Every time I think about the controversial issue of de clawing a cat, I am reminded of an old New Yorker cartoon. Two women are seated on a sofa in a living room sipping on some coffee while a cat drills into the legs of a nearby armchair. The caption reads, “We’ve had her de-clawed, but she’s still impossible.”
I used to be opposed to de clawing, butt that was before one of my beloved felines ruined an antique sofa that had been in my family for years. The problem is that both sides of the issue work and don’t work, and what is best for the cat is not always easy to determine. If a cat is going to be outside for even a part of the time, it will need its claws to defend itself. If on the other hand, the cat never goes out (like all of mine), that is not a consideration. I know people, on both sides of the fence, and I myself have crossed over that fence once or twice.
It does bother me that cat is having its toes removed. Just think about that for a second. It must hurt. How could it not? Keeping the cat’s nails clipped short helps, (if the cat will let you do it, that is, which is a factor to consider). Even cats that are de-clawed still “need to knead’ as it is part of their essence. Unfortunately, my sofa is part of mine and therein lies the problem.
Five cats live in my house; two have their claws and three don’t. I am lucky in that the ones with claws are old and too tired most of the time to do anything destructive.
Should you de-claw your cat or shouldn’t you is a question whose answer is about as clear as mud. Perhaps it should remain that way.
What do YOU think?