I have a 7yr old cat that was declawed when we got her. About a month ago we got two kittens. They are not declawed, in fact I wasn't even thinking of declawing them but the vet asked if I was going to because of the declawed one I have at home.

My questions is... Is it OK to keep the two kittens clawed with our older declawed cat? Do problems come up or do the cats know how to play and not fight with the claws? I don't want our 7yr old cat to be harmed but I have not seen any aggression or fighting with the kittens so far. The kittens don't really use their claws a lot so I never thought it might be a problem. Will it be or should I look into getting the kittens declawed?

I would get the kittens declawed for sure. It would not be a fair fight if one should occur.

Tick

Really Tickle? Our vets here( all of them) refuse to declaw a cat, calling it inhumane. If the kittens grow up with the declawed cat they will not be likely to try and harm cj. Well, as long as they are all spayed and not fighting for a female or something.. I say no to declawing the kittens, however if you choose to do it maybe better while they are younger.

Our vet doesn't really like to do it either, but they will. I know that it would be better to do it now than wait to see if there is a problem, but I really hate to declaw the kittens if I don't have to. I was hoping someone would have this kind of thing going on in their house.

All are "fixed" already - they are all rescue cats and the SPCA doesn't let them leave unless they are.

I don't have any problems now but the kittens are only 5mts. Our declawed cat is 7 years. I just don't want a problem in a year or two and have to get it done then and it be worse for them.

I just don't know what to do.

I've lived in a household with one declawed cat and 8 clawed cats. When the younger cats got on his nerves, or were being a little too rough with their claws, he could still knock them down.

I see no reason to declaw the kittens. You said there's been no aggression so far, so I doubt they'll suddenly start fighting in a few months, or years. There will be squabbles, but they should end quickly and the cats shouldn't be trying to hurt each other.

If you see the kittens playing a bit too rough, just quietly correct them. Your adult cat will also let them know when it hurts when they play. Even if all the cats had their claws, they would still have to learn how to not hurt each other. It's just part of being a cat.

Really Tickle ?? Our vets here( all of them) refuse to declaw a cat, calling it inhumane. If the kittens grow up with the declawed cat they will not be likely to try and harm cj. Well, as long as they are all spayed and not fighting for a female or something.. I say no to declawing the kittens, however if you choose to do it maybe better while they are younger.

Yes, really ashleycam!? I don't know where you are, you don't say, where is here? I am in Ontario, Canada and I doubt good vets will vary from place to place.

I have never heard a vet say having a cat declawed is inhumane. Cats fight with their back claws, tear furniture to pieces with their front claws. I am not advocating having ALL CLAWS REMOVED. That is totally unnecessary. I am talking about a fair fight, three cats in a household is unpredictable if they are all females.

Tick

People remove dew claws on dogs, is that inhumane as well?

The 7year old is female and the two kittens are male. Does that make a difference? Our vet told us to get boys because we had a girl and get two so they would leave her alone if she wanted it. She goes to them. It took a week for me to put them in the room together and they have been great since. (we did the slow intro just incase)

They play fight some, but claws don't come out, they don't bite, growl or hiss at all. That is why I never thought to get the kittens declawed. Its gotten so our older cat is cleaning the kittens. I can see that she is correcting them about what to scratch on. She will nip at the kittens if they scratch on the doorways (that is where she likes to paw at).

I would still like to know if others have this in their home and if it OK with the cats.

Thanks for the info.

I, personally would not declaw a cat. And yes my vet does not encourage that. I think that your underlying potential problem is the cats not getting along which would lead to harm possibly. How long have they been interacting? You should consult your vet about ways to introduce kittens into a household where there is another cat. That may help you very much. Good luck.

Cat declawing information (http://www.essortment.com/all/catdeclawingin_rvdg.htm)

This explains it a bit thoroughly. http://maxshouse.com/Truth%20About%20Declawing.htm

IJ, I am very sorry to say this, but you recommend a vet for EVERYTHING, this does not need a vet. A vet is someone who specializes in animal MEDICINE, not behaviour, not teaching people how to introduce to cats, they deal with medicine and when an animal is sick, or needs there vaccinations.

Cjonline, I think it will be just fine, if they start to fight then worry, for now just enjoy your new kitty's!

I am just trying to help by sharing my personal experience that my vet and the place I got my cats from both recommended similar strategies. That you must introduce a new cat in a careful way to help them get along, or it could cause problems, but that depends on their environment, the other cats, number of cats, each cats backround, etc. I am not trying to just say ask your vet, I only say that because if I do, mine has specifically helped in that situation. A trainer could also help if it becomes a behavioral issue. But this is a common problem [the cats living with new cats], which my vet was familiar with, so they could help.

They have been in the whole house together for just over a month now. We have had the kittens 6 weeks on Friday.

They get along great. A lot better than I thought they would. I never wanted to get them declawed, but the vet said something yesterday at the office visit. At this point the only reason to get it done would because the older cat has no claws. To "even the playing field" so to say.

I just don't know if that is a 'real' reason to do so. If others have both in their home and problems started with the cats I may just get it done to reduce the pain/recovery for the kittens. I don't know.

I'm just trying to get all the info before I do something like this - not because I'm having a current problem.

Thanks for the input.

If they get along and interact fine then you may not need to now. When they play fight, try to observe what happens when it reaches the point they stop at [since they are just playing, not trying to do harm]. They may not need declawing, though it is a personal preference, but for now they seem to get along fine, so it's up to you. Good luck deciding!

IJ, Thanks... My vet was the one to tell me that kittens would help my older cat. She was very restless and cried a lot. We thought she was sick and had her to the vet all the time. We had evey test done and the vet told us she needed 'cat friends' not just 'human friends'. They told us what type of cat to get, so we did and it worked. She is happier now.

I can't remember a time where I didn't do what my vet said to. This time they said to think about it. Do what we felt was right. I don't know what that might be so I posted here.

people remove dew claws on dogs, is that inhumane as well?

I don't know if your comment is meant pro or con, but dew claws on dogs are neither here nor there. At times they get in the way of a dog's normal acitivites and when digging, can be ripped off in the process. Dew claws dangle cause not attached to bone, therefore, unnecessary and sometimes dangerous. An owner may go for days not noticing a dew claw is torn or ripped partially off, until you see the dog licking the area, causing irritation and swelling, and even infection at times, depending on what has got in the wound. Dew claws are more easily removed when pups; more difficult from adult dogs should many injuries occur when adults.

This is hardly comparable to having a cats front claws removed. I equate as humane having dogs dew claws removed because of the irritation or infection factor.

That is so good she wasn't sick! And that she has company and they are all happy and get along. My vet is very nice and usually helps, I'm sorry I wasn't just trying to suggest the vet, but in my personal experiences they've helped us SO much. And if they want you to think about it, you should. It's important you are trying to get more information on declawing, but remember it is wholly your decision. If your concern was focused on the harm keeping their claws could cause, then you should try to help them get along, and maybe even buying a scratching post because that is healthy for them, and also let's them do that in a positive way. But you should make the decision based upon your cats and not if they rip furniture [I'm not saying you would make the decision based on yourself], because it is important to focus on them. But good luck hope it all works out!

I just wanted to add.. It is very much a personal preference for the cat owner to declaw a cat, but our vet has never suggested doing that- it depends on the vet some consider it very inhumane and some don't, like the article I pasted earlier, so you should think about it, and decide if you think it is or not, unless you and your vet think it's best if the cats begin harming each other.

And some vets do help with behavioral issues, the vet my dog is going to today offers a checkup which consists of vaccinations, nutritional advice, behavioral advice and parasite control along with a regular checkup exam, and my cat's vets also help give advice about some similar things.

IJ, on another thread you just suggested a vet look into the "behavioral" issue behind a cat climbing up to a roof. So I kind of got to agree with Emily there.

Anyway, getting back to the original point... I have one male cat with no front claws and a younger female cat with all claws. There are no problems. They still have little tiffs and such, and I've even seen some fur flying, but they're cats and they do that, and they can take care of themselves. I've never worried that one was declawed and one wasn't.

For that matter, I've never worried about the declawed one getting out. (Or I mean, because he's declawed. I'm more worried he'll take off cause he's adventurous.) He has his back claws and can still use those, and he can climb stuff. There's an adjustment period, but they can learn to climb stuff. So a front-declawed cat can still take care of itself almost as well as a full-clawed cat.

If the adult is declawed front and back (not a good situation), then that might be a different issue. But if they're getting along now, I suspect the most that will ever happen is a few little minor fights along the way that won't result in anything serious. In other words, what hhealth said a long time ago before all the declawing "issues" came into play.

P.S. You should always think about what your vet tells you to do and not just follow blindly without question. They're fallible, just as everyone else is. It's interesting that people question their own doctor, but never question a vet.

My 10 year old cat, who had his front claws removed, was for a span of about a year living with 4 other cats (two of which were kittens) who had all their claws. They would have playful fights here and there and my cat never got injured from any of it.

To me it seemed all the cats knew the limits of which to be fighting and never took it to be hurtful and bring out the claws in such a force. Even when it seemed the kittens and my cat didn't get along they would do the usual hissing and meowing but then walk away, claws never came out in a hurtful manner.

Should you declaw them make sure it is only in the front. If they are not fixed yet that would be ideal to get it all done at once to minimize stress on the kittens. It is your choice so don't let anyone else tell you other wise. All my cats have been declawed in the past and have all been very healthy and have lived long lives.

Declawing is a very painful thing to do to a cat. If you are going to have it done please research laser declawing it is much safer and less painful with a quicker healing time. The kittens should not be declawed unless they have behaviors which would require to have it done such as destroying things by scratching or scratching people or your other cat.
Also, cats that are declawed are more likely to start biting since it is now their only defense.