Cat mom refuses to declaw her cat after family insists that she must in order to “keep their dogs safe”: ‘It genuinely makes me sick even thinking about [it]’

Author image for Blake Seidel
Blake Seidel • Managing Editor & Brand Manager
Mar 17, 2026 9:00 PM EDT

Declawing cats should be illegal. We will not be accepting any other opinion on our site.

When we were kids, we had two cats. Our parents declawed them. We were too young to understand what the cats went through after that, but once we learned what it did to them, we vowed never to accept declawing ever again. 

But you have to give our parents a little grace, it was a different time in the 1990s. In that time, it was seen as a common veterinary purrcedure. It was even recommended as a solution for cats scratching furniture and to prevent scratching injuries. There wasn't nearly as much criticism on declawing back then as there is now. 

Now, declawing has been outlawed in over 40 countries and is being banned in more states as years go on. And yet, some people still remain in that 90s mindset that it's just a routine practice that doesn't affect cats at all. These people are wrong, because now we know that it's much more harmful than simply removing their claws. The equivalent in hoomans of the declawing operation would be like taking off your whole finger until the knuckle. Doesn't sound so harmless now, does it?

So when this cat mom's family demanded she get her cat declawed to "keep their dogs" safe, we're glad to hear that she isn't even entertaining the thought. Some people just don't want to learn, and as hard as you might try, you can't teach someone who doesn't want to learn. Leave those people behind, even if it might be your own family.

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  • 01
    TENDER IS THE FLESH
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  • 02
    For context, I am currently a student in college living with my sweet baby girl (cat tax attached). There is a possibility that I will be moving back in with my family for a bit, and they have always been dog people (our whole family is allergic, and I was too when I was younger, but I grew out of it).
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  • 03
    When talking about having my cat live in the house, my parents were incessant about having her declawed due to them hearing stories about dogs losing their eyes from a cat scratch (I counter it with I have heard about when dogs have k led cats, the behavioral and health issues declawing would cause, the pain it would put my cat in, etc).
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  • 04
    Cheezburger Image 10615612416
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  • 05
    But they still wouldn't listen, they insisted that it would be fine but it genuinely makes me sick even thinking about putting my baby through that.
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  • 06
    They made me buy cat claw caps and I am planning on slowly training her into wearing them comfortably but I still cannot get through to them that declawing is inhumane. I equated it to debarking (which also is insane, neither debarking or declawing should be legal
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  • 07
    ANYWHERE) but they think that dogs are angels and that cats are "a_h_les." To be fair they have always had a problem with boundaries (moved across country for college lol) so it makes sense they think that cats are a h les if they don't h_les immediately want to cuddle with them.
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  • It saddens us that so many people still think this way. These people have clearly never expurrienced the pure love of a cat, especially a cat who feels safe and loved. Cats aren't as naturally social as dogs, but it doesn't take much to earn a cat's trust, just some patience. We guess a lot of people are lacking patience these days, but that's a whole other rant that we shouldn't even start here.

  • 08
    I am unwavering in the fact that I will never have my babygirl declawed, but they always keep on referencing how both of our aunts cats have been declawed and they have been "fine" (honestly not really, the few times i interacted with said cats they have been very aggressive towards humans and dogs, but my parents don't see that).
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  • 09
    ell IGRRED KIR Taylor FARMS Creamy Dill Pickle
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  • 10
    How do I get through to them that even if those cats seemed fine, it is still so insanely inhumane. Also they never spent more than a few hours with those cats so they don't know their behavior at all.
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  • 11
    I have explained how cats walk on their toes, how she'll have problems using her litter box, how it's equivalent to taking off a humans finger off at the knuckle.
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  • 12
    Like yeah if I wasn't able to grasp or use my hands in the way that I haven't my entire life, I would be aggressive and bite too.
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    Cheezburger Image 10615613440
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  • Purrsonally, we never saw our cats as more aggressive after their declawing when we were kids, but our memories of that time are also a bit fuzzy. Our cats also lived in a house with two kids, two parents, and three dogs. The cats tolerated the dogs, but looking back on it, they definitely would have been nicer if the dogs hadn't been around. 

  • 14
    Honestly this is kind of a rant I'm sorry, but I would like some advice on how to get them to understand that declawing is inhumane (tbh they support putting children in cages so like I can't even say i'm surprised) and that cats aren't a h les.
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  • 15
    they're just biased towards dogs and that shouldn't mean that it's "fine" for cats to be declawed when our dogs can do whatever they want (I love our dogs so much don't get me wrong, but they put them on a pedestal above my cat and it makes me angry because they think dogs. have some superiority while the dogs don't have any recall and don't really listen to 2/3 of their commands, and that's supposed to be "fine")
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  • 16
    once again I love my dogs, they're my babies as well, and obviously they aren't aggressive or reactive or else I wouldn't even think about putting them in the same house, but I love my cat too. She is my baby and I'm not going to let her go through that torture just for the convenience of my parents.
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    MASSAG CEFDG-O
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  • 18
    ThisSideof Rylee Tell them that declawing has been outlawed in over 40 countries and is increasingly being banned in many US states including Cali, Maryland, Virgina, New York, Rhode Islands etc... as the veterinary consensus has deemed it animal cruelty and only the very ignorant and uneducated are unaware of it.
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    AL
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    Old-Technician-692 OP Hi guys, I didn't expect this to blow up at all so sorry for the lack of replies. I wanted to just say a few things:
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  • 21
    1. Keg (my cat) is my ESA, she has helped me through so much and I wouldn't be here without her. They would have to declaw her after ripping her from my cold de d hands (graphic but true). My parents know that I would rather live in my car with her than have her mistreated or abandoned.
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  • 22
    2. I see that people are advising me to rehome her if there isn't any other choice, which I agree with completely, but my parents said that she would be able to live in my room (i live in our attic so there's is more than adequate space for her), just have her claw caps
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  • 23
    on. I am also looking into getting multiple locks to my room so there's no possible. way they have access to my baby unless i'm there. I do not believe that they would go behind my back and get her declawed when im not around (to be fair i'm never planning
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  • 24
    on leaving her alone with them, she's gone with me everywhere and that isn't going to change), but they know that I will cut them out of my life completely as soon as possible if they do.
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    3. I plan on going the more statistic/from a professional root if they still have a problem with it.
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  • 26
    They aren't telling me to get rid of my cat, it's mostly for the safety of the dogs (side. note i do trim her claws on the regular). My original post was meant to try and change their viewpoint on the molation, less "i think my parents will declaw my cat without my permission if i bring her into. the house."
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  • 27
    I will do everything possible to keep her safe and happy, and I know that if it comes to it I will rehome her because I love her with my whole heart and I don't think I'd be able to live with myself if something happened to her.
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  • 28
    there's probably more points i'd like to address but I can't think of any off the top of my head. I will try and be active in the replies because I am genuinely interested in everyone's advice and input for the wellbeing of my baby (but there's kind of a lot of yall so sorry if it gets missed).
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  • 29
    also i know the post isn't about this at all but ive seen your guys's cats in the replies and i just want to say i love. them all they are so very cute. thank you all for your help/input <3
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declaw family drama dogs cat mom cat paws family sick Cats animals
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