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We stopped declawing cats in 2002. At that time, we had been educating clients that the declawing procedure was not simply removing the nail. Declawing actually involves amputation of the 3rd digit. Some in my office call it mutilation. The American Association of Feline Practitioners- AAFP position statement emphasizes client education.
Since we had begun a campaign of explaining what a declaw was, about 99% of people opted to not have the procedure done. Given the extremely low demand, it was very easy to stop performing the procedure.
We have continued discussing alternatives to declaw. The first being trimming nails. This is best done when your cat is young. I sometimes sneak a paw or two when my cat is sleeping. But to be honest with you she is very good about having them trimmed. She can be a little cranky about everything so I get less back talk when she is asleep.
Another great alternative is to use Soft Paws. They are plastic stick on nails that minimize any damage that your cat might do to your skin or possessions. In my experience they last about 2 weeks when my cats were younger and very active. If your cat is 15 years of age or older, they last well over a month. That gives us a new issue. We have to be sure that they do not grow to long.
Give your cat something to scratch. This is a marking behavior and a natural thing for cats to do. A scratching post can be your best friend. They come in all shapes and sizes from inexpensive cardboard to elaborate cat trees.
Trying to make you furniture unappealing can be extremely helpful. This can be done with covering during the day or double sided tape. Since I am not home during the day, I do not care if my furniture is covered.
Feliway spray can tell cats to rub instead of scratch. Boobie traps can also be useful. One is the SCAAT. It has an electric eye that puts out puff of air and a noise. This is NOT the electric mat. Do not use anything with electric shock to train a cat.
What about a tendonectomy? This procedure does not remove the digit. It removes the tendon to the last digit so the cat cannot grab. This procedure is not recommend in the new position statement of the AVMA. Although the cats cannot grab, the nails continue to grow. Because of this, the nails must be trimmed every two weeks.
I hope this has been informative and helpful with how to live with your furry friends and their claws. For Steve Dales interview with me click here.
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