To Declaw … Or NOT to Declaw
September 1, 2026
A Question With Several Answers – and Options
Kate Preston
“But I have grandchildren!” wailed the kindly looking gentleman, after I explained to him that my sales contract had a no-declawing provision. When I told him that a declawed cat could sometimes be more of a problem because it only had its teeth to protect itself, he paused a moment, then continued, “Well . . . my wife insists because she doesn’t want her furniture ruined.” When I offered to show him how to trim a kitten’s claws, he demurred, but said he could get the local veterinarian to do that, so we completed the contract and he was off with his new family pet.
It isn’t always that easy. The positive and negative aspects of declawing have been debated for years, and current regulations can be statewide or district-wide, or simply limited to the city where you live. It’s important to know what your area’s specific laws are.
Let’s begin with some general pros and cons about declawing.
PROS:
(1) Declawing reduces the risk of scratching damage to furniture and drapes. However, there are myriad ways of sparing the good furniture in a household. The most common and easily accomplished one is simply clipping the claws regularly. Veterinarians and breeders can show you how to do this. If you have a cat that is difficult to handle, however, it might require periodic sedation at the veterinary clinic – not a very good option for regular trims, both because sedation is potentially dangerous in itself and because this would involve quite a bit of time and expense. Another option is capping the claws, and a variety of caps is easily found online. Another alternative to declawing is tendonectomy, which is the surgical removal of part of the flexor tendons. The claws are left in place, but with the flexor tendon severed, the kitty cannot extend the claws and therefore cannot cause any damage by scratching. Since the claws are not removed, though, they will continue to grow.1 However, tendenectomy is rarely done and is a questionable alternative since the claws are still there and still must be trimmed although the cat can no longer use them.
If a procedure to change the cat’s claws cannot reasonably be done, the next choice would be to treat the furnishings so the cat cannot damage them. Plastic furniture covers work well for this, and rug protectors (which can be cut to size in hardware stores) wear well, clean easily, and are inexpensive. There are also sprays to inhibit the cat from getting on furniture. A simple training technique is to place dots of double-sided tape on the endangered furniture; cats loathe having anything stuck to their feet, and one experience with a bit of tape that clings to the paws is often enough to keep the kitty away from that particular spot.
(2) Declawing decreases the potential risk of injury to humans. A cat scratch is no longer a risk, but if a cat’s only means of protecting itself or grasping anything is its teeth, that is what it will use, and a septic bite is a greater risk than a scratch!
(3) Declawing may prevent a cat from climbing and/or escaping. Owners who pay a significant price for a pedigreed cat are not likely to allow it to run loose outside, and a declawed cat is less likely in any event to access a high space indoors or out, and risk falling. There is less likelihood of the cat injuring itself – or bringing down the treasures on the bookshelf or the entire contents of the dining room table.
(4) Declawing can make it easier to manage a household with small children. Children can be taught how to play safely with pets, and that is one good reason for having the kitty in the first place. But very young children don’t have the muscular control or the knowledge needed to interact safely and can quite inadvertently injure an animal or provoke a protective response from a pet. Concerned parents may consider declawing their best option.
(5) Declawing may save an aggressive cat’s life. If the choice of having a pet euthanized or having it declawed becomes a real issue due to the danger posed by aggression, that is a situation that the owner and possibly the family veterinarian need to discuss. Fortunately, in many areas of the United States the laws against declawing allow some exceptions making this possible, depending on where the owner lives.
CONS:
(1) Declawing affects balance and the ability to stand, walk, climb, or jump normally. A cat’s claw is retractable, and declawing is not akin to a severe nail clip but is the same as cutting off the first joint of each of your fingers or toes. If you do not think this would affect how you grasp or stand, or affect the rest of the muscles and tendons in your hands and feet, arms, and legs, ask an osteopath or a physical therapist. Multiply that by at least two for a cat, since it walks on all fours. But if you ask owners of declawed cats about the animal’s balance, they almost invariably respond, “My cat is fine – he has no problem balancing or walking.” And they never see, never notice the difference. Once in a while, they get an education by seeing the cat with litter mates who have grown to adulthood with claws intact. The difference can be subtle or dramatic, but there is always a difference. The declawed cat does not walk, run, stand or jump with the same ease. And if it is ever in jeopardy, for example, on a high window sill with an open window and it is startled, it is quite likely to lose its balance in a way an unmutilated cat will not. An owner will often state that declawing is simply easier than trying to clip claws regularly. Of course it’s easier: irresponsibility is always easier. Denial is an easy choice, and self-defense for poor choices is common to the point of normalcy.
(2) Declawing can cause permanent pain in the paws and reduce the ability to maintain flexibility. A surgical error, for example, can result in nails not fully removed or ingrown nails, sometimes growing through the paw pad or back through the paw. It may occur with the surgery, or may develop over time, and can also be a prelude to other problems such as arthritis.2 Cats use their extended claws when they stretch (often people see this as merely sharpening the claws, but it is much more) to pull out the muscles in their long, flexible backs. Suppleness and strength diminish when a cat does not do this purely instinctive stretching.
(3) Declawing can cause litter avoidance. Cats with painful paws may grow afraid to scratch in their own litter boxes, and begin to avoid using their box. And once a cat loses its litter box training, it is like a horse that learns to buck: it is very difficult to unlearn. So much for the all-white carpet or the scent that soaks into the floors of a home. It is one of the major reasons cats end up in shelters: a study of shelters in California over the span of a decade shows the sharp decline in shelter admissions after the enactment of a no-declawing regulation.
(4) Declawing creates the risk of injury or death if the cat gets outdoors. What about a declawed cat that gets outside and is chased by a dog or other predator? The declawed cat cannot run up a tree or a fence. What if for some reason you have to give your cat up and the new owner cannot keep it inside all the time? Do you remove its natural means of survival on the assumption that your own lifestyle will never change and you will be able to watch over the creature you have so drastically altered for your convenience? And even if the formerly indoor cat must learn to survive in a feral environment, how will it be able to hunt prey to eat?
(5) Aggression may be enhanced by loss of claws. When their claws are gone, cats tend to use their teeth more and bite more as their one remaining way of protecting themselves, even in play with other cats. Occasionally, it reaches the point when the animal has to be destroyed because it gradually becomes dangerous. Anitra Frazier, a feline nutritionist, made the point over thirty years ago that declawed cats are more dangerous around young children for this reason.3
(6) The “purr” factor. Most people don’t notice, but kneading the paws and purring go together. For this reason, some declawed cats no longer purr or are so fearful of the pain that it is afraid to ever try to flex the paws again. The owners who do not notice this are like those who buy an expensive rug-covered cat tree, then are furious when the cat sharpens its claws on the carpet or the fabric-covered furniture. A cessation or diminution of the purr reduces some of the delight for both cat and owner. Cats also “speak” with their bodies in subtle and wonderful ways to other animals and to humans (who use language primarily, although their body language rarely lies). While cats and dogs learn to vocalize to get human attention, owners rarely learn to read the animal’s body language well, and therefore don’t notice when some degree of communication is lost.
Declawing Demystified
What, then, is the actual declawing operation? Technically known as an onychectomy, this surgery involves cutting through two tendons and removing the last joint of the cat’s toes.
After surgery, the cat will compensate for the pain in its paws by rocking back on its feet, “which effectively results in the cat walking on its wrists.”2 Over time, the cat’s gait is affected which ultimately affects the rest of the cat in various ways.4
If you decide declawing is necessary:
A pre-surgery consultation with your veterinarian is a good idea to assess the risks, of which the anesthesia can be significant, depending upon the age and condition of your kitty. The immediate care, post-surgery, requires some changes in the usual care routine for your kitty: a different approach to litter and litter box, monitoring the surgical sites, following up with the veterinarian regarding any concerning changes, and perhaps some remedial physical therapy. While the healing time varies with individual cats, the usual 2-6 week period may likely be shortened if laser technology is used. This provides less trauma, and together with better pain management options today, your kitty can recover more quickly.5
A low litter box and soft, non-clumping litter like shredded paper or pellets (no clay!) should be used, and extra attention paid to keep the paws dry and clean.
Legal Issues
There are at least 40 countries that ban this procedure, and as of 2026 cat declawing is illegal statewide in Maryland, Massachusetts, New York, Rhode Island, and Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia. New York was the first state to ban the practice and did so in 2019. In states without a ban, many cities have deemed it illegal. Among these are Los Angeles, CA; Easton, PA; Madison, WI; Denver CO; and Austin, TX. Legality depends upon the municipality, so pet owners must check local ordinances in addition to state law. The majority of states treat it as a professional veterinary decision rather than a criminal offense. “Every ban includes a carve-out for medical necessity” [but] “the therapeutic exception exists solely for the cat’s benefit.”6
An oblique issue is a landlord’s requirements – some states prohibit landlords from requiring declawing as a condition for renting a property. Another is whether or not your veterinarian will perform this surgery. Some will not – and the American Veterinary Medical Association opposes declawing. In every case, it is advisable to check your state, local, and veterinarian’s stance on the practice because the legal landscape is changing rapidly.6
Resources
- https://www.cathelp-online.com/health/declaw.php
- Singer, Jo, Cat Talk, Explaining Declawing to Potential Pet Owners. February 25, 2025. https://cfa.org/cat-talk/explaining-declawing-to-potential-pet-owners/
- Frazier, Anitra, The New Natural Cat, Nov. 1990
- Lavanya Sakura How Safe Is Cat Declawing-and What Are Your Other Options. June 27, 2025 https://www.rd.com/article/cat-declawing/
- https://vetexplainspets.com/how-old-does-a-cat-have-to-be-to-get-declawed-and-fixed/ – no date
- legalclarity.org – What States Allow Cat Declawing: Where It’s Still Legal, April 1, 2026. https://legalclarity.org/what-states-legally-allow-cat-declawing/