Declawing your cat has it’s pro’s & con’s. What is the process & why are so many people opposed to it?

Let start by discussing some of the reasons why people feel they need to declaw their cats. For starters, maybe you have children that are on the younger side & they don’t quite understand the proper way to treat animals. The kids will tend to torment the cat by say pulling their tail, ears or petting them in a manner that is unpleasant to the cat. Sometimes a cat tends to scratch you when you want to cuddle with them or handle them. Another reason we declaw our cats is if we have a cat that likes to claw @ our clothes & furniture.

What does the process of declawing involve? It involves, amputating the 3rd bone of each toe in both front paws. Just imagine if you had to have all ten of your finger tips amputated, & then you try to go about your everyday life. How much harder do you thing everything would be?

Now lets talk about the pro’s of declawing. There aren’t many but I’ll list them anyway.

1. There could be a medical need for a cat to be declawed such as, if the claw gets damaged & is beyond repair. The cat could also have a tumor.
2. Sometimes the owner of the cat could have a suppressed immune system.
3. The owner could also be elderly, if they are on blood thinners, in which case they can’t be exposed to the bacteria that lives on cat claws.

The majority of the time people will declaw their cat as a result of social issues, or they are being destructive & tearing up furniture.

What are the consequences of declawing your cat?

1. Your cat could start biting because you took away their primary defense mechanism.
2. They could experience discomfort while walking as a result of having part of their toes amputated.
3. They could experience discomfort while using the liter box.

Why are so many people opposed to the declawing of cats? Many people feel that it’s unnatural to declaw cats when it’s only benefiting the owner. It’s a painful procedure & recovery can take awhile depending on the method used in the OR. I feel it boils down to, cats are born with claws & they deserve to keep them.

Another reason why you shouldn’t declaw your cat is, you will have to make them an indoor cat for the rest of their life. If you enjoy having an outdoor cat then I implore you to let your cat keep his/her claws. Cats only really have two ways to protect themselves, if you take one of them away they will be @ a disadvantage. Did you know that in some countries like the United Kingdom, Australia & New Zealand it is flat out illegal to declaw your cat?  In other countries it is only permitted if a vet determines it is medically necessary.

I’m not sure if many cat owners are aware of this, but there are alternatives to declawing. Such as:

1. Training, yes you can train cats too. Training should ideally be done as a kitten. Kittens have a much easier time learning to use a screeching post. Older cats can be trained as well, but generally if possible the earlier in life you train your cat, the better off you will be.
2. You can get something called soft claws, they go over your cats claws & are usually only meant to be used as a temporary solution. However they can be used long term if they are installed properly. Installation of soft claws usually involves, trimming your cats claws & gluing the soft claws in place with surgical adhesive.
3. The other alternative is trimming your cats claws. Which is not the easiest task in the world, you may wish to seek professional help, either from your vet or even a local groomer may be able to help. Think about it for a moment, the two main reasons cats will scratch is, one to scratch & two to sharpen their claws. If you trim their claws they will just want to sharpen them even more.