It’s so common in America to declaw your cat. Many people do it without even thinking twice about it, like it’s an automatic thing to do after getting their cat neutered. You want to keep your nice furniture looking nice. But it’s time you take a look at what this procedure is, and if it’s the right thing to do to your pet.
Image via Wikipedia
Only in America
It’s really just in the States that people get their cats declawed. Many countries have made it illegal, calling it “inhumane” and “unnecessary mutilation”. Among the countries that have made declawing illegal are: England, Ireland, France, Germany, Australia and at least 20 other countries.
Serious Stuff
Do you think this is a simple, little procedure? You would be seriously mistaken. This is actual surgery. A cat’s nails aren’t like our nails. Their nails are actually closely adhered to a bone. So no, it’s not like a manicure. Declawing is closer to toe amputation.
Rough Recovery
Unfortunately cats can’t just take a few days off their feet after surgery. They still need to walk, jump, and scratch in their litter box… so their recovery from being declawed can be painful. They are especially pained when they jump.
Outside Chance
Even if your cat is an indoor pet, there’s still an outside chance it will get outside. These front claws are essential for a cat to be able to catch food and defend itself from dogs or other threats.
Humane Solutions
Let ‘em Scratch
Image via Wikipedia
There are several ways you can keep them from scratching up your furniture. Buy a scratching post. A sisal one is the best, especially if you occasionally put catnip on it.
Neat and Trim
by altemark via Flickr
Trim your cat’s nails on a regular basis, being careful not to cut too far in. Many cat owners claim a product called “Soft Paws” works the best. Only trim indoor-only cats, as cats that go outdoors need their claws for protection.
Get Armed
by sara.atkins via Flickr
Teach your cat not to scratch on the furniture. Keep a water gun or a spray bottle at hand, and every time you catch it scratching at your sofa, shout “No!” and spray it with water. After awhile just yelling “No!” will get your cat to back off, for fear that water will soon be sprayed. Eventually the cat will just know not to scratch those areas anymore. This takes patience and diligence, but will work with most cats.
Just because so many people do it, doesn’t make it right. If you’re interested in more information on the harms of declawing, or want to help make it illegal in the United States, check out the Paw Project.
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User Comments
giftarist
On September 17, 2009 at 8:40 am
Cute pics, nice article
agriculi
On September 17, 2009 at 11:37 am
A declawed cat becomes more agressive.
Lauren Axelrod
On September 17, 2009 at 1:17 pm
I agree. It is inhumane to do this to your cats. If you don’t know how to control them, then you shouldn’t have them.
Bailey Thompson
On September 17, 2009 at 8:03 pm
I agree. Some friends and I were talking about this today, actually. Great article!
Goodselfme
On September 17, 2009 at 8:19 pm
I just learned some terrible things about declawing cats that is not only inhumane but dangerous to their lives. You posted this well.TX
Colleen
On September 17, 2009 at 8:51 pm
I always thought that if I got stuck with a cat for some reason or another, the first thing I would do is get him declawed.
I’ll rethink that now.
Shaman
On September 17, 2009 at 11:03 pm
Declawing you cat? This is madness! Cats need claws, it’s part of who they are and part of their survival. Take it from me – if you’re afraid of furniture being ripped, don’t buy a cat! It’s that simple.
When my cat got her claws stuck in a curtain, ripping it gradually I would take great care getting her out of the situation, wouldn’t even think about declawin.
Sure cats do harm with claws, not only to our everday objects but ourselves as well, but it’s just who cats are. We have to learn to respect that.
Great article.
Athlyn Green
On September 17, 2009 at 11:16 pm
Good information. the spray bottle trick sounds like a good approach to get cats to stop scratching certain areas.
clafleur
On September 17, 2009 at 11:46 pm
I had a kitty once, and i de-clawed him when he was neutered at 6 months. I felt bad after the fact/. when he was 2 he got outside and an alley cat scratched his paw and left a deep wound. I decided i just wont have any more kitties if i gotta de-claw them..
Celeste
On September 19, 2009 at 10:17 pm
I have always had cats and I always have them de-clawed. I understand what you are saying here and you are right, it is major surgery. It normally takes my cats about 3-4 days of tender paws, then they are quickly back to normal. Also the vet provides pain medication which really seems to help. For me, this is a necessary procedure which allows us to live together in purrfect harmony. In exchange for them getting declawed, I provide them with exceptional care, a truly loving home, and lots of affection. All my cats have been indoor kitties. I know you who are against de-clawing probably think I’m terrible but I know if you could see the kind of pampered life my cats have, you might just change your mind.
meggymoo
On September 20, 2009 at 2:47 pm
Celeste,
You are right I do think you are terrible.
If you can’t love an animal with claws then you shouldn’t have an animal with claws. My cats are indoor cats and they have been trained to only scratch the indoor scratching posts I provide.
My cat has scratched once. He was cornered by an over friendly dog. It was a small scratch just to let the dog know to back off. What if he didn’t have his claws at that moment. He would have been helpless with no kind of defense.
People who have there cats declawed do so for completely selfish reasons. What real benefit is this to a cat. Cats shouldn’t have to be mutilated in order to have “exceptional care, affection and a loving home” These should be things you want to provide a cat anyway.
binaryisfun
On September 30, 2009 at 10:26 pm
Wow, really? I agree with Celeste. It’s all a matter of opinion I suppose, but in my family we had a cat that was clawed and the other we’ve had de-clawed. The one with claws was so mean. He used to jump out at us and scratch us up just for the fun of it. I went to the hospital after a scratch from him got infected and the doctor said I could have died from it. Our new cat was de-clawed when she was a tiny kitten and laid around for a few days while she healed. Now, she’s fine, and she gives really good massages. She’s not aggressive at all unless we’re playing with her, in which case she usually uses her very sharp teeth. She doesn’t go outside where another cat can attack her, and she isn’t crippled. Personally, I think you need to find a really good vet if you’re going to have your cat de-clawed.
Ruth
On October 3, 2009 at 8:17 am
A very good article and most comments good too. Declawing a cat is very cruel and uneccessary.To the person who had a tiny kitten declawed and ‘advises’ finding a good vet to do it,you are way off mark.Good vets do not declaw cats.According to the AVMA it’s supposed to be a last resort operation for serious scratching behaviour, NOT done to tiny kittens.That perfectly healthy kitten is now disabled ! Cats need their claws to dig in for exercise, to keep their leg, shoulder and back muscles healthy.Many declawed cats suffer stress illnesses such as cystitis and eczema and later in life most develop arthritis. I bet the ‘really good vet’ didn’t tell you that ! Really good vets will not declaw, the ones who still do, love doing it, they get the money for the operation, some even charge extra for pain medication !! Then the money for the times the cat is taken back with physical or mental problems from declawing and as a bonus, they don’t have to worry about getting scratched while treating the crippled cat ! A declawed cat is defenceless, just last week an indoor cat got out by mistake, the neighbours pit bull terrier was in the garden, if that cat had been declawed he wouldn’t have been able to run up a tree to safety.
It’s very easy to train a cat to use a scratching post,if anyone can’t do that, then it’s their fault, not the cats.
I live in a country where declawing is illegal, but even before that, our vets would never declaw any cat.
It should be banned worldwide !!!
http://www.petitionthem.com/default.asp?sect=detail&pet=4312
Ruth (retired vet nurse)England
Barbara
On October 3, 2009 at 8:48 am
A good article except for advising the water bottle and shouting, learning by fear is unnecessary, all cats can be trained to use scratching posts as long as they are shown early enough what is expected of them and provided with the right equipment. Anyone who is scared of being scratched by their cat is clearly not cut out to share their home with a creature born with claws.
To the person who quipped that their cat gives a good massage, and the person who thinks giving a cat a pampered life is a good swap for amputation of toe ends, I say think again. America is way behind the rest of the world on animal welfare and this attitude shows why.
De-knuckling a cat is never justified, and vets who perform this mutilation are motivated purely by $$$’s in the bank handed over by suckers who believe them when they say you should declaw your cat.
http://clawsforever.ning.com/photo/who-can-deny-it-is-amputation?context=latest
Here you go, have a look at what happens to your cat during declawing
Wake up America.
Mo
On October 3, 2009 at 8:39 pm
Hello,
Came across this site by surfing around, and I have to agree with the writer. I worked in am American animal hospital. I watched a declaw surgery and a hysterectomy. I almost passed out when I saw the declaw. it was disgusting.
They cut the paw tip open. They took something that looked like large animal nail clippers and clipped off the whole first toe joint. The bone and attached claw fell into a pan. They repeated this. They sewed it back up and threw out the bones.
Afterward, we were told to keep the kittens on paper litter because sand would hurt them.
Toe amputation changes the gait of an animal, as it does in humans. to avoid walking on the end of the bone, which causes pain, they start walking differently.
Many start peeing outside the litter box when stressed. They are, as one mentioned, also more prone to arthritis and stress issues. And then, they get put to sleep because they are peeing everywhere because it hurts to use a litterbox. Nice.
My friend had part of his toe amputated. He had phantom pain for months. He limped and got a knee problem. He was in constant pain long after and it still bothers him 16 years later.
It’s not okay, no matter how pampered your pet is.
Let’s bind your feet, like they did to the Chinese women in the past. It’s so neat, so tidy, keeps the women at home where they should be. The husband can pamper her and treat her nicely, and that makes it ok.
I don’t think so. No.
emily
On November 18, 2009 at 10:46 pm
I think it’s a situational thing. I got my cat when he was just a few weeks old from a neighbor. He had been attacked by a pit bull puppy and had serious damage done to him. They couldn’t afford to take him to a vet so I took him. The vet told me that both his back legs were broken and he had 3 fractured ribs. The vet couldn’t cast his back legs because he wouldn’t be able to use his litterbox (which at the time I was using a small dog dish because he couldn’t get into a regular litterbox) and that he would have to be a permanent indoor cat. I had fell in love with this little kitten (Pancakes) and so my parents told me we’d have to do something about his claws and the furniture. So we researched a lot and once he got old enough and big enough we bought the Soft Paws claw covers… They were okay except two major things. One, they were rediculously hard to put on. And two, Pancakes loves playing with socks and such and since the claw covers only go on so far, threads in the sock would get caught around his claws and we’d have to pin him down and cut the socks off. Several times his claws got caught in the carpet! :/ One afternoon I found a SoftPaw that had come off on the carpet and IT HAD HIS WHOLE CLAW STILL IN IT!! I wasn’t having it anymore. So, I had Pancakes declawed on ONLY his front paws and it hasn’t hindered him one bit (and now that his back legs are healed completely that doesn’t hinder him either). He had casts on his front paws for a couple days so they could heal and now he’s perfect.
I must say though that I think getting a cat declawed on all 4 of his paws is cruel…
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