Ouch! Declawing hurts!
Jun 15th, 2007 by Alishea
It’s been debated, it’s been argued about between vets, and pet owners for decades. To declaw, or not to declaw?
Well, there are valid reasons on both sides. However this blog is about MY opinion! 
I am a FIRM believer in NOT declawing pets.
Why?
IT IS painful! Like it or not, it does hurt your cat! It has been proven time and again, that cats have phantom pain (similar to that of an amputee) for years after having been declawed.
There are other ways to handle the need to scratch. My favorite, is www.softpaws.com. I’ll post pictures when my cat, Bathory is wearing purple ones, so they are easier to see, she is currently in clear, so they are difficult to photograph. But, access to scratching posts, cat toys, and a good nail clipping every couple of weeks is VERY helpful as well! There are also some sprays out there, and covers for the corners of furniture and walls that help too.
All in all, cats need, nay, LOVE to scratch, I’m sure it feels good, it looks like it does! A good looooong stretch, and diiiig those claws in and dig away. Good way to release some stress huh? Not so good for the couch! I understand that, I understand that some of you may say, “But, Ali, it’s SO much easier to just declaw”! “My cat will hate those nail covers, she won’t use a scratching post, besides, animals don’t REALLY feel pain like we do”! HA! You are wrong!! They feel everything we feel, sometimes more so, since they rely on ALL of their senses, even some that humans turn their noses up at in disbelief!
And, guess what? They won’t hate the nail covers! I promise! When I first started with Bathory as kitten with SoftPaws, she was apprehensive about the whole situation. Bathory, was and is a VERY rambunctious cat. Very active, and doesn’t like to be held down for time wasting activities such as nail clippings, or ear cleanings. There are things to see!! But, I got her nice and wrapped up in a bath towel so she couldn’t pry herself lose of my grip with those back claws, got her and the towel nicely and firmly wedged under one arm, while the hand on that arm gripped a front paw gently, but firmly. I took the appropriately sized cap filled 1/3 of the way with the glue that comes in the pack, in the other hand, and started with her “thumb”. The hand of the arm that is gripping her paw, then gently pushes the claw out of it’s little protective cuticle, to fully extend it, the other hand with the cap, just slides the cap onto the claw, as far down as the cap will go. I then just held it there until it got a good set, and released that claw. I continued on with all her other claws, one by one. All told it took about 10 minutes. And that was just because you have to put the glue in each one, right before you apply it, as it sets to a cure quickly.
Be sure that you have clipped your cats claws ahead of time to ensure the longest wear out of the caps. If they are placed on unclipped claws, they will only shed sooner, which will require you to replace that lost cap sooner. Also, some cats claws may be between the cap sizes, that’s ok! A nice pair of scissors will cut the cap down to the correct size. Yes, your cat can still extend and retract her claws normally! The glue seems to be much like super glue, and if you’ve clipped the cats claws ahead of time, I find that they last quite a long time. I have to replace about 1 stray cap every 2 weeks or so. Just repeat the procedure for the shed cap. They fall off as the cat sheds her outer most nail layer, which varies for each nail. They come in really fun colors too! Sadly kitten sizes only come in clear, pink, or blue, but as she grows you can get purple, dark blue, green, red, all kinds of fun colors! They even do holiday packs. I know that our PetCo carries them, if the internet seems like not the route you want to take, check your local pet stores. Even better? They make them for dogs too! A good investment to help with protecting furniture, and skin for the dog that likes to paw at things.
All in all, the only thing that makes me sad about the SoftPaws, is that my main argument for NOT declawing was that it’s not safe for a cat that gets outdoors, they can’t defend themselves. With SoftPaws, they can’t really either, they have their claws, but they aren’t sharp. You still have to be diligent about keeping that kitty inside!! Though with the SoftPaws, and their back claws, they have a better chance of defending themselves from a attacker of the feline or canine persuasion, than they would without claws altogether! AND, guess what? No pain! We love that!
And really if you can’t find the time in your life to apply the caps, and won’t (rightfully so) declaw, or take other measures to protect your cat, and your belongings, but still complain about destruction of furniture…do you really have the time or space in your life for a cat? One of the many things to take into account if you are considering the guardianship of a cat.