Question:
What are your views on the declawing of cats? And how do you train a cat to use a scratch post?.
T. & J.M., Cincinnati, OH Jan 01, 2006
Answer:
I am totally opposed to the declawing of cats. To declaw a cat is to remove part of what makes a cat a cat. Cats are declawed routinely in the United States, while in other countries, such as England, it is considered an unnecessary and unethical mutilation. Veterinarians declawing cats in these more enlightened countries would lose their license to practice. People with cats accept the fact that they come with claws. It is part of their nature, vital to their self-defense, essential to their dexterity and crucial to their agility and climbing ability.Cats can be taught to not cause harm when scratching or biting during play and while being handled. They learn readily where they may scratch in order to mark their territories indoors and to exercise their claws on scratch posts and scratch pads secured behind a chair or sofa.
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