The Case Against Declawing

Why not declaw a cat?

Declawed cats have no means of defending themselves or escaping from danger. You become totally responsible for your declawed cat's safety.

Declawed cats may resort to biting when they feel threatened. Owners of nervous cats mistakenly believe declawing will make cats safer, when declawing may actually make cats more insecure.

Declawing is painful. The vet removes the last joint of each toe while the cat is under anesthesia. When the cat wakes up, the toes hurt! The cat may suffer from complications such as abscesses.

Since the last joint of each toe is removed, the cat's balance will be affected. Can you imagine suddenly living without the last joint of each finger and toe?

What are the alternatives to declawing?

Get a pair of nail trimmers made for pets and trim your cat's nails regularly. Carefully clip off the tip of each nail. Do not cut the pink area. Trimming keeps the "hook" from growing at the end of the nail--that way, the cat can make natural scratching motions without pulling threads from the fabric.

Buy or make sturdy carpeted or bark-covered scratching posts. Each post should be tall enough for an adult cat to stretch out to full length (30" to 36"). You can also get corrugated paper posts to place on the floor. Because cats sometimes claw to mark their territory, two or three posts around your house will work better than one.

Train the cat to use the posts. The younger the cat, the easier it is to train. When the cat uses the post, pet and praise it. When the cat scratches the furniture, yell "no!", then put the cat on one of the posts.

To help break the furniture habit, use clear contact paper sheets to cover areas where your cat tends to scratch. Or, fill a clean squirt bottle with plain water and squirt the cat when it scratches the furniture.

With a little attention and training, you can keep your cat from scratching the furniture without costly, painful surgery.