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Declawing
Hi, I am against declawing kittens but my mom said thats the only way I could get two.
So my question is... About how much does declawing a kitten cost in NH
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Want to answer more questions in the Domesticity category?
Maybe give some free advice about: Pets?
Why don't you just adopt a cat that's already declawed?
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Does your mother understand the amount of pain that declawing causes cats? It's like having your fingernails ripped out of your fingers. After being declawed, many cats suffer infections. The wounds on their paws re-open quite easily, which leaves a trail of blood wherever they walk. When I was little, my dad had our two cats declawed. We didn't realize what a horrible process it would be until it was over with, and he felt absolutely awful after he realized how much pain he had put our cats through. Many vets won't even do declawings because of how inhumane it is. If your mother is concerned about having the furniture torn up, I suggest placing scratching posts or pads around your house. If you catch the kitten trying to claw something he is not supposed to, bring him over to the clawing post. Praise him every time he uses it. I've also found that having a squirt bottle full of water around is quite handy, and serves as a completely harmless punishment for naughty cats who are caught clawing objects they shouldn't be.
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It's probably going to vary depending on how close you are to a dense population area and whether the vet is a small animal specialist or a general vet. You will need to call around or do website searches.
Your local SPCA or animal shelters will likely try to discourage you from declawing kittens, but there are a few options. You can get rubber caps put on the claws. That's done at the vet's office and has to be redone. You could go ahead and get them declawed, but where I live it's about $50 per paw. It is the equivalent of cutting off the last joint of their toes, though, so it's painful. You can have the kittens declawed in the front only so they can keep their back claws for self-protection. Also, you can go to your local shelter and ask whether they already have some kittens or cats who are declawed, but whose owners put them up for adoption.
Be careful because cats without claws feel defenseless. They can get very jumpy and have behavior problems including spraying and being anti-social because they feel insecure.
Good luck.
Sabine
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