Is Declawing Cats Humane?

There is much debate on whether declawing cats is humane or not – if you are a cat owner who is considering declawing your cat, please read through this article to make an informed decision about declawing cats.

Declawing is definitely an "American" thing – it's a convenience that North America has decided upon without realizing what the act of declawing cats really does to their pet. In other countries, such as England and many European countries, declawing your cat is illegal because it has been deemed as an unnecessary mutilation and is inhumane.

Before you decide to declaw your cat, there are some facts about the act that you should understand.

Declawing is not like cutting your nails. It is not a manicure.
Declawing is a serious surgery for your cat.
Your cat's claws are not just like your toenails.
Your cat's claws are adhered to the bone of the 'toes'. Because of this, when your cats claws are removed, the last section of bone in the toes is also removed, as in amputation.
Your cat will experience pain from the surgery as well as afterwards, even when they have to scratch in their litter box, walk and jump.

Cats naturally seem to take pain better than other animals – this is instinct. When a cat is weakened by surgery, they can not act weak because that will put them at risk for attacks by other cats, so their nature is to hide their pain.

Claws are a part of the design of a cat's body. By amputating an important part of their anatomy you are altering the form of their feet and their functionality. By declawing cats, you are also taking away their natural and primary means of defense against predators.

Declawing is a drastic solution to a problem of a cat scratching indoors. Perhaps the reason you are considering declawing is because of this very problem. However, there are alternatives to the inhumane act of declawing that allows you to maintain your furniture without sacrificing the functionality of your cat's feet.

Here are a few options that you have instead of declawing:

Teach your cat to use a scratching post – Your cat will love to have a scratching post. It is the place that they are allowed to scratch and soon, they will quickly pick up on that.

Trim your cat's front claws – There is a special nail clipper for cat's claws that you can employ. By trimming them, the claws aren't as damaging to furniture. When you are trimming be sure to not cut them back too far – watch for the white line that appears inside the claw – if you trim past that it is painful for the cat (it's a nerve) and it will bleed and be very painful and sensitive.

Employ an aversion method such as Soft Paws – There is a product on the market called Soft Paws, which are vinyl nail caps that you glue on to the front and/or back claws. These are safe and effective for getting your kitten or cat to stop clawing. They are usually available through your veterinarian office and are a great alternative to declawing cats.