Should I declaw my cat?

Question

My kitten is currently 5 months old. I am having her spayed soon and she has a problem with clawing and scratching a lot. I have tried several things to calm her down such as buying her a scratching post but it doesn't seem to help.

Should I go ahead and have her declawed? Is this a major surgery that will leave her bandanged or need a recovery period?

Excuse my ignorance on the subject but I want facts before I even go forward with something of this nature. Thank you for the help.

Answer 1

Please don't!

If you’re thinking about having your cat declawed, there are many things you should know before you make your decision.  The surgery is basically an American trend, and is considered inhumane and is illegal in many countries (England, Scotland, Wales, Italy, France, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Sweden, Netherlands, Northern Ireland, Ireland, Denmark, Finland, Slovenia, Portugal, Belgium, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Yugoslavia and Japan).  If that doesn’t impact your opinion about declawing, maybe this website will help you decide: http://community-2.webtv.net/stopdeclaw/...

I believe that people who have their cats declawed are uneducated.  It is not very difficult to train your cat to use a scratching post.  The surgery is not simply a trimming of the claws, it’s an amputation of the distal phalanx, including bones, ligaments, and tendons! To remove the claw, the bone, nerve, joint capsule, collateral ligaments, and the extensor and flexor tendons must all be amputated.  If you were to make a comparison, it would be like having the last joint of each of our fingers chopped off.  So of course it is a painful surgery, with a painful recovery.  There are often many complications in the healing process, including infection often from litter box use, resulting in a life-long aversion to the litter box.  Other declawed cats that can no longer mark with their claws, will mark with urine instead, resulting in inappropriate elimination problems.  

Many cats who have been declawed are traumatized and become withdrawn, nervous, fearful and/or aggressive.  Cats who went through the painful surgery are more prone to resort to biting when they feel threatened.  Since cats have emotional feelings (just like we do) they can resent you if you decided to get them declawed.  All of these things can cause depression and ultimately lead to an overweight cat.

If a cat who has been declawed accidentally escapes, he/she would be in great danger.  A cat needs it's claws to defend itself, as well as to escape by climbing.  The constant state of stress, caused by a feeling of defenselessness may make some declawed cats more prone to disease.  Also they cannot stretch their back and shoulder muscles like they do naturally when they dig their claws into a scratching post.  

One popular alternative is Soft Paws.  They are lightweight vinyl nail caps that you glue on the cat's front claws.  They're great for households with small children and are extremely useful for people who are away from home all day and can't exercise the watchfulness necessary to train a cat to use a scratching post.  Soft Paws are easy to apply and last about four to six weeks.  They come in clear or colors--which are really fun.

Most common types of damage are scratched furniture, ripped carpets and shredded wallpaper.  You want to eliminate the problem before it occurs.  Buy or build a stable, tall scratching-post, right from the start.  Here are some tips to do it right: If your cat is scratching your furniture or rugs, here is some advice on training them to use a scratching post:

• The post should be at least two feet high, covered with sisal-rope

• Get more than one, especially when you have a multi-cat household

• Place the post close to the furniture or other areas which are most at risk

• Introduce a new scratching-post with some catnip sprinkled on its surface.  Cats love that and it’s more attractive to them

• If your cat starts scratching the "wrong" object, say "NO" and gently carry your cat to the desired post.  Demonstrate how to use it by scratching the post with your own nails.  If the cat doesn‘t catch on after trying this repeatedly for a few days, gently pick up his paws rub them along the post.

• Never force your cat.  When it starts scratching the post by itself, make sure you use verbal praise with a rewarding treat and affection.  The cat needs to know that using the scratching post results in positive things such as affection, playing and treats.

• When you have a kitten, start early with the "pawing at post" technique

• Invest in what’s called a “cat tree” which acts also as a leisure area for your cat.  Different textures and heights make it more interesting, you perhaps want to build it yourself

• Try some repellent like pepper-dust or some commercial products on your furniture to keep your cat off these areas

• Be persistent and don't give up too soon

Use cat claw trimmers and only take off a tiny bit at the end of the nail. Some people say to do it every other week. I think it‘s safer to cut off less than you are told, and to do it more often, (like once a week). Never use trimmers that are made for humans or dogs, because you are more likely to hurt her that way. You can ask your vet or groomer to show you the proper way to do it. Here's a website that shows you how:  

http://www.catscratching.com/htmls/artic...

Answer 2

I'm sure you don't want to subject your beloved kitty to the extreme pain and torture of having its toe joints amputated, do you?

The one system that works very well and will not hurt or upset your kitten is beautiful by its simplicity. It provides soft, vinyl covers for the claws that will take the scratch out of the cat but not take the cat out of the cat.

Users swear by these "Soft Paws," and you can read the testimonials on the website below.

Good luck and please don't mangle your cat's paws.