Pros and Cons of Declawing
Declawing your cat is a highly controversial topic with advocates on both sides holding their position steadfast with little room for compromise. A poll put out by the Associate Press in 2011 states that nearly 60% of pet owners think that declawing your cats is acceptable. Today, we take a look at the pros and cons of declawing.
Benefits of Declawing
Curiosity might not kill your cat- but it can still do some serious damage. Sometimes cats will explore new textures and animals by extending their claw to get a quick touch. Though this habit is harmless enough in most cases- if that claw comes in contact with an eye, it can cause permanent damage and in some cases, require surgery to repair or remove a pierced eyeball.
A less crucial benefit that is more likely to have a definite impact is the salvation of your furniture. Many cats are satisfied with scratching posts but have a momentary lapse where they see a new piece of furniture that they may assume is just for their scratching pleasure. Other cats might have an obedience problem and scratch anything in sight. Rather than put a trouble-scratcher into a shelter, declawing it might be beneficial in the long run.
Most of the controversy is concerning the standard declawing procedure in which a blade makes a straight cut through the bone from which the claws grow. This procedure can indeed be painful and cause discomfort in cats; however, a much more comfortable procedure is possible, known as cosmetic declawing. In cosmetic declawing, rather than cut through the bone, the bone is removed from the paw in its entirety to prevent discomfort. The reason the controversy likely rages on is that the cosmetic procedure is difficult to perform and not available through all veterinarians.
A cat in good health will recover quickly from the surgery and adapt to its trimmed nails quickly, using its toes to replace its nail’s function for balance. The average recovery time for a declawing is between the recovery times for neutering and spaying, making it the second quickest recovery time for a surgical procedure.
Keep Those Claws!
Danger is afoot with no claws on the paws. Cats use claws to defend themselves from potential dangers and other hostile animals. It’s recommended that declawed cats remain indoor cats for their own safety. With cats’ independent nature, it might be best to keep the claws and find an alternative to declawing.
Even with cosmetic declawing, the process of declawing your cat is a major surgery that thusly deserves considerable thought. Each major surgery carries risk and entails a possibility of infection. Declawing your cat might not be the best solution if your cat is already in dubious health.
Click the following link for more information on CAT SCRATCH FEVER
You can always train your cat to redirect their scratching on something more appropriate like a scratching post, or this awesome cat DJ scratch deck. Cats have an instinct to scratch and often do it to maintain healthy paws and claws. Give them an outlet for their scratching and teach them what is off limits and you should see an improvement in their behavior.
Nail clipping is one way to curb cat scratching and its effects. There are a wide variety of nail clippers out there to give your cat a nice manicure that should reduce their ability to tear apart your couch. There are also tools to help shape your pets nails after you cut them to make sure your cat’s balance isn’t affected.
Click following link for video on Trimming Cat Claws
An alternative to nail clipping and declawing is using plastic caps to prevent scratching while indoors that can be easily removed or replaced. These handy caps can save your furniture while preventing unnecessary discomfort or pain that your cat might experience.
Article by Juan Madrigal
“QUICK” TIP BEFORE YOU CLIP!
There is a lot to be said about declawing one way or the other- are you for it or against it? Leave your opinions in the comment section!
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I think if you decide to declaw you need to ask around and research on how they do there declaw. Because some of the producers they do might surprise you,
Thanks for reading and I agree with you Samantha!
I believe if you are wanting to declaw you’re animal you should know what it can do. It destroys their defense mechanisms. Cats have three forms of defense. One to bite and two their front claws and third their back claws. I always think this way what would you do if you didn’t have your defense mechanisms? So use the other options out their first.
Thanks for reading Alesia, but there are pros and cons on declawing. Researching on the best options and veterinarian, but the owners repected decision always comes first.
I personally think it should be up to the owner. My cat is outside a lot so I wanted to leave his claws in case he needed to defend himself. If you had an inside cat you want to declaw to keep your furniture safe. In my opinion it should depend on the owner.
Thanks Christian, It should always be the owners decision and based on cats living environment.
My opinion is that if a pet owner is willing to pay the money to get their cat de-clawed… They love their cat and want to keep it. Whether it be for property damage, or child safety, or any other factor that makes the cat more compatible as a pet, at least the cat has a home and food, and are most likely very loved and cared for. The healing time is second to spay and neutering and the cats do adapt well, so they should consider themselves lucky!-ha!
Thanks Amy and what an excellent comment!
I have very mixed feelings about declawing. I have a cat who is declawed and a cat who is not (and if you have met Liberty you would wish she was declawed). My cat Siam who is declawed has never gone outside but one time a stray got in the house and my cat Siam, well she took very good care of that cat and she was the winner. But I also know it can be very harmful to them. I believe if you have tried the nail caps and have tried breaking their bad habits, and absolutely nothing has worked, then maybe consider declawing after shopping around and finding the best vet to preform the surgery. But keep in mind that even declawing, they still have back claws. And I suggest giving them a scratching post even if they are declawed because my cat Siam loves “sharpening her claws” 🙂
I’ve always been against declawing, and I always will be. I definitely think this procedure should be a last resort after all other options have been attempted. Cats use their claws to climb and hunt and fight. Why would we take that away from them?!
Thanks Samantha, but researching the humane procedures is always a great start before making a decision.
I am undecided on both, I think it should depend on the type of lifestyle you want for your cat. If you want an indoor only cat I think you should definitely consider it, especially if you have younger children and other indoor pets. Or you could even just get them trimmed. Or if you have an outside cat or mostly outside cat I think they should be left alone. I think getting them or even the caps are a great alternative!
I’m undecided on both as well. There is a lot of information.
I wouldn’t declaw as a first option and my reasoning is that I just don’t want to put my cat through that stress and if my cat ever ended up going outside or if I had to give him to another family, he wouldn’t have a way to defend himself. The only time I would agree to declaw is if he was scratching my toddler and I wouldn’t blame him due to how children can be with animals. But if it came down to that, I would most likely do laser removal and probably only take his front claws and teach my child to leave him alone as well.
Thanks for committing the blog and input on the choices owners have on declawing especially with laser, it was choice on my own cat Vinnie!
Since my husband and I just bought a new cat we’ve been debating whether we should have it declawed or not. So thanks for pointing out that by having this procedure performed you can save your furniture from possible future damage. I’m sure my husband will agree with me in declawing our cat when he hears that this could make sure that his new leather chair won’t get harmed by our cat because of this procedure.