Thinking of getting a kitten.

[pergesu]

[ QUOTE ]
-It turns into a cat.

[/ QUOTE ]
This is probably kind of a joke...but even so, think hard about it. They're cute kittens for like 6 months, and then they can stick around for 6+...sometimes 16 years.

As far as getting it declawed, don't. For one it's super painful, it's actually amputation. Also the cat won't have any way to defend itself when it escapes from your house. I know they're not supposed to get out but the little [censored] always find a way every few months.

I love my cats. There are real downsides though, as you pointed out. Also I don't think cats are ever as easy and as good as people think they will be. They often scratch up [censored] around your house. If you can get past that sorta thing and accept the bad with the good, then cats are great. But don't think that they're super easy pets at all.

btw, I got one cat at first. He was doing great living on his own. I was home all day though...when I got a day job I felt bad, so I got another cat. Now they both ignore me.

[aladare]

[ QUOTE ]
As far as getting it declawed, don't. For one it's super painful, it's actually amputation. Also the cat won't have any way to defend itself when it escapes from your house. I know they're not supposed to get out but the little [censored] always find a way every few months.

[/ QUOTE ]
ooooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhh all of a sudden i really like you Pergesu! What he says is very true, also inhumane like cutting off the cats fingers, and should be illegal.

I LOVE my cat, Murphy, who is all boy and a turd. But he is very funny, more personality than most people, and i adore him.
Down side, is the scratching furniture, etc..

[DCJ311]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
-It turns into a cat.

[/ QUOTE ]

As far as getting it declawed, don't. For one it's super painful, it's actually amputation. Also the cat won't have any way to defend itself when it escapes from your house. I know they're not supposed to get out but the little [censored] always find a way every few months.


[/ QUOTE ]

Yikes. I've been around cats for 25 years and not once has one of them escaped the confines of either the house or the backyard.

I am firmly in the declaw camp, simply because my cats don't ever leave the house, and it's a huge pain getting everything scratched regularly. Cats really do not need their front claws unless they are fighting other cats, and the pain issue isn't as big a deal as people say (cats have a super high pain tolerance and get medicated for the treatment).

Recently I adopted an abandoned kitten (about 2 days old), and bottle fed it with my g/f for about the past 6 weeks. It is cute and definitely was worth the effort. Kittens/cats are great if you get them in pairs and give them a lot of attention when they're young. Cats are actually a big reflection upon their owners, much like children.

[Bedreviter]

[ QUOTE ]

Cats really do not need their front claws unless they are fighting other cats, and the pain issue isn't as big a deal as people say (cats have a super high pain tolerance and get medicated for the treatment).



[/ QUOTE ]

If its not a big deal I wonder why its illegal in most European countries, as it violates the laws on cruelty against animals. There is probably a reason why most European vets will object to declaw a cat, calling it "cruel".

[DCJ311]

The pain issue isn't a huge deal for the reasons listed above. I've never seen a cat suffer any sort of long term trauma from the procedure, and I've had roughly 10 cats over my lifetime.

Like I said, my cats never interact with other cats, so they really have no need for their front claws. I would imagine that in Europe there are far more cats with outdoor exposure who need full use of their claws. Personally I feel like not neutering/spaying a cat, as well as letting it roam free outside, is far more unethical than declawing it.

[Bedreviter]

[ QUOTE ]
as well as letting it roam free outside, is far more unethical than declawing it.

[/ QUOTE ]

How is it unethical to let a cat roam free outside?

[kioshk]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
as well as letting it roam free outside, is far more unethical than declawing it.

[/ QUOTE ]

How is it unethical to let a cat roam free outside?

[/ QUOTE ]

That's a profound question. Our outdoor cat only lived 5 years, but he was born to run. He led a full life. Of our 2 indoor cats, one lived to 10, and the other is still chugging at 13.

If I had to do it over, I wouldn't try to keep the outdoor cat inside. But they live a lot longer if you keep them indoors.

[Bedreviter]

[ QUOTE ]
That's a profound question. Our outdoor cat only lived 5 years, but he was born to run. He led a full life. Of our 2 indoor cats, one lived to 10, and the other is still chugging at 13.

If I had to do it over, I wouldn't try to keep the outdoor cat inside. But they live a lot longer if you keep them indoors.

[/ QUOTE ]

Doesnt most animals live longer in captivity than in the wild? Not sure if its unethical to let nature run its course though.

[train.]

well, i'm gonna climb up on the flame wagon. I've had 3 cats over the past 20 years. They've all been declawed and as far as I could tell they all still loved me. I never liked cats before I met a guy that had a real cool one which made me want one. I saw what his cat did to the furniture.

I didn't know about the plastic nail covering things at the time and would probably go that route if I ever get another cat.

[Edge34]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
as well as letting it roam free outside, is far more unethical than declawing it.

[/ QUOTE ]

How is it unethical to let a cat roam free outside?

[/ QUOTE ]

Seriously...nobody owns a cat.