What is the age limit on spay and declawing cats?

Answer 1

The younger the better. Usually it's best to get a cat declawed when you get it neutered or spayed, or when it is around 6 to 9 months of age. If you are wanting to get a cat declawed when it is much older, please reconsider as you will be putting a lot of stress and pain on the animal if you've suddenly decided to declaw your 2 or 5 year old cat.

Some very strong views that oppose the declawing of cats state that it should never occur at any age or anytime throughout a cat's life. Here is that view:

Never! It really is not necessary-- you can teach your cat to use a scratching post, and trim its nails every couple weeks. If you start that when they're young they should adjust well to it. Declawing kittens/cats is really just cruel. Every cat will have a few "accidents" where it scratches something it shouldn't have, but if you're that uptight about having an animal scratch anything, maybe you shouldn't have pets...

Answer 2

A cat can be declawed at the same time it is spayed or neutered, usually about 6 months of age.

However, there are groups who believe that this should never be done, including PETA and HSUS. Declawing a cat is an amputation of the last bone from each of the toes; in humans this would look like cutting off your fingers at the first joint back from the nail bed. This procedure can result in pain for the cat and is usually done for owner convenience rather than the cat's health. Pain management has improved dramatically over the last decade, so the cat's pain can be more than adequately managed, and the surgical technique has also been improved so there are fewer complications compared to a couple decades ago.

Some cats are surrendered to shelters because the owners tried to train the cat to not sharpen their claws on the furniture, failed for whatever reason and now can't keep the cat because of the damage it is causing to their property. Depending on the shelter, the percentage of cats adopted can run as low as 10%, meaning up to 90% are either warehoused in small cages for their lives or euthanized. Also, it is actually recommended that cats owned by elderly persons be declawed to help prevent injury to the owner - cat's claws are very sharp and can introduce several diseases to the owner if the owner's skin is punctured by the cat's claws.

There are many self-help and advisors who can help with ideas for training a new cat to not claw on furniture, along with products to either encourage clawing of appropriate surfaces (such as scratching posts) or discourage clawing of inappropriate surfaces (such as couches, curtains and carpets). Many cats can be trained to leave furniture alone and sharpen their claws on acceptable items, but it takes patience and consistency.

The AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) has a statement on declawing that encourages owners and veterinarians to discuss the reason for the procedure prior to declawing the cat and for the decision to be made on a case-by-case basis.

Answer 3

It's best if you get your cat declawed at the same time he/she is spayed or neutured. The younger the better, the less time it takes for them to heal up. Older cats tend to take longer to heal up, and infection can come particularly if you have the wrong type of kitty litter for them; non-scoopable is better for the first couple months after your cat has been declawed, as it contains larger grains which will not enter into the healing wound of your cat's paws. Scoopable litter has smaller grains which can easily enter the paw and cause pain and infection. Do not mix scoopable with non-scoopable either!!!

Answer 2:

Never. Declawing is wrong.

Answer 4

No cat lover would doubt that cats--whose senses are much keener than ours--suffer pain. They may, however, hide it better. Not only are they proud, they instinctively know that they are at risk when in a weakened position, and by nature will attempt to hide it. But make no mistake. This is not a surgery to be taken lightly.

Your cat's body is perfectly designed to give it the grace, agility and beauty that is unique to felines. Its claws are an important part of this design. Amputating the important part of their anatomy that contains the claws drastically alters the conformation of their feet. The cat is also deprived of its primary means of defense, leaving it prey to predators if it ever escapes to the outdoors.

Declawing is mutilation. It's the same as having your toe cut off. It's simply clipped off your gooy The toe is gone.

Declawing a cat is an AMPUTATION. It'd be like sawing off your toe rather than yanking the nail out.

Answer 5

Never declaw a cat. The cat knows that it's been declawed and it's defenseless. That causes psychological damage.

A cat shouldn't be declawed at all. It is a horrible painful surgery for them, especially the recovery period, which can last months. The vet has to remove the nail, the nail bed, and part of the bone, on each of ten toes. I recently read a study that estimated that one-third of all cats who are declawed then go on to have personality problems. That is why shelters are full of declawed cats - the their owners can't deal with their new personalities any longer, so they give them up. I don't know how old they have to be and don't want to know - that's why I didn't answer the question.

If you are concerned about what damage a cat might do to your furniture with its claws, there are several things you can do to minimize or eliminate the problem:

1. Buy a cat scratcher (or several) for them to use. They come in a variety types and shapes; if you buy more than one, buy a couple of different types to give your cat some variety.
2. Keep your cat's nails trimmed. Most cats will let you trim their nails, especially if it happens the first time to them when they are young.
3. Buy some doubled-sided tape to put on your furniture in the spots where a cat would likely scratch. A cart will put its paws on the tape once, not like the sticky feeling, and won't likely do it again.
4. Buy a scented spray to use on your furniture; not just any spray, but one with an odor unpleasant to cats. This might be citrus odor; some people have even used a little cayenne pepper in some water in a spray bottle. You can also buy some products at most pet stores, too.

Answer 6

Cats can be spayed as young as 5 months, and any time after that.

However, you should NEVER have your cat declawed. It's a very harmful, unnecessary, and inhumane mutilation of a very vital part of a cat's body, and is illegal in many parts of the world. Cats' claws are the last part of the bones in their toes, so it's akin to removing the end of your finger from the last joint to the tip.

At what age would you like someone to chop off yourfingertips?

Answer 7

It is never a good idea to declaw a cat or kitten. Declawing is banned in 25 countries around the world: England, Scotland, Wales, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Slovenia, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, Brazil, Israel, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, and Yugoslavia.

The sole reason this procedure is banned in so many countries as it is deemed as unnecessarily and inhumane. In addition, several US states have now also banned declawing. Declawing is an irreversible procedure involving major surgery, with equally irreversible side-effects that can (and in many cases, do) effect a cat for the rest of its life.

Declawing is not a removal of the nails of a cat. Declawing surgery is actually the amputation of the first digit of each of the cat's toes. The claw is tightly attached to the bone, so much so that it is impossible to remove the claw on its own, so the bone attached to the claw is removed as well. In human terms, it would be the equivalent of chopping off each finger tip at the first knuckle. This severs muscle and tendons which causes much pain and discomfort to the cat, and can cause early Arthritis and other problems to the cat's muscles and joints from being unable to walk in a natural position, or no longer being able to stretch the muscles in its back, legs or shoulders from scratching a scratching post.

Aside from physical complications, there is a risk of a declawed cat develop behavioral problems as well. Cats use their claws to defend themselves, so a declawed cat can become very stressed, nervous or even aggressive. Some will resort to biting as they have no other line of attack or defence. Many declawed cats are often surrendered to animal shelters because of this.

Answer 8

As early as 6 weeks, should be done when young to shorten healing time.

Answer 9

What a cruel thing to do ! Cat use their claws every day - in different ways ! It's the equivalent to you having the first joint of your fingers removed !