There has been a lot of controversy arising from declawing cats. The debates about this topic seem endless. Veterinarians with different opinions on cat declawing have argued whether declawing cats is a procedure that will either bring good or evil. Many articles tell you they’re going to try to make you understand both the advantages and disadvantages of declawing cats but once they start their babble, you’ll immediately understand which side they’re on. In a way of helping you come up with a decision that you know you won’t regret, I decided to create real and unbiased information about the pros and cons of cat declawing – regardless of which side you’re on.

Declawing Cats: Where would you stand?

I have 4 cats in all, 2 were declawed when they were kittens and the remaining 2 were not declawed. I have my own reasons for declawing my cats and another reason for not choosing to declaw the other ones. From personal experience, there are both advantages and disadvantages of declawing cats and kittens. The same things apply if you don’t declaw them.

Before anything else, I think it’s appropriate that you get a clear picture of what declawing really is. Cat declawing is a type of surgical procedure wherein an incision is done to take off the most distal bone of your feline’s fingers. This bone (P3) is where the claw grows so taking that part is imperative to make sure that there is no nail growth after the surgery. Nail growth could cause more complications and infection post-op.

Anti Declawing Cats

In most European and Asian countries, declawing cats is considered inhumane and illegal. A lot of animal rights groups have debated and urged international veterinary and animal organizations to ban cat declawing because of its negative implications on our feline friends. Here are some of the main points and reasons argued by anti-cat declawing groups and people:

1. Since declawing cats is a procedure that cuts off the 3^rd phalanx (distal bone) of your cat’s fingers, it is not a simple clipping of your cat’s nails but an “amputation” of the fingers. By human standards, amputation is illegal unless medically suggested and/or life threatening.
2. Declawing cats could be “painful” and “traumatizing” for your pet.
3. If not done properly, declawing can cause severe deformities and serious infection to your cat.
4. There have been reported cases of death during and after the surgery.
5. Traditional declawing surgery may take longer to heal and can be physically and psychologically difficult for your cat.
6. Without their claws, your cat may no longer be able to defend themselves against other cats and animals.
7. There are other alternatives to surgery such as scratching posts, animal toys, nail caps, nail trimmers, etc.
8. Declawing cats can be costly depending on the type of declawing procedure used.  (See Cat Declawing Cost)

Pro Declawing Cats

Many of those who had declawed or are considering to declaw their cats have a lot of reasons but the prime reason would be protection. Safety of your house furniture may be one of the reasons but more than ever, it’s the safety of their family members that usually encourages the cat owners to resolve to declawing cats.

Here are some points and reasons raised by those who had already subjected their cats to declawing surgery:

1. Despite being pro-cat declawing surgery, cat owners always encourage alternative methods first before surgery. If and only if those alternatives don’t work shall surgery be done.
2. A lot of children love cats but not all cats love children. In fact, the natural proud nature of cats makes them despise being played like a common child toy. Cats like these usually perceive children as enemies, thus, they retaliate by scratching, which is very innate in their nature. Most owners declaw their cats to protect their kids from the wrath of their feline pets.
3. Scratches on furniture are not exactly a good sight nor are they a good aftermath of all the money you spent on expensive household furniture. If after trying all the alternatives there is still no stopping to your cat’s scratching habit, declawing could be your last resort.
4. Unlike many speculations and negative comments about the surgery, it was statistically reported that the prevalence of death intra and post operation is in the minimum.
5. Declawing cats thru surgery doesn’t take a lot of time and most owners are able to retrieve their cats after 2-3 days.  If you are going to do the surgery, it’s probably best to declaw kittens when young.
6. Not all gruesome descriptions about the surgery are true. Laser cat declawing, which is a type of declawing surgery that uses laser to create incision and cut off the cat’s distal bone, only results to minimal to no bleeding, pain or infection. Complications are also at the minimum.
7. A lot of owners have attested that their feline friends dramatically changed in behavior after surgery. This isn’t for the worse, but for the better. Behavioral changes were said to include extra sweetness and cuddling. Declawed cats were also reported to be less likely to stray outdoors for a long period and owners are usually relieve that their cats are safe from harmful elements outdoors.
8. Declawing cats will also instantly make your kids safe around your feline pets. They can play together in harmony and declawed cats are usually friendly to kids and other members of the house. It could be attributed to the fact that they know they can no longer cause harm, thus they shift their attention to being cute and cuddly.
9. Despite not having any claws, declawing cats doesn’t discourage your cats to “scratch”. In fact, other cat owners said they begin scratching more. The only difference is that they’re no longer harming your family or your furniture.