- Joined
- Feb 18, 2017
- Messages
- 7,565
- Purraise
- 9,600
Please don't declaw! It's not just removing the claws, but actually amputating each toe at the first joint. Cats walk on their toes, so declawed cats shirt their weight back to their wrists causing early onset arthritis. Declawed cats have pain walking, and digging through litter, so the number one issue with declawed cats is inappropriate urination. Inappropriate urination is also the number one reason why cats are relinquished to shelters. In cities like San Francisco and Beverly Hills where declawing is illegal, the number of cats relinquished to shelters has decreased. Declawing is illegal throughout most of Europe as well.
I'd like to also share some personal stories with you about people I know who have declawed cats. One person, a mere acquaintance, declawed his kitten the first day he brought her home because the kitten climbed up his pant leg. He didn't even consider the fact that this young kitten would need a scratching post and cat trees. Since after the declaw surgery and still two years later their cat hides under the bed and needs food and water brought to her because it hurts her so much to walk.
I once met someone who was out walking her cat. She told me that she had recently rescued a declawed cat (who was at home at the time) who was so crippled that he couldn't walk, except for hobbling a few steps at a time.
A friend of mine obtained a Norwegian Forest Cat through a rescue organization. He had been declawed by the previous owners and was urinating inappropriately. My friend is so patient with him, putting a litterbox in every room with paper litter and cleaning up any accidents that stem from the declaw pain. A year later, she rescued a Maine Coon who had claws. Watching the two cats, one could immediately tell which one was declawed. It is also absolutely heartbreaking to see the NFC meowing pitifully at the base of the cat tree that the MC had just scaled. He knows that humans did something to him that prevents him from doing things that come naturally to cats.
These are just three accounts of what happens when cats are declawed. But I know that there are millions of stories across the US about cats in pain from having been declawed. Please, read through this booklet (which was brought to my attention by @otto): http://www.littlebigcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ADH2017.pdf, and watch The Paw Project. I know other TCS members have already told you about the nature of declawing and about suitable alternatives, and I'm sure that if you ever have any questions about teaching your cats to use scratching posts or finding toys for them, or anything really, you'll be able to find excellent advice here on TCS.
I'd like to also share some personal stories with you about people I know who have declawed cats. One person, a mere acquaintance, declawed his kitten the first day he brought her home because the kitten climbed up his pant leg. He didn't even consider the fact that this young kitten would need a scratching post and cat trees. Since after the declaw surgery and still two years later their cat hides under the bed and needs food and water brought to her because it hurts her so much to walk.
I once met someone who was out walking her cat. She told me that she had recently rescued a declawed cat (who was at home at the time) who was so crippled that he couldn't walk, except for hobbling a few steps at a time.
A friend of mine obtained a Norwegian Forest Cat through a rescue organization. He had been declawed by the previous owners and was urinating inappropriately. My friend is so patient with him, putting a litterbox in every room with paper litter and cleaning up any accidents that stem from the declaw pain. A year later, she rescued a Maine Coon who had claws. Watching the two cats, one could immediately tell which one was declawed. It is also absolutely heartbreaking to see the NFC meowing pitifully at the base of the cat tree that the MC had just scaled. He knows that humans did something to him that prevents him from doing things that come naturally to cats.
These are just three accounts of what happens when cats are declawed. But I know that there are millions of stories across the US about cats in pain from having been declawed. Please, read through this booklet (which was brought to my attention by @otto): http://www.littlebigcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ADH2017.pdf, and watch The Paw Project. I know other TCS members have already told you about the nature of declawing and about suitable alternatives, and I'm sure that if you ever have any questions about teaching your cats to use scratching posts or finding toys for them, or anything really, you'll be able to find excellent advice here on TCS.