i have what i believe to be a maine coon torbi.. so the vet says . it was adopted through the spay & neuter clinic. i have to have it declawed, the vet says i can. the breeders say no..... what is the answer? if not why, isn't a cat a cat ? would appreciate any info you can give me. have to have this done soon as this is a house cat thank you jennifer

-- Anonymous, March 10, 2000

Answers

My husband and I are also the owner/parents of a beautiful MC named Katie. She is a Brown Classic Tabby/White spay. We have gone through the "declaw debate" between the breeder and our vet. We chose to go with our vet and the need to preserve our furniture, but more than that, to protect our two other cats (which are declawed) and two Llasa Apso puppies. When Katie was four months old she was declawed. It has been over four years and she has never showed any signs of being bothered by her lack of claws!! Her front and back claws were removed due to our belief, at that time, of the myth that she would be up to 25 pounds. Sopping wet she weighs all of 10 pounds. Of course extra care had to be taken when she got home. If it appeared she wanted to jump on something, we picked her up and put her there, and then provided assistance for her to get down (yes, she's spoiled). Due to her lack of rear claws we scratch behind her ears and along her neck, which then gets her foot in a scratching motion (as I said, she's SPOILED!) Her appetite never waivered, and she still wanted to be wherever we were. Caution had to taken when walking so that Katie didn't get "under foot" too soon after surgery. She is very playful and gets along great with our other "children" as well as our guests. She only showed some signs of discomfort for the first week after the surgery, as was the case with our other two cats. Maine Coon's are affectionate, gentle, and over all, wonderful. I think you made a great choice. Also think it's great you acquired your "little one" from the clinic! Enjoy!!!

-- Anonymous, March 10, 2000

Jennifer,

Please do not declaw your Maine Coon! The fact that Maine Coons are gentle, loveable, affectionate cats are all reasons not to declaw. Declawing involves not only removing the claws, but removing the first joint as well. This would be the same as amputating the first joint in YOUR finger! It would certainly hurt me, so you can imagine what your cat would feel! I chose to TRAIN my Maine Coon to use his scratching post. He was 12 weeks old when I purchased him and I showed him daily where it was acceptable for him to scratch. He is a year old and now when I tell him to go to his post, he goes there and scratches! I work all day and have no signs of any damage to my furniture. He has NEVER scratched me! To have a human scratch behind a cat's ear when it itches is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. Give your Main Coon a chance to be trained. Take the time to do so, and you will be happy that you did!

-- Anonymous, March 11, 2000

I may be misunderstanding your intentions from your post - but it sounds as if you have made a decision that because your cat is going to be in the house - it must be declawed. This is certainly not the case. I have two cats living in my house now - one is a Maine Coon, both have all their claws - who both use their scratching post & not my furniture. I had 2 cats who were housecats prior to this and never had either of them declawed. Generally cats will use a post if you just show them where it is, they come by it naturally. If the cat has some trouble there are lots of folks on the Maine Coon mailing lists who have ideas to help. Please reconsider having a cat declawed unless it is absolutely the last resort. Having a cat declawed is expensive, painful for the cat, & some cats have real "trauma" from it. Give your cat a chance & if you need help contact one of us at mcats@onelist.com or MCAlliance@onelist.com. These are both lists with Maine Coon owners who are more than willing to help. Good Luck with your cat & thanks for giving a rescue cat a good home.

-- Anonymous, March 11, 2000

I am vehemently against declawing. Have you considered the tips for claws that are asvertised in the cat magazines that 'slip' over the claws? Also, please think about a sisal rope covered scratching post. They really seem to love this type of surface. My cats have never touched my furniture. Congratulations on your new 'baby'!

Linda

-- Anonymous, March 11, 2000

Hello Jennifer, As you now probably see, whether or not to declaw is a subject with much debate. I have had 2 cats in my adult life and neither one of them has been declawed. One reason is because my Maine Coon that I now have is a Grand Premier show cat and I am not allowed to declaw him. I really did not know much about the procedure for declawing until very recently but my personal opinion is to not have it done. I am not to sure that I believe about a cat having mental problems if they are declawed. Many other factors would be more contributing to the mental state of a cat. I am not vehemently for or against declawing but a few suggestions before you go through with the procedure. There is a product that you can purchase that is like 2 sided tape. You stick this to your couch,chair,etc. and when your cat tries to scratch it they do not like the sticky feeling. You can also try the water bottle trick where they get squirted and you should have more than one scratching post placed around your dwelling. Some cats are easy to train, others are much more strong willed, and some never do learn. Whatever you decide I wish you the best of luck with your new little one.

-- Anonymous, March 11, 2000

We clip the claws, back and front every 3 months. I can't imagine him without claws, it's part of his spirit and personality. Claws are a cat's strength! We built a 5 foot tree with 2 large shelves and wrapped it with sisal the day after we got him and it's his "throne". While we were building it, he actually climbed to the top of it and sat there before we added the shelves. We were amazed. It was like he knew it was for him. I also recently got him a cardboard scratcher which is housed in a angled box so it's like he's going up a hill. It's called an alpine scratcher. I put pinches of catnip on it from time to time. It's the first place he goes every morning. He's never clawed the furniture.

-- Anonymous, March 12, 2000

Hi Jennifer, I too have a Maine Coon and decided not to have it declawed. I had a domestic cat before my Coon and she had all four paws declawed. She went through trauma, you could tell she hurt. As a result we could NEVER touch her paws! She also changed from the rambunctiously happy kitten to a mellow scaredy-cat. She would barely ever play and was never the same. Some people may have good experiences with declawing, but why "fix it" if it ain't broke? My cat has a couple sisal rope posts. My 8 year old taught her in one try! They are extremely smart. Good luck with your decision!

-- Anonymous, July 03, 2000