I’ve been thinking about all the negative comments people shared on That Mutt’s Facebook page and on the blog when I wrote about declawing my cats.
I’m glad readers shared their opinions and that they care about the welfare of cats.
But I’m worried people missed my point.
If someone wants to adopt a cat and get that cat declawed, that is better than not adopting a cat at all.
When roughly 3 million cats are killed annually in U.S. shelters/pounds, you will not hear me go on a rampage against declawing.
I am worried that all the negativity around cat declawing is going to persuade potential adopters not to adopt a cat. The declawing issue could be too overwhelming for a potential cat owner, enough to convince her to forget about cat ownership entirely. That would be very unfortunate because cats can add a lot to a home, and there are millions of cats who could use just that.
The people who are most vocal against declawing are very uncaring about the way they deliver their message. There is a way to kindly explain to someone what cat declawing truly involves. It is not necessary or helpful to make immediate assumptions or judgments. The very animals we are defending know nothing about hate or fear or anger.
My former foster cat Ninja
My former foster cat Ninja was lucky to make it out of the pound alive. She was later adopted by my parents – two of the world’s biggest animal lovers. I knew they would make plans to have her declawed – a small price to pay for being alive and in a loving home.
People who foster cats have to make difficult decisions on who can adopt them. Sometimes it’s hard to let a cat go to a home where the people would not treat a cat the way you would treat a cat. But holding onto a cat for months waiting for an “ideal” home is just not realistic if the goal is to find homes for as many cats as possible.
The declawing thing is something I can live with. Declawing is a better option than not getting a home.
And as it turns out, my parents did not declaw Ninja after all!
Many landlords require cats to be declawed
If I were a landlord, I would have some pretty strict pet policies as well.
Although most people love their pets, they are careless when it comes to training them, cleaning up after them and preventing them from damaging property. Renters are generally more careless than homeowners. That’s just the way it is.
It’s easy to get around the rules and keep a cat without the landlord realizing it, but most people want to follow the rules. That means getting the cat declawed. I would hate to stop apartment dwellers from adopting cats just because they are afraid to have the cats declawed. Cats do very well living in apartment setting. Plus, they make great companions to the people who live there.
Will I declaw my cats?
I ordered some Soft Paws nail caps to put over my cats’ claws. I will let you know how this goes, so stay tuned for a review of this product.
If Josh and I do decide to declaw our cats, I know it will upset a lot of readers. I’ve already had several people accuse me of caring more about my couch than I do my pets.
But it’s not about choosing my couch over my cats. It’s about choosing what’s best for me and what I can live with.
My cats are here to add to my life, not make it more stressful.
Dogs and cats have a great ability to adapt to whatever life we give them. Adaptability is their gift to us. In return, we do our best to give them a good and humane life.
I value the relationship I have with Beamer and Scout. Getting them declawed would not change that. They would continue to love me just as they do now. They are animals, and they would not hold it against me.
Currently my cats are spending 15 to 20 hours per weekday in my laundry room when I am not able to supervise. So much confinement does not seem like much of a life for them, although they don’t seem to mind. Let’s remember that we are talking about cats here, not humans. Cats ask for very little.
But if my cats were able to understand the decision between 100 percent freedom without their claws or a lot less freedom with their claws, I tend to think they would choose more freedom.
I could stop worrying about a few scratches on the couch, but the thing is I really like having a nice couch. I am at a point in my life where I value the items I choose to own. This kind of value is new to me, and I see it as a good thing.
I used to look down on people who spend a lot of money on clothes, vehicles, furniture and so on. I am a very modest person and a minimalist, but I no longer look down on anyone for how she chooses to spend or save or give her money. To each her own.
As an example, I have very few clothes compared to most Americans. I have, literally, four pairs of shoes. Two are running shoes. One is a casual pair of Sketchers and one is a pair of “fancier” boots. And my definition of fancy is probably pretty loose.
I have two pairs of jeans. Total. One with holes. One without.
It’s not that I can’t buy new clothes. I can, and I do. I just prefer to own less. I don’t like clutter. I am very conscious of what I own and what I do or don’t hold onto.
So here I am in this crazy world of pets where people are accusing me of caring more about my material objects than I care about my cats.
Funny.
Thanksgiving night I held Scout in my arms as I fell asleep. He likes to curl up against my chest as close as possible to my heart. I have this little song I sometimes sing to him (I’ll spare you the lyrics), and he purrs and purrs and puts his face to mine.
Several times per day I kiss each of my cats right between the eyes as I tell them I love them. They are not thrilled with this, but they tolerate it.
For my own birthday one year, I leashed up Scout and took him on a picnic – just he and I. I ordered Chinese takeout and we sat at a picnic table in a park.
One time Scout traveled to Duluth (Minn.) with me for a job interview. I ordered room service at the hotel – salmon – just so he could share.
My cats get Christmas presents from their “grandparents” and their “uncles.” They take part in birthdays and holiday gift openings and family gatherings.
Just a few days ago I was searching online for organic cat beds. I liked the one in solid red for Beamer, the polka-dot pattern for Scout.
If I am not a borderline crazy cat lady or at least someone who loves and values her cats, then I am not sure what it means to love a pet.
My cats are, in every way, a part of my family.
Photo of Beamer by Tawna Whitford
Photo of Scout by Tawna Whitford
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I felt for you when I read some of those earlier comments… I’m glad you wrote this. Whatever you do, I know you’ll make the right decision for you and your pets. Take care and don’t let people get to you.
Thanks! They have their Soft Paws on today
You are absolutely right! It would be better if more cats got adopted then declawed then not to get a cat at all. Of course, I wonder if the price of declawing would deter some people too?
I think my main problem with declawing is that people use it as a first solution instead of a last solution.
I do have a friend who got a kitten on Christmas Eve about 5 years ago and she crate trained it and eventually did have it declawed because like you she likes her furniture nice. He had some issues with the surgery and it was hard watching him limp along for a while. Now he’s a happy Kris Kringle who is a good member of the househould.
I agree with you. It should be a last solution. Thanks for sharing the example of your friend’s cat.
People mean well, they really do, but sometimes they do miss the bigger picture. I agree with you, having a cat declawed is better than that cat not having a home or life at all. And putting cardboard and foil or whatever on a couch, come on. Like you said, what’s the point of having a nice couch then and you shouldn’t have to apologize for wanting to sit on a nice couch you like. As you said you are a minimalist, so no one can say you are obsessed with material things. That’s just not fair. I am really curious to see how those soft claws work out. I can’t imagine they will, but who knows? And good for you for trying them. Good luck. And I loved the stories you shared that show just how much you love your pets!
So far the Soft Paws are promising, but … we’ll see.
I agree, declwaing your cats is a necessary evil. I feel so bad for what the cats must go through. However as humans our living arrangements aren’t always best suited for animals, so it’s can be a give and take at times. Great post! I enjoy reading your blog because your posts are so personal and in depth. As always thank you for sharing.
Thanks so much!
My parents had to have a cat declawed. It had nothing to do with him sharpening his claws on the couch, and everything to do with sharpening his claws on me and my sister, then 8 and 9 years old. We were nice to cats, but we adopted him at 4 years old, and before that he’d learned that some children are not so nice.
My parents also got a lot of mean comments about their choice, but they tried everything first, including claw caps (he chewed them off) and training him with a squirt bottle not to attack us. (It ended with us needing to visit the doctor from so many scratches!)
After declawing, he changed. He went from being a nasty, mean cat that BIT and SCRATCHED everything, even after being neutered, to a nice friendly cat that just wanted petted.
He was able to still climb trees and do other kitty things just fine, but probably because my parents did not have his back claws removed, just the ones that helped him hold onto arms and legs. >.<
I think declawing a cat really is a personal decision, and highly dependent on the situation. What ever your decision is, I know it will be the right one.
Thanks so much for the thoughtful comment! I understand your parents’ decision. Sounds like they made the right one. Kids come before a cat.
My friend recently got a kitten and when they got him they were considering having him declawed, but he never scratched that they saw so they decided against it. I’ve never had a cat but I’ve met both declawed and not and they all seem pretty happy to me.
Beamer and Scout sound like spoiled kittens.
I’m glad your friend didn’t have to have the kitten declawed. But I know what you mean. All the cats I know seem happy whether they have their claws or not.
I say right on for declawing cats!
It’s better to declaw than to not adopt at all or turn adopted cats out on the street or even worse have owners who will beat their cats (sometimes to death) out of anger for ruining their expensive furniture or scratching a child’s face.
I personally think some of these animal rights people go WAY overboard sometimes. These PETA and ASPCA people will step over a homeless family on the way to an animal rights rally… WTF? It makes no sense.
My first cat is declawed and she has never had any health problems since and she’s very happy. She’s 11 years old and full of life.
Life, that’s what some of these animal extremists should get… a LIFE!
People over animals.
Adam,
I agree. Although I know there are likely many passionate animal lovers working for PETA, the organization does not look out for the best interest of companion animals. PETA kills nearly all of the dogs and cats it takes in rather than finding them homes. I hope the organization does more good than harm, but I doubt it.
All of the declawed cats I know are just fine as well.
I’m sure you were just trying to get a rise out of someone with your last comment “people over animals,” but I will just say that since we do have control and power over animals it is our duty to look out for them.
Lindsay,
No rise at all it’s the truth. I meant every word I said. I’ll say it again, just in case someone didn’t catch it: PEOPLE OVER ANIMALS. And again: PEOPLE OVER ANIMALS. And again: PEOPLE OVER ANIMALS.
We’re at the top of the food chain for a reason. I’m not saying screw all the animals but at the end of the day, even you Lindsay, a PERSON I don’t know and have never met, I’m gonna regard higher than any animal because you are a PERSON. People come first.
My overall point was that with all the war, famine, disease, pestilences, war crimes, ethnic cleansings and genocides that affect PEOPLE, we’re not to a place in humanity yet where we can get all wound up over declawing a cat! Can we at least cure cancer and AIDS first?
PETA, the ASPCA and other beast worshipper animal fanatics spend all this money, time and energy lobbying for animals when 12 million children of HUMANS a year are orphaned in Africa due to AIDS. Sounds a little silly and frivolous in the final scheme of things don’t ya think?
Only in the US, Western Europe and rest the first world do we have the luxury of setting up organizations in the interest of animals when more than half of the HUMAN population of Earth lives on less than a dollar a day and doesn’t have access to indoor plumbing or clean water.
Think about HUMAN babies dying of starvation in Africa next time you wanna cry a river over a cat’s paw. At least the declawed cat has a roof over it’s head and food everyday. Billions of HUMANS can’t say that.
My male cat Tigger just passed away at 17 years old. He never had one health issue in all those years. He lived in the lap of luxury in a household of our kids my husband and I and 2 dogs. He was so happy playful and cuddly. He was declawed when he was 2 years old. It did not change his personality at all. I have seen dogs loose eyes from cats scratching them out. Tigger was best friends with two dogs. He was adopted when he was 1 and lived a long happy 16 more years with us. I bet he would agree loosing his claws was a small price for the long happy life he lived. We all miss him everyday. I have known many declawed cats who are very happy with absolutely no behavioral or litter box problems!
Sorry to hear you lost your sweet Tigger. Thanks for giving him such a good home!