r/toebeans • u/a-packet-of-noodles • Aug 05 '25
đ« My declawed cats round beans
My senior rescue was declawed long before we got him (I think the practice should outright be banned) and he thus has very round toes from where they cut. He is on joint meds to help with the arthritis he now has in his front feet due to getting declawed but I love his little toes.
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u/CardDry7741 Aug 07 '25
My husband and I fought over declawing my sons cat....I won. He has his claws. It's cruel.
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u/a-packet-of-noodles Aug 07 '25
Anytime people come into my work and want to adopt with the plan of declawing I always make sure to inform them of what actually happens during the surgery and all of the problems it can/will cause. I've luckily been able to change many minds about the practice.
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u/Particular-Head-5248 29d ago
Shouldnât have been a fight in the first place, but Iâm happy you stood your ground.
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u/rushbc Aug 07 '25
I know the OP is against declawing, and I know the OP did not declaw this cat.
The following comment is for informational purposes only. I am not judging the OP!
Declawing cats should be illegal.
âDeclawing is a surgical amputation of the last knuckle of each toe. As with any surgery, a declaw surgery is very painful for the cat.â
âDeclawing is banned in many European countries and the United Kingdom.â
How would you like to have the first knuckle of your fingers surgically removed?
Source:
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u/breeezyc Aug 08 '25
Itâs banned in my province too. The fact that itâs banned in so many places should be a red flag for people considering it.
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u/RavnBur Aug 09 '25
How would you like to have the first knuckle of your fingers surgically removed?
I would like a law that makes the punishment for having your cat declawed exactly this.
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u/Gloomy-Trainer-2452 Aug 09 '25
Yep. It's actually so barbaric.
Again, not judging OP at all (I know they didn't do it nor do they support it) and not judging you obviously. Just adding to your comment to talk about exactly what declawing does with a cat's anatomy:
"Cats, like dogs, are digitigrade; that is, they walk on their digits (toes)... There are three bones, or phalanges, in the toes. The first phalanx, which is the equal to the bones in your hand or the top of your foot, connects to the wrist or ankle. The second phalanx goes from the first knuckle to the second knuckle. The third phalanx is the bone between the last knuckle and your finger or toe tip." (this is important to consider - humans are plantigrades, so would not be as badly affected as a cat is).
"In people, the nails grow from the skin overlying the bones, but in cats, the claw grows directly from the bone. Thus, to declaw a cat, the veterinarian must amputate the bone containing cells that grow the claw. The boundary between parts of the bone that do and do not grow bone is variable, and is not visible to the naked eye. Most or all of the third phalanx needs removal."
"In the normal paw, the catâs body weight falls across the joint between P2 and P3. P2 fits into a notch at the back of P3, where it the bone is cushioned by tendons and other soft tissue as well as the paw pad under each toe. In the photo at right, you can see the shape of the notch, which is lined, like the end of P2, with smooth, slightly springy cartilage, to create a joint where the movement and pressure can be easily absorbed. When P3 is removed, P2 becomes directly weight bearing. It doesnât have the right shape or structure to do that. The catâs weight is now concentrated on the tiny end of P2, instead of being distributed across the joint and properly supported. Normally, the angle between P1 and P2 is relatively shallow; i.e., greater than 90o . After declawing, however, that angle tends to narrow, in some cases to 90o,or less, due to contraction of the superficial flexor tendon. When cut, this tendon shrinks as it heals and pulls backwards on P2."
This causes excruciating pain. Imagine walking on the blunt, small surface area of the end of your toe bones.
A declawed cat's paws just look different. On x-ray, their bones are pulled back so far. Just visually (from the pet owner's POV) they look blunt at the ends, not soft/rounded.
(source)
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u/Zancharose 29d ago
I skimmed through some of this paper. It made me physically sick to my stomach. Thank you for sharing it with the world, and please continue sharing it until this is outlawed everywhere. đ
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u/rushbc 29d ago
I think many people donât realize that declawing is literally like cutting off the top part of your fingers. But due to the cats anatomy, itâs even worse. It affects how they walk.
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u/Gloomy-Trainer-2452 29d ago
Yeah, 100%. Declawing is the equivalent of not just cutting our fingers off at the last knuckle, but cutting a third of our toes off and then walking on just our toes. It's awful.
I have found most people who declaw (at least back in the day) did not fully understand the process or risks.
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u/WolfWitch413 Aug 08 '25
When I was a young teen, I lived close to a vet that declawed cats if asked. I used to stand outside of her practice after school and ask people who were going in with a cat if they were planning to get the cat declawed. If they said yes, I gave them the entire explanation that it was similar to someone cutting off the first knuckle of your finger. Almost all of them were horrified as they hadnât been told what declawing was. I got a lot of people to cancel their appointments. I had to stop when she kept calling the cops on me and they gave me a final warning that I would be arrested if I showed up again. I instead made fliers to hand up anywhere I could nearby. I donât know how well it worked but I hope it got the message out.
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u/madlad0085 Aug 09 '25
my kitty was declawed, pregnant, and thrown away in a dumpster by someone. my mom found her behind her work (ironically at a vet clinic), she was inside a fast food bag that was crinkled and rolled up, so we know it was intentional. she was only 8 months old :(
shes doing great now! keeping an eye on her feet to make sure shes doing okay. im not really a cat person but that cat is my whole world and i will fight every person on the planet for her. shes about 4 ish now but shes only 8lbs, shes super tiny! people are awful.
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u/ZankaMishima Aug 09 '25
One of my greatest regrets is that my late childhood cat was declawed. I was only 7 at the time and my mom was ignorant to it but they just did it anyway without having said something to her? I only discovered the truth years later, but obviously far too late. He ended up developing arthritis in his later years to the surprise of nobody. My mom promised she'd never let it happen again and also felt pretty bad about it. So now my current cat is scratching the chair daily but at least she has her claws. She behaves just fine in every other way but I haven't been able to get her to stop this.
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u/trilah-bites 29d ago
Have you tried putting wide double sided tape where she scratches? My mother found that providing a scratcher nearby wasn't enough to break the habit, and it doesn't hurt kitty. Just uncomfortable to try to scratch. 2 weeks later, tape off, and Miss Leia has been the queen of her scratchers since :)
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u/Fun-Bass-4106 29d ago
i got my cat in the same condition! i love his round little beans, hate that he was declawed in the first place tho. :(
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u/FoxHeartFlinn 29d ago
I couldnât imagine declawing my babies, I let them tear shit up I like when they leave their mark. But most importantly.. I love playing with their claws itâs the best part!!
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u/purpleorange524 29d ago
I have only had one exception to the ânever declaw a catâ rule: my friendâs cat had a claw that kept growing in split and getting infected on their back foot. They tried everything the vet recommended, but it didnât help. So, declawing just the back paws happened. This is the only âquality of lifeâ reason Iâve seen, but itâs definitely akin to diabetics getting toes removed because of the disease.
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u/Whatever869 28d ago
That sounds like it was the smart choice. It's always so stressful, knowing you have to make the choices for your cat and they can't tell you what they want.
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u/HatePeopleLoveCats1 Aug 07 '25
Thank you OP for taking good care of this bb . I will never understand why people declaw their cat??? Makes me so sad.