The Effects & Alternatives to Declawing

As cat owners and lovers, we are no stranger to a cat’s scratch. From biscuit making to setting boundaries, scratching has many uses for cats and is a vital activity for their happiest life.

Scratching stretches a cat’s muscles, removes the outer/dead husk from the claws, and spreads their scent around their surroundings. Cat’s think differently than humans, in terms of how to best meet their needs rather than what is right-vs-wrong. When a cat gets the urge to scratch they don't think about where their owners prefer they do it, just where they would prefer to scratch.

Often, cat’s will scratch at furniture, carpets, and other surfaces that humans deem the wrong place for scratching. While there are a multitude of solutions to this, declawing is a dangerous option.

Declawing is the amputation of the last bone in each toe of a cat’s foot. This last bone is equivalent to the knuckle closest to a human's finger tip. The removal of this bone changes the way a cat’s foot meets the ground, because of this, many daily activities can start to cause pain. When done improperly the claw can regrow, resulting in nerve damage and bone spurs.

Declawing can cause:

• Nerve damage

• Phantom pain

• Pain from left behind bone fragments or arthritis

• Behavior issues caused by the pain from procedure

We at HATS stand against declawing procedures because of the clear detriment to a cat’s quality of life. When adopting a cat from HATS, remember you must agree to NOT declaw the animal. Our staff will provide education and training tips for households that have issues with their cats scratching, however the agreement to NEVER declaw is required to complete a feline adoption through our shelter.

How aversions are formed post-declaw

After a declawing surgery, shredded newspaper is used in place or traditional litter to prevent the grains and waste from coming into contact with the paws and causing irritation. This unfamiliar litter substitute coupled with pain from the recent surgery, may lead cats to permanently avoid the litter box.

Materials and preferences

Cats prefer materials and surfaces that they can dig their claws into while scratching, because of this, they are often drawn to furniture items. Alternative materials that cats often enjoy are:

• Corrugated cardboard

• Wood

• Sisal (type of rope)

It is important for a cat’s scratching tool to be stable and secure, if a cat tries to scratch and the item topples over they are likely to avoid the item in the future. Some cats prefer vertical scratchers while others like horizontal options, regardless of their preferences, there is something out there for every feline friend.

When introducing your cat to a new scratching item, it is important to limit possible traumatic experiences for them. This can be done using these tips and tricks: