Taking our kitty to be declawed tomorrow morning.
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Taking our kitty to be declawed tomorrow morning.
Our kitty has an appointment at 8am to have his front claws removed. The only instruction that we've been given so far is to use shredded newspaper instead of cat little for at least a week.
I worry that he won't use the shredded paper? Won't that be to strange to him?
I also wondered if anyone that has had this done to their cat before has any tips or heads up? Anything we should or shouldn't do? How long is the recovery time? Is it going to be pretty bloody?
I'm sure our vet will give us more info tomorrow, but I want to be prepared with any questions!
Prancer will be given a sedative during the procedure and we will be picking him up tomorrow after 1pm.
Our cat Domino went through this procedure just fine. She was a tad bit drowsy for the remaining of the first day home but was her usual self there after. We did use the shredded newspaper over a THIN layer of kitty litter. No problem with that either.
I never thought I would declaw a cat until I had one which was scratching at our carpeting in the middle of the night making me a sleepless nut. it relieved a lot of stress for me and she doesn't have a complaint. 
There is a product called "Yesterdays News" that the vet sells or even a pet store that is made of 100% recycled newspaper but is more cat litter-like for your kitty. Ask about that.
After he goes home make sure he's not jumping or doing hyper kitty activities that could irritate the healing process.
It won't be too bloody for you, you'll probably see random spots of dry blood but any big amounts of fresh blood should be addressed to the veterinarian.
Do they offer laser surgery? Its more expensive but cuts the healing time in half and is a lot less painful.
Make sure they give you pain medications to take home or atleast have given him an injection of pain medication while there.
Since they are not keeping him overnight (which I personally find very strange with this procedure, theres usually a 1 or 2 night stay) if you can keep him kennel confined unless atleast 24 hours after the surgery (at the least), it will give him time to stay off his feet so there will be less swelling and pain.
Hmmm..... can't think of anything else. If you have specific questions just ask. I worked at a vet for a few years before I had DD.
Thanks to both of you
I never thought we would declaw a cat either. We've always had a cat and this is the first time we've done this. He is just an awful scratcher. And I'm not talking about scratching the kids or anything. He'll get a running start down the hallway and when he gets to the door at the other end he'll leap up and scratch all the way down.
We have rounded doorframes and walls so there is really a way for his to get a good grip on them. But he sure tries. He is always scratching on the furniture. It's not that he's purposely using it as a scratching post. He's just a very "claw using" cat. We once had a cat that never used his claws on anything.
Even when playing he wouldn't stick them out. The only thing he scratched on was his little lonely scratching post. That was nice
I just called our vet and he said they don't offer the laser surgery.
I do have one question. He said they normally just remove the front claws so that is what we are signe up for. But won't Prancer still dig into things with his back claws? Like when he is flying over the sofa won't his back claws still scratch it?
Wow--can't believe the anti-declawers ahven't posted yet . Anyway, both of my cats have been declawed, the kitten just a month ago. Always just the front claws and no, the back claws don't do any damage. The only time you have to worry about the back claws is if you are playing with a frisky kitty who wraps his front claws around your arm and then pushes off of your arm with the back claws out. YOUCH!!
I shredded newspaper with my first cat, but used "yesterday's news" recently with the kitten and would recommend it. The vet did do laser with my cat and kept her overnight b/c she was also spayed at the same time. The next day she was walking and using the litterbox fine, we just had to keep her from jumping. She was jumping EVERYWHERE 2-3 days after surgery--that's with declawing AND abdominal surgery. Her only complicated was coughing due to being intubated. She had a bad cough for almost a week. My kitten still doesn't realize she has no front claws. She jumped about 4 ft in the air yesterday trying to attach herself to the doorjamb and slid down and tried again. It hasn't slowed her down on bit, except now my carpet, furniture, and wood aren't being destroyed. She was actually climbing the posts of my 4 poster bed on a regular basis.
Good luck---hope she has a quick and easy recovery!
P.S. I'm also very surprised that they aren't keeping your cat overnight. Have you had experience with this vet before?
LOL, Pam!
Breann, I'm in the anti-declaw camp so I don't have any suggestions for you on that issue, but I am surprised your vet hasn't advised no food, only water, so many hours before surgery. From my experience that's common pre-operation procedure.
I hope everything goes well for Prancer. (Hmmm, that just reminded me of the Christmas movie "Prancer" with Sam Elliot. Yum!)
Trina, our vet did advise no food or water after 10pm tonight.
Maybe I'll ask tomorrow if it would be better for him to spend the night.
Prancer is named after the reindeer
Had I known that he was going to have a claw issue we would have had that all taken care of when he was neutered last month!
I'm happy to hear that the recovery is fairly quick.
And yes, we've had the same vet for 7 years now! He has taken care of all of our animals
Oh yeah, no food or water after midnight is a typical precaution with general anesthesia. I am feeling more and more leery about your vet and their lack of instructions, not using laser, and not keeping your cat overnight. You really might want to reconsider your vet. 
We were posting at the same time---glad he did recommend no food or water. That makes me feel better--LOL.
Thanks
I have 4 "clawed" cats but that is because they are indoor outdoor cats. We really have not had too much trouble with them beating up the furniture, just an occasional try at it when one of them is mad at another one. My sil has two indoor cats that are both declawed and they have very nice furniture. I saw one of the kittys really lay into the arm of their couch, I scooped him up SO FAST and than realized that the furniture was totally safe .
Pam, i'm one of those "anti declaw" people but I usually try not to voice my opinion unless asked. And yes, i'm also a leary about the no overnight stay and laser surgery, especially with the recent advanced technology in veterinary care.
Doing the front claws only is good because if he ever gets out he has some sort of defense mechanism. And the back claws work great for itchy kitties. My Grandma has a her cats 4 claws done and he's suffering now because he has flea allergies and a skin condition and no way to itch. Could you imagine that. I'd go crazy not being able to itch!
Breann, the usual procedure for a 1 or 2 night stay is to not only give them rest but to do the post operative work. Check his temperature and gums, keep the bandages on overnight to help prevent infection and to see the actual incisions the next morning to make sure they look like they are healing okay. If you keep him overnight I would request that they check on him every few hours.
But good luck and I hope everything goes smoothly!
Maybe I know the reason that he isn't staying over night then.
We live in a small area. We only have 4 or 5 vets within 30 miles. They don't have round the clock care in their offices unless there is an emergency going on. They leave at 6pm and come back at 7am the next morning. They give you their home phone number to call with questions or concerns and also for emergencies. But, there isn't someone at the office 24/7 to watch out for the animals. UNLESS there is an animal there that needs urgent round the clock care.
By this time tomorrow Prancer should be home resting peacefully in his bed! Thanks for all the well wishes
I hope Prancer is doing great. In a perfect world, none of us would have to alter an animal's anything to live with it. But this isn't a perfect world. (Have you noticed?) I work for the humane society where I live. I want animals to be happy. I would love for them to be happy WITH all their body parts intact but that's not the case a lot of times. It is far better, I think, for a cat to live in a happy home without his claws than to live without a happy home with his claws. There are zillions of kitties put down every year because they have no home. If giving up their claws gives them a a happy home, yippee! It's a hard thing for a kitty to go through, particularly if he's older than about four months, so be patient and kind with him. One or more of the claws may get sore or infected. Be ready to soak them. And, yes, be ready with the shredded newspaper. You might get away with pine shavings after a day or two. Do NOT use cat litter. Can you imagine cat litter in an open wound. OUCH!
I just re-read your post. I, too, find it odd that your vet isn't keeping Prancer over night. I worked for a vet for a long time and she always kept them overnight because she kept them bandanged that long. We removed the bandages before they went home. But maybe your vet is having Prancer go home with bandages? Or maybe a recheck the next day or two? Just keep your eye out for any swelling or bleeding (not okay but don't panic). Please be alarmed at any lack of appetite or lethargy. These might signal infection and should be attended to quickly. But I'm sure your DVM will tell you all this. At least, I hope.
I've declawed both of my cats at different vets. Neither one stayed over night. Both were fine with the newspaper, although, I was leary of it at first. My first cat was done young and it was nothing, my second one was a little older and she took a little bit longer to recover. Neither one had bandages when they came home and I saw no blood. Keep in mind, they will probably want to be left alone for a few days.
I've never heard of keeping a kitten or cat overnight for declawing. In our area, and we're not all that small, they only keep them overnight if they are also getting fixed.
Never had any trouble with our kitties using the newspaper.
Good luck.
We are home and Prancer is doing well. He is still a little groggy but is starting to get up and walk around. He will only stay still if one of us is right with him. If we move away he makes his way to us and lays by our feet.
We bought the "yesterday's news" cat litter. He got in the box once on his own but hasn't used it yet. He hasn't eaten or drank anything yet either.
The nurse said he should be up and around by tonight.
They said he did really well and there were no comoplications. There is no visable blood. There is blue "glue" on the tip of each of his fingers. That is what seals it I guess.
I'm glad that it's over and that he is doing ok. It was almost like taking a child to the doctor. I worried the whole time
I'm glad he's home and that we can love him and help him to feel better.
Thanks for all the information and the well wishes! It seems to have went really well!
Glad he did well!
BTW- we had our cat declawed 4 yrs ago and he didnt stay overnight either. He went early in the morning and we picked him up that evening. They gave us alot of instructions to follow and the dr. called to check on the cat the next day. The cat was fine--healed very quickly. Our vet did keep him overnight after neutering him.
Our vet is wonderful!!
Great News!!!
Just an FYI, i'd give him water but would hold out on food until this evening right before bed. IT gives him a chance to fully get the anesthesia out of his system and will pose less of a choking hazard.
Keep us updated, thats good that everything is going well so far!
Oh and I wanted to add, Conni, I think its strange that they kept a cat neuter overnight. Thats not even what I would consider "surgery" since they never go inside the body, its just a wrap and a snip, I would say a total of about 5-6 minutes under anesthesia. And a declaw takes about 45 minutes to an hour and the vet I worked at kept them 2 days to keep them off their feet. Strange how different things can be from vet to vet.
lol, Prancer spent the night when he was neutered It is funny how things differ so much depending on the vet.
So far he has wanted to be on my lap. Everytime I try to do something he comes up to me and lays down by my feet. I feel bad so I pick him up and sit down with him. It's just like a sick baby. Poor little guy.
So far he still hasn't attempted to eat or drink. I will pick his food up and just offer water until he is completely out of the anesthesia.
Awwww..... well, I think Prancer deserves some extra catnip and canned food when he feels better for being such a trooper!
We have an older cat who has begun to scratch things but she is just too old to get her de-clawed so we bought these things that we glue to her claws. They are rubber and like a ball point pin on the end. They work well but need to be replaced every 3-4 months as the claws grow.
Glad Prancer is doing well.
I have never heard of such things Paula. That sounds interesting!
Prancer is walking much better now. He's not tipping over anymore. He even jumped up on the bed. That is usually a no-no, but I just couldn't punish the poor little thing.
I'm going to try to take a picture of him and post it on the photoboard tomorrow. I haven't used my new camera that much and I've never posted a picture here, so that should be interesting!
You are all so sweet
Breann, those are called Soft Paws. I had them for my cat the first year of her life when she was a scratching maniac. I loved them because they came in colors so it was like painting her nails, LOL!
Wow! Those are so cool I love the holiday ones!
Melissa, I am wondering if I am remembering this backwards. It was about 4 yrs ago and I have had memory failure before... It was bugging me so I asked dh if he remembered if the vet kept the cat overnight after declawing, he said he thought she neutered him and declwed him the same day!!! LOL Duh... Please disregard my previous posts. ;) I have no idea what happened 4 yrs ago. ugh!
Both our cats were fixed and front declawed before we got them (Seree was 6yo and Gizmo was 4 months when we adopted them). That was a prereq for us. So we never had to deal with declawing, thankfully. Giz still ended up putting a few holes in Robin's waterbed mattress while pouncing around on his bed and chasing the ripples he made! lol It wasn't funny then, but I can laugh about it now. I have heard of the soft paws, and we considered them for Giz's back paws, but he's not as bad about it now that he's learned to control them better (he's almost 2yo now). Glad your kitty's doing well.
LOL Conni, I probably wouldn't remember anything if it weren't for the fact that I worked at the vet.
Neuter and declaw the same day, poor kitty!! I bet he was upset for a few days.
Prancer is back to himself today. He's tried a couple times to hook onto the sofa and he just slides down. He has been playing with his jingle ball and everything. It feels funny when he goes to attack my hand and there are no claws there!
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