Cats Are Authors: The Scratch to Communicate and New Truth About Declaw:

Cats are hard-wired to scratch but may be given up and euthanized or declawed when they scratch in “all the wrong places.” Newer data suggests declaw may likely have deleterious long-term medical effects. There is a review of this data and insight with video examples to demonstrate how to determine if a declawed cat is in pain (it may not be as obvious as you think) and what you can do to treat these cats. As cats are more commonly kept indoors, scratching inappropriately is a growing issue and simultaneously the public is increasingly rebelling against declaw. If veterinarians don’t want public officials to make decisions for them, arguably they will need to take the lead. Discussed in detail is how to use behavior modification and various products to inspire scratching in all the right places. Also discussed is training cats/kittens to use scratching posts.