# Is it ever OK to declaw a cat? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [November 16, 2009, 5:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794 "2009-11-16T17:22:51Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Chum](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/3ab097/32.png) [@Chum](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chum)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/41 "2009-11-17T14:45:26Z")
> [@Tamerlane](#): > > I’m generally opposed to the procedure and would never have it done myself. But I reluctantly accept folks doing it as a last resort, if it is a strictly indoor cat and the alternative is them getting rid of the cat in some way that may prove detrimental to its long term health, happiness or stability. > > I’ve known cats that have done just fine declawed. So I don’t like it, but I won’t cast aspersions, _assuming the owners tried everything else first._ I share these exact sentiments. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 3:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/42 "2009-11-17T15:13:25Z")
I had a declawed cat and I’ve never understood people who claimed that they are maimed and in constant pain. She was a normal, happy and healthy cat who live with me for 12 years before dying of old age. She had a good life, better than most, and the alternative was that she would have been put down at the pound. I adopted her as an adult at the county pound, and any one can tell you the odds for an adult cat there are not good. She tore up my stuff and so I had her declawed. She recovered within days, and we lived happily together for the rest of her days. ---
**Author:** ![rhubarbarin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/eb9ed0/32.png) [@rhubarbarin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rhubarbarin)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/43 "2009-11-17T15:22:07Z")
I don’t like declawing simply because of the health effects, mental and physical. How painful it is doesn’t make me like it any more! But if the alternative is getting rid of the cat, or putting it to sleep, because it’s so aggressive or destructive, than it’s a fine way to alter undesirable behavior. My cats both have claws and they don’t scratch my stuff. They do sometimes scratch me, but I don’t mind. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Hanna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/b3f665/32.png) [@Hanna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hanna)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 3:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/44 "2009-11-17T15:22:44Z")
I chose as a last resort only, but what I really mean is ONLY as a last resort, i.e., the cat will be put down because it is clawing the baby or something. If it is only clawing the furniture, that’s a big never OK. Living things should be valued over furniture, and if you are one who values your furniture over a living, feeling animal, don’t get a cat. ---
**Author:** ![Lord\_Ashtar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7ea924/32.png) [@Lord\_Ashtar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lord_Ashtar)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/45 "2009-11-17T15:33:43Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > De-clawing a cat involves a procedure that is similar to snipping off the first joint of your fingers; sure people can get used to living with their first joint of their fingers snipped off, but I don’t want mine snipped off unless it’s to save me from dying from cancer. Not the procedure I had done to my two cats. My vet told me it’s more like removing the nail from the nail bed. She also told me that the idea that it’s synonymous with removing the first joint of your fingers is “ignorant and just plain silly.” ---
**Author:** ![It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/it_s_not_rocket_surgery/32/312_2.png) [@It\_s\_Not\_Rocket\_Surgery](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/It_s_Not_Rocket_Surgery)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 4:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/46 "2009-11-17T16:48:44Z")
We had the front claws of our cats removed via laser surgery after our old Boston Terrier had her cornea pierced for the second time. ---
**Author:** ![Freudian\_Slit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/5daacb/32.png) [@Freudian\_Slit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Freudian_Slit)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 5:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/47 "2009-11-17T17:10:38Z")
If the cat is clawing the baby, isn’t getting rid of the claws not really addressing the problem? I mean, it can still bite it or something. I mean, declawing it would probably be a good step but you’d probably also want to keep the baby away from the cat and train it not to hurt or attack the child. ---
**Author:** ![squeegee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/squeegee/32/14537_2.png) [@squeegee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/squeegee)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 6:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/48 "2009-11-17T18:11:09Z")
> [@Freudian\_Slit](#): > > If the cat is clawing the baby, isn’t getting rid of the claws not really addressing the problem? I mean, it can still bite it or something. I mean, declawing it would probably be a good step but you’d probably also want to keep the baby away from the cat and train it not to hurt or attack the child. If you could train a cat to do / not do… well, anything! then there’d be no need for declawing. ---
**Author:** ![gonzomax](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/e8c25b/32.png) [@gonzomax](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gonzomax)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/49 "2009-11-17T18:38:56Z")
I rescued my cat before he was put in the Humane Society to probably die. He fights with my 1 year old puppy all the time and still thinks slapping him in the face with powder puff paws is effective. He doesn’t get it. The dog uses his paws and slaps him back. Sometimes I wish he had claws to straighten out Winston occasionally. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/50 "2009-11-17T19:05:40Z")
It worked that way for my cat and kids too. The cat had no claws but didn’t know it. If the kids got even a little rough with her, she would ‘claw’ them furiously. It worked out quite well because it scared the kids enough to treat her more gently, but it did no actual damage to them. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 7:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/51 "2009-11-17T19:20:18Z")
Psh, c’mon. This declawing stuff is for sissies. Just amputate the leg where it joins the torso. Then you’ll have a lovable bundle of fur that you can pet anytime, and put away when you’re done! None of that pesky “running away” or “puking on the nice living room rug” or “hopping up on the bed when you’re trying to have sex”–kitty stays **right where you put her**! ---
**Author:** ![Dante](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dante/32/9673_2.png) [@Dante](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dante)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 8:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/52 "2009-11-17T20:37:44Z")
We had our cat declawed after a number of training methods failed. She adamantly refused to claw anything that was made for cats to claw. Of course, she still “claws” the furniture and broadloom, but now all she does is give herself a static charge. She has realized however, that the clawing is not achieving the desired level of destruction. So now she bites everything after she’s done clawing. ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 8:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/53 "2009-11-17T20:38:27Z")
> [@Lord\_Ashtar](#): > > Not the procedure I had done to my two cats. My vet told me it’s more like removing the nail from the nail bed. She also told me that the idea that it’s synonymous with removing the first joint of your fingers is “ignorant and just plain silly.” I’m not able to find anything that describes de-clawing as anything other than what I have already linked here. Do you have any links to back up this claim? Is there some new procedure available that the American College of Veterinary Surgeons hasn’t seen fit to put on their website yet? (Serious question.) ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 9:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/54 "2009-11-17T21:13:46Z")
Ma’am - My father was a small animal veterinarian for almost forty years. He declawed thousands of cats. I used to work for him as a surgical assistant and kennel boy. Cats do not have fingers, they have paws. They do not and cannot use their paws in the ways that people use their fingers. They cannot type, or play the banjo, or dial a telephone, or pick their noses. They are not, therefore, losing any function when they are declawed, apart from the function of scratching. A cat does not suffer emotionally from the loss of its claws. That is projection on the part of the over-concerned owner. A competent veterinarian can perform the procedure with adequate analgesia so that the cat suffers only minor pain. One needs to balance that minimal pain against the increased opportunity for the cat to live to a ripe old age coughing up hairballs on the living room carpet instead of sleeping in the barn, living on rats, and dying of pneumonia. It is a cat. Cats are not people. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![Cat\_Whisperer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cat_whisperer/32/4839_2.png) [@Cat\_Whisperer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cat_Whisperer)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/55 "2009-11-17T21:49:48Z")
Are you aware of how dismissive women find the word, “ma’am” in these type of discussions? It lets me know that all the words following it are going to be condescending and intended to put me in my place, and therefore I can disregard them. Perhaps you’d like to try having a discussion between peers. ---
**Author:** ![Palo\_Verde](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/65b543/32.png) [@Palo\_Verde](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Palo_Verde)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 10:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/56 "2009-11-17T22:04:01Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Are you aware of how dismissive women find the word, “ma’am” in these type of discussions? It lets me know that all the words following it are going to be condescending and intended to put me in my place, and therefore I can disregard them. Perhaps you’d like to try having a discussion between peers. ‘Women’ don’t find it dismissive, YOU find it dismissive. Please don’t speak for all of us. ---
**Author:** ![Translucent\_Daydream](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/translucent_daydream/32/16170_2.png) [@Translucent\_Daydream](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Translucent_Daydream)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 10:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/57 "2009-11-17T22:23:00Z")
I personally declaw every cat I can find with a chainsaw. ---
**Author:** ![Shot\_From\_Guns](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ccd318/32.png) [@Shot\_From\_Guns](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shot_From_Guns)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 11:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/58 "2009-11-17T23:04:10Z")
Good call. They can’t pull the ripcord without the little claws to grip it, after all. ---
**Author:** ![Shodan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/9f8e36/32.png) [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 11:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/59 "2009-11-17T23:21:31Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > Are you aware of how dismissive women find the word, “ma’am” in these type of discussions? I considered “Listen up, pussy”, but it might have been taken the wrong way. > [@](#): > > Perhaps you’d like to try having a discussion between peers. All right - go get your cat. Regards, Shodan ---
**Author:** ![panache45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/panache45/32/64_2.png) [@panache45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panache45)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 11:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/60 "2009-11-17T23:31:15Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Psh, c’mon. This declawing stuff is for sissies. Just amputate the leg where it joins the torso. Then you’ll have a lovable bundle of fur that you can pet anytime, and put away when you’re done! None of that pesky “running away” or “puking on the nice living room rug” or “hopping up on the bed when you’re trying to have sex”–kitty stays **right where you put her**! But then you have to hammer stakes into the floor around her, to keep her from rolling around where she doesn’t belong. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794.md?page=4)