Universal Press Syndicate Scratching and stretching with claws embedded are normal feline behaviors.

If any one topic is sure to produce a heated discussion among cat lovers, it's declawing. The procedure is widely performed to end destructive scratching and is just as widely vilified as cruelty.

Declawing is the surgical amputation under general anesthesia of the last part of the toe, comparable to the removal of your fingertip at the first joint. The skin is glued or stitched over the exposed joint, the feet bandaged and the cat sent home to heal. In most cases, only the front claws are removed.

Although the procedure can be a successful way to curb destructive behavior, those who advocate against it argue that declawing is too often performed without even trying to train a cat, or is considered as a pre-emptive strike against furniture damage before a problem is even evident.

Scratching is natural and satisfying for cats, and you owe your pet the effort to teach him to scratch in appropriate places before you opt to declaw him. Frequent trimming of the nail tips can also reduce the destruction, as can glued-on nail caps, although both options do take ongoing work from the cat owner to maintain.

Declawing is perhaps best reserved as an option that should be considered when all others have failed and the cat is facing abandonment or euthanasia.

If you do choose to declaw your cat, you must keep him inside forever, because without his claws, he's less able to defend himself against dogs and other dangers. He can't swat with claws and has a harder time climbing to safety if attacked.