So my dad is currently freaking out because my mom informed him that while I'm in college, he's going to have to be the one helping her put the Soft Claws on our cats.
For those who don't know, Soft Claws are covers that go over a cat's nails with a soft adhesive that naturally fall off as the cat's nails grow. They allow the cats to practice their natural scratching behaviors without hurting anyone or damaging furniture.
Anyway, my dad is claiming that General Patton of World War 2 and King Leonidas from the movie 300 did not have to help their wives put little colored covers on their cats' nails, so clearly its a ridiculous concept.
Logical? Hmmm, I don't think so.
Whenever I tell people about Soft Claws, I get asked, "why don't you get them declawed?"
So today I'm debunking some myths about declawing cats and providing some basic information about why you shouldn't do it to your cats.
Most people think that declawing is a simple surgery that removes a cat's nails. This is wrong - just like with human nails, if you were to just remove them, they would just grow back.
During the surgery, the last bone of each toe is amputated. This is like cutting off the your fingers at the first knuckle.
An alternative method of declawing is where the tendon that controls the claw in each toe is cut, so the cat keeps their claws, but they can't control or extend the claw.
Either method is very painful for the cat, and post-surgery can cause infection, tissue death, difficulty walking, and back pain. They can have joint pain, because the tendons that control their claws retract and become frozen. They can also develop arthritis.
When you remove a cat's claws, it changes the way the cat's feet touch the ground, so the cats have to learn how to walk again. It would be like walking with part of your toes missing - your balance is off.
Declawing can also lead to behavior problems, like aggressiveness or biting, since they've lost their first natural defense. They also may start going to the bathroom outside of the litterbox, as an alternative way of marking their territory (scratching being the first).
There are natural, painless alternatives to declawing your cats and keeping them from scratching.
Multiple scratching posts, preferably inclined because its a cat's natural scratching position, with cat nip rubbed into the crevices allow scratching in the right places. These should be made of cardboard, not rug or rough fabric that could resemble any item of furniture.
Soft Claws, or any brand of claw covers (you can find them at almost any pet store, Amazon, or Dr. Foster & Smith) are a really nice alternative. You trim your cat's nails, put on the covers, and then in 4-6 weeks the nails grow back and the cover pops off, and you reapply.
You should also trim your cat's nails - all pet stores have tiny little clippers that are made specifically for cat nails. This can require two people if the cat doesn't like the process (the noise and the feeling can be scary for some cats).
You can train your cat to stop scratching furniture by using a spray bottle with room temperature water, and spray them on the back when you catch them. only spray them if you catch them in the act, not after, because that will not have the intended effect.
I must say that if my family were to adopt a cat that thwarted every measure and was continuing to scratch people and furniture, we would much rather declaw the cat than return him/her to the shelter and risk the cat being put down. But in all our years of cat ownership, we've never come across a cat that's had this problem. I've found that trimming, scratching posts, and covers have solved all our problems.
Declawing gets 1/5, because it's not nice, but sometimes necessary for cats who can't kick their habits but want to stay in the house.
For those who don't know, Soft Claws are covers that go over a cat's nails with a soft adhesive that naturally fall off as the cat's nails grow. They allow the cats to practice their natural scratching behaviors without hurting anyone or damaging furniture.
Anyway, my dad is claiming that General Patton of World War 2 and King Leonidas from the movie 300 did not have to help their wives put little colored covers on their cats' nails, so clearly its a ridiculous concept.
Logical? Hmmm, I don't think so.
Whenever I tell people about Soft Claws, I get asked, "why don't you get them declawed?"
So today I'm debunking some myths about declawing cats and providing some basic information about why you shouldn't do it to your cats.
Most people think that declawing is a simple surgery that removes a cat's nails. This is wrong - just like with human nails, if you were to just remove them, they would just grow back.
During the surgery, the last bone of each toe is amputated. This is like cutting off the your fingers at the first knuckle.
An alternative method of declawing is where the tendon that controls the claw in each toe is cut, so the cat keeps their claws, but they can't control or extend the claw.
Either method is very painful for the cat, and post-surgery can cause infection, tissue death, difficulty walking, and back pain. They can have joint pain, because the tendons that control their claws retract and become frozen. They can also develop arthritis.
When you remove a cat's claws, it changes the way the cat's feet touch the ground, so the cats have to learn how to walk again. It would be like walking with part of your toes missing - your balance is off.
Declawing can also lead to behavior problems, like aggressiveness or biting, since they've lost their first natural defense. They also may start going to the bathroom outside of the litterbox, as an alternative way of marking their territory (scratching being the first).
There are natural, painless alternatives to declawing your cats and keeping them from scratching.
Multiple scratching posts, preferably inclined because its a cat's natural scratching position, with cat nip rubbed into the crevices allow scratching in the right places. These should be made of cardboard, not rug or rough fabric that could resemble any item of furniture.
Soft Claws, or any brand of claw covers (you can find them at almost any pet store, Amazon, or Dr. Foster & Smith) are a really nice alternative. You trim your cat's nails, put on the covers, and then in 4-6 weeks the nails grow back and the cover pops off, and you reapply.
You should also trim your cat's nails - all pet stores have tiny little clippers that are made specifically for cat nails. This can require two people if the cat doesn't like the process (the noise and the feeling can be scary for some cats).
You can train your cat to stop scratching furniture by using a spray bottle with room temperature water, and spray them on the back when you catch them. only spray them if you catch them in the act, not after, because that will not have the intended effect.
I must say that if my family were to adopt a cat that thwarted every measure and was continuing to scratch people and furniture, we would much rather declaw the cat than return him/her to the shelter and risk the cat being put down. But in all our years of cat ownership, we've never come across a cat that's had this problem. I've found that trimming, scratching posts, and covers have solved all our problems.
Declawing gets 1/5, because it's not nice, but sometimes necessary for cats who can't kick their habits but want to stay in the house.
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