American Association of Feline Practitioners

Veterinary professionals passionate about the care of cats

Claw Friendly Educational Toolkit

Cat with scratcher

This Claw Friendly Educational Toolkit was developed to support veterinary professionals by providing comprehensive and robust research and educational resources in one place. Scratching is a normal feline behavior and the AAFP strongly opposes declawing as an elective procedure, as stated in the 2017 Declawing Position Statement.

Guided by evidence-based information and the pursuit of leading the feline veterinary community, it is the AAFP’s mission to improve the health and welfare of cats. As we continue to amplify our mission to support high standards of practice, continuing education, and evidence-based medicine, we are proud to announce the end of elective declawing procedures in our Cat Friendly Practices®.

There are many alternatives to declawing and the AAFP has developed supportive resources to assist veterinary teams and cat caregivers in being informed and living with clawed cats. 

Instructions for Use

This Claw Friendly Educational Toolkit contains in-depth information for veterinary professionals, practices, and clients. To use this Toolkit, click on the tabs at the top of the navigation bar to access each page and read more about each area including: a review and summary of scientific literature, scratching educational resources, frequently asked questions from both client and veterinary practices, sample phone counseling scripts, sample practice implementation plans, real-life practice experiences, client resources, and more.

Each page also has an associated printable PDF you can use in your practice. Additionally, links to the Declawing Position Statement and a free webinar are included on the left sidebar. A printable version of the entire Toolkit, which contains information from each page, is also included on the left sidebar.

This Claw Friendly Educational Toolkit is endorsed by
Cat Healthy   Catalyst Council   ISFM

 © American Association of Feline Practitioners, 2020