Do declawed cats allow you to touch their paws?

Touching a cat's paws
Touching a cat’s paws. Please try it with a declawed cat and tell me what happened.

This is an interesting test and I’d like cat owners to come forward to do it and report in a comment. Let’s see what happens. Note: the results may be muddied by the fact that domestic cats often don’t like their paws being fiddled with. But it is worth trying nonetheless, I believe.

Americans need to address this and not brush it under the carpet. And don’t misunderstand me. I am not being critical of Americans. I am being critical of the individual people who declaw cats.

It is my theory that millions of declawed cats (not all) in America are in discomfort at the very least and at worst they are suffering chronic pain on a day-to-day basis. This is because there are also millions of botched surgeries on these cats by ignorant and unknowing veterinarians and in any case the operation is inherently flawed and is likely to cause long term discomfort. The vets simply do not know what they’re doing and are unaware of what they are causing because domestic cats are very good at hiding the true level of pain that they are suffering and we all know that, including veterinarians. But they don’t care sufficiently.

If a cat doesn’t show any clear signs of pain in the long term then vets take it that the cat is not in pain. But you’ll see subtle indications of pain in distorted gaits and in their behaviour but they don’t mention these when arguing their case in state legislatures when a declawing ban is being debated.

I would like, as I say above, every owner of a declawed cat to play with their pet’s claws as you see in the video and to mark down the reaction in writing and then tell everybody in a comment on this page what the reaction was. It won’t happen but at least do it and inform yourself as to the true situation.

I realise that cats in general, in any case, don’t really like their paws to be fiddled with but it is my firm conviction that you will find very many declawed cats who will flinch or shy away from having their paws touched or manipulated as you see in the video. There will be a difference in reaction between declawed cats and non-declawed cats.

Declaw your cat? You can’t love your cat

If I’m correct then surely this is another nail in the coffin of declawing. It would be an indictment of the horrendous nature of this totally unacceptable operation which truly indicates the unloving relationship that millions of cat owners have with their domestic cat.

Yes, to declaw a cat is an act of cruelty and it cannot be the actions of a person who loves their cat. It is the exact opposite of the sort of thing a person would do if she or he loved their cat. And if you have declawed your cat and are reading this page and are insulted – tough. I am correct.

I will therefore argue that about half of the people in America don’t love their domestic cat sufficiently to warrant them being guardians of their cat. Yes, it is estimated (and we don’t know the exact figures which is also reprehensible) that up to 50% of the domestic cats in America are declawed. That represents about 40 million cats who are at least potentially in pain of some sort. It also means that tens of millions of cat owners cannot, they simply cannot, love their cat sufficiently to warrant ownership. They certainly are not guardians or caretakers. It is impossible to label them with that description.

14 thoughts on “Do declawed cats allow you to touch their paws?”

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.
  2. I have 2 cats, both de clawed and both let me touch their paws with no reaction. They are loving and affectionate. They both use the litter box and are playful. My older girl is about 8 and so she’s not as playful anymore but my 1 year old pounces and plays with us and the dogs. He loves his paws rubbed and purrs when we massage them so I don’t believe that declawing them was so bad. They are very loved, spoiled and well taken care of!

    Reply
    • Thanks Angie. I am pleased that your cats are not in discomfort because of the declawing. It is a bonus. Of course it has to be said that (a) it does not mean that there are not many declawed cats who are in discomfort and (b) there is a moral issue about declawing which must be addressed.

      Reply
  3. I fostered a 16-year-old cat with front declaws for a few months while she recovered from the extensive surgery she needed upon being dumped at our shelter (she had not seen a vet in almost a decade and had a horrific bone infection in her jaw as a result of no dental care). She had extreme arthritis in her front legs and dipped her head with each step she took, also standing at a noticeable incline when she was at rest. Her back feet, intact, were fine and she could jump up onto surfaces easily though jumping back down was much harder because of her front paws. Every time she lay down, she very slowly, very carefully tucked her paws underneath her body. She would NOT let me touch her front paws even after gaining her trust. So glad it is now banned in my province.

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