Back Away from the Claws, Dirtbag!

I was playing around on 43 Things when (ahem) I should have been working on my graduate school application and came across a buncha people who want to make people understand that declawing a cat is a painful unnecessary surgery and there are better ways to deal with cat's scratching. Whoa! Now that is a goal I can get behind!

Procrastinatress says:

First of all, the term “declawing” is an inaccurate description of the process. It’s not the “claw” or “toenail” that is removed, but rather the entire first digit of the cat’s toe. Please don’t confuse a “declawing” with a permanent toenail trim… it’s an amputation, plain and clear.

Now that this is said I think the obvious question would be, why would someone amputate part of their cat’s limb without medical necessity?

The most commonly heard explanation is “the cat scratches the furniture.” I’m sure we all know that any type of surgery brings with it certain inherent risks, including infection and hemorrhage. In addition there is pain and (sometimes lifelong) discomfort. I don’t think a scratched sofa is worse than potentially causing lifelong pain to your cat! Read on...

...for information on the the pain and discomfort caused by declawing, as well as tips on training your cat to leave the furniture alone. It's a great post. Cheers to Procrastinatress.

Come on, people. Cats will be cats and they have claws for a reason. If you're not willing to accept that, or to take the time to train your cat, don't get one.