Declawing your cat is a very controversial subject. This is because most declawing procedures are quite brutal and can cause lasting damage to your cat. A standard declawing procedure actually amputates the cat's first joint on every toe. This causes a lot of pain, and can also cause the cat to lose their natural gait.
Declawing cats is actually illegal in many countries, including England. There is an active campaign in the United States for its ban as well. In Australia they say it is a cruel and unneeded procedure. Obviously there are some strong feelings on the subject.
So, why do people still get their cats declawed? Often, it is simply a case of not knowing. Many people do not understand just how brutal this procedure really is. Also, there are many veterinarians who downplay the procedure, and offer two-for-one deals with declawing and neutering. When people see the procedure offered so nonchalantly, they assume it must be completely safe.
Another reason why people still get the procedure done is because it can be nearly impossible to train some cats not to scratch people and furniture. Declawing may be a last resort, but it is better than giving up the cat, many people rationalize this way.
So, if you have a cat with a scratching problem, what should you do about it? There are actually a few options. The first is to simply train the cat not to scratch bad things, and giving it a good thing (scratching post) to scratch. There is obviously more to this method, but you can find it with a quick Google search. Another option is claw caps. These are plastic caps which glue onto your cat's claws so that they do not do any harm when scratching.
Most of the time, these alternatives will work if you are willing to spend some time working on them. I do not think these cats should be placed in shelters, but I also do not think they deserve to be mutilated. Make sure you do your research into these things.
There is a new, alternative procedure, which uses a laser to remove the claw. This has been deemed safer and more humane.
Scratching in cats is a natural, instinctive behavior, we have to accept that cats are going to scratch and work around it. We need to alter our lives to suit the cat, not the cat's body to suit our lives.
