Declawing Indoor Cats, Is it Really Necessary?

Growing up on a farm, the attitude towards animals was that they belong outside. When the day came for setting up my own household, which included pets, I just went along with the advice given about having cats indoors. I had this image that if I didn't declaw my cats my carpets and furniture would be in shreds.

That attitude came to an end 20 years ago with the declawing of my little Kimba. She was found as a kitten on the side of a country road, and when she reached the age to be spayed, the appointment automatically included the declaw without any discussion from the veterinarian about the pros and cons.

Kimba had such a sweet nature that I seriously doubt she ever would've been a problem anyway with damaging anything in the house. Her toes had a lot of trouble healing properly and a few of the nails even grew back, but were deformed. Needless to say, I felt terrible for taking a perfectly behaved kitten and creating a lifetime of anxiety issues with the litter box. The grit probably hurt her, and being wary of the litter box, she used other spots to do her business.

Declawing indoor cats became commonplace after the 1940's. People falsely assume that declawing is just like trimming your nails or getting a manicure.This is not true. The last digit of each toe is cut off, not just the nail.



It is believed that if the procedure is done before the age of six months of age, the cat heals quickly and gets along just fine without them. If an experienced veterinarian performs the procedure right, no residual pain supposedly occurs; but that is up for debate. So what do those of us who had used experienced veterinarians do once it is too late?

Cats that have had their front claws removed continue to stretch and paw their toes as if the nails were still there. They derive the same satisfaction from this as clawed cats. It is the nature of cats to use their claws in their everyday lives. Kneading and climbing is all part of play and feeling a sense of confidence in defending themselves. Cats have extraordinary balance. Without claws, they may lose some of that coordination. It may not be noticeable in a typical home setting, but is very obvious with a cat trying to scamper up a tree to escape a dangerous situation.



Cats feel safe in high places. To no longer be able to simply leap and climb with the agility it once had is psychologically devastating, and definitely puts its physical safety at risk. Indoor cats can easily slip out of doors. Once out of the safety of their homes, they are all alone and at a greater risk without their most valuable natural defense.

Feeling insecure, some declawed cats become aggressive and may develop a tendency to bite. So the theory that cats need to be declawed to be safe around young children is simply not always true. Pet owners may be creating the very situation they thought they were doing the right thing to avoid.



Ways to handle a cat's natural urge to stretch, knead and sharpen its claws against objects is to invest in cat scratchers or cat furniture with sisal rope around the posts; and to trim those nails every 6 weeks. Cats will naturally be drawn to a good quality cat tree with a scratching post wrapped with sisal rope. Don't waste money on cheap cat trees of inferior quality. If the thing isn't sturdy and moves or jiggles when used, a cat won't use it. Carpet wrapped posts are pretty but sisal rope is the best for nail clawing satisfaction.

Today, veterinarians are more apt to discourage the declawing of cats, some even refuse to perform the surgery. Perhaps in most cases the cat seems fine afterwards, but is the procedure necessary in the first place? 

In my opinion, no. If our fur babies could speak, I'm sure they would agree.