When I was young a Family member gave us one of their cats, he was declawed. We had tried every trick and litter to get him to use the litter box. He refused, and for the 10 years we had him he would only go to the bathroom on a black bag. It got me thinking, I think either due to loss of feeling, or extreme sensitivity in between his front paws probably made going in the litter box painful and probably attempting to bury his poo hurt in between his paws. I would never declaw a cat, ever!
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One reason not to declaw your cat
- Thread starter jessicaromano
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I have had 4 declawed cats ( all 4 paws) and none have ever had litter box or behavior problems.3 of those cats I had declawed before I knew any better ( didnt understand haw surgery was done). Mia I had to have declawed even though I didnt want to, as explained in a previous post. Some cats may have some problems after declawing but I dont believe its as wide spread as others may make it sound. I believe thats just a scare tactic.
ilovemia, I'm so glad you've had no behavior problems with your declawed kitties. For members not familiar with the other thread and your posts, I think it's important to note that you have your kitties declawed because of a blood disorder you have. I think it's also important to note that Gareth, from the UK, pointed out: "There always seems to be an excuse for declawing which makes it seem essential, but in countries where it is illegal, we just seem to manage just fine. People in europe have blood disorders and furniture too."
That said, when declawed kitties have behavior problems, they often result in death. Those problems have been documented in published studies, and the most common problem is litter box avoidance. Of kitties relinquished to shelters for behavioral problems, 85% of those are cats with litter box avoidance issues.
Who wants to adopt a cat that bites or pees outside of the box all the time?
So even if those with problems as the result of a declaw are a small minority, given that declawing is the equivalent of removing the entire end of the toe from the last knuckle and is considered so cruel that it is illegal in 23 countries around the world, I think it's something most people properly educated on the subject would not believe worth the risk.
That said, when declawed kitties have behavior problems, they often result in death. Those problems have been documented in published studies, and the most common problem is litter box avoidance. Of kitties relinquished to shelters for behavioral problems, 85% of those are cats with litter box avoidance issues.
Who wants to adopt a cat that bites or pees outside of the box all the time?
So even if those with problems as the result of a declaw are a small minority, given that declawing is the equivalent of removing the entire end of the toe from the last knuckle and is considered so cruel that it is illegal in 23 countries around the world, I think it's something most people properly educated on the subject would not believe worth the risk.
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Our cat had other health issues and was abused by our relatives, so that is why my Family had taken him in, the people who gave him to us were going to put him down at age 2 because they had 2 dogs and neglected their 3 cats and he was the sickest so they chose to get rid of him. I figured the declawing had something to do with why he would avoid the litterbox, but he was the most gentle and sweetest cat, and besides that issue and special diet he had no other issues. We gave him 10 more good years of life and he deserved it!
I wonder, if you were able to actually ask the cats their opinion, what they would say about that.
