cat claws

Question
i have two kittens that i am thinking about declawing. i had seen online that there were i guess you would call them nail covers. do most vets carry them and would that be a good alternative and cheaper way to declaw them.  

Answer
Hi Anna,

You have touched on a VERY sensitive subject in my eyes and the veterinarians that I work with. None of us like declawing.

You have decided to have cats, they come with what nature gave them and if you cannot accept that, then you should have found ones from a shelter that someone already did that horrific job to. If  you are looking for cheap, find another type of pet.

It is an amputation of the entire first digit. It is not the removal of just the nail. You cat can have permanant problems, or none at all. I have a client who's cat lost an entire leg to a botched declaw job and one cat that has had to have 3 repairs to a foot that the bone kept growing back.

Soft claws work great! Your vet should carry them and it takes about 5 minutes to apply for a 6-8 weeks worth of wear.

BUT here is my suggestion. Learn how to trim the nails weekly. The shorter they are, the less you are going to have problems. Offer lots of scratching posts etc..

Good luck.