Declawing a kitten is a big decision as an owner. In today’s article, we are going to cover everything you need to know about declawing, and hopefully by the end you will have a good understanding of the process and know whether or not declawing is a good option for your cat.
What age can you declaw a kitten
A kitten can be declawed at the age of 5 months. Your vet might recommend doing a month or so earlier or later depending on the growth of your kitten. You don’t want to declaw a kitten too early because they will still be growing and it might hurt the development of their feet. Additionally, you don’t want to do it too late because the procedure can be a traumatic experience that your kitten will remember for the rest of its life.
Pros of declawing a kitten
The pros of declawing a kitten are pretty straight forward. If your cat is a scratcher, declawing them will help keep those in your household safe from scratches. It can also help protect your other pets and animals in your neighborhood. Additionally, declawing a kitten can help save your furniture if your cat is ruining it by scratching them.
Cons of declawing a kitten
The biggest con of declawing a kitten is that it is completely unnatural and can hinder your kitten’s natural behaviors. It can be dangerous to let your declawed cat outside, because it won’t be able to protect itself or enjoy normal activities like climbing or hunting. Additionally, cats can trim their own nails naturally, which can help prevent their claws from getting too long.
For these reasons, we do not recommend declawing your kitten if you plan on keeping them outside a lot. Another con is that the experience can be very painful for a kitten, and it requires a long recovery time.
How are cats declawed?
A cat is declawed by removing the last bone (and the tendons attached to it) in the cat’s feet. This removes both the nails and claw on each front toe. Since the entire bone is being removed, the claw is unable to grow back afterwards. There are 3 main methods used to declaw a cat:
Guillotine: performed by a guillotine like clipper that snips off the bone.
Blade: performed by a blade and used to slice the tendons and then remove the bone.
Laser: this new technology involves pointing a laser at the tendon and slicing through it to remove the bone. This method is more expensive, but it is less painful for your cat.
Alternatives to getting a cat declawed
If your cat has a scratching problem, but you don’t want to get it declawed, you have other options. Our favorite is the soft claws which can be purchased on amazon. You can just glue them onto your kitten’s nails and they solve the problem. You can also frequently cut your kitten’s nails so that they never get too long. Another option is to get your cat a toy that they can scratch, such as a scratching board. This will deter them from scratching humans, and it will also help wear down the cat’s nails.
