We Got Kittens! And Why You Should NEVER Declaw A Cat

Technically it’s been about 10 days since we got kittens but I just had the chance to share it with you, and I’d like to share also why declawing should be illegal. 

I’ve had cats before but never kittens. A few years ago my husband and I adopted two 6 month old cats at the shelter in North Carolina and I fell in love with them. Unfortunately we had to find them a new home when we had to move to India.

Now we are in Oregon and we got ourselves 6 weeks old (now 7) kittens. A friend of a friend was raising them before taking them to the humane society and gave them to us instead.

We have a female and a male. We still haven’t found the perfect names.

They seem to have adjusted incredibly well. They are happy, eating a lot, sleeping a lot and playing even more.

They definitely found out where the most comfortable place is in the house, the human bed of course.

I want to take the opportunity to make a statement about declawing cats.

NEVER do it.

Understanding Declawing

Many people that decide to declaw have no idea what how cruel it is. Declawing involves 10 separate, painful amputations. It is a serious surgery, not just a manicure. Declawing a cat involves general anesthesia and amputation of the last joint of each toe, including the bones, not just the nail. The following are possible complications of this surgery:

• Adverse reaction to anesthetic
• Gangrene, which can lead to limb amputation
• Hemorrhaging
• Permanent nerve damage
• Persistent pain
• Reluctance to walk
• Scar tissue formation
• Sequestrum (bone chips), requiring additional surgery(2)
• Skin disorders

After surgery, the nails may grow back inside the paw, causing pain but remaining invisible to observers. Declawing results in a gradual weakening of leg, shoulder, and back muscles, and because of impaired balance caused by the procedure, declawed cats have to relearn to walk, much as a person would after losing his or her toes.

Declawing is banned by countries and cities and condemned by vets in nearly two dozen countries—including England, Australia, and Japan. It’s also illegal in many counties in California.

Many vets make tons of money by declawing and will encourage clients to declaw their cats as young as possible and as “add-ons” to spaying and neutering. Don’t fall for it.

You can find more information about it in these links:

Why you shouldn’t declaw your cats. EVER.

Top Reasons NOT to Declaw a Cat

8 Reasons You Should Never Declaw

I recommend this very interesting documentary: The Paw Project

You can watch it on Netflix, Amazon Instant Video, iTunes, , Google Play, and YouTube.

And once you realize and learn how awful it is, like I did, spread the word!