How old does she have to be until she can be declawed? She's 2 and 1/2 months old now

rdhdscrpio

I simply trim my kitten's claws every 2-3 weeks when I trim the dog's. No problems so far. I had cats in the past that were declawed and it caused major problems with litter box use as time passed (they simply refused to use it any longer).

I would never declaw a cat again.

care18

That is untrue I asked many people about the litter box issue before I declawed my cat and they said that they had had no problems. I too have hadno problems. She simply does her buisness and then cleans her paws.

kite1

We've been using soft paws for the past 4 months on our kitten and unfortunately we just can't do it anymore. We put them on and he gets at least 1 to 2 of them off by the next day. When you are doing it that often, they get VERY expensive. The supposed 3-4 month supply doesn't even last a full month. With a baby on the way, and after already trying the more 'humane' alternative, we have opted to declaw him (he is 6 months old now). Just something to keep in mind, those soft paws are NOT all that great. He isn't even overly active, he is just a pretty normal middle of the road kitten, lazy most of the time with spurts of energy throughout the day. I do not recommend Soft Paws. They are a big headache and very disappointing. If they have 1 or 2 off, they might as well have them all off because they can do just as much with 1 claw as they can with all of them.

care18

If you go to the right vet and are sure that they do a good job with other cats I see no problem. My cat Kiko acts as though she still has her claws. She is not psychologically damaged and she had no complications. The key is to leave the bandages on as long as possible. I even had to retape the bandages a couple times to keep her from infecting the wound. It was not really a choice for me my mom said have it done or she lives outside for good. To be honest though I would have done it anyway because it did no harm to my cat. Her personality is the same as it was when I first got her at 6 weeks old. Its all a matter of opinion and it all depends on the situation and the vet. My vet is wonderful and she took very good care of Kiko who is my pride and joy. She's the child I haven't had yet. I wouldn't trade her for the world.

carolbcac

Someone asked about how soft paws stay on. They are glued on using a medical-grade super glue. My experience has been that cats try to get them off the first time around, then get used to them. They stay on an average of six weeks. As the cat gets older and the nails are larger they tend to stay on better. The nice thing about them is that once the cat gets past the "kitten crazies" she may not need them any longer.
While I advise against declawing, which does involve amputation of the toes up to the first joint, I realize that in some cases it is justified. (There are some real hell-cats out there!) Make sure to go to a vet who does the procedure often and does it well, to minimize any physical/emotional post-op complications.

care18

I agree with you on this. I didn't want to get kiko declawed (my mom made that decision for me) but I see now that she would have tore our house apart. She still tries to sharpen her claws even though she doesn't have any and if thats any indication of what it would be like everything in our house would be destroyed or on its way to being destroyed. I don't regret it now but before I felt that it was inhumane. She is still able to defend herself and that was my main concern when it was done. That if she got outside by accident would she be able to survive.

kashumz

FYI guys no we didn't get her declawed. I convinced my dad not to.