Alternatives to Declawing
Greenhill Humane Society opposes declawing cats except for rare cases when it is medically necessary. The declawing procedure should only be considered after all behavior and environmental alternatives have been fully explored and are proven ineffective.
People may mistakenly believe declawing a cat is a harmless quick fix for unwanted scratching and prevention of damaged household property. Declawing can cause lasting physical problems for a cat. Declawing has not been proven an effective method for improving behavioral issues, including aggression towards people or other cats, and it should never be used as a behavioral cure or as a preventative measure. Behavior concerns should be discussed with trained behavioral experts.
Scratching for cats is a natural behavior often to remove the dead husks from their claws, mark territory, and stretch their muscles. Below is a list of alternatives to manage natural scratching behavior and prevent injury from scratches.
- Get your cats nails trimmed regularly
- Provide scratching pads, boards and other appealing structures for your cat to engage their scratching behavior- they will enjoy this also! You can place some vertical while some are horizontal and offer different materials (cardboard, carpet, wood). Use toys and catnip to lure your cat to use the posts
- Familiarize yourself with cat behavior and handling techniques to avoid being scratched
