DECLAWING

Painful, Unnatural and Unnecessary

Declawing kittens is usually done to protect a cat owner's furniture from getting damaged. But living without claws is unnatural for felines. And there is an alternative.|

Declawing should not be confused with clipping nails. A cat is declawed through surgery. The claw is removed including the cells that are responsible for its growth. The terminal bone of the toe is also removed or shortened.

Claws are essential for a cat.

Cats and kittens do not scratch the furniture to sharpen their nails. Scratching is a way of greeting their owner, of marking their territory or showing comfort and joy.

In most countries veterinarians will never declaw a cat unless there is a medical necessity. It is considered cruel and unnatural.

In Great Britain declawing of kittens without medical reasons is even prohibited by law.|

In the US declawing kittens is far more accepted. Some American vets do not even ask for the reason and simply perform the amputation on a cat owner's request. Cat owners that want their cats declawed don't like the natural habit of felines to scratch their nails.

Once declawed scratching becomes impossible. But that is not the only thing.

Without claws cats cannot defend themselves in a fight. Declawed felines are also not able to hunt. Many cannot climb or jump anymore, or have difficulty with it.

A declawed cat cannot even clean itself properly.

Cats use their claws for grooming. Only with claws a cat can reach certain areas in the neck, on the head or in its mouth.

Some declawed cats seem to do well after some time. Others become aggressive and start biting to compensate the insecurity caused by having no claws.

Declawing can be done at any age, but vets who want to operate, recommend having it done when a cat is still a kitten. At a young age a cat is more likely to adapt to this new unnatural physical condition.

An operation that is not performed correctly may lead to serious infections, deformation or even growing back of claws.

In general, recovery takes five to seven days. It can be very painful.

Conclusion: declawing kittens is not only cruel, unnatural and risky, but also unnecessary.

Still it's not difficult to have some understanding for the advocates of declawing. No one likes his or her furniture to be damaged. And cats can really make a mess of it. But... there is an alternative that requires only a little time and practice.

Cat scratching posts provide a sensible alternative for declawing kittens!

That's far better than declawing kittens, and just as good for your furniture. It is easy to train your kitten to use a cat scratching post. It takes a little time, but the reward is worth it.

A well trained kitten will not harm your furniture anymore. There is no health risk and no change of behavior.

Your cat will still feel and behave like a feline.

Nowadays there are also cat repellents and that keep cats away from spots they like to claw. Soft Paws are also a great idea http://www.softpaws.com/ .

Cats need their claws, just as people need their hands. And there are alternatives.

Declawing kittens is simply NOT necessary.

Above information is from http://www.cat-pregnancy-report.com/declawing-kittens.html

I do feel that this article covers it all really. I personally don't recommend declawing however if it comes down to declawing or getting rid of your pet, then of course, declawing is the obvious solution. This is just my opinion. However, I can't stress enough how important it is to ME that any one interested in my kittens agrees to do all they can BEFORE having this procedure done. I've been told that declawing is like a person having their fingers amputated from the knuckle up. That is not a "minor" surgery and it would definitely change your life. So, keep this is mind when you are considering declawing your precious kitty!