People have different views on declawing their cat. The decision should be made based on the problems and circumstances you are having with your cat. If your cat is indoors and refuses to use his scratching post, is shredding your furniture, curtains, etc., declawing may be the best decision for you instead of getting rid of him or some kind of therapy with drugs. You should remember that once your cat is declawed, he will not be able to defend himself from the dangers outside and should be confined indoors afterwards.

1. Before you decide to declaw your cat, try to train him to use a scratching post first. This may be the answer to your problem.

2. Clip your cat´s nails. You should keep them moderately short; this will diminish the damage he can do when scratching. Be sure your clippers are very sharp. Cat´s nails are fragile. Nail clippers found at your favorite pet supply store work the best. Don´t try and use nail clippers made for humans. If you unintentionally cut into the quick and it starts to bleed, have clotting powder nearby (available at your pet supply store) and apply it with direct pressure to the site until bleeding stops.

3. If you try these options and your cat is still scratching things he shouldn´t, then declawing is probably the best answer for you. Your cat can be declawed as young as 12 weeks of age, but should be done by 2 years of age. The younger your cat is the faster the recovery period.

4. You must replace your cat´s regular litter with shredded paper litter especially for declawed cats. This is very important to keep him from having complications after surgery. Your cat´s activity should be restricted for 7-10 days after surgery. Check the surgical sites twice a day and look for swelling or discharge. Call your veterinarian with any post surgical questions or concerns you have.

Your kitty will be back to his self in no time. He will still try to scratch as he did before, it´s in his nature and he finds it comforting.