What is the best age to declaw a cat?

The best candidates for declawing are cats between the ages of 4 and 8 months that are not overweight, according to About.com. While these cats still experience pain from declawing, their recovery is quicker and less likely to include complications than older or overweight cats.

Possible complications to declawing a cat include infection, excessive bleeding, and pain while walking. Additionally, once declawed, a cat should be kept indoors exclusively. Alternatives to declawing include gluing nail caps to trimmed nails; regularly trimming the claws; creating diversions from scratching, such as scratching posts or toys; and mood therapy, as recommended by About.com.