To declaw, or not to declaw? That is indeed the ultimate question. There is a lot of debate about cat declawing. People are concerned about the lifelong effects that declawing has on your cat.
It has become very popular among cat owners mainly because cat claws cause tons of damage around the house. 3 years ago my wife bought a pair of kittens who still had their claws. During that time, you could visibly see the scratches she had on her neck and arms from handling the young kittens. The sad thing is that often the cats don't hold ill will against you with their claws, they just use them as part of everyday life. Cats, but especially kittens, just simply have a difficult time NOT scratching you and every piece of furniture in your home with their claws.
Cats use their claws to balance themselves, get away from danger, defend themselves, attack their prey, mark their territory and much more. So removing their means of performing this ability is something which you should consider very carefully. Removing a cat's claws is kind of like chopping your fingers off of your hands. Sure, you can keep your hands, but no fingers....We have compiled several of the top pros and cons which you need to know when it comes to cat declawing.
Pros to cat declawingThankfully, one of the nice pros is that the entire procedure is quite cheap. It is so common that most vets offer the procedure for a reasonable cost.There is little chance that anything could go wrong with this operation. There are dozens of other operations your cat may have to endure which could cause much worse side effects than a simple declawing. So if you are worried about the problems with the procedure itself, you don't have to worry so much because most vets are very good at performing claw removal.Though, it is a very good idea to do some research on your veterinarian. Not all veterinarians are made the same, so make sure to check your vet out to ensure that they are doing a good job with their patients.Obviously, the biggest pro to getting you cat declawed is that your furniture is MUCH safer than it was because your cat won't be marking his or her territory by putting holes in your couch. Also, much as in the story with my wife, your cat won't be destroying your neck, chest, arms, and legs because of the cat's claws. Your cat's meanest attack after removing its claws will be a simple furry pressure from its paws.
Sounds like a pretty sweet deal, does it not? It is unfortunate, there are many cons to cat declawing which is why there has been so much controversy in recent years.
Cons to cat declawingThe biggest problem with the entire declawing experience is the pain associated with it. Unfortunately, many cats suffer a great deal of pain because of having their claws removed. There is so much emotional and physical pain from the removal of their claws that they may have severe behavioral changes from the surgery. They'll become more reclusive and less friendly (especially to strangers). They'll seem more aloof. This is because their main line of defense has been removed so they'll feel very vulnerable for the rest of their life.
They'll walk differently because of the change in their front paws, and if the vet accidentally leaves any bone fragments behind, they'll have pain in their front paws for the rest of their life.Also, declawed cats, removed of their ability to mark their territory will start to use urine to mark their territory. As you might imagine, this means that they will no longer use the litterbox, but instead will pee on the side of your couch instead of ripping a hole in it. Both of these things can be controlled regardless of if they have claws or not, but its important to know that there are all kinds of issues associated with cat declawing.
This doesn't mean that you cat will suffer from any of these symptoms, but they are relatively common in cats who have undergone claw removal.
And one last note on the cons to declawing. More of a warning, really. Only declaw your cat if they are between 3 and 8 months of age. If they are any older, than they will find it VERY difficult to adjust to not having claws and will suffer severe emotional damage.
Cat Declawing In SummaryDeclawing your cat is your decision to make, its up to you what happens to your cat. There are several important ways you can keep your cats claws intact without the cat attacking your furniture. Of course it takes more work, but it is very possible.Are you going to risk the side effects in favor of an easy solution? Or are you going to work on trying an alternative to declawing your cat?
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Want to learn more about caring for your cat? Check out this fantastic resource on cat symptoms!
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