This is, by the way, my hundreth article.

Don't forget water.

Why do people do this? A little disipline is a lot easier than tearing out your cat's claws.


~Zoo

And a little fertilizer?

Congrats on the milestone!  

Water isn't really needed if you give 'em wet food. Sometimes.

Actually, cats can use a toilet for water. If you don't have a toilet, you've got a problem.

My cat was actually a couple years old when I got her, so she had to have her claws out. She ignored scratching posts. In the way of the objects she prefered. Such as expensive speakers. She's an indoor cat, so I figured if it causes her pain... well... she asked for it.

My suggestion, if you have pets or children, do not buy anything for full price ever. Buy broken, crappy, used stuff. Why? Because if you buy an expensive thing, it will be a broken, crappy, used thing in two days anyway.

I'd had those speakers for a loonnggg time. Before the cat was born. And I got the cat used. But fixed.

I remember my first baby.  It was kind of like having a cat.  Pretty cute usually.  But then when he turned two he started getting into everything so I took him to the doctor and had all his fingers cut off.  Man...it was so funny watching him try to scratch his ears with those bandages all over his little stumps.

Ock, you're evil (takin' it literally).

A house-cat doesn't really need claws. It's not like it scratches itself with 'em. Also, if they do have an itch, they'll seek a person or rub something. It's not debilitating like it is to a creature that uses primarily their hands for lifting and gripping small objects. They never pick anything up, save toys.

You think so, huh?

Cats International says you're full of it.

Some important excerpts from the linked article, for the lazy:

In nearly every country where cats are kept as companion animals declawing is illegal or effectively banned . . .

The humane community has a serious responsibility and unique opportunity to educate the cat-owning public about this inhumane practice. Relying on amputation as a means to manage normal cat behavior sets a dangerous precedent for our relationship with our companion animals. In many scientific journals declawing is accurately referred to as “elective mutilation” . . .

“Declawing fits the dictionary definition of mutilation to a tee. Words such as deform, disfigure, disjoint, and dismember all apply to this surgery.”

Drop the euphemism “declawing” which denotes a mere nail removal and call it what it really is—partial digital amputation.

Explain that declawing is equivalent to amputating a person’s finger or toe at the first knuckle.

Looks like you're wrong, erathoniel - and inhumane to animals for having such a procedure performed and for advocating its use.

Maybe you just didn't know that when a cats claws are removed, their "fingers" (what you'd call fingers if you saw the skeleton) are amputated at the first digit.

 

Edit:  I see SanChonino covered this more thoroughly.

Yes, I do know how it would happen, but cats do not need their fingers. They do not make a living by gripping things or lifting things through fine manipulation. My cat doesn't mind.

I think the problem with people's view about declawing is that they assume a cat's claws perform the same function as human nails and thus maybe cant see the harm. A cat relies on its claws for balance and removing them places undue stress on other parts of the body. They are also an important part of a cat's scenting/claiming ritual as they have glands in their paws and the clawing action helps them do this.

Declawing really is quite brutal from a cat's point of view. And even if it wasnt so traumatic for the cat, it still saddens me that people think chopping bits off their pet is ok just so it fits in with their life style or doesnt damage the sofa etc.. To me it demonstrates a total lack of respect for their pet and I wonder why they got it in the first place.

It's so very Christian of you to justify, condone, and encourage mutilation.

Maybe we should have your cranium removed - doesn't seem like you're using it much.

Funny, SanCho. Very funny.

My cat actually shows no long-term damage. She did hide under the bed for a while. She has no balance problems. She still makes the scratching gesture, though, occasionally.

Second, I really didn't care about the de-clawing. I wasn't really pressing for it. I really didn't care, but it was strongly recommended to the point where I was almost forced.

Will you, I wouldn't normally declaw (heck, even spay or neuter) a cat, but she was being destructive and in hindsight, it helped a lot. Never mind that she was chopping off little bits of me.

My cat has a very soft life, so having her claws removed, though traumatic, was only a slight repayment.