Animal Planet shares their thoughts on Declawing

Dock enjoying the balcony

I was going to post my comment on their website but they are only accepting FaceBook user comments, so I'm sharing my thoughts here.

Thank you, Animal Planet, for posting this statement about declawing on your website!
Animal Planet - CatSource - Declawing

My husband and I had always declawed our cats front paws, until recently. A little more than a year ago we adopted a homeless kitten that was found in a loading dock, hence the name, Dock. Before he reached the declawing period, we did research and talked to people about declawing vs. not declawing.

We tried using Soft Paws to cap his claws but they didn't always last as long as we would have liked them to, and sometimes Dock would get stuck in curtains or other items. Eventually we stopped using them (although they are still a good alternative).

We decided not to declaw Dock. We did not want him to have this painful surgery. We raised him so that trimming his claws became a natural occurrence. (Invest in a cat claw trimmer, it's much better for them than a human finger nail trimmer!) Dock is very nice with his trimmed claws, we have had no problems with furniture, and he and the other cats get along very well.

We will NEVER declaw another cat again knowing that cats with claws are not a problem, and knowing that we are saving them from a painful surgery! We are against declawing and share the facts whenever possible.

Wouldn't you rather trim your fingernails than cut off your fingers?

- Declawing is illegal or considered inhumane in many countries throughout the world, including over 12 European nations, Australia and Brazil.

- Declawing was outlawed in West Hollywood, California, in 2003, the first such ban in the US.

- In 2009, seven other California cities, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Berkeley, Burbank, and Culver City, passed ordinances banning declawing on the basis of animal cruelty.