Palisades Veterinary Clinic / Alternatives to Declawing

Nail Trims

Many cat owners don't realize that by simply removing the sharp tips of their cats' nails, they can effectively remove the satisfaction and ability of most scratching behavior. Keeping the nails short, providing appropriate substrates for cats to practice normal scratching behavior on, and training them not to operate on inappropriate objects, are the cornerstones of a happy coexistence. If a nail trimming program is initiated early in life, many cats never feel the need to claw at surfaces and are not able to break the skin of people who are handling them. We will happily trim your cats' nails, show you how to do it, and even provide trimmers for you to use at home. Most cats can be trained to accept nail trimming. During kitten visits, we trim the nails to get the kittens accustomed to this practice.

Softpaws - the Humane Alternative to Declawing!

Declawing surgery, or onychectomy, is a surgical procedure that removes the last digit from the toes of a cat. This surgery is invasive, and is actually an amputation of the tip of the toe, requiring the need for post-operative pain medication and restricted exercise for up to 2 weeks after surgery.

While we will in some cases perform the surgery when behavioral training is ineffective, this surgery is often unnecessary if cats are trained that certain behavior (such as aggressive play, scratching, etc) is inappropriate. If your cat has a scratching habit which is not able to be controlled with training, there is an alternative to declawing him/her.
Softpaws are soft plastic tips that are applied with adhesive to the trimmed natural claws. They stay in place about 8 weeks, and then can be replaced by you or by us! You need to trim the nail growth before re-applying the Softpaws.

With continued Softpaw use, the cat sometimes forgets to scratch or use the habitual inappropriate behavior. The cat may not need Softpaws for life, in this case.

Here is a video on YouTube illustrating how simple and non-painful it is to apply Softpaws.