Why You Shouldn't Declaw Your Cat: Meet Laveil

Every time I learn that someone wants to declaw their cat, I cringe.  There are so many great alternatives for protecting your furniture, that is just isn’t necessary.  And declawing hurts the cat, often causing them permanent pain.

The declawing procedure done on cats is an irreversible form of mutilation. It involves removing the last joint of your cat’s “toes.”  Cats need their claws, because they play a vital role in their lives.  Claws enable cats to mark their territory, defend themselves, exercise their front quarters and escape trouble by climbing a tree.  Declawing can also lead to physical, emotional and behavioral complications, causing the cat to bite when faced with a minor threat. Balance is also affected by the inability to grasp with their claws.

Claws also play an imported part in a cat’s grooming routine.  Cats perform repeated scratching to get rid of skin irritations, dislodge dead hairs, and comb out tangles in the fur. Without claws, a cat cannot scratch itself, and the grooming suffers as a result. If you have ever had an itch that couldn’t be scratched, you understand how it feels to a declawed cat. 

There are ways to quickly teach your cats not to scratch the furniture.  Buy several scratching posts and put them around the house near the furniture.  Whenever your cats scratch the furniture, say, “No!”, and put their claws on the scratching post.  Praise them whether they use the scratching post, and they should ‘get it’ within a few weeks.  To learn more ways to prevent cats from scratching furniture, visit http://www.catscratching.com/.

At LifeLine Animal Project, we see the damage declawing can do firsthand.  For example, meet one of our new shelter cats, Laveil.  This poor little guy recently came to us severely emaciated, because he was trying to survive outside as a declawed cat.  Without claws, he couldn’t catch food, defend himself or climb up a tree, so we are amazed that he survived as long as he did!  Despite everything, Laveil is very sweet and loving.  Now he needs a foster or forever home, where he can put on weight and thrive. Can you help him?  If so, please email Mickie at mblair@lifelineanimal.org.

LifeLine Animal Project helps prevent unwanted pet litters through low-cost spay/neuter, helps make pet care affordable through low-cost and free vaccine clinics, saves the lives of special needs shelter animals through our rehabilitation facility, and saves feral cats through our trap-neuter-return program.  As the managing organization for Fulton County Animal Services, LifeLine is making Atlanta a lifesaving community. For more information on LifeLine Animal Project and how you can help, please visit http://www.lifelineanimal.org.