Declawing a Cat

A lot of people consider declawing a cat as a simple alternative to shredded furniture and potential scratches. I hope to persuade the reader that it isn't quite as simple as that.

"Declawing" is actually a bit of a misnomer. To prevent the claw from regrowing, the operation actually removes the cat's first knuckle on their front toes. This is the equivalent of you cutting your fingers back to the first knuckle joint because you're tired of trimming your nails.

Declawing a cat is not only risky to the cat, since it is ten amputations at once, but it is psychologically traumatizing as well. Declawing is done under general anesthesia, and when the cat wakes up, both paws are in pain. Walking hurts, and when the bandages are removed, the toes can start to bleed again.

Since cats use their toes for balance, a declawed cat is destabilized in ways that take it some time to grow accustomed to. Even when it does learn to balance in its new state, it throws off the cat's natural alignment, which can lead to back and spinal problems in the long term.

Declawing almost inevitably causes a cat's personality to change. Claws are the first line of defense a cat uses, so without them, an outgoing cat may become withdrawn and anti-social, and a mild-mannered cat may become aggressive. Almost every declawed cat abandoned at shelters and humane societies for biting only started biting after having been declawed. Without their primary method of signalling displeasure, they have no method other than biting to make their feelings known.

Many people have cats declawed because they have small children and they don't want the cat to scratch the toddlers. But this is a false dilemma. Small toddlers often don't know not to continue 'playing' with a cat after the cat has had enough, and indeed, in this case the cat may scratch the child. But this child will quickly learn the cat's behavioral cues and leave the cat alone when it walks away, rather than pursuing it. A cat without claws may bite the same child, and cat bites are far more dangerous than cat scratches.

Cat bites are infectious to humans, and can become so nasty they require hospitalization. Cat scratches, on the other hand, can be treated with iodine or mercurochrome and a simple "I guess next time you'll know to let kitty alone. He doesn't like you tying things on him."

If you don't think you can police your small children around cats, do both a favor and don't bring any cats into your house until the children are older.

Almost any cat can be trained not to scratch the furniture. See our article on Training Kittens for some ideas. In brief, providing an approved scratching venue, such as a Cat Scratching Post or kitty condo and providing consistent disincentives to scratch elsewhere will be sufficient to keep your furniture safe from destructive scratching. Before the cat is trained, draping expensive pieces with sheets or spraying with a cat repellent is a valid option.

For cats that for whatever reason simply can't resist the temptation of the sofa or the wingback chair, consider using vinyl nail tips such as Soft Paws. These are rounded claw covers that are glued to the tip of the claw. The cat can walk and 'scratch' as usual, but the smooth ends of the tips slide over fabric without digging in. These will grow out as the cat's claws grow and need to be replaced every four to six weeks.

Many people also find that just trimming the sharp tips off their cats' claws helps with accidental snags or scratching. You can have your veterinarian or professional groomer do it safely, or you can do it carefully with nail clippers at home.

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