Show When you adopt a new kitten, there are quite a few decisions to be made. You'll need to decide on food, litter type, and a veterinarian. One decision that should be easy to make is whether or not to have your kitten declawed. Cats Need to ScratchBeing able to scratch is a big part of being a cat. Our feline friends use scratching to mark their territory, relieve stress, remove the dull husks from their nails, and to stretch out and exercise their muscles. Declawing cats removes so much of what makes a cat a cat. Learn more in the article "Why Cats Scratch." Declawing Cats Is DangerousThe reason most people consider having the claws of their tiny new bundle of fur removed is to save their furniture and other belongings from damage. While this is understandable, it's important to know what you're agreeing to before you schedule a declaw surgery.
By now, you're probably thinking, "I don't want to have my kitten declawed, but I don't want my furniture ruined by her claws, either. How can I teach my kitten not to claw furniture from Day 1?" That's a great question! The answer is "Provide alternatives, train the kitten to use them, and use positive reinforcement." Provide Alternatives to Declawing for Your KittenThe single greatest thing you can do to avoid cat scratching damage to your home is to provide appropriate scratching posts. Some care must be taken to choosing the best scratching post, one that meets the needs that cats have for scratching. Some attributes of a good cat scratching post include:
When you first bring your new kitten home, you should have at least one scratching post already waiting there for her (and more than one is even better). Show her where her food and water, litter box, and scratching post are. You should also be prepared to bring your kitten home by having lots of toys ready. The best kitten toys mimic prey behavior, allowing your kitten to practice "hunting." Playing with your kitten on and around the scratching post is a great way to get her interested in it. You can:
Use positive reinforcement only. When your kitten scratches at the post, give her encouragement with praise, play, or a treat. If you see her scratching at your furniture, clap your hands loudly, say "No," and immediately do something to get her interested in going over to the scratching post. Praise her when she gets there and scratches at the post. If you choose great scratching products, use positive reinforcement, and show your kitten the proper scratching spots from the beginning, she isn't likely to ever scratching inappropriately, and you can avoid considering declaw surgery. You can learn more about training your cat to use a scratching post in the article "How to Train Your Cat or Kitten to Use a Scratching Post."
This post has been updated. It was originally published on May 23, 2017. Declawing a cat may sound like a relatively benign procedure, like getting your nails trimmed. But the process involves removing the bones at the tip of a feline’s toes, which can result in long-term problems for your furry friend, a study concludes. Declawed cats are more likely to have a difficult time walking because with the ends of their toes removed, they’re forced to walk on the soft cartilage that was previously a part of their joints. They’re also known to chew at the stubs of their paws, and may suffer from chronic pain. In addition, many owners find that their cats become more aggressive after the surgery. To study the long-term consequences of declawing, researchers examined 274 cats of various ages, half of whom had been declawed. Studying animals in shelters and others who had been brought in for veterinary appointments, they examined the animals for signs of pain (which, in cats, manifests itself as potty problems, flinching in response to touch, body tension, and excessive licking or chewing of fur, among other things). They also looked at the felines’ medical histories and behavioral reports from their vets and owners. They found that declawed cats were seven times more likely to pee in inappropriate places, four times more likely to bite people, three times more likely to be aggressive, and three times more likely to overgroom themselves. In addition, the declawed cats were three times more likely to be diagnosed with back pain (possibly because they had to modify their gait due to their missing toe bones) and/or chronic pain in their paws. Cats who undergo the procedure also may be more likely to urinate on soft surfaces like carpets or clothing because it’s less painful than the gravel in the litterbox. Having no other way to defend themselves, they may resort to biting when in pain, and unfortunately for their humans, bite wounds from a cat may be more likely than scratches to cause infection and hospitalization. [Related: You’re probably petting your cat wrong] The study would be stronger if the researchers had been able to study the cats before and after the declawing procedure, to work out for certain whether these negative effects were caused by the declawing procedure. However, that kind of research is more expensive and more difficult. Lead author Nicole Martell-Moran is a Texas veterinarian and a director at the Paw Project, an organization whose goal is to end cat declawing. “The result of this research reinforces my opinion that declawed cats with unwanted behaviors may not be ‘bad cats’,” she said in a statement. “They may simply need pain management. We now have scientific evidence that declawing is more detrimental to our feline patients than we originally thought and I hope this study becomes one of many that will lead veterinarians to reconsider declawing cats.” How to train a cat not to scratch your stuffDeclawing is outlawed in many developed countries, but not the US and most of Canada. However, many American veterinary associations are opposed to declawing, except as a last resort. Before you resort to declawing your cat, try training it first. Yes indeed, cats can be trained. And it’s not as hard as it sounds. Here are some tips:
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