My two cats have all their claws. They are 8 and 6 years old.
My 6-year-old couch is for the most part ruined because of the cats. Stuffing is showing. I keep the ends covered in blankets to hide the majority of the damage.
Our living room is very “classy.”
I really do not want to live like a college student for the rest of my life. I’m sorry, but I like having nice things. I don’t know if you’ve seen our townhome lately, but we could really, really stand a few upgrades.
But what will the cats do if we get a new couch?
They’ll do what cats do best. They’ll destroy it.
When it comes to scratching, cat owners have these options:
1. Put up with the property damage while attempting some kind of behavior modification (ha!)
2. Confine the cats when you can’t supervise
3. Purchase vinyl caps to glue over the cats’ nails (yes, I’m serious)
4. Declaw the cats
Obviously some people choose another option. They get rid of the cats.
Which option would you recommend?
Cat training
Most of us tolerate scratching and property damage while decorating our homes with scratching posts, pieces of cardboard and kitty jungle gyms.
I’ve been doing this for six years.
My cats scratch everything I give them and the furniture. And when given a choice, they will always choose to scratch the couch.
To be fair, I should probably purchase a few more scratching posts to entice Thing One and Thing Two. And I should provide several options for them. Some cats love to scratch strips of cardboard. Some like pieces of carpet. Some people even bring logs inside for the cats to scratch (after shaking off any insects and leaving the wood in the sun for a few days).
With a little catnip, I can get my cats interested in almost anything. I do owe it to them to offer additional scratching options.
Ignore the unwanted kitty behavior
My cats learned that if they scratch the couch in my presence they will get a reaction. Like children (and dogs!), sometimes any attention is good attention.
Scolding them is the biggest mistake I’ve made.
If either cat is frustrated or hungry, he will scratch the couch in my presence in order to get a reaction.
But I’ve also put a lot of energy into ignoring the unwanted behavior. This sort of works. But they still scratch when I’m not around.
I’ve also tried to distract them or get them interested in something else. This works as long as I’m in the room. When I’m not there to distract, they go for the couch.
Squirt the bastards with water – right in the face!
I’ve used plenty of “positive punishment” techniques like squirting them with water. Although this is very satisfying, they still scratch when I’m not around.
Trim your cats’ nails
I trim my cats’ nails a few times per month. That’s always fun, but it doesn’t stop them from scratching.
If you have other behavior modification tips, please share. Perhaps clicker training? More time interacting with your cat?
Kitty jail
Put the cats in another room when you are not home
This is my best solution for now.
I treat my cats like puppies. They lost their nighttime freedom a long time ago. When I am not able to supervise, they go into the laundry room where they have cat beds, their litter box and water. It’s not any more “cruel” to confine a cat than it is a dog. They are animals and they deal with it. My cats sleep a good 19 hours out of every 24, so they might as well serve some of that time in the laundry room.
I don’t feel at all guilty about confining them. Still, I know if given the choice, my cats would choose the freedom to roam around.
Nail caps for cats
These are called Soft Paws Nail Caps for cats, and they are hilarious! I can’t imagine they would work, but I would be willing to give it a shot. Soft Paws are vinyl nail caps that are glued to the cat’s nails. Has anyone tried these? I would love to hear your feedback. You can get them in all kinds of colors, and they are actually really cute. They look like the cat is wearing nail polish. I would definitely order them in pink and purple for my boys out of spite.
Like any tool, Soft Paws will not solve your problem on its own. But they could help if you are using them along with training techniques.
Declaw the cat already!
This brings me to the question of the day - is it cruel to have a cat declawed?
I interviewed every declawed cat I know, and they all said: “What? I don’t have claws?!”
So that’s promising.
I know a lot of declawed cats, and they all seem just fine. They are all in good homes with responsible cat owners.
Removing a cat’s claws is inhumane
But what about the horrors of declawing a cat? You know, all that hype out there about how cruel it is because it’s more than removing the nail?
When a cat is declawed, “the claw, the cells at the claw’s base that allow it to grow, and the terminal toe bone are surgically removed,” according to Wendy Christensen in her book Outwitting Cats. “All associated tendons are severed. It’s the equivalent of having all your fingers amputated down to the first knuckle.”
Yikes!
The surgery can also lead to new behavioral issues such as a refusal to use the litter box, said Heather Clyde, shelter manager of the F-M Humane Society. She has seen declawed cats with such a high amount of sensitivity in their paws that they won’t use the litter box. It doesn’t matter what type of litter is used.
I could see this happening with my overly sensitive cat Scout. He can not handle any amount of change.
Declawed cats are sometimes more insecure and therefore might not get along well with other cats, said Danis Owens, a volunteer with Adopt-A-Pet of Fargo-Moorhead. She is not in favor of declawing cats.
“They sometimes have more neurotic behavior such as not liking a lot of people, and tending to bite more since they have no claws to defend themselves, so the only next step is biting,” Owens said.
But is it really so bad to declaw a cat?
I see it as a personal choice for every cat owner.
I do not believe cat declawing should be illegal, but I do believe cat owners need to educate themselves about what cat declawing really involves. Veterinarians should also explain the process to their clients (most don’t), and they should suggest other options such as training.
Owens said that some people get their cats declawed for the wrong reasons. For example, some people think they have to declaw indoor cats because that’s just what you do! Others will have their cats declawed just because they have children. But Owens tries to explain to parents that instead of getting their cats declawed, they should teach their children how to treat animals.
Excellent advice.
But I do want to address another issue, here – all the cats that are killed in shelters and pounds every year.
44 percent of impounded cats in my community were killed in 2010
446 out of 1,016 impounded cats were killed in 2010 in our three local pounds, according to the pound statistics reported by Adopt-A-Pet. The three pounds I’m referring to are located in Fargo (N.D.), West Fargo (N.D.) and Moorhead (Minn.).
What does this have to do with declawing?
Take a look at the adoption rates.
Declawed cats often do get adopted faster than cats with their claws, assuming there are no behavioral issues, said Clyde.
That’s just the way it is.
People don’t want to deal with a cat that ruins furniture. Plus, nearly every landlord that does allow cats requires proof of spaying/neutering and declawing. It’s easy to get around these rules, but most people want to follow the rules.
This is not a landlord problem, it’s a pet-owner problem. Most dog and cat owners are very irresponsible and do very little to train or clean up after their pets. I don’t blame the landlords at all.
The average person looking to adopt a cat is not in favor of declawing, so the logical choice is to find a cat that is already declawed.
I’m not saying that a cat will get adopted right away just because she has her claws.
Ginger, a front-declawed cat (pictured), has been with Adopt-A-Pet for a few months waiting for a home. She needs to go to a home without other cats due to her dominant personality, Owens said. Click here if you are interested in adopting Ginger.
Owens said that when someone contacts Adopt-A-Pet looking for a declawed cat, she will direct the person to the cats that are already declawed and available for adoption within the rescue or other local rescues. She also checks the area pounds for declawed cats if the rescue does not have any available.
Adopt-A-Pet and the F-M Humane Society will adopt cats out to people considering declawing.
The humane society tries to educate people on the pros and cons of declawing, hoping they will try to find a less invasive way to cope with cats clawing on furniture, said Clyde.
But if declawed cats are more likely to get adopted, why don’t we declaw more pound and shelter cats?
Because apparently it’s too inhumane.
But if I were a cat and had the option of staying alive and getting adopted without my claws or getting killed while keeping my claws, I would choose life.
And if it were me, I would choose to live and lose the tips of my fingers rather than die and keep my fingers.
As for my cats? They can keep their claws for now. I’ll do my part to provide them with appropriate scratching options, even when we buy new furniture. But they better not push it.
What do you think?
Is your cat declawed? Was this the right decision?
Let’s say funding is a not an issue. What do you think about declawing shelter and pound cats in order to increase their chances of getting adopted?
Photo of Scout and I by Tawna Whitford
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I declawed my 2 cats because they were doing the same thing yours were. They destroyed every piece of furniture I had despite being provided with posts and when I could afford something really nice I had to made a choice. They had completely shredded one of the couches so bad that it had large holes, which they loved to get inside.
There were no complications with either cat but one of them had a paw that bled a little more than the rest. They used the litterbox just fine and after all is healed they don’t seem affected by it at all. I’m glad I made the choice, and my house doesn’t look like the cats own it. I’d do it again, if I had another cat. I don’t believe in letting the cats out of the house for safety reasons so outside dangers aren’t a concern for me.
One thing is the cats didn’t seem very comfortable the first few days and I imagine they were in alot of pain. My veterinarian did not provide pain medication..it wasn’t something I was happy about either.
Thanks for your feedback, Heather. I imagine many people are not afraid to voice their opinions to you against declawing. That is horrible your vet didn’t give them pain medication, though. I am lucky that my cats are nowhere near as destructive as your cats were.
I did a Home Visit where the resident dog had ‘fake nails’ – I guess Soft Paws or whatever the dog version would be. The owner caught me staring at them – this particular dog had plain black ones, and I could tell something with her nails didn’t look quite right, but I couldn’t figure it out since I had never heard of these things. Anyway, the owner said they were concerned about the large dog scratching the hardwood floor. The owner loved them and said they worked great, but I think they had to be ‘redone’ every so often – I suppose as the dog’s nails grew, I didn’t think about it too much. So, if you consider those, I guess I would find out how much maintenance they need too. Supposedly they did work to keep the dog from scratching the floor – but then again, that dog was just walking, not scratching for fun, so that’s probably a whole different thing as far as how well they stay on!
Interesting. Yeah, I will probably look into getting some of these whenever we get around to buying new furniture. I think they last four weeks or so, assuming the pet doesn’t chew them off!
It’s hard to find a vet or humane society that will declaw cats now because it’s now viewed as cruel. At least that was my experience when I tried to find someone a couple years ago. I’ve tried the water squirting, the scratching posts, even the plastic nail covers (which my cat promptly chewed off). My cat has stopped scratching furniture with a lot of supervision and squirts of water in the face.
It depends on where you live. Most of the vets in Fargo, N.D., will declaw a cat as far as I know.
I will make a point to use the water bottle more often.
Solution to a cat claw problem: get a dog!
Ace is trained to run up and give the cats kisses when they scratch the couch. The cats hate that. And Ace is such a good boy about it. When one of the cats scratches, he looks at me and waits for the command – “kisses!” – rather than just running up to them.
Well, as a new cat owner this is a very informative post. As you know, we contemplated getting Ninja declawed, but so far she hasn’t been too bad about scratching anything she’s not supposed to, knock on wood! If she would start getting destructive, we probably would get her declawed because you can’t just let your stuff get destroyed either. I guess I should appreciate her good behavior more! And those claw cover things, wow, I can’t believe they would work, but…
In answer to your question, no I don’t think it’s inhumane to declaw a cat, but they should get pain med for sure. And I think you should try the other things first.
Yeah, I’m glad she has been doing well. She clawed the crap out of our scratching posts when she was at our place. But I don’t think she really scratched anything else. My cats are very naughty compared to Ninja!
Our cat is not declawed, for pretty much the reasons you outlined: We thought it would be cruel and unnecessary… “We’ll just train our kids how to properly interact!”
We regret that decision.
My oldest son, now almost 3, was “cruising” the coffee table (still not quite able to walk on his own, he would walk along the edge of the coffee table or couch and hold on to it) just two days before his first birthday. He fell, as toddlers learning to walk do so often. Only this time, he couldn’t have picked a worse place to fall: directly on top of the cat who was innocently laying nearby watching him.
The cat, as cats so often do when you accidentally step on them, shrieked and tried to get away as fast as possible. We didn’t really see the details — it all happened so fast — but the long and short of it was that he fell on the cat, the cat sounded like someone had just stepped on it and was now across the room, and my son had a giant gash from his forehead to cheek, luckily not crossing the eye but rather just a few millimeters to the inside, on the side of his nose.
I have never felt like a worse parent. I doubt I ever will.
Fortunately, there was no major damage, just the cut and the scar. And the shame. And the emotional trauma suffered by my wife and I.
If/when we ever get any more cats, they will be declawed — whether or not we have to do it ourselves. It’s a small price to pay for peace of mind that this will never happen again:
http://tuttletree.com/assets/content/dylan-scratch-before.jpg (in the ER, waiting for the doctor)
http://tuttletree.com/assets/content/dylan-scratch-after.jpg (the next morning)
The scar is probably almost too subtle to notice unless you’re looking for it these days: http://www.flickr.com/photos/tuttletree/5891612337/in/photostream
Yeah, I can totally see your point. I don’t have kids, so this is something I don’t have to worry about. I’m glad your son is OK!
When I first adopted kitties, I thought declawing was the thing to do without realizing what I was doing to them. My Sandy & Shadow did fine (though never given anything for pain by the vet). I used to feel guilty every time they “kneaded” something with their paws as cats do. After I realized that decclawing meant amputating their “fingers” down to the first knuckle, I resolved never to do that again. My current cats Piper & Sara are not declawed &though they do run their claws on the carpet & on some old furniture in the basement, they pretty much leave the rest of my furniture alone, thanks to my lab Abby. I think they know that if they tried that, it would get a reaction out of her (she would come to investigate & get in their business!-something they don’t like)I have had one older cat that adopted me when I had my first two cats that were declawed. I never declawed Shelly because she was older when I got her. She never bothered my furniture or carpet. I think declawing is cruel & unnecessary as docking tales, clipping ears (I do also have a miniature schnauzer that I inherited at 12 yrs of age who has not had her ears clipped though her tale was docked as a pup. I know that declawing probably would get pets adopted more readily but as for myself, I won’t ever declaw again. My cats get their nails clipped regularly & they seem to actually enjoy it for whatever reason.
Thanks for your opinion on this!
I think it is cruel and barbaric. I had two tabby brothers that were great. They had tons of appropriate things to claw on and it was never an issue. If you are get the urge to mutilate your pets because their behaviors are inconvenient or are bothering you, time to rehome.
I completely disagree on the re-homing part. There are cats dying in shelters because no one will adopt them. If someone chooses to declaw their cats, the cats will still have a home.
Thank you all for the chuckles (after all, misery does love company
)!
I declawed my first cat, but have not declawed any since. I currently have 3 cats with claws and like all the other posters my couch is a clawed up mess. I have several scratching posts and even a huge split log which they use in addition to the couch. I’ve tried the squirt guns, the “kitty off sprays”, foil, double sided tape, etc., etc. It all stops them momentarily, they give me a look as if it say, “Seriously… what’s the deal?”, and the scratching commences.
Doggy dew claws (also a digit) are removed on pups everyday. Maybe we are going overboard on the idea of not declawing kitties?
Thanks for your comment, Hope! I think we are going overboard with the idea of not declawing cats.
I have two cats – both domestic short-hair torties and they are both declaws. My elder cat only has her rear claws and the younger has no claws. They both use the litter box and have no psychological issues. My elder cat has just been diagnosed with cancer and my mom is thinking about bringing in a kitten. She thinks it will help our healing process and be a comfort to the elder cat (cuddling up with her and such). But, if we bring in a kitten we want to declaw it. We are responsible pet owners and our cats are both well taken care of. But, I can get sick if a cat scratch breaks the skin. I know not having cats is an option and our first cat came to be with us quite by accident. But, these past twelve years have turned me into a “cat person” and I’m concerned local shelters will not let us adopt a kitten.
I really hope the shelters in your area will not turn you away because you plan to declaw a kitten. If they do, I encourage you to look at shelters and rescues beyond your immediate town. There are so many cats and kittens that need homes!
We had both of our cats front claws removed. I feel guilty about it sometimes, because I know it isn’t the best thing to do. I love animals so much, but I really loved my security deposit much more! At the time, we were renting and both cats were really young….6 and 9 months. They literally destroyed entire rooms of carpet….to this day, I still can’t understand how two tiny kitties could cause so much destruction. We did some research and decided on the laser removal, both cats at one time. They didn’t bleed……didn’t seem to be in much pain (they were on the meds)…….and most importantly, they really didn’t seem to notice their claws were gone. They still “scratch” the couch, carpets, and chairs. They swat at the dog when he antagonizes. I probably wouldn’t make the same decision if I got another cat, but more because of the fact that we
own our house now and if they destroy it, I don’t feel so guilty about it being someone else’s property. But who knows, it is really nice to have a hole-free couch. Overall, I think if you do make the decision to declaw, just make sure you find a vet with good references and really understand the surgery.
Thanks for your comments, Tasha. Good advice.
I do not have cats … declawing is something I had thought cruel and was thinking I’d never do. Until the other day my friend mentioned that they had rescued a little kitten and she uses her nails to climb up the couch. They are talking about getting her declawed if her climbing becomes an issue (as in, turns into clawing). Currently she’s just too little so uses a blanket hanging over the edge of the couch, the couch itself or your leg to hook in and climb up. So I was thinking much of the same thing you are saying here… many cats go without homes, are left outside all night and while you are gone because their claws cannot be indoors when unattended, etc… So which is worse?
My pup had his tail docked at 3 days old. He’s mini schnauzer/yorkie mix … Schnorkie…. or MUTT in my book. They docked his tail because it’s “breed standard”… umm, he’s not a show dog?! Made no sense and I don’t like it but if I ask him about it (keeping in mind it’s about 2″ long)… I’ll get told, “What do you mean? I have a tail AND I catch it! Watch me!” He doesn’t care. He doesn’t remember. He also doesn’t remember getting neutered, in fact, he was REALLY upset with one nurse that day then the next time we were in to check the incision, he was SO excited to see her!
Animals forgive the discomforts when provided with a safe, warm, loving home.
On a more gruesome note. It seems totally horrible that they remove the end of the finger like that… let’s look at it this way… Removing nails is used as a torture technique; removing the end of the finger is not. Removing a cats nail ONLY would certainly be more painful than removing the end of the finger. My husband had to have a nail pulled… after being fully numbed, when they pulled it out it was the most pain he had ever been in. I tend to think it would have felt loads better if they just cut off the end of his finger, though not practical, as he had ended his habit of scratching on the couch! HA!
Thank you for this comment. I do think people tend to get overly emotional about these kinds of things. I’m not against tail docking or ear cropping, for example. It’s totally unnecessary, but you know what? The dogs get over it. They forget about it and move on. No big deal.
I have had five cats over the years. 3 of which were not declawed, and the final 2 that were. The 2 that were had theirs done at a very young age (about 4 months old).
Unfortunately, one of the two–Charlie, a little orange tabby– died at an early age due to kidney failure, but I can say without a doubt that he had the best personality out of any of my cats. He was filled with such life and positive energy. Even during his illness, he held strong for over 5 months in order to remain a happy part of our lives. Declawing for him never changed a damn thing.
I have had my other declawed cat– Hauna, a tabby calico mix– for 5 years now. Once again, her personality is just the same as before she went to the operating table. She’s definitely a Mama’s girl, a lap cat. She’s incredibly intelligent and I was even able to teach some basic tricks (sit, stay and Which One? [Holding both of my hands up high and having her find and tap the hand that holds a treat.]) I allow her outdoors ONLY when she is highly under adult supervision and for no more than 20 minutes at a time. She’s smart enough to know her parameters and mostly stays on or by the front porch, laying on the outdoor couch by the front door or chasing the lizards that are in the shrubs (Which, if that is any indication, cats are STILL able to defend themselves if they ate declawed from the front. Contrary to popular belief, cats primarily use their back claws for climbing, defending themselves and for killing prey.) She doesn’t like to be around the company of other animals, but that was a part of her personality even before she was declawed. She loves high places, chasing shadows or just laying on the windowsill to enjoy the view outside. At the end of the long day, she likes to curl up next to me or right at the foot of my bed.
One thing that declawing gave me for Charlie and Hauna was the chance to bond with them in ways I never would have been able to had they remained fully clawed. When Charlie was a kitten, he had this horrible habit of swatting at a person’s feet that were moving under the sheets. He was obviously playing and you felt bad for yelling at him because he wasn’t /doing/ anything wrong, but the swatting was so bad that it was impossible to be able bond with him. After the surgery, things were fine. The swatting no longer became a big deal and I was able to play with him without the risk of getting hurt. In turn, he was able to continue on with his behavior and fully be the cat he wanted to be.
The same goes for Hauna. She recently picked up habit of kneading my chest or back while in bed. While her back claws still retract out, it’s much more bearable than if she still had her front claws. She’s able to continue with her nature cat instincts without having to push her away.
I will NEVER go back to not having my cats declawed. These past two have been the best cats I have ever had. No claws means no worries and I am able to love that unconditionally because of that.
Having said that though, I would NEVER consider declawing cats passed the 1 year mark. The older the cat, the more likely post complications and mental trauma will occur. Kittens spring back to health remarkably quick post surgery because their body weight is like enough to not press down on their recovering feet. Older cats have a larger mass, thus their feet carry the heavy pressure, thus pain and complications.
I think you make a very good point about declawing cats at a young age. I didn’t make that point in my post. I agree that it is one thing to declaw a kitten and it is another to declaw an adult cat. The adult cat is heavier and will be more likely to have a harder time recovering, etc. My cats’ vet recommended that I do not have my cats declawed because of their ages – 6 and 8. She thought it would be too hard on them and a difficult recovery. If they were kittens, it would be no big deal, she said.
As an animal activist many people are surprised that I support declawing! We need to focus on putting a stop to Real animal abuse…..not bashing people for declawing their loved and cared for house pet. In my opinion this procedure could help many unwanted and problem cats stay in forever homes. If you don’t mind ruined furniture and and scratches then by all means don’t declaw:) but for some its not acceptable in a home. People who choose to declaw love their pets just as much as someone who is against the procedure…..they want the cat to be able to live harmoniously within their family forever. Do your research and see how many declawed cats are in your local shelter or running wild without a home. (Not very many) because declawed cats are more likely to have a forever home. I must add that I volunteer at a shelter and have actually had people say that they were looking to adopt a cat that is already declawed ,when told we didn’t have any at the time but that they could choose to adopt and then declaw….they said that they would never have that done! Hmmmmm. Lol.
Yeah. We live in a strange world. I’m glad you are rational about the whole thing. Most people aren’t.