Declawing is already considered to be a form of animal cruelty in some places due to its adverse effects on the feline, but there is another effect on them that hasn’t been widely talked about, and it’s the cats’ aversion to using a litterbox.
Naturally, this leads to them peeing in random parts of a house, and the most commonly affected part is the carpet. A Reddit user by the name of u/omega-yeet had posted about how an adopted cat who has been declawed by its previous owner had been peeing on their carpet. People in the comments then began to discuss how the declawing that was done by the previous owner probably had a direct effect on this cat’s aversion to litter boxes.
According to Paws.org, aversion to litterboxes is a result of the pain associated with trying to cover up their excretions using the litter. This association with pain is what leads many declawed cats to not want to use their litterbox. But this is just the tip of the iceberg of complications resulting from declawing. Infections in their paws may lead to amputation, as well as possible continuous bleeding. In cases where the entire nail bed wasn’t removed, nails can grow back in a deformed way, which makes them useless.
There are many ways to train cats to not scratch even if they have all their claws. And if you absolutely must trim it, there are methods of trimming that don’t involve removing whole bones from their digits.
Several users noted something similar happening to their declawed cats, and it’s a sad thing to hear about.
An interesting piece of advice was given by this user, who found a different way of giving kitty litter to cats that have been declawed. Sharing the advice earned him several “Reddit Awards” as a thank-you from the community.
u/PlasticBlitzen writes, “I used to hand shred newspaper for one of my cats who had been declawed. I tore it into 2″ strips, then into about 3-4″ lengths.” He added that he would shred a bag at a time while watching tv. He mentioned how it lasted for a while and managed to help control the odor of cat pee.
It’s good that a community of cat owners and carers are able to educate others on what is or isn’t recommended for cats, especially for the new owners.
Reference:
PAWS. (n.d.). Problems with Declawing. Retrieved August 24, 2022, from https://www.paws.org/resources/problems-with-declawing/