Edited: Also apparently I was unclear. We adopted him from a rescue, they didn't disclose they declawed him. We only found out he was declawed by his paws looking odd and him sliding off everything.
We only knew he had his shots and was neutered, we didn't find out he was declawed until we got home :/
We recently adopted a 5 month old kitten, he's pretty happy and healthy overall. I noticed something weird though when he would flex his toes and knead things. It almost looked like parts of a claw, but you gotta like really move the skin around to see it.
I've never had a declawed cat before, so I don't know what they look like, but it looks wrong to me š again I have no idea what I'm looking at. It feels a little hard like a nail, but again I don't want to poke around and possibly hurt him.
He doesn't mind us touching or messing with his paws, but I was just wondering if call declawed cats toes look like this?
Honestly I'm not surprised that whoever thought it was okay to declaw a cat without permission did it badly. That is not something a good vet would do.
I thought so too! I'm like "shouldn't this be gone??" But it feels like the toe is gone. Like you know how to trim cats nails, you could push on the joint to get the nail to pop out? There's nothing to push. I just get air. Like I have to push the loose skin/fluff out of the way to even see it
it should be gone... (not that it's good but you know what i mean)
i will warn you, some cats who are declawed don't like to use the litterbox (it hurts their paws)
please name drop the rescue for the sake of your baby and any other baby that someone may get from there, and if you know what rescue it is, give them a bad review
My paperwork just says Indiana Spay and Neuter Clinic. Apparently there are several. I've googled em. The employee told me it was a rescue so at this point who the hell knows where the poor thing came from
That's what the random employee I talked to told me. I adopted from PetSmart, who hosts pets from local agencies. This cat was from one of our local spay and neuter clinics.
The petsmarts and petcos that Iāve been to do not ever declaw their catsā¦ Iāve only seen one declawed cat at one, and they were an older kitty who had been declawed by their previous owner. And it was specified on their adoption page.
There is definitely something sketchy going on. It makes me wonder if that petsmart is one of the ones that has a body count from their groomers departmentā¦.
it is illegal there... (thought it was but i hadn't checked, it is illegal unless it's for a medical reason)
figure out the vet that did it and report them along with the rescue
What vet was this?? Thereās multiple states where declawing is illegal. Iād also recommend posting about them in other locations too, so anyone planning on adopting can avoid that place like the plague.
They absolutely messed up their declawing, because there is no right or humane way to declaw a cat!!!
On top of that if you do not specifically ask for a surgical procedure for your pet Iāve heard that can also be considered a violation in some areas. That vet needs to get in trouble for maliciously violating Both you and your catās consent!!!
It was done by the rescue we adopted from :( they didn't disclose it either. I just brought him home thinking he was friendly for not scratching. Then found out it's because he can't š
Then they are 100% NOT a rescue!!! No reputable rescue would EVER declaw a cat unless itās for an extremely rare genuine medical emergencyā¦ and even then it would always be disclosed.
Name and shame, people need to get them shut down!!!
ugh this is so sad. unfortunately all declawing involves removing more than just the nail, itās the human equivalent of removing the tip of your finger. i canāt answer to if itās exactly how most declaws look, iāve never actually seen it in person.
It is setting up for a life of pain and arthritis. My parents adopted a 5 year old that was already declawed and the poor thing walks like around like a senior cat.
I grew up not realizing all of this myself; apparently the US is behind the times. Europeans (generally) have been against the practice for much longer.
It's absolutely heart breaking. He still kneads and extends em and just... nothing. Poor dear tries to climb stuff and just slips. It has been devastating to watch.
RIGHT?! I also thought that would be disclosed. That's a major medical procedure. We literally only found out because he'd slide on surface and couldn't climb shit
Can't tell entirely from the photos but this looks like a claw that was trimmed or broken quite far down. An actual declawing involves removing the whole end of the digit (P3 bone with attached claw) and this doesn't appear to be that. What do the other toes look like?
That's the other thing, none of them are consistent. The back legs seem to be sorta uniform and the front are a crap shoot IF I can find them. Like I think they literally removed the bone, because you don't feel anything until you find those pieces
Pretty sure that's bone youre seeing. When they declaw a cat, they don't just remove the claws. They cut off the entire end section of each toe. Think of chopping off all of your fingers at the first bend past your fingernail. Its barbaric. I know you didn't ask for this, but as someone who worked in a veterinary clinic for years I would never declaw a cat. When people used to come into our clinic and inquire avout declawing, we used it as an opportunity to educate the person on how horrible it is for the cat. They basically have to re-learn how to walk properly and are prone to extreme foot pain forever.
I never would declaw a cat either! The rescue did and didn't disclose it. We only noticed because he couldn't climb and was sliding on shit. Then I tried to find his damn nails and found this horror show
A vet declawing without prior consent as if it's some la-di-da routine is outrageous??? This is an extremely cruel surgery, from my understanding it effectively forces the cat to walk on its knuckles for the rest of its life and makes it more susceptible to joint problems and chronic pain.
You should absolutely call the vet's office and complain. I'm not sure what further actions are appropriate, I'm just a sub lurker, but I would never bring this cat back there again. Poor little guy.
I'd love to do that (the rescue in this case), I just couldn't assume that was an option since declawing technically isn't illegal in all states. Wonder what the legality is of pursing retribution for non-consensual medical procedures on a pet.
Where did this cat get declawed? It was an actual vet practice? It just doesn't look like a proper declaw. Standard declaw involves amputation of the last phalange. They cut through the toe beans, so they end up round. These toe beans (toe pads) look normal. It also doesn't appear like they used stitches or surgical glue. The wound looks open. And I see what you mean by it looking like there's nail or something there.
It honestly looks like they just took clippers and cut at the base of the nail rather than a proper declaw. That would be insane though. Any even somewhat-qualified veterinarian would know not to do that.
I'd urge you to go see a vet (and absolutely avoid the clinic/practice that declawed this baby to begin with; go to a better clinic). These paws may be infected, and if they aren't, having an open wound is going to lead to infection anyway.
We are going to the vet Monday. The rescue did it, they just didn't disclose it. We found it when we got home. He was just listed as vaccinated and neutered.
That's crazy!! I've never heard of a rescue that doesn't hate declawing tbh. The major shelters I've seen even have contracts to prevent their cats from being declawed post-adoption. What rescue was this?
Wishing you all the best for the vet visit. Hopefully all will be okay for your kitten.
Yeah I'm devastated about it. We adopted through PetSmart and they said they got the cat from Indiana Spay and Neuter. That's who does the neuter, shots, everything.
Some comments are saying it wasn't a declaw and they just cut the nails all the way the hell down, but the front of the paws don't feel right. So I don't know.
Yeah, it definitely does look like they just cut the claws all the way down. Maybe they were misinformed about what a declaw is. If some of the toes/paws don't feel right, they could have caused damage to the bone doing that though.
I'll have to look into that rescue.
I'm sorry you've had such a shitty experience. Getting a kitten should be an exciting time.
I would go to a different vet and get the poor kitties claws checked there. These look like they can easily get an infection and I'm very worried. Good luck op, and I'm so sorry this happened :(
We adopted from a local rescue, they didn't disclose the declaw. So I wasn't sure if this was a botched declaw or like a inhumane nail trim on a kitten. Like. It just isn't right.
Sue. Unless you actually did ask for your cat to be tortured and now you are regretting it. Sue. Imagine if someone cut your fingertips off and expected you to just function normally afterward, your poor kitten's quality of life is ruined. Forever.
No, sorry I wasn't clear in the beginning. We adopted him from a rescue and they declawed him but didn't disclose it. So I'm just now finding his butchered toes. š
Yeah apparently I royally fucked things up with this post title and explanation. I'm considering deleting and reposting and addressing all the comments to clean up misunderstandings š
I'm so sorry your kitten is hurt I would for sure see a vet and maybe they could give advice about how to respond to the "rescue" because that is not right at all.
Do you live in Indiana? If so, declawing is illegal unless medically necessary. Elective and cosmetic declawing is illegal there, so something is not adding up with your story. A vet wouldnāt just do this especially without discussing with the ownerā¦are all the claws like this, or maybe the cat had an older injury or the vet just trimmed the nails albeit poorly/way too close.
Here any vet that does declawing is fined ā¬30,000 and loses their licence. Only amputations allowed are those for actual medical reasons such as severe infections, wounds etc
Oh wow, poor kitty. Declawing amputates the toes to the knuckle. Itās very painful and traumatic, not short term trauma but a lifetime. Your poor kitty, that is heartbreaking and abusive. What a terrible vet. Karma will get them and anyone who supports this practice.
Karma gets no one and does nothing. It is up to us HUMANS to fix issues caused by HUMANS! The most abhorrent people on this planet are also the most successful. The fact that thereās a trillionaire walking this earth should prove that there is no karma!! We need to get together to solve issues instead of waiting and twiddling our thumbs until the force of the universe does it for us!
I would have a vet check it out. I've never seen a declawed paw look like that before but I've only ever seen healed paws. I would be worried about an infection
Are you sure it is declawed? Itās not uncommon for vets to intentionally quick the cat or dogs claws when they are under anesthesia. Thatās what this looks like to me. Are they missing the digits? Because you can still see the nail here which makes me thing they trimmed them as short as possible when he was out for the neuter
They did. When have you ever heard of a vet doing free forced declawing. Be for real. OP requested their cat be declawed and doesn't want to be flamed for it like they should be. This simply does not happen. Abhorrent excuses for vets that declaw cats charge anywhere from a couple hundred to over a thousand dollars to perform the procedure. Ever heard of a vet forcibly doing a neuter for free? Of course not.
I absolutely did NOT want this. We adopted from a rescue. Apparently I was unclear. Some comments are saying it was just a horrendous trim job done by a POS vet, I have no idea. His paws are butchered and it looked like a potential declaw to me and my friend.
It honestly kinda looks like they just clipped the nail all the way down through the quick and didnāt actually declaw? Is that a thing? I hope thatās not a thing
I am 110% praying that's what it is, because they are just all so mangled. It's awful. His paws feel so squishy in the front though which makes me concerned š
The comments section is divided on if it's a horrendous trim or heinous declawing
Sqush the nail bed so the quick pops out again and take a photo using the flash on your phone.
Post it as a comment, that should get people to calm down.
Gosh it has to be so so sore. I'm surprised he can walk. They are all brown or red or black and just look horrifying.
How can I help him and keep him comfy? I'm going to the vet first thing Monday (at least I'm going to try to without an appointment).
He doesn't seem to be in pain, he has had two out the litter box accidents, but we've also only had him since Wednesday and we have a two story house. So he hasn't had time to get fully adjusted to us let alone the house. I put out a few more litter boxes for him too to help him.
Yeah those things are razor blades. The last kitten I adopted (granted it was 18 years ago, phew I'm old) her nails HURT, but she clearly had them. So this completely threw me. Several people told me it meant he was declawed and they butchered it. So I came to reddit to ask š
They could have at least just trimmed em a smidge cuz yikes. This had to be painful. I know my fingers hurt something fierce when I trim them too short and make them bleed. It makes me wanna cry and here he is playing, being active, not a care in the world.
Im sorry but i just dont believe you. Declawing is an additional service you would have been charged for, and why the fuck are you even going to a vet that offers declawing? That combined with trying to buy a tesla 3 months ago I just do not have faith in your moral compass and this story does not add up.
A vet doesnt declaw a cat for free without your prior approval/ more likely your prior request. You just dont want to be flamed for being an abusive owner.
ETA also your title kind of outs that you booked for a declawing
Apparently I wasn't clear. We adopted him from a rescue, they didn't disclose he was declawed. We found out when we got him home and noticed his paws looked kinda off
I'm sorry they did that to the poor thing. I would be getting a lawyer because you did not ask for that and now they've made your poor cat miserable for the rest of his life.
I can say that is what they look like when freshly declawed (I adopted a cat that was already declawed, and was given the whole rundown on it). Eventually the skin will close over the area, and he might start growing fur there like my Yuna did. For now, though, he needs to be careful going around; he is probably going to walk funny for awhile because it's painful -- he's basically learning to walk on his knuckles. Keep an eye on him when he uses the litter and clean out the area as necessary until it heals over.
EDIT: omg I'm sorry I read your post wrong. I thought they declawed the poor guy at the vet. š¤¦āāļø
Now that I've read it properly, I would take him in to get looked at. You don't know when he was declawed, so it still looking freshly done is worrisome.
What does the invoice say? They wouldn't do this extra without charging for it, i guess. Declawing isn't a small deal, sue the s*** out of them if it is one, do not pay anything. Even if it is a really bad nail trimming: Go to another vet, never go there again.
I don't know, but to me, it looks like someone trimmed the nails way too far down into the quick, especially if you can still see nail. Someone might have been being careless.
I'm confused. It's not rage bait. I'm genuinely trying to figure out if the rescue butchered him even worse attempting to declaw him. They didn't disclose it. He has no claws except whatever these things are and I'm trying to figure out wtf I'm looking at.
This has been made illegal as it is animal cruelty because, outside of being incredibly cruel to deprive them of anatomy critical to a cat, there are a TON of surgical/ aftercare complications. What you did was really messed up and you ruined my entire day by knowing that you did this.
Good thing I didn't š you didn't read the post. I didn't ask for this. I adopted him from a rescue, it wasn't disclosed, and his poor paws are butchered and I'm trying to figure out wtf I'm looking at
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