DECLAW, YES? DECLAW, NO?
by Kari Winters, APRN BC
 I
have a confession to make. All my cats are declawed. In the
world of animal rescue, to say that is akin to treason, and
to be totally honest with you, when I first got involved with
animal rescue I didn’t understand why people were so opposed
to it. Anesthesia is used during the surgery and yes, there’s
some pain afterwards, but there’s pain involved with spaying
and neutering, too, and everyone agrees it’s ok to do those
procedures. On the positive side, I’d read that it could help
an owner’s relationship with their feline family member because
you wouldn’t have to constantly say “no” to them for doing what
comes naturally to them (sharpening their claws) in the wrong
places... like your new sofa. On the negative side, I’d heard
that it could change a cat’s
personality and make them more aggressive and turn them into
pets that bite. I never saw that with my cats. They were just
as sweet and cuddly after the surgery as they were before...
and none of them bite.
Despite all that, I now deeply regret my decision to declaw
my cats. At the time I made the decision to declaw, the vet
didn’t explain the exact procedure to me and I believed that
the procedure was just removing the claw. Since I’m a nurse,
I know that if a person’s fingernail is removed it will hurt
for a while, but the skin will eventually toughen up and the
person will still be able to function just fine, thank you!
It was several years later before I learned that declawing
cats actually an amputation of the end of the cat’s toe. It’s the
equivalent of amputating a human’s fingers at the first joint.
That’s bad enough for a human, but for a cat it’s monumental.
Cats use all four paws to walk and having the first digit removed
throws them off balance. Cats usually adjust to this fairly
quickly, but in later years this can cause severe back and joint
problems. It breaks my heart as I see my cats developing these
problems and have to give them supplements to try to slow the
progression down. It would be cute to see the Elvis Presley
swagger as my Sheffield walks ahead of me, but knowing that
the swagger is there because his hip and knee joints are degenerating
at an alarming rate takes the “cuteness” out of it.
 I’ve learned that my cats are much more important than my furniture.
When I come home from a hard day at work, they’re all waiting
at the door and they’re ready to lend me a helping paw if I
need it. Still, like you, there are things I’d prefer not to
have shred to ribbons, so here are some tips to help you teach
your cats to sharpen their claws in appropriate places. (It
should be noted that scratching is a very normal cat behavior.) Many
cats like to stretch up high, so it’s important to have posts
that are tall enough so they can stretch while sharpening their
claws.
Posts made of carpet and sisal are often the best materials. Other
cats prefer to scratch on something flat. For these cats, the
flat cardboard scratchers are best. Scratching posts can be
bought at pet stores or you can make them yourself, very inexpensively,
at home. At first you might have to place these near the things
your cat likes to scratch, but slowly you can move them away
to areas that are more convenient for your household. You can
take your cat’s paws and move them up and down on the scratching
posts while giving verbal praise or a favorite treat. This does
wonders in helping your cat understand good behavior. Loud noises
(a sharp “no,” a shake can or loud clap) can keep your cats
from using the arms of the sofa as their personal manicurist.
Making a hissing noise is also very effective in discouraging
unwanted behaviors. Never punish your cat physically! After
using one of the negatives (such as a “no”) immediately take
your cat to the acceptable place, go through the motions again,
and give lots of praise.
Another useful tool for teaching your cat to scratch appropriately is a wonderful product called Sticky Paws (www.stickypaws.com). The sticky material sticks to furniture without damaging it and it deters cats from scratching. Sticky Paws have the added advantage of being able to curb the behavior when you're not at home. Sticky Paws also makes a cat scratcher called "Scratch This" which I've found to be one of the most effective scratchers for luring cats away from the furniture.
It’s also important to keep your cat’s nails clipped, and this is easy to do once you’ve learned how. Have your vet or other knowledgeable animal person show you how to do this. If you really can’t tolerate your cat’s claws because of health issues (such as people with certain immune system illnesses) or other personal reasons, there are now coverings which your vet can place over your cat’s claws. Talk with your vet about options other than declawing. Hopefully, you’ll read this article and decide that you’ll never declaw your cat. Please don’t learn the hard way like I did!
For further information re: declawing, please visit THE PAW
PROJECT. (www.pawproject.com) Kari Winters is a member of the Cat Writers’ Association. Her geezer meezer (elderly siamese), Sheffield , assisted with some of the finer details of this article. Sheffield (RIP) died in October 2002.
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