Should You Declaw Your Cat?

A cat's claw is nothing like a fingernail. It's more like a toe. The claw is directly attached to muscle and bone. Like your toes, it's a movable digit.

Claws are more than just natural weapons: They help your cat with everything from balancing, walking, running, and climbing. Removing the claws would be the equivalent of chopping off half your toes, which you need to help keep your balance.

Cats can't get bed rest like we humans do after surgery. The mutilated paws will not heal for many months, but your cat still needs to use them for survival. Whenever your cat has to eat, drink, or use the litter box, she must endure the pain.

It could also change your cat's personality. Because she no longer has claws, she may feel vulnerable and could start biting more often. Or she may become timid or sulky, completely the opposite of the loving cat she used to be.

Fortunately, you have other options!

You could train your cat to only scratch a scratching post. This is the most time consuming solution. You can help attract your cat to the scratching post with catnip.

You could also use a product called Soft Paws, which involves gluing blunt acrylic caps onto your cat's claws. Unfortunately they do wear off after a few weeks, but you can always replace them. These caps don't discourage the cat from scratching, but they cause less damage.

It is possible to teach cats not to shred up your couch. It's even possible to train your cats to not be so aggressive when you're playing with them, saving your hands and arms from scratches.

Thanks to her own extensive research and personal experience with a pack of feral kittens, Liz Barton understands cat behavior. Her eBook on cat training will explain how you can transform your scratchy, wild feline into a well-behaved house cat.