Many cat owners are unaware of the true nature of a declawing surgery. They are never told that it is an amputation of the last toe bones in a cat’s paw, and is the equivalent of cutting a human's fingers off at the first knuckle. It is both cruel and inhumane, should qualify as animal cruelty, and be banned from practice in our city's veterinary hospitals. Nearly two dozen countries—including Australia, England, and Japan—ban or severely restrict declawing surgeries. Many veterinarians in the United States refuse to perform the procedure. City council members have the power to create a by-law prohibiting this primitive procedure from clinics in our city.

Cats are in severe pain when they awake from the surgery, and the pain continues afterward. Nails can grow back inside the paw, causing extreme pain that you can’t see. This continuous suffering can cause cats to have a multitude of behavioural problems, including biting and defecation outside of the litter box. Many people think that declawed cats are safer around babies, but in fact, the lack of claws makes many cats feel so insecure that they tend to bite more often as a means of self-protection.

Our toes are crucial to our balance, and it’s no different for cats! Because of impaired balance after the procedure, declawed cats have to relearn how to walk, much as a person would after losing his or her toes.

What You Can Do Instead

- Trim your cat’s nails regularly. When the cat is relaxed and unafraid, gently press on his or her toes until the claws extend. Use a pair of nail clippers, and cut only the tip of the nail, taking care not to damage the vein, or “quick.” The nail hook is what tears upholstery, so removing it virtually eliminates the potential for damage. There are also gel caps that can be applied to the nails at home or by a groomer/vet that cover your cat's nails for roughly 6 weeks before reapplication is required.
- Buy multiple scratching posts. Ideally, you should have two or more scratching posts in your home. Make sure that they’re sturdy and tall enough to allow your cat to stretch (3 feet or taller). Soft, fluffy carpeted posts won’t fulfill your cat’s clawing needs, so look for rougher posts.
- Teach your cat where to scratch and where not to scratch. Encourage your cat to use the scratching posts by sprinkling catnip on the posts once a week. Discourage your cat from scratching furniture by using a loud, firm voice whenever he or she starts to scratch—cats don’t like loud noises! Never use physical force. Instead, you might try using a squirt gun full of lukewarm water directed at your cat’s back.