I have a cat

[ente]

I have a cat 5 years old.  His name is Shadow and he knows his name.  When I call him he will jump in into my lap.  I love him very much.  He sleeps at my feet almost every night. He is my best friend.  The problem is with his claws.  He doesn't like having his nails clipped and when I hold him, as he often insists, he kneads my arms.  I have many scars.  My question is, is it ethical or humane to have him declawed at his age?  Any suggestions?  And let me repeat, I love him very much and he is such a good boy!   

[ljr]

It has been made illegal in NY State to declaw a cat. Many years ago, we had a cat who was maybe 6 or 7 years old, and when we had a baby, we had the cat declawed, because we were worried he would scratch the baby. He was absolutely fine, acted exactly the same after he was declawed. It did not seem to harm him at all, and he lived to a ripe old cat age, around 18 or 19. Much later, a friend's aggressive cat did badly scratch my daughter--she was a school-age child at the time--right near her eye, which was quite scary. So I am happy with the decision to declaw, which we also did with two subsequent cats, both of whom showed no ill effects and have lived to ripe old ages--but now you can't.

[N00b]

No, it's not ethical to declaw a cut. Do you want your nails to be ripped out from the nail bed?

[Crabby_Appleton]

Luckily, declawing is illegal in this state. You can take your cat to a groomer (once this passes) and get their nails trimmed, but do NOT declaw. It's a barbaric practice and I'm so glad it's illegal now.

[Miss Chatelaine]

Try clipping only one or two claws at a time, over a day or two as necessary, and just concentrate on getting the very tip if they get to that super-sharp needle-like point.

A good trick is to do it when they are sleeping somewhere you can access them (like on the bed or couch) and get in a good position over them to get a paw in hand. People can often clip them safely this way without picking them up, and can get to a few claws before the cat even fully wakes up.

It may take a little practice at first to get yourself in the right position so you can try a few times without the clippers. (You can also try this way when they’re awake and just sitting next to you in a good, relaxed mood. Remember you are the boss  )

I have a cat who’s really skittish and definitely can’t be picked up or held, but with a little patience and perseverance, I can clip his claws no problem.

A good sisal scratching post can also help keep claws from getting so sharp.

Declawing is like the equivalent of us having our fingertips amputated.

[lalochezia]

https://catoverdose.com/best-cat-nail-grinder-review/

[ente]

Thank you for the advise guys.  I am going to try one nail clipping at a time.  I am aware about cutting only the very tip and not into the quick.  And please know that he means everything to me. 

[dssjh]

it sounds like he does. and i used to have nail trims done during vet visits. he sounds like a great friend

[dotley]

He’s beautiful. Two suggestions. If he likes treats reward him after each trim or there is a product called rescue remedy which is a calming botanical. You can put a drop on his fur and within a 5-10 minutes he will be easier to handle. Make sure you get the pet version   It is sold at downtown market and online   Company is Bach. I would double check with your vet. My vet recommended for my wild man lol

[Ed]

The other thing to do is at various times when you're holding him, just hold his front paws, kind of like you're holding hands. You can sort of manipulate them, thumb gently on the back to extend his claws and then let them retract, finger gently manipulating the pads. Almost like giving a hand massage. My cat Spot used to like to "hold hands", that way he doesn't just identify you holding his paws with clipping and won't get so freaked out about it. With Spot, it almost became fun for him...