Declawing Your Cat- not the nicest choice!

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Scratching

You have just arrived home with your new family member, and he/she has settled in brilliantly. Then one day you arrive home after a long day at work, to find your new leather sofa with claw marks all over it. What do you do?

Many people seem to think that declawing is a great option but I am here to tell you it’s not! There are many shops that sell so-called claw protectors which are small silicone nail coverings that are glued on to each claw of your cat. This in its self may seem as a really good idea but its not!

These can easily come off and be swallowed by your cat or kitten. The glue can also cause damage to the claw itself, almost like when you have “false” nails applied to your own nails. In time, the nails become soft and are prone to breaking. The best option is to pop down to your local vet who will be able to teach you how to cut your cat’s nails to stop any damage caused from scratching. Most vets will charge a small fee for doing this, but sometimes you may be able to get the practice nurse to do them for you free of charge if you don’t want to or aren’t comfortable enough to do them yourself.

Declawing

Many people chose the option of declawing as a solution to this problem. I honestly can’t imagine why anyone would ever want to do this to their beloved pet, although some will argue there is a good side to declawing but I fail to see it myself.

So what is Declawing?

Declawing is actually an amputation of the last joint of your cat's "toes". The red line in the picture below is to show you what is removed in a declawing procedure.

I’ve been told it wont hurt my cat!

Declawing is not like a manicure. It is serious surgery. Your cat's claw is not a toenail. It is actually closely adhered to the bone, so closely adhered in fact that to remove the claw, the last bone of the cat's claw has to be removed. When you envision that, it becomes clear why declawing is not a humane act. It is a painful surgery, with a painful recovery period. And remember that during the time of recuperation from the surgery your cat would still have to use its feet to walk, jump, and scratch in its litter box regardless of the pain it is experiencing. Unlike routine recoveries, including recovery from neutering, which are fairly peaceful, de-clawing surgery results in cats bouncing off the walls of the recovery cage because of the excruciating pain. Cats that are more stoic huddle in the corner of the recovery cage, immobilized in a state of helplessness, presumably by the overwhelming pain.

Declawing fits the dictionary definition of mutilation to a tee. Words such as deform, disfigure, disjoint, and dismember all apply to this surgery. Partial digital amputation is so horrible that it has been employed for torture of prisoners of war.

Do you still want to declaw your cat?

So what can I do to stop scratching?

I’m going to be 100% honest with you, a cat will always scratch, but there are many scratching systems that will fulfil your cats scratching needs. I would suggest a scratching post as a “must have” for any cat owner. If your cat has no interest in the scratch post invest in a small box of cat nip, sprinkle a small amount on the scratch post, then sit back and let the fun begin. I find that having lots of toys stops my girls from scratching the furniture. I have a whole selection of tickle sticks, mice (full of cat nip) and boxes. Empty shoe boxes are great- cats love them, the bigger the box the better.

Another thing to know is if you buy a new sofa or chair and it’s second hand from a home with pets, your cat will scratch at it. The reason for this is that cats have small glands in their paws and when they scratch they pass their scent onto the new item making it “their own”. A way to possibly stop this from happening is to rub your cat down with a slightly damp towel, then rub the damp towel over your new item and the cat should smell its own scent and not bother scratching it.

Laura Wornham, Diamond Dust Bengals