmer once I started giving it to them. I KNOW at the whole foods I got it at that there was an info. brochure and inside of it was a $1 off coupon! it runs about 10 bucks..





I've declawed both of my cats (at a younger age) and they're just fine... I felt HORRIBLY guilty after my second baby got declawed... they just wrapped his poor little paws in gauze and didn't use surgical glue... it was the saddest thing.. but after 3-4 days he was better and back to himself.... my arms are very thankful that I made that decision.





you did the right thing---your mom's happy and you didn't have to take your baby to the shelter... just give him lots of love! :)
Reply:Relax he'll get over it. We've also declawed a 20 yr. old cat at our clinic two yrs. ago and he's doing great still! It took him about 2 wks. to recover without pain meds. They have to know their limits to restrictive activity the pain meds are unnecessary and seem to do more harm than good. we use different methods for helping the kitties we see that are declawed. be patient and supportive you are a good "daddy" to care so much.
Reply:Although I do not agree with having a cat declawed, I can tell that you really care for this animal, and did what you had to do, to keep the cat. His personality won't change, and I only wish there were more pet owners out there like you. Good luck!!!
Reply:A clawless life is one without self-defense, psychologically. I haven't the foggiest about what a cat thinks but I know that deprived of what nature has given him, he is without something he needs to express himself. Cats operate with their senses and when deprived of claws lose part of what they need to be happy. Besides the physical mutilation a declawing can change a cat's emotions. Because a cat is now defenseless (emotion is part of the physical whole), personality and disposition may completely change. A cat could become aggressive and mentally have a difficult time adjusting to a clawless life. Think about how you would feel if someone cut off your fingertips? Deprived of its claws, a cat may turn to its only other form of defense- its teeth. It is fairly common for a declawed cat to become a biter. They do this out of fear and frustration. The last thing we want to do is mess up our cats mentally because all aspects of behavior are affected (including litter box habits)! Scratching has a soothing, comforting effect that creates a tranquil disposition.





1. No reduction in scratching hard objects- Scratching is a natural phenomenon. Cats simply enjoy scratching. Declawing never helps to prevent scratching.





2. Unsafe to cats- you should not allow the declawed cat to go outside because it can't fight with other cats and also unable to climb up the tree also!





3. You may experience litter box problems. Cats normally cover their wastes. But the declawed cat may experience pain in their paws, which will prevent them to urinate the litter box and soil the surroundings.





4. Due to change in the structure of the first knuckle, the cats with no claws develop long-term medical problems- pain in the knee and hip joints, and debilitating arthritis.





5. Your cat may distrust you, who is responsible for such a pain. Other personality changes also being recorded- docile tabby changed into temperamental tiger, or suffered from 'Phantom pain'. (and since it's a well-known fact that cats are masters at hiding their pain, you'll probably think kitty is fine and happy as so many mistakenly do)








Did the vet mention that a cat, when awake, spends about 1/3 of its time grooming itself? That the claws play an important role in this function, and that grooming is the way a cat helps to control its body temperature, its scent signals, skin irritations, and more?





Did the vet mention that the cat requires its claws for balance, to jump, to climb, and that “declawing” your cat then makes your cat susceptible to back problems, arthritis, joint problems and other foot problems that he would not otherwise face – because declawing results in a gradual weakening of the back, shoulder and leg muscles? Did the vet mention that cats walk on their toes, not the pads of their feet, and declawing forces them to walk in an unnatural way?





Did the vet mention that many declawed cats resort to biting as an alternative method of defense? That some declawed cats become very aggressive because their primary defense is taken away? That many declawed cats stop using the litterbox because it is so painful?





No. Unfortunately, too many vets do not tell us these things before we have our cats declawed. And many caring but uninformed cat guardians agree to declawing on the advice of the medical professional they should be able to trust. We applaud those vets who do tell the truth and inform their clients fully about this “procedure.”





A 1994 study by the Department of Veterinary Clinical Sciences at Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine found that of 163 cats who were declawed, 50 percent had one or more complications immediately after surgery, such as pain, hemorrhage, lameness, swelling, and non-weight bearing. Of the 121 cats whose progress was followed after surgery, 20 percent had continued complications, such as infection, regrowth, bone protrusion into the pad of the paw and prolonged intermittent lameness and palmagrade stance (abnormal standing posture).





”Seventy percent (70%) of cats turned into pounds and shelters for behavioral problems are declawed cats.”





There are alternatives to declawing did you try them?
Reply:Good job....so now your cat is unable to defend itself against lets say a skunk or racoon.....is unable to climb which is its natural defense.....unable to catch food.....your mother needsto have her finger cut off....lets see how your MORON mother likes that.