The Dangers of Declawing

It can be frustrating when your cat or kitten scratches your expensive furniture. However, there are many alternative options to get your cat to stop scratching the dining room table. Declawing is a drastic surgery that should never be used as a quick fix for unwanted cat behavior.

When a cat is declawed, the last bone of each toe is amputated. This is the equivalent of having your fingers cut off at the last knuckle! The alteration to the paws causes a change in how your cat’s feet touch the ground. This can result in chronic paw pain, lameness, and back pain. Those effects are for when the surgery is performed correctly – more serious conditions can arise if the claws are not fully and carefully removed.

Even if you’re willing to put your cat through the risk of this unnecessary surgery, your cat’s scratching problem may be replaced by worse behavioral issues. With no front claws to defend himself with, your cat may instead resort to biting when he feels scared or threatened.

It’s raining kittens! So in an attempt to help these tiny cats find their forever homes we’re having a pop-up #kitten adoption event today at PetSmart in Greenville Ave., from 3-6:30 p.m. #adoptdontshop #kittensofinstagram #spcaoftexas

A post shared by SPCA of Texas (@spcatexas) on Jun 22, 2018 at 9:09am PDT

There are numerous ways to get your cat to stop scratching without resorting to declawing.

• Trim their nails weekly to keep them clean and minimize damage 
• Place scratching posts around the house, preferably with toys and catnip to draw your cat’s attention 
• Purchase some special sticky tape or anti-scratching spray from your local pet store to steer your pet away from your furniture 
• If all else fails, tape a sheet of foil to the piece of furniture your cat is destroying. The sound that foil makes when touched is highly distressing to cats and may deter them from scratching