Alternatives to Declawing Adult Cats

Declawing a cat is a controversial issue for cat owners. Declawing is an elective surgery requiring a stay at the veterinarian's office. The purpose of declawing is to stop the natural instinct of a cat from ruining furniture and other household items. Cats use their claws to mark territory, and declawing prevents a cat from marking furniture and claiming it as theirs. Declawing is an amputation of the nubs of each finger of the cat's claw.

  1. Training

    • Cats are curious creatures instinctually.

      Training of an animal also is training of the owner. Training a cat to deter it from scratching in certain areas of the house takes patience and consistency by the owner. Both are keys to cat training. Rewarding good behavior also is important. Discouraging bad behavior is as simple as squirting water at the cat. Also yelling "ouch" when scratched works. Praise is important to cat training. You want your cat to seek positive reinforcement.

    Trimming

    • Keeping your cat's nails trimmed helps them with their grooming.

      Keep your cat's nails trimmed. Cats scratch to shorten their nails on their own. The inside of a cat nail is hollow and scratching breaks the hollowed nail easily for removal. Cut your cat's nails with appropriate cat clippers. Using dog clippers on a cat will make it hard for you to get the right length so the cat's nail does not bleed because of cutting it too short. Before you attempt the first nail trimming session, hold your cat and touch his paws over the course of a few weeks. The cat needs to be comfortable or he will fight you. Gently pinch the toe or finger of the cat paw to extend the nail for cutting; only cut the tips off the nails. You can see a vein running into the nail; do not cut into this vein because it cause pain and bleeding.

    Scratching

    • Cats like the feel of different textures.

      Purchasing scratching posts and placing them strategically in areas where your cat scratches the furniture will encourage her to scratch the new post rather than the furniture. Cats like the rough texture of rope, carpet and other fabrics. Plastic, rubber and tape are not comfortable for the cat to scratch. Cats also scratch most often in a vertical direction. They are not like dogs that scratch horizontally. Rub catnip on the surfaces that are appropriate for the cat to scratch. Cats love catnip and they will seek out those areas in your house first.

    Nail Caps

    • It will take some time for a cat to become accustomed to nail caps.

      Nail caps fit over the cat's nails. They are like little mittens for each individual cat nail. Apply nail caps after clipping the cat's nails. Non-toxic liquid adhesive pours into the nail cap filling it a third of the way full. The nail cap is then slid over the nail. Allow the adhesive to dry for a few minutes before letting the cat free in the house. Nail caps are not appropriate for outdoor cats, which need to defend themselves in the wild. A veterinarian developed nail caps as an alternative for declawing in 1990. Nail caps now are available in pet stores and no longer require a veterinarian's services.