When we first adopt a new kitten, we treat them like a newborn child. We call them our baby and post ungodly amounts of photos of them on our social media. Now imagine you are taking your actually human child for their first check up and we are so proud of them for being so well behaved. Then, we surgically remove their last knuckle so they don’t ruin your furniture. That’s absurd to think about when it comes to a human child, so why would you do that to your furry family members?

Feline owners often mistakenly believe that declawing their cat is harmless. This “quick fix” to unwanted scratching can cause long time negative effects to our fur-babies. Declawing can include chronic pain in the paw, infection, tissue death, and back pain. When the claw is removed it changes the way the paw meets the ground. This can cause similar pain to wearing an uncomfortable pair of shoes. The difference is, we can remove our shoes but the cat is doomed to this pain for the reminder of it’s life.

Pet owners are often misinformed about the procedure. A common misconception is that the claw is simply removed by a manicure trim. The truth is a standard method of declawing is amputation with a scalpel or guillotine clipper. The wounds are then closed with either stitches or surgical glue. Each method that is used to declaw a cat all involve one thing. You must remove the claw and the little piece of bone the claw grows from. If the vet fails to do so the claw will try to grow back. This is the equivalent to removing the last knuckle of a human. Sometimes the veterinarian fails to remove all of the bone particles. Then the feline is doomed to constant pain in their toes, the equivalent to always having pebbles in your shoes.

This unnecessary surgery can lead to a whole new set of problems than unwanted scratching. Declawing provides no medical benefit to the cat. After the surgery most pet owners are advised to use shredded newspaper instead of cat litter in the cat’s litter box. This is because the cat litter is painful to stand on and my over irritate the declawed paws. The unfamiliar substitute along with the accompanied pain may cause the feline to stop using the litter box. Also, some cats may become biters because their owner took away their form of defense.

Cats do not scratch to ruin your favorite chair but to remove the dead husks from their claws, mark territory, and to stretch their muscles. It is a normal cat behavior that educated pet owners can teach their cats not to do. Cat scratching on furniture typically happens around eight weeks old. Clawing is a natural, healthy, and important behavior. Educated pet owners can take precautions at this time to teach their cat not to scratch important items.

Cats tend to scratch soft textures; you can cover off-limit spots with things your cat will not find appealing. For example, You can put sticky tape or aluminum foil on areas you do not want your cat to scratch until she learns other wise. Another technique pet owners often use is spraying their furniture with smells that their pet does not like. Many cats do not like the odor of citrus or menthol. Also, trimming your cat’s nails as part as a regular grooming routine is one of the most effective ways to blunt the damage scratching can cause.

Just like toes to humans are vital for balance so are toes to cats as well. Being out of balance is extremely stressful for a cat. Cats are meticulous, graceful creatures who rely on balance. A cat’s basic heritage includes tree climbing, leaping incredible heights, and quietly sneaking up on their prey. In addition to balance being apart of a cat’s normal characteristics but a cat’s primary defense is their claws. If your cat was to escape outdoors it would not have any way to defend itself if it was to be in danger.

Declawing can lead to emotional distress to your feline. If your cat is feeling stressed, I can assure you that you will feel stressed too. Your cat may start displaying it’s stress by urinating in abnormal places, or spraying on your walls. These are habits that are often hard to break. Feeling defenseless, your cat may also become hostile to people, including yourself.

You should not get your feline friends declawed and accept them as they are to your family. We post about them and rave about how much we love them so we should not mutilate them. Some European countries have ruled declawing illegal and is considered inhumane. Declawing does not serve any medical benefits and only causes more trouble for the owner and the pet.