# Should declawing cats be illegal? **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 17, 2016, 6:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970 "2016-05-17T06:08:59Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![RivkahChaya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rivkahchaya/32/8919_2.png) [@RivkahChaya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RivkahChaya)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/41 "2016-05-17T15:16:59Z")
> [@saje](#): > > Declawing Is Not Necessary in 99.9% of cases. Yes, I can envision a scenario where it might need to be done, but MOST often it is done for the convenience of the owner, and THAT is what is barbaric. We had a cat who had to have one toe declawed. His paw was broken before we got him, and two toes healed with the claws frozen. One was frozen “in” (retracted), but the other was frozen “out” (extended), and would get caught on things and bleed. So he had one toe declawed when he was neutered. The bill said “amputate digit.” If I hadn’t already been against declawing, that would have done it. Our cats have never been terribly destructive. I guess we’ve just been lucky. They pretty much claw the stuff we buy for them to claw. ---
**Author:** ![Slash1972](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slash1972/32/6461_2.png) [@Slash1972](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slash1972)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 3:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/42 "2016-05-17T15:18:13Z")
> [@lilihob](#): > > Ok. Going to have to be a back and forth. Sorry OP. > In the UK, cats go outside. That’s just the way it is. I know that the U.S. has cat-eating predators, but our cats go outside. The largest rescue charities won’t rehome a cat if it won’t be let out. (Deafness and other disabilities nonwithstanding.) > Not spaying or neutering is the main cause of feral cats, who can spread like wildfire, and live short miserable lives. > Only the higher mammals have sex for fun, cats don’t, so they’re not missing out. > Many women have had hysterectomies and still want sex, and men who have had medically necessary orchiectomy, want medical help to try to have sex, so we are not the same at all. > Sex is not a choice for the lower mammals, it’s a hormone driven urge, only for procreation. So we have to neuter, so that we can try to stop ferals happening. > So your cats stay in, predators dictate that. Scratching posts, teach kittens to allow nail trimming, accept some damage. Mutilation shouldn’t be the answer. Still doesn’t explain how declawing a cat is mutilation, but cutting its testicles off is not. There’s a law in the UK that cats HAVE to go outside? ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 3:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/43 "2016-05-17T15:30:13Z")
> [@Dangerosa](#): > > So, my friend who lost a leg to an IED in the Middle East would have been better off blown up than face a lifetime of mutilation? I’m not sure he’d agree. Human beings who have lost limbs or lost sight or lost their hearing have painful recoveries - and I’m sure they always miss what they had, but they go on to live full and meaningful lives. Why wouldn’t cats? > [@saje](#): > > Because cats are not humans. And yet you felt it was okay to compare cats to humans when it suited your purposes, aye? (bolding mine) > [@saje](#): > > And no, declawing STILL isn’t ethical. **How about we castrate every man who _might_ turn out to assault someone?** Or pull the teeth of every dog who _might_ bite? There are many other solutions than declawing, but they require actual effort on the adopter’s part. > > Yes, I think a kind, quick death may in fact be better than a lifetime of mutilation. There are enough instances of cats who are severely traumatized for life by it that I do think the surgery should be banned. ---
**Author:** ![lilihob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/a9adbd/32.png) [@lilihob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lilihob)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 3:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/44 "2016-05-17T15:55:31Z")
On a silly note, because I know that it’s probably not the standard, my Tom cat’s surgery was internal, they made a snip, pulled, and left him with an empty fluffy ball sack. So he still has something there. That was a cat’s protection no cost vet. So everybody should do it that way. Females, you can’t tell it’s been done without shaving for a scar or a second surgery anyway. Ta Da, no mutilation, win win. ---
**Author:** ![nightshadea](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/7ba0ec/32.png) [@nightshadea](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nightshadea)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 4:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/45 "2016-05-17T16:04:06Z")
Actually you should check what state you’re in because in some states declawing your cat is illegal I know it is here in cali ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 4:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/46 "2016-05-17T16:16:11Z")
Are any such mutilations ever done on dogs on a regular basis? Are they ever declawed to stop them from digging? Are their teeth ever filed down(or even removed) to make them less destructive and/or dangerous? ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/47 "2016-05-17T16:27:19Z")
No. There’s no reason for something to be made “illegal” when a governing body oversees a profession. Let the profession decide whether or not to offer the surgery. Should circumcision be made illegal? Breast enhancement surgery? Tricorn hats? ---
**Author:** ![T-Minus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/c77e96/32.png) [@T-Minus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/T-Minus)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 4:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/48 "2016-05-17T16:40:07Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > No. There’s no reason for something to be made “illegal” when a governing body oversees a profession. Let the profession decide whether or not to offer the surgery. > > Should circumcision be made illegal? **Breast enhancement surgery?** Tricorn hats? Are you really comparing cat declawing to breast enhancement surgery? I just want clarification is all. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/49 "2016-05-17T16:42:20Z")
> [@T-Minus](#): > > Are you really comparing cat declawing to breast enhancement surgery? I just want clarification is all. I am comparing the two as things that should be regulated by governing/licensing bodies. ---
**Author:** ![CurtC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ce73a5/32.png) [@CurtC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CurtC)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/50 "2016-05-17T16:51:06Z")
I had no idea that declawing of cats was controversial until I opened this thread. > [@lilihob](#): > > In the UK, cats go outside. That’s just the way it is. I know that the U.S. has cat-eating predators, but our cats go outside. The largest rescue charities won’t rehome a cat if it won’t be let out. Our rescue charities strongly encourage the adopters to keep the cats in at all times. I have three cats, the older two are declawed. The newest one was a feral cat that we took in, and she still goes outside. We didn’t have any of them as kittens by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 4:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/51 "2016-05-17T16:51:40Z")
> [@kayaker](#): > > I am comparing the two as things that should be regulated by governing/licensing bodies. Are people having their breasts enhanced against their will to please other people? ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 4:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/52 "2016-05-17T16:54:40Z")
> [@lilihob](#): > > Only the higher mammals have sex for fun, cats don’t, so they’re not missing out. > Many women have had hysterectomies and still want sex, and men who have had medically necessary orchiectomy, want medical help to try to have sex, so we are not the same at all. > Sex is not a choice for the lower mammals, it’s a hormone driven urge, only for procreation. So we have to neuter, so that we can try to stop ferals happening. > So your cats stay in, predators dictate that. Scratching posts, teach kittens to allow nail trimming, accept some damage. Mutilation shouldn’t be the answer. All animals have sex for fun and none have it for procreation purposes. They don’t know enough to realize that sex and babies are related concepts. ---
**Author:** ![Snowboarder\_Bo](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowboarder_bo/32/229_2.png) [@Snowboarder\_Bo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snowboarder_Bo)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/53 "2016-05-17T17:03:42Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > All animals have sex for fun and none have it for procreation purposes. They don’t know enough to realize that sex and babies are related concepts. Thank you for posting this; it’s a much more succinct and polite version of what I was going to post. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/54 "2016-05-17T17:05:15Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Are people having their breasts enhanced against their will to please other people? I don’t know. But if they were, I’d think the medical regulating/licensing body would be the one to decide what effect, if any, that fact would have on whether or not the procedure was offered. ---
**Author:** ![Don\_t\_Panic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/don_t_panic/32/398_2.png) [@Don\_t\_Panic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Don_t_Panic)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/55 "2016-05-17T17:05:52Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > All animals have sex for fun and none have it for procreation purposes. They don’t know enough to realize that sex and babies are related concepts. Ever seen a cat in heat? They seem to enjoy it about as much as I enjoy demonic possession. ---
**Author:** ![andros](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e480ec/32.png) [@andros](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/andros)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/56 "2016-05-17T17:13:33Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Are any such mutilations ever done on dogs on a regular basis? Are they ever declawed to stop them from digging? Are their teeth ever filed down(or even removed) to make them less destructive and/or dangerous? Tails and ears are regularly docked. But not for practical reasons in most cases; in working breeds it’s traditionally done to protect the animal from injury, not to protect human furniture. ---
**Author:** ![drewder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/57b2e6/32.png) [@drewder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/drewder)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/57 "2016-05-17T17:34:09Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#): > > Are people having their breasts enhanced against their will to please other people? People regularly get circumcised and very few have much direct say in the matter. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 5:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/58 "2016-05-17T17:36:34Z")
> [@Aspidistra](#): > > You wouldn’t know this, **T-minus** , seeing as how you’re new and all, but you’ve accidentally stumbled onto a subject that is of some controversy on the boards. > > Anyone up for a round of “shoes on or off in the house?” yet? Exactly what I thought when I saw the thread title. > [@Nava](#): > > Toilet paper roll position > [@Azeotrope](#): > > Planes on a treadmill. Tipping? ---
**Author:** ![Airbeck](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/airbeck/32/6574_2.png) [@Airbeck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Airbeck)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2016, 5:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/59 "2016-05-17T17:50:25Z")
> [@drewder](#): > > All animals have sex for fun and none have it for procreation purposes. They don’t know enough to realize that sex and babies are related concepts. Sex is very painful for female cats. The male cat’s penis has barbs that point outward so when he withdraws it, it is quite uncomfortable. I do not think enjoyment is part of the equation with regard to female cats. [http://pets.thenest.com/male-cats-penis-barbed-10516.html](http://pets.thenest.com/male-cats-penis-barbed-10516.html) ---
**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:** [May 17, 2016, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970/60 "2016-05-17T18:08:32Z")
> [@usedtobe](#): > > The “claw” is actually the last joint of the paw. > > “De-clawing” cuts off that joint. It is NOT like pulling your fingernail off; it is like having the tip of your finger cut off. Well, no. It’s not a finger. The cat’s not going to play the piano, tie its shoes or sign a check. It’s a toe on the paw and the last digit is [held in a raised position](http://www.cat-talk-101.com/images/forepaw_skeleton_circled.jpg) to keep the claw retracted when not in use. The whole purpose of that digit is to move the claw up and down so, if there’s no claw, the digit pretty much has no function. It is not remotely like removing the last digit of a finger. Much like circumcision, declawing is one of those issues where one side is WAY more emotionally invested in it than the other. One side says “Eh, do it if you want… or don’t… whatever” and the other side is “Never do this ever”. That imbalance of emotional energy tends to make debates on the topic tiresome as the more strongly invested side tries to demonize or shame the “eh, whatever” side into submission. There isn’t really a counter “Everyone must declaw or they’re monsters” side. Personally, I’ve never bothered declawing before. My wife wanted the latest one declawed and so it goes. Haven’t seen where it really made a difference and the other option was not adopting a cat that needed a home from a shelter with way too many other cats that also needed homes. So the whole “Maybe you don’t DESERVE a cat!” schtick sounds hollow to me. Sure, maybe the cat deserved to stay homeless instead. That’d be way more awesome than a fed, sheltered and pampered cat with no claws. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970.md?page=2) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/should-declawing-cats-be-illegal/754970.md?page=4)