Articles: Declaw

Declaw is wrong – plain and simple says Dr. Margie Scherk, editor of the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery. It begins with even the name declaw being a misnomer, says Scherk, who is my guest in a two part interview on my national Steve Dale’s Pet World radio show. Scherk speaks about cat health,…

On HouseSmarts TV, I explain why declaw is not the right way to go. No wonder, nations around the world have banned declaw, and increasingly it is being legislated against in America as it was banned in Denver in 2017.  There’s a new product to encourage cats to scratch in all the right places, called…

I’ve always hated the notion declaw; it is an amputation – period.  Cat scratching is a common complaint, even explanation for people giving up cats or to declaw. Now there still another reason to minimize the perceived need to declaw – a product called Feliscratch, which encourages cats to scratch on posts.  I talk in…

There are a myriad of emotional issues which pet parents are increasingly more informed and passionate. The good news is that the human-animal bond is more palpable than ever, driving this passion. I wrote in Veterinary Practice News how organized veterinary medicine may not be keeping pace with this passion, or even the attitudes and…

One of the most well known and respected veterinarians on the planet, Dr. Margie Scherk, editor of the Journal of Feline Medicine & Surgery, began this petition to ban declaw in British Columbia, Canada. I don’t often pay attention to petitions (there are just too many of them), but when Dr. Scherk authors the petition……

After a unanimous vote in Denver, they now have banned declawing cats. And, Denver follows the entire state of California. Veterinary behaviorist Dr. Theresa DePorter explains what declawing is. This isn’t just a matter of clipping a cat’s claws like cutting your nails, it’s truly an amputation, and that’s what we continue to do to…

Roxy is our 15-year-old cat who, about 90 percent of the time, scratches on one of our four vertical posts and two horizontal posts, and has done so her entire life. So, we really don’t have a problem. But, I still wanted to test a new product with Roxy called Feliscratch. Feliscratch is supposed to…

The tide is certainly shifting regarding declaw of cats. After a lengthy political struggle (of which the primary opponent was local organized veterinary medicine), Denver just became the first city outside California to ban declaw in cats. In California, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Hollywood, and others ban the procedure, which is also banned…

Denver City Council unanimously approved the first reading of a proposed ban on declawing cats on November 6. The 11-0 vote (two council members weren’t in attendance) suggests that the bill, put forward by Councilwoman Kendra Black, will sail through its second reading, scheduled for next Monday, November 13. The measure would then immediately go…

Declaw may be the most contentious issue in veterinary medicine and also amongst cat lovers. For years now, “catfights” have been breaking out all over the country, which has caused even more acrimony. Why would a veterinarian declaw? And, with increasing science and a new product to hit the market this fall or winter, it’s…