I live in a 100 year old house with real wood trim and even older real wood furniture. The only scratches on the furniture are from the children when they were much younger. And I have two cats with extremely sharp claws that have never been trimmed because they go outside too.

Declawing is ONLY or should ONLY be recommended if there is a health problem associated with the nails. Otherwise, if you’re so concerned about your furniture, BUY A STUFFED ANIMAL.

You are extremely right in this situation and anyone who mutilates, declaws, and permanantly disfigures a cat to “protect their furniture” should not be allowed to have pets at all. Cats are living, breathing, cognitively aware animals. They are not THINGS to be altered to suit your house. You get an animal that suits your house! If an owner has expensive things, BUY A DAMN FISH.

My mother declawed our first cat. I was only 7 and unaware. That cat died, and she bought a new cat and was dead set on declawing. I told her if she scheduled the appointment, i was bringing the cat right back to the shelter to be adopted by someone else. The cat was not declawed.

I am appalled at you DONNA. I can’t even believe you’re on here in favor of declawing when it’s become such a frowned upon procedure. You’re WALLPAPER, your fcking wallpaper? Maybe you’re the idiot who has 3-4 cats in the house and that’s why all your things are ruined. You’re irresponsible. Plain and simple. Learn how to TRAIN your cat. Learn how to raise them. Worried about the pulls in your carpet fibers?! DISGRACE. STOP BUYING AND DECLAWING CATS. THEY ARE NOT DECORATIONS IN YOUR HOUSE. How do you know that it’s “painless?” Do you know there are doctors that have come out to explain the declaw procedure? How the anesthesia is so expensive so a good portion of the time the cats aren’t even fully under when their fingers are CUT OFF. They aren’t taking the nail out, they are CUTTING THEIR FINGERS OFF. There is a video of a cat getting declawed and the doctor didn’t even care what he was doing. Every time the finger was cut the cat let out a tormented meow. Disgusting. You’re disgusting.

Second: the vet techs make money off you performing that horrible procedure. Of course they are going to suggest it.

lastly, get rid of your boyfriend if he’s so materialistic and insensitive to another living thing as to even suggest that you should mutilate a living animal you are going to be keeping company with for the next 8-15 years.

Declawing is the same thing as breaking off your finger tips down the the first knuckle. It can come with a list of lasting complications for the cat.

Stick to your decision to never have this done, and if your boy friend feels differently that is his problem.

Give your boyfriend this link to read — if he still insists on declawing your cat — get a different boyfriend. http://www.declawing.com/ I could never be with someone who could understand what that really is, and still want to do it.

Go back to the vet and get a copy of your complete vet records — tell them you’re changing vets, and tell them WHY you’re changing vets — that anyone who’s office employs vet techs who think the well-being of inanimate objects is more important than the well-being of a living, breathing, FEELING living being has serious screwed up priorities and should NOT be working with animals… and that you don’t believe you can trust a vet who’d have them in their office to be a vet for the correct reasons …. because they love animals, not because they’re trying to get rich on them, even to the detriment of the animal….. any office that would promote and unnecessary, painful and damaging procedure clearly has their primary focus on their pocketbook, not on the well-being of the animals involved….. and that’s not a vet I’d trust for a second.

In fact part of my screening practice when I need a vet is to ask them how they feel about declawing — if they respond positively, they’re not my vet…. if they’re horrified by the question… it’s a good sign that their priorities are in the right place.

Learning to TRIM your cat’s claws isn’t that big a deal, having a good scratching post is a good idea too — maiming/mutilating an animal to protects “stuff” is not.

It is wrong to assume that a cat will automatically tear up your furniture.

Neither of my cats are de clawed. I have one that claws the carpet at times, but nothing bad.
I have a cat tree, and a few other things around the house that they are allowed to scratch. There are no scratch sprays…numerous things to prevent kitty from tearing up your house.

claiming that declawing makes a cat aggressive is bunk. my 6 month old male and 3 year old female got declawed at the same time and their individual personalities have not changed one bit.

Imagine getting a knife and chopping off the last digit of your fingers to remove the nail. Thats what you’d be doing to your cat. I suggest if you want to control the cats instinct to sharpen its claws that you either trim its nails once a week, or use claw caps.

Claw caps you just trim the cats claws then put the caps over the nails. The caps are soft rubber little cups that go on the nail protecting your furniture. The caps can be cut off once the nails grow too long. Its more humane and practical.

Smack your BF for suggesting it.