PSA: Reddit Users Explain The Importance Of Not Declawing Your Cats

Author image for Mariel Ruvinsky
Mariel Ruvinsky • Writer and Editor
Nov 17, 2022 10:00 AM EST

We find that a lot of people adopt cats thinking that cats are very easy animals to take care of. And in a way, on a day to day basis, you don't have to do much. Feed them, give them water, clean their litter boxes, and they'll be fine, right? Well, for the most part. But to be a good cat owner, there are some extra thing that you need to know. Like, did you know that it's very important to play with your cat and enrich its life, that using squirt bottles on your cats can be harmful sometimes, and that there is an actual reason why cats bite their humans? 

All of these things are bonuses, extras, for people who really want to make their cats' lives purrfect (which should be all people, let's be real). But one thing that a lot of cat owners don't know and need to know is the importance of not declawing your cats. So, here's a PSA from Reddit that went viral just about that. 

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  • 01
    Font - Frosty-Net9303 6d DO NOT DECLAW YOUR CATS!! Advice ● ... DON'T DECLAW. It is NOT the same as clipping the nails. The procedure removes the entire first part of the knuckle, and makes it extremely sensitive/painful for cats to walk on certain textures, especially litter. There is no benefits for the cat to declaw, only harm. DO NOT DECLAW! EDIT: It should only be done when it's needed, such as for medical reasons. Only when it benefits the cat, NOT YOU. If you are declawing your cat simply
    via u/Frosty-Net9303

    We feel like that second half of the post should be applied to everything - and not just about cat. Of course there are exceptions, but there is also the general rule. Declawing your cats when they are perfectly healthy and happy, just because they scratch your furniture, that's not something that is in any way okay. 

  • 02
    Font - KeleGrey 6d My cat was declawed by his first owner in the front. He was also free fed and left to defend himself against her lapdogs and grandchildren. He was left at the shelter for months because he was fat and arthritic, terrified of kids and other animals, and his first reaction was to bite. I wanted to slap everyone silly who said he should've been put down because a cat like that was unsalvagable and dangerous.
    via u/KeleGrey

    There are so many stories like these that we hear. Yes, it's good to make your lives as cat owners more difficult, but you have to remember that it's not only about you in this case. In pretty much all cases, your cat should be your main priority when it comes to decisions about your cat, not you. 

  • 03
    Font - Mr. Bones has been with me now for almost 6 years- he turns 16 years old in February- and he's lost 7lbs, has his own heated bed, and has become one of the sweetest old men you could meet as long as you leave his front feet alone. We have verbal commands in place, he still has all but one tooth, and he's been amazing through what has been a horrendously difficult pregnancy (he likes to curl around my stomach and puur at the baby until she stops having her own private disco party). He stil
    via u/KeleGrey
  • 04
    Font - deus_vult1069 6d Maybe im lucky but my cat always partially retracts her claws when we play around. Its almost like shes being polite. Shes such a lady :) 42.3k Reply + CraigThelrishman 6d Mine does this too! We'll be messing with toys and it'll be claws-out, but when my hand gets close, the claws retract and she gets very ginger. She's a sweetie. I'ma go kiss her belly now.
    via u/deus_vult1069, u/CraigThelrishman
  • 05
    Font - Coens-Creations 6d I only support declawing when it is medically necessary, one of my friends cats in highschool got a bone infection that spread along his toes. To save the foot, they had to declaw that paw. That is the only acceptable reason imo, at that point it's a medically necessary amputation. People can't control rescues they get that come declawed but don't declaw cats on purpose. Don't get an animal if you don't want to deal with what comes along with it (claws and teeth).
    via u/Coens-Creations
  • 06
    Font - makeupqueena 6d One of my cats was declawed on 2 toes. She was an outdoor cat (this was 10+ years ago and I was a child so not my choice) and got hurt in some way and we're not sure if she ripped out the nail or just got her foot hurt or what but it got infected and the vet had to declaw two toes to prevent infection from spreading and to provide comfort to the cat. The whole time during treatment my Mom stressed that as many claws should be left as possible and this was not a full declaw
    via u/makeupqueena
  • 07
    Font - The same cat had a bent/kinked tail to the last joint so her tail was in a permanent happy cat flick to the end (it likely got caught in a door or stepped on badly). She lived to be 17. Both eyes were cateracted over and her kidneys were failing so she was on comfort care at home and watching for signs she was no longer comfortable and she just curled up in a sunbeam on a Monday morning and died in her sleep. She was born in a wall at my Mom's work and stayed with us all her years.
    via u/makeupqueena
  • 08
    Font - Eclectic Mermaid 6d So, I rescued what I thought was a lost calico and was trying to get her back to her family. During this time I discovered she had been FULLY DECLAWED but was out in the streets wandering around. What I didn't know was that her previous owners had declawed her, then threw her out because she suddenly got super aggressive. Surprise, right?
    via u/EclecticMermaid
  • 09
    Font - I wanted to keep her. Get her medicine and help her. But she bit, and would frequently try to attack, my small child who wasn't even 5 at the time in the course of just a few days. I finally got back into contact with the shelter she had originally been from, made sure the assholes that did this to her would never be able to adopt a cat again (they had their names and called other shelters and adoption agencies) and they took the poor cat back... she just wasn't safe for child to be aroun
    via u/EclecticMermaid
  • 10
    Font - squirrels_rule 6d This. I believe declawed cats are actually more likely to end up back at the shelter because they lose their first line of defense and develop behavior problems like biting. It can cause litter box avoidance, too, because the litter hurts their paws. :( I worked with a few declawed cats when I volunteered at an animal shelter and one was especially bitey. Those kitties all broke my heart. Thanks for trying with the calico, and for making sure her declawers couldn't get a
    via u/squirrels_rule
  • 11
    Font - omicron_pi 6d Have a cat. Taught her to let me trim her nails. Declawing is mutilation and evil. 172 Reply + itsbecccaa 6d How did you teach?? We just gave up and let our cat go at it, she really only scratches a few specific things. 43 Reply ... omicron_pi 6d Treats every time after and persistence. Also she's a ragamuffin so they tend to go limp when you hold them like their ragdoll cousins haha PS you can always have someone hold them by the scruff while you do it. It's forceful but be
    via u/omicron_pi, u/itsbecccaa
  • 12
    Smile - cussy-munchers 6d People do it because the 'benefit' of their furniture not being scratched but I trained my rescued adult cat pretty easy. I have noticed that my cat is so much happier, energetic, and enjoys playtime a lot more than my parents' who are declawed
    via u/cussy-munchers

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