My 5-year-old cat claws furniture. What are my declawing options?

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to address your question. It is true that older cats have a harder time post op with declaws in my experience. It's not that you shouldn't do the declaw procedure, it is just more uncomfortable for them. There are alternative options to declawing such as Soft Paws, in which caps are glued onto the nails to prevent scratching. These are easy to put on and last about 2 weeks. I would also provide plenty of scratch posts and toys to see if this helps. If you end up resorting to declawing, the post op recovery period tends to be longer in older cats. I hope this helps guide you in the right direction. Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns and I would be more than happy to help you further.

Hi there and thank you for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach! I always recommend trying alternative methods first such as Soft Paws, scratch posts or keeping the nails trimmed back with frequent nail trims. If all else fails, then declawing is something that is safe but can be very painful for them. If you do end up declawing Binx, I recommend prophylactic antibiotics afterwards to prevent a post op infection. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions or concerns.

I'm sorry you are having problems with Elliot. I would discourage you from having him declawed. Declaw surgery involves amputation of the last bone of the digit. So if you look at your fingers, its the equivalent of cutting off your finger below your fingernail, at that top knuckle. Now imagine having to bear weight on it. Especially in adult cats, recovery can be very painful, long, and difficult, and can even change their personality to some degree. This article has some more information regarding declawing: https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-quick-facts-to-consider-before-deciding-to-declaw-your-cat/ I do understand your frustration though; perhaps there are some other things you can try before giving him back to a shelter. This article has some great suggestions I think you will find helpful. https://www.petcoach.co/article/scratch-the-surface-why-cats-scratch-and-how-to-redirect-this-nat/ I hope that helps! Good luck with him!

Hi, thanks for using PetCoach! I recommend spaying and neutering cats around 5-6 months of age. Declawing is amputation the of the last segment of their digit, like a knuckle in people. It is done with a blade or a laser which depends on the hospital. Most hospitals are getting away from declawing and are not offering it anymore. It is painful and behavioral issues (like inappropriate elimination) and chronic pain or even regrowth of the nail if not done appropriately has been seen. If you are going to declaw then it should be done with the spay and neuter when they are young. I do encourage you to try to teach them to not scratch the furniture, use nail caps and try to not declaw them. https://www.petcoach.co/article/5-quick-facts-to-consider-before-deciding-to-declaw-your-cat/ I hope this helps!

This is a highly debated topic even amongst veterinarians and the truth is that there is no right or wrong answer here. The biggest concern veterinarians have about declawing is that it is very painful for cats and may cause life-long pain or other complications. However, vets who have been doing this for a long time note that most kittens/cats do just fine. Often, people want their cat declawed to prevent them from destroying furniture/curtains. It is well known amongst shelters, that this is a big reason for people giving up their cats. Since shelters are limited with how many cats they can take, many of these cats may be euthanized, because of this. So, many vets agree that the chances of complications and pain are not as big of a concern as possible surrender, abandonment and/or euthanasia of the cat. I say that if you think you can manage to keep her with her claws on, then it's best not to get her declawed. If you think that she is just too destructive and you can't keep her with her claws, then it may be worth discussing with your vet about declawing or other options. I hope that helps.

That’s a good question. As I’m an older veterinarian I have declawed many cats with minimal problems. I’ve personally owned several declawed cats and they had normal behavior and no pain. Now with modern pain medication and laser surgery I personally don’t object to declawing cats when there is a medical reason in the household for it to be done. Since your Mom is a diabetic she is more at risk for infections from cat scratches. I find that declawing can save cat’s lives as they are kept in the family instead of being turned into shelters. There are many veterinarians who object to declawing due to perceived chronic pain, behavioral problems and they think it’s unnecessary surgery. If you want to go ahead I would check with the veterinarians in your area to see if anyone will perform a laser surgery declaw. Thanks for using Petco Pet Education Center, formerly Petcoach to help you care for Catori.

Hello, and thank you for your question. I would try keeping the nails very trim by cutting them every two weeks with cat nail clippers. It may be worth visiting a pet groomer or the vet to be shown how short the nails can be cut. If she is still catching her claws on the furniture even with regular trimming, then you may need to consider declawing. However, declawing is a painful procedure with chance of complications, so I would not encourage doing this unless absolutely necessary. I hope this helps! Good luck with Kiki and I hope trimming the nails regularly does the trick!