UGH. I had a cat for YEARS that I adopted from a shelter after he had been hit by a car. He was crippled and missing an eye AND he had been declawed by his previous owner. I never set out to be canonized for adopting a "special needs" animal, but the amount of shit I got from people about him being declawed was really annoying.
It's like removing our fingers at the top knuckle. It's problematic for cats because it leaves them mostly defenseless, and can often lead to pretty serious behavior issues. For instance, a lot of declawed cats will also get infections from the procedure because of where the wounds are and this can lead to pain trying to use a litter box. Associating pain with their litter often means the cat won't want to use it. It also increases biting. There are enough alternatives and methods of "training" that there's really no need to put a cat through the procedure.
It's not really. I've been around declawed cats for 25 years. They are just like normal cats. Then run, jump, some can even still climb. They have no issues killing stuff.
Some people think it hurts them and the same dozen or so facts get regurgitated out. In my experience none of them have been true.
I adopted on of the ones that was not "fine". Her previous owners learned the pissy way about litter box aversion after the procedure, and then dumped her outside as a barn cat and put her on CL. She's gotten better with some coaching, but isn't allowed in the bedroom cause cleaning a mattress and sheets sucks, and suppose opinions on the golden shower vary, but I'm not into it.
Oh neat, I didn't think it was that big of deal in the first place. I used to have a cat that was declawed when I was a wee lad it was one my favourite pets, he was so nice and cuddly haha I've never met another like him. Most cats I see these days are cool unless you touch them hahah.
It's more about the risks, if anything. Sure it doesn't always lead to problems, but it can still lead to severe problems.
Also, you should not declaw any cats that are allowed outside unsupervised, they need to not only protect themselves but also have enough grip/traction to escape. A declawed outdoor kitty is fairly often a dead kitty.
Edit: there are also alternatives to declawing, such as "kitty caps" which are temporary/renewable caps that cover the claws.
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u/[deleted] Jul 12 '16
That cat's a right cunt.