Expert: W - 9/16/2007

Question
Our kitten is having surgery Wednesday for neutering.  I would also like to have him declawed for he is destroying furniture, etc.  My wife is totally against it and it is not something I WANT to do. I just can't imagine having ruined furniture for the next 15 plus years.  I've read that the pain from recovering from the surgery when the cat uses the litterbox makes the cat associate the litterbox with pain.  Have you experienced this?  I definitely don't want to do anything to jeopardize  him using it.  As a new cat owner we want to make informed decisions regarding our kitten. Our vet,  of course makes his living from these kinds of procedures and we just wanted a second opinion.  If we just do the neutering are pain meds necessary? Of course, if we do the declaw we will definilty get them

Thanks,
Joseph

Answer
Hi Joseph
Male neutering may require pain meds for two to three days until the swelling goes down. As far as I have seen there has been no association of pain and litterbox in many cases, so I feel that you have nothing to worry about there.
As for declawing, not something I like either.
Consider getting scratching posts and cover them in Cat Nip. Also clip his claws regularly and no damage to furniture. Remember he is scratching just now establishing a male territory, but once neutered the male dominance will decline as well, no hormonal urges.
Ray