| Alternatives to Declawing There are many alternatives to declawing such as claw sheaths (they cover the claws but are a little clumsy to the cat) or, even better, teaching your cat not to scratch. If you don't want your cat to scratch your furniture or cupboards you must give him/her a viable alternative such as a scratching post and youalso need to teach your cat how to use the scratching post. There are many different types of posts available. You can find posts made of corrugated cardboard, sisal, carpeting material, and wood; and such posts come in various styles to accommodate your cats needs. If your cat likes to scratch the floor get him/her a post that can sit on the floor lengthwise, or if your cat likes to stretch long and tall on his/her back legs to scratch get your cat a tall tower with a post on it. If your cat is unaccustomed to a post you may need to help train your cat to choose the post rather than your furniture. You can do this by using a combination of the following: Spray catnip spray on the post to attract your cat Help show your cat how to scratch. Actually go through the scratching motion yourself while your cat is watching. Never actually grab your cat's paws and make him/her scratch as most cats hate their paw pads to be touched. Pick your cat up and show your cat the post every time he/she scratches in the wrong place Spray your cat with water every time he/she scratches the wrong place and make sure to reward your cat every time he/she scratches the correct place. Cover your cat's favorite scratching places with double-sided tape or other items My cats Joe and Seafore aren't declawed and of course our leather couches aren't in mint condition because of it but they don't scratch the furniture, in fact they never did. The scratches are from running around and trying to break. From the very first day I brought them we showed them a scratching post- a little one, as they grew the post had to grow too. They loved it and have used it since. It doesn't mean, however that they don't occasionally forget and scratch the carpet or the speakers. Friendly remainder-taking the cat to the scratching post does it. However, some cats do scratch more than others, just have patience and remeber cats don't scratch to damage the furniture and carpet. Main Page Cats Home |
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| Declawing As a proud cat owner I consider declawing cruel and don't support the idea that saving your furniture from scratching is more important than your cat's wholeness, if it is to you, than may be you shouldn't have pets at all. From my own expereince declawed cats are more agressive 'biters', which doesn't affect your furniture but will, however, affect you and your family. If you are thinking about declawing remember that it isn't just a simple procedure to remove the top part of the claw. It is actually an amputation of the last knuckle to the nail. Such an amputation can be dangerous to the cat (there is always a risk to your cat when he/she undergoes anesthesia). |
| Declawing is also considered cruel by many vets and cat lovers for many other reasons (note that you should NEVER declaw an outside cat): It takes away the cat's main defense mechanism It takes away a cat's ability to escape from a situation quickly It can make it more difficult to impossible for a cat to jump and climb It can throw a cat's balance off Cats can become depressed as they have lost their defenses and are no longer as good at jumping and running Cats can have litterbox problems following declawing as the feeling of litter on their paws can be uncomfortable It can put the cat at risk health-wise as the cat does need to undergo anesthesia and the cat can be at risk for infection as the paws heal If you are thinking about declawing your cat because he/she is scratching furniture or other items in your home remember that cats don't scratch just to ruin things, your cat needs to scratch for multiple reasons: Remove the outer sheath of the nail and file/sharpen the nail. Release scents on to objects to mark them. Create scratch marks and thus a visual marker for other cats to see. |
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