I been talking to a lot of ppl w cats lately (I volunteer at an animal shelter) and I didnβt know this needed to be said but
PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF GOD DO NOT DECLAW YOUR CAT.
Declawing sounds very normal to people who arenβt educated on it so let me show you what it actually is.
As you might notice from the diagram, the claw is attached to a small bone at the very end of a catβs paw. They are fused to this bone, which on a human hand would be where your last knuckle is (the one right before your nail). When someone gets a cat declawed, they arenβt just removing the claw.
The entire last digit of the catβs paw is removed. (See below)
This severely impedes the catβs ability to balance itself, is extremely painful for them, and can make the cat extremely aggressive because it no longer has one of its main defense mechanisms! It can also cause many other medical issues down the line including infection, necrosis, and some cats are never able to walk correctly again. Most cats that have this done never fully recover from the procedure and are in constant chronic pain.
It is extremely inhumane and is illegal in only two states at the time Iβm writing this!!!! (Maryland and New York) Cats should only have this procedure if it is a life or death situation, never just because someone finds a cat being a cat inconvenient for them. Donβt get a cat if you donβt want to be scratched or have some ruined furniture. If you want more information on this topic, Iβd recommend Jackson Galaxyβs YouTube video on it, and to read up on some articles I will link in the comments.
I know I donβt usually post about these types of things, but itβs made me extremely angry to hear people mention getting their cats declawed so flippantly as if it doesnβt ruin the catβs life, and always for an asinine reason like βthey scratched my couchβ or βthey scratch my kidsβ THOSE ARE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS A CAT OWNER. Treat your kids and peers to treat animals with respect, or donβt get a cat.
