Is declawing the solution when scratching is the problem?

Hey, I'm back. Thanks for your patience, SSS! readers!

Emily wrote while I was away, asking what kind of litter she should get her cat that she is having declawed tomorrow. Do any of you have suggestions?

I saw some recommendations for Yesterday's News, by Purina. Made of recycled newspapers (gee, and people say the newspaper business has no future), it supposedly is less harsh on tender paws.

But dear Emily:
What I really would like to recommend to you is rethink having this surgery performed on your cat. Because it is surgery, and painful surgery. It's not a manicure. Those paws indeed will be tender.

I recognize that living with a feline that loves nothing more than destroying your furniture can be maddening. Our living room couch hasn't looked the same since Frances Jeanne came to stay.

But there truly are ways to manage clawing without resorting to something that is painful, cruel -- and may possibly alter your cat's behavior for life. We put a double-sided sticky film (available in many pet stores) on spots that Franny seems to prefer. The texture doesn't feel right to her, so she doesn't scratch.We also have scratching posts -- both vertical and horizontal, and different sizes -- scattered everywhere throughout the house.

And if she goes after something that isn't critical, we just let her destroy it. Franny LOVES scratching the telephone directory that sits on the telephone stand. Big deal. We'll get another when she finishes shredding it.
As for the couch? We've just decided to live with the one we've got while Franny is a member of our household. We'll throw a slipcover over it when we have company.

And we cover all of our upholstered surfaces, which have a texture that makes cats want to scratch it, with old towels and sheets. It doesn't look too classy. But it saved a large ottoman by the window that is Franny's favorite place to sleep.

Declawing literally is removing the first joint from the cat's toes. It would be like taking off the first joint of your own finger. The procedure has been banned from the United Kingdom and some veterinarians here won't do it.

There is a lot of information out there about declawing.
Click here to read one that covers a lot of details about what the surgery involves, and things you can try to alter scratching behavior rather than declaw.

It also has a link to an interesting article at the end, by a vet technician, on what she sees when she cares for a patient that was just declawed. I hope you'll read it.

I'm not trying to be judgmental. But if you love your cat, Emily, please reconsider. You and your cat will be grateful.

Do you have an opinion about declawing? And do you have any other suggestions how Emily can get her cat to stop scratching?

Comments

All of my cats have claws and always will. I can't in good conscience alter a pet's natural instinct solely for the sake of a sofa. However, I have come to terms with the fact that many cats would not have good homes if people weren't allowed to declaw the cat.

I will admit at this point, I no longer have a conventional interior most people have in their homes and I'm not looking for a Martha Stewart award any time soon. I've gotten quite good at finding cat proof furnishings and my latest discovery(a couple of years ago is my favorite). Truthfully, I'm surprised that a furniture maker has not designed pet proof furniture. My cushions now are all made for me using duck cloth which is a little heavier than canvas. I have them made with zippers so they can come right off and into the washer. The duck cloth is the most indestructible material I have found in the war against the claws. The duck cloth holds up longer than anything I have ever tried. Then you need to find furniture with wood legs so the cats don't claw the corners.

As far as cat litter. I tried a clumping paper litter a few years ago and it was a worse dust storm than the regular clumping litter. I have used for quite awhile the Feline Pine scoopable. It's Feline Pine only it's not pelleted like the regular is. I love it, because it's lightweight and when I do a complete cleaning of the boxes, I put the old litter around plants in my garden.

Posted by: KCK | September 18, 2008 1:35 PM

I didn't know what an ordeal declawing was either, until I got my first cat almost a month ago. The group we rescued her from educated us about the process, and once we learned about it we couldn't imagine having it done to our kitty. They really need their claws to help them stretch out properly. I've been lucky, kitty doesn't really scratch too much, and when she does she mostly stays on the corrugated cardboard we got from the pet store. The rescue group reccommended that if it became a problem, we should look into plastic caps that go on the cat's claws, kind of like the kitty version of acrylic nails. They cover the point and save your furniture from being shredded. Supposedly they come in colors (hello, kitty manicure), or a natural coloring.
I'm also interested in switching to Yesterday's News, but not because of the sensetivity issue. I'm just looking for something that's healthier and more eco-friendly. Has anyone used it? If so, what do you think of it?

Posted by: a | September 18, 2008 11:46 PM

Hey KCK, thanks for the comments and the info. Interesting that no one has made "pet friendly" furniture yet. I wonder if certain fabric is less attractive to scratching cats? I've noticed mine especially are attracted to nubby-textured fabric. And I have heard you should forget about buying that sisal/woven grass furniture that is popular now -- apparently, it's popular with cats, too. That double-stick film does work, though, and doesnt leave a mark when you remove it.

a: I havent tried the newspaper litter, although it sounds like KCK wasn't too impressed. I'm ready to switch from the traditional stuff we use; it leaves dust everywhere. And I noticed it stains the tile if some gets out of the box, and never biodegraded when we accidentally spilled some outside. I may try that Feline Pine stuff KCK talked about. I have a big garden, so maybe I could rake it into the soil.

Posted by: Diane Lade | September 19, 2008 12:31 PM

I know I had a planter made out of wicker and that was about the favorite of all time, scratching post. So wicker furniture is probably out of the question!!

If you think about what duffle bags are made out of to be able to take a real beating, you gotta figure duck cloth is pretty tough. I don't know if the cats are necessarily attracted to it, but they do stretch the claws on it and they can't shred it.

My new microfiber comforter, the cats can't even leap on the bed without making pulls in it.

Posted by: KCK | September 19, 2008 8:04 PM

Please see website: www.pawproject.com.

Please see my expose posted by internationally noted veterinarian about how members of our veterinary industry cruelly, negligently/fraudulently cripple (popularly: "declaw") millions of cats (for millions of dollars): http://tedeboy.tripod.com/drmichaelwfox/id115.html.

My blog may be of interest, as well, especially the piece titled "Declawing is NOT Cosmetic:" http://catcatalyst.wordpress.com.

DECLAWING(and all other maiming of healthy paws/limbs) IS NEVER JUSTIFIABLE.

Harruet E. Baker
Author of The Shocking Truth about Declawing Cats

Posted by: Harriet Baker | September 23, 2008 7:17 PM