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Should I de-claw my cat?

You may want to de-claw your cat if the cat will certainly be an indoor cat. If the cat will be outdoors at all, however, it may need its claws for protection and is therefore not recommended.

The surgical de-clawing procedure is actually an amputation. The Veterinarian will remove the last piece of bone off of each toe. Remember as well that surgical recovery is much more painful for older and heavier cats than it is for smaller cats or kittens

There are other options available if you are intimidated by having the surgery.

Here are two other ways:

1) There are things often referred to as “soft paws” in this case, a vinyl covering is glued over the claws. This method prevents the cat from causing damage to your home and furniture because the ends of the claws are now rounded. This method lasts four to six weeks before needing replacement.

2) The method I use is nail trimming once to twice a month. If you decide to use this alternative make sure that you have very sharp nail clippers, and that you only trim the claw itself. There will be a pink stripe that colors the inside of every claw, be sure to cut above the pink and NEVER below—or the cat will be injured from the clipping.

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