Dangers of Declawing a Cat

When someone thinks of cats and their claws, the first thing you might imagine is scratching. It’s true that cats are often found scratching things up more often than not, but claws to a cat are much more than just tools of mass furniture destruction.

You might think that claws for cats are like fingernails for people. But you’re wrong. When a cat loses its claws, not only does it become virtually incapable of defending itself, it also loses its ability to find purchase when climbing or running after prey.

When a cat is declawed, the claw is removed immediately above the extending mechanism inside the paw. The joint is cut off and the underlying tendon is cut. Though the cat will probably be anaesthetized during the process, the aftermath will doubtless be as traumatizing as waking up finding that one’s arm is gone.

Cats use their claws for many essential things, such as defending itself from bigger predators, marking their territories and even to clean themselves. Losing its claws is like losing a limb and thus changing its way of life irrevocably. To quote an anti-declawing group, "a cat declawed is a cat maimed".

Unfortunately, many cat-owners value their possessions more than they do their cats and inevitably decide that finding their expensive carpet torn-up is one claw-induced incident too many. Replacing broken furniture is definitely not cheap and the decision to de-claw a cat will seem like the best long-term solution.

Fortunately for these threatened cats, the surgical procedure of declawing can only be done by a certified veterinarian and many of them will want more than the excuse of keeping furniture safe from harm before proceeding with said procedure. This is mainly because declawing affects a cat in many ways; from its personality to its normal habits and therefore must only be done if the reasons for it are consequential.

If you’re a cat-owner who is considering declawing your cat, then think about the dangers of declawing your cat. After being declawed, a cat’s behaviour will change drastically. It will be in pain and more than likely confused due to losing one of its main methods of keeping balance. For a long while, it will not be able to climb up to high locations or play around very much.

Not only that, many cats have been said to become very aggressive after being declawed. Many would resort to biting and hissing at their owners when they were actually quite docile and sweet before. In short, it will be miserable and no doubt you yourself will be in a less than desirable position.

As a cat-owner, you must have considered the possibility of your cat clawing your furniture. If you haven’t, then you shouldn’t have taken in a cat in the first place. Even the most domesticated of cats need to use their claws every once in a while. If you’re not prepared to accept this, then there are many other pets that are less damaging to your home.

If you’re just worried about this, then there are many ways of preventing your possessions from getting scratched up. All of which are a much better option than getting your cat declawed.

First of all, you should get a scratching post. Even though some domesticated cats are not wild in nature and probably do not even enjoy scratching very much, they still need to do so in order to file their claws down. If you notice, a cat’s claws often leave behind thin trimmings after scratching something vigorously. It’s something similar to people filing their nails.

Other than that, you should also consider getting a nail clipper for pets. Although it’s still uncomfortable for cats to have their claws clipped, it will at least lessen the damage of their scratching and it is by far much better than declawing. If you trim your cat’s claws regularly, then chances are, your furniture will probably survive longer.

Many cat-owners don’t think that declawing is all that bad, especially since it saves their possessions from premature ruin. However, it is incredibly disorienting and life-changing for the cat itself, so refrain from mulling over it unless it’s a life and death situation. There are other ways of overcoming your cat destroying your stuff, and most, if not all, are much more preferable to declawing. Your cats will appreciate it more than you may think.