# 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:** 4
**Author:** ![kathmandu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/5f8ce5/32.png) [@kathmandu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kathmandu)\ **Post date:** [November 17, 2009, 11:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/61 "2009-11-17T23:42:50Z")
> [@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. I don’t particularly like “ma’am” in this context either, but exactly what kind of discussion are you expecting to have here? You think declawing is cruel and physically/psychologically harms the cat. He disagrees with you. Until someone can ask a cat and get its take on the matter, I don’t know that there’s any discussion you can have that will result in a consensus. ---
**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 18, 2009, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/62 "2009-11-18T02:18:41Z")
> [@Palo\_Verde](#): > > ‘Women’ don’t find it dismissive, YOU find it dismissive. Please don’t speak for all of us. You’re right; in my experience not living in the south, “ma’am” is used almost exclusively in a dismissive, condescending way. My response to it here was based on my own personal experience. ---
**Author:** ![needscoffee](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/needscoffee/32/1076_2.png) [@needscoffee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/needscoffee)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 3:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/63 "2009-11-18T03:51:23Z")
I publicly admit that I had one of my cats declawed. I’ve had dozens of cats and fosters, and I trim claws all the time (my record was 100 trimmed claws in one session), but this cat was psycho in her obsession with scratching bad things and ignoring the scratching apparatus. I tried everything. I finally had her front claws removed when she was about 10. It never bothered her a bit; she continued to try to happily “claw” everything she could find. She had always been an indoor/outdoor cat, and after a few weeks of watching her pitifully pine at the window while all her siblings played outside, we let her go out. She stayed an indoor/outdoor cat after that, and never had any problems for it. She still caught mice and moles, and never came home with injuries worse than a scratch. She lived to be 16. When cats fight, they tend to wrestle on the ground kicking out with their back paws, which still have claws. I don’t know why my cat never got injured, but this might have something to do with it. ---
**Author:** ![anu-la1979](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/47e85d/32.png) [@anu-la1979](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/anu-la1979)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 5:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/64 "2009-11-18T05:53:05Z")
The only circumstance under which I would declaw a cat would be if I had a baby and an older (ergo, harder to adopt cat) was being consistently aggressive towards it or was being consistently aggressive towards another pet (remote since I only keep 1 cat at a time). I guess that wouldn’t solve any biting issues but it would at least eliminate some danger to the eyes. I would rather not re-home my cat and I’m 99% no one would take him. He has 1 herpetic eye (sometimes I make him wear a patch for giggles) he can’t see out of because it’s disgusting and cloudy, asthma that makes him a heavy breather and on top of that he talks a lot. I got this cat on discount from the “no one wants 'em” cat fire sale held by the cat lady at Petco. I mean, this is not a cat little Janie looks at and says “Oh, I want that handicapable tabby with the herpetic eye and chronic bronchial problems.” So yeah, I’d rather declaw him if it came to that than have him put down. Fortunately, he’s good natured and I don’t see that happening but I don’t think declawing is inhumane 100% of the time. About 95% of the time, but there is that small chance that it’s the better choice. ---
**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 18, 2009, 4:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/65 "2009-11-18T16:09:02Z")
> [@panache45](#): > > But then you have to hammer stakes into the floor around her, to keep her from rolling around where she doesn’t belong. Eh, or you could just get a basket. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 4:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/66 "2009-11-18T16:24:37Z")
> [@Cat\_Whisperer](#): > > “Convenience” - I don’t think mutilating an animal who has been entrusted into your care for “convenience” is justified. If you want convenience, please, don’t get a cat. I can’t count how many times my cats have been inconvenient to me. At the heart of it, domesticated cats exist _purely_ for human convenience. If they weren’t convenient to us, we wouldn’t have domesticated them and wouldn’t keep them around now that most of us don’t own granaries or stables. Their purpose for existing is “little furry thing I like to have around the house”. ---
**Author:** ![Measure\_for\_Measure](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/measure_for_measure/32/557_2.png) [@Measure\_for\_Measure](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Measure_for_Measure)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 9:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/67 "2009-11-20T09:21:09Z")
Always ok, if legal. ---
**Author:** ![DigitalC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ebca7d/32.png) [@DigitalC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DigitalC)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 5:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/68 "2009-11-20T17:14:26Z")
Always ok, i don’t understand what the big deal is. ---
**Author:** ![Infovore](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/infovore/32/420_2.png) [@Infovore](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Infovore)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 7:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/69 "2009-11-20T19:21:30Z")
I voted “okay but only as a last resort.” I think the hardcore anti-declawers go a bit too far in their fervor (I’d rather have a live declawed cat than a cat who ended up having to be euthanized because it’s too old or crotchety or attached to its owners to be adopted), but I don’t personally think declawing is a good idea. I have several cats, and yeah, they do claw up the furniture to some extent. It’s part of having cats. I try to discourage them whenever possible (they have cat trees, scratching posts, etc.) but I’m not going to freak out if they do a little clawing. I just keep their claws trimmed. ---
**Author:** ![Zeriel](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/z/58956e/32.png) [@Zeriel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zeriel)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 7:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/70 "2009-11-20T19:57:27Z")
I’m on the fence, largely because my vet is ridiculously adamantly anti-declawing on animal-welfare grounds but on the other hand, I’d rather the cat declawed and happy indoors than feral or euthanized. I haven’t had any problems with training either of my two cats not to scratch inappropriately–although the older one is still somewhat territorial and so I’m vaguely worried about children, but at the same time that’s why I have a basement too. Regarding someone’s comment about a four-paw declawed cat that still caught mice–I’m more worried about a declawed cat getting out and getting into an altercation with a small-to-medium-sized dog or raccoon. ---
**Author:** ![Minnie\_Luna](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/4bbf92/32.png) [@Minnie\_Luna](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Minnie_Luna)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/71 "2009-11-20T20:45:45Z")
Some California cities are banning it: [California cities scratch out declawing of cats](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34063281/ns/today-today_pets_and_animals/) I personally, think it is a barbaric and unnecessarily cruel procedure. ---
**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 20, 2009, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/72 "2009-11-20T20:54:35Z")
> [@Minnie\_Luna](#): > > Some California cities are banning it: > > [California cities scratch out declawing of cats](http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/34063281/ns/today-today_pets_and_animals/) > > I personally, think it is a barbaric and unnecessarily cruel procedure. Not to pick a fight, but you apparently haven’t seen a cat rip its claws out on carpet and have it bleed everywhere. So in these Calfornia cities, can’t can’t even have the proceedure done if its medically necessary? :dubious: I am a liberal but thats a bit far. I had a neighbor that had a cat that would get its claws stuck in the carpet, then freak out and rip them off. Usually the carpet would give, but one time, the cat did and it bled and bled and bled… ---
**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 20, 2009, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/73 "2009-11-20T20:58:08Z")
> [@Translucent\_Daydream](#): > > Not to pick a fight, but you apparently haven’t seen a cat rip its claws out on carpet and have it bleed everywhere. So in these Calfornia cities, can’t can’t even have the proceedure done if its medically necessary? :dubious: Not to pick a fight, but you apparently haven’t seen a cat get its head stuck in something and have it cry for hours and hours. So in these California cities, you can’t even amputate your cat’s head if it’s medically necessary? :dubious: ---
**Author:** ![TBG](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c89c15/32.png) [@TBG](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TBG)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 8:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/74 "2009-11-20T20:59:53Z")
Always okay. It’s not cruel. The cat doesn’t even know he’s been declawed unless there’s some freak accident or something. And if you’re gonna not do a simple procedure because of the one in a gazillion chance of freak accidents… guess you better not spay or neuter them either. ETA: Always okay for INDOOR cats, outdoor cats I can see why they might need them. ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 9:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/75 "2009-11-20T21:27:17Z")
At the owners convenience. Had it done to two cats (I have had another two cats that remained clawed) and saw no ill effects on the cats, and a significant improvement in the number of infectious wounds from cat claws in my other cats and people - including my very small children - as well as the condition of my furniture. All of my cats have been indoor cats, and the only defense they have needed is against other pets and people. Unfortunately, all cats do not see their claws as a purely defensive weapon. For some reason, cat scratches have a pretty high rate of infection. (With one of the cats we tried Soft Paws - absolutely no luck with 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 20, 2009, 10:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/76 "2009-11-20T22:09:16Z")
> [@TBG](#): > > The cat doesn’t even know he’s been declawed unless there’s some freak accident or something. And if you’re gonna not do a simple procedure because of the one in a gazillion chance of freak accidents… guess you better not spay or neuter them either. [Wikipedia](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onychectomy) (with cites on the page): > [@](#): > > In a survey of 276 cat owners, 34% reported post-surgical discomfort in their cats while 78% reported primarily tenderness.[5] Recovery time took from three days to two weeks. One cat(0.4%) had difficulty walking even after four months and another developed a soiling issue. Increased biting strength or frequency was reported in 10 cats (4%) but overall, 96% of owners were satisfied with the surgery. > > A study of two different surgical techniques found that 16% of those who underwent joint amputation developed lameness while only 5% who underwent bone amputation did.[6] 22% of the first group and 16% of the second experienced reopened wound. Apparently you and I have different definitions of “one in a million.” And the minimal three-day recovery time to me suggests that yes, all cats \*will \*notice that they’re now missing the last joint on their feet. I could learn to walk again after losing my pinkie toe. However, this does not make it a good idea for me to chop it off so that I can wear cuter high-heeled shoes. ---
**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 20, 2009, 10:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/77 "2009-11-20T22:45:06Z")
> [@Shot\_From\_Guns](#): > > Not to pick a fight, but you apparently haven’t seen a cat get its head stuck in something and have it cry for hours and hours. So in these California cities, you can’t even amputate your cat’s head if it’s medically necessary? :dubious: [Yuh huh!!!](http://www.theoriginaldave.com/levysmom/archives/cat_glass.jpg) ---
**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 20, 2009, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/78 "2009-11-20T22:47:20Z")
[QUOTE=Shot From Guns I could learn to walk again after losing my pinkie toe. However, this does not make it a good idea for me to chop it off so that I can wear cuter high-heeled shoes.[/QUOTE] 'cept cats don’t walk on their feet in the same matter as this. :dubious::dubious::dubious::dubious::dubious: I out :dubious:'ed you! 😃 ---
**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 20, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/79 "2009-11-20T22:57:53Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > At the owners convenience. Had it done to two cats (I have had another two cats that remained clawed) and saw no ill effects on the cats, and a significant improvement in the number of infectious wounds from cat claws in my other cats and people - including my very small children - as well as the condition of my furniture. > > All of my cats have been indoor cats, and the only defense they have needed is against other pets and people. Unfortunately, all cats do not see their claws as a purely defensive weapon. > > For some reason, cat scratches have a pretty high rate of infection. > > (With one of the cats we tried Soft Paws - absolutely no luck with them). [Maybe its Cat Scratch Fever](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_scratch_fever) (not The Ted Nugent song, it causes a different infection.) ---
**Author:** ![Dangerosa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/22d042/32.png) [@Dangerosa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dangerosa)\ **Post date:** [November 20, 2009, 11:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794/80 "2009-11-20T23:15:10Z")
> [@Translucent\_Daydream](#): > > [Maybe its Cat Scratch Fever](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cat_scratch_fever) (not The Ted Nugent song, it causes a different infection.) Even without cat scratch fever, kitty scratches and bites have a higher infection rate than doggie scratches and bites. (I know someone who had cat scratch fever - it wasn’t a pleasant thing - that wasn’t what my kid had - he just had an ordinary abscessed scratch. Drained, antibiotic ointment applied, cleared. The cat who had the abscesses (several, before we decided that the cruel and inhuman step of declawing was less cruel and inhuman than letting the other cat get injured to the point of requiring stitches on a regular bases) required oral antibiotics and stitches. I came around to it a lot faster when it was the toddler and not the other cat requiring medical intervention.) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/is-it-ever-ok-to-declaw-a-cat/517794.md?page=5)