Cat Keeping in the US and UK Compared

"Declaw the cat so you don't have to set any boundaries. A cat already hears enough noise in its life."

69% of respondents were against declawing on humane grounds, because it reduced the cats ability to defend itself or because cats can be trained not destroy household furnishings. Many stated that their cats' well-being was more important than the furnishings so the picture is perhaps not as black as it is painted.

There are alternatives to declawing, one is to sever the ligaments which allow the claws to be extended for scratching; the other is to glue caps over the claws so that attempts to scratch don't actually cause any damage. These caps must be replaced by a veterinarian every time the claws get long enough to need clipping.

In Britain, very few cats are de-clawed except on medical grounds. Some cats belonging to families on American airbases are de-clawed, making them difficult to re-home if the need arises as relatively few British owners are geared to keeping an indoor-only cat.

Wild species such as Margays and Ocelots are sometimes kept as pets and may be de-fanged as well as de-clawed.

Beautiful Cats

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