That’s not true. We have had cats (usually two at a time) in our house for 50 years. The only cat that scratched furniture was our first cat which had been abandoned as a young adult in a parking lot that we adopted. She had many bad habits one of which was scratching furniture. But none of our subsequent cats (also adopted) ever did.
They do NOT amputate the cat’s toes, they remove only the nail.
1 Like
Not true
“Declawing traditionally involves the amputation of the last bone of each toe. If performed on a human being, it would be like cutting off each finger at the last knuckle. It is an unnecessary surgery that provides no medical benefit to the cat”
Why you shouldn't declaw a cat | The Humane Society of the United States.
It’s not as bad as it’s being portrayed. I’ve had 8 cats in my life and 6 were declawed. They are back to running and playing in two days. The idea that they are defenseless if they get outside isn’t a concern either. Cats that are raised indoors their whole life don’t want outside. I can leave my front door wide open and my cats won’t even go on the porch. They stand at the doorway and watch the animals.
1 Like
That bone is not a toe.
Cats also do not need claws to catch birds and/or mice. About the only adverse effect is they can no longer climb trees very well. Some might consider that a benefit too, as some cats actually do need to be rescued from trees or other places they have climbed to.
What’s not true? You’re saying some cats don’t scratch?
They amputate the tips of the toes. If they just removed the nail, it would grow back.
It’s a knuckle, not just a nail. Just like removing the last joint on your finger with your nail in it.
There is a reason a lot of vets won’t remove them anymore.
1 Like
Not quite. They can easily be trained to only scratch on a scratching post. When they are young, it’s not any more difficult than training them to use a litter box.
Not when they remove the root … which is exactly what they do. The toes of a declawed cat look perfectly normal except that they have no claw to extend.
No, it is not. It functions independently of the toes, just as the diagram you posted above shows.
What reason would that be?
You mean you will retain your right to abuse your animals in the manner you. choose.
1 Like
The couch won.
That’s it.
1 Like
Onychectomy (declaw) is an elective surgery that requires removal of the third phalanx that renders cats unable to scratch. The most common method of onychectomy is disarticulation and removal of the third phalanx (P3) by laser, scalpel, or nail trimmer. The use of a nail trimmer is referred to as the guillotine method and is used to disarticulate the third phalanx or amputate the third phalanx below the ungual process (1), leaving the flexor process in situ (Figure 1A).
Phalanx = plural phalanges : one of the digital bones of the hand or foot of a vertebrate
Yes, I said earlier that there are many ways to prevent cats scratching furniture that don’t mutilate their feet.
Cats do not use that bone to walk. It’s only use is to extend the claw.
