Declawing Cats  - Why You Should Never Remove Your Cats Claws

It is a fact of life that cats scratch. It is also a fact that scratching can cause a lot of damage in the home.

Does this justify declawing your cat? No, it most certainly does not. The reasons can be summed up like this:

• cats need their claws
• you can give your cats claws something other than your furniture to scratch on

What Declawing Cats  Actually Means -Its Not Just The Cats Claws

First of all it is important to recognise that the term 'declawing' is a bit of a misnomer. It does not involve removing just the cats claws. This is a fact which too many cat owners do not realise until it is too late.

In cats the claw is actually part of the distal phalanx, which is the last bone in the toe. Declawing cats involves amputating this bone before the last joint, together with the ligaments and tendons. In other words you are removing part of his feet.

Quite aside from being a painful experience there are severe consequences for your cat after declawing.

• he will not be able to run properly. Cats don't run on the soles of their feet but up on their toes. The term for this is digitigrade.If you have removed part of the toe then the cat cannot run in a natural way. Removing cats claws effectively gives them a disability.

• he will not be able to climb. Cats love to climb and are very fond of getting themselves into a good vantage point to watch the world. They also climb to avoid predators.

• he will be unable to defend himself effectively. A cats claws are his first line of defense and without them he is very vulnerable. For this reason declawed cats have a greater tenancy towards biting.

A significant number of declawed cats end up in animal shelters because they developed physical or psychological problems after they were declawed.

These are just some of the reasons why declawing cats is illegal in many European countries.

Provide Your Cat With A Cat Scratcher Post

Cats claws are nothing short of essential to their wellbeing and this is the simple way to get around the problem of scratching.

Cat scratcher posts are easy to obtain and do not cost the earth. In fact even a top of the range scratcher will cost nothing near what your vet's bills would be for declawing.

There are so many different types from the very basic post to a cat scratcher with a climbing tree, platforms, sleeping areas toys and so on. Everything your cat could possibly want.

Cats love them and when it is so simple to provide something like this it is hard to understand why any cat owner would ever choose to have their cats claws removed in this way.