Save A Paw, Don't Declaw!

Often times, potential adopters inform us during the pre-adoption process that they want to declaw their new fur friend. This is our chance to educate our future adopters on not declawing their cat and teaching them alternatives to declawing. "I have kids," "I don't want my furniture ruined" or "I don't want to be scratched" isn't a good reason to remove your cat's claws. Its not fair to put your animal through the procedure of removing apart of their body for your own benefit. Your cat cannot tell you what they want, and you must make the decision for them. We're here to give the cats a voice and tell you why you shouldn't declaw your cat, and what your other options are.

Why You Should Not Declaw Your Cat

The operation to declaw a cat is not humane. Pretend, for a minute, that you decided that you wanted your child to no longer have finger nails. So you bring your 2 year old into the doctor, they put her under, and they chop off her fingers at the knuckles, removing her entire finger tips. Thats what you are doing to your cat when you take her to the vet to get declawed.
The surgery does not just remove off the claw, but they also cut off the bone at the joint so that the claw does not try to grow back. Our fingernails grow from the bone, so if you just peeled your nail off, it would regrow. If you didn't want it to regrow, you have to remove that entire piece of the bone, and this is the same for cats. The pain that the cat will feel after the surgery is high. The cat may appear to seem fine, however, cats are extremely good at hiding their pain until it is nearly too late. It is difficult for them to walk, and hurts them when they do. There can also be complications to adapting without the tips of their paws.
Claw's are something that the cats are born with. It's natural for them to have claws, just like its natural for you to have fingers. When you declaw your cat, your making it easier on you and your lifestyle, but not your cat and their life style. Keeping your cats claw's is definitely one of the best things you can do for your pet.

Alternatives To Declawing

Alright, we convinced you not to declaw your cat. Awesome. So now you're probably wondering what you CAN do so your new family member wont wreck your favorite lazy boy. There are three different alternatives to declawing your cat.

Scratching Posts
Training your fur friend to use a scratching post instead of the furniture may take some time, but is worth it. Try putting the scratching post infront of the spot on the furniture that your cat has been scratching. When you catch them scratching, tell them no, pick them up and relocate them to infront of the scratching post. Getting multiple posts, the kind that are stands that go straight up and down, and the kind that lay down more flat are highly recommended for this. This way if they like to scratch on a rug, you can put them on the flat one, and if they scratch on a chair, you can put them on the vertical one.
Another way to get them to use the scratching post is with cat nip. Rub cat nip on the scratching post, or sprinkle it on the post. The smell causes the cat to scratch where it is, so they will get used to the post instead of your furniture and it will become a habit. When you catch your cat using the scratching post, reward them. They will catch on that it's a good thing to use the post if you give them treats or attention.

Nail Clippers
You can use the same type of nail clippers you use on your cat. To learn how to clip your cat's nails correctly, click on this link to take you to a video by Petco on how to trim the claws. They do not use finger nail clippers in this video, but it works the exact same way as the trimmers they use. It is important to pay attention to the part of the video that explains the "quick." Do not trim that high up on their nails, but do not let the risk of that take away from caring for your cat. Your cat is your family member, just like a child is. Taking care of their nails is a vital part of being a cat parent.

Nail Covers
Another way to protect your furniture and family members from your cat's claws are by using nail covers, such as Soft Paws. These are basically "fake nails" for your cats claws. It uses special nail glue in the cap, and you just slip them on your cats claws, wait a few seconds for it to dry, and then let her go. The covers fall off the cats claws on their own, and you can just pick them up when you run across them and throw them away. When you notice your cat is missing one, you can simply replace them. Soft Paws even come in fun colors that you can choose while ordering.
My family personally uses soft paw's on our cats. They work great, their fun, and they're easy! To learn more about Soft Paws, click here to be taken to their website.