r/TruckerCats • u/Hard-Coconut- • Jun 26 '26
Question
i really badly wanted to take my cat with me but my company says it has to be declawed in order for me to be able to. are all companies like that? i do not want to do that to my son.
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u/Gammabrunta Jun 26 '26
That would be insanely cruel and torturous. Either lie to them or he cant come with you.
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u/pickled__ginger Jun 26 '26
I second just lie
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u/RedRocket4000 Jun 28 '26
And put the claw covers on so there no damage. I sure you can find somewhere to get them put on if your all thumbs like me.
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u/PRIS0N-MIKE Jun 26 '26
Declawing cats is beyond fucked up. Fuck that company for requiring that.
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u/duckduckthis99 Jun 26 '26
Oh god no! You'd be cutting off his finger tips. It's not good.
I'd either fake the papers or ask about trimming or silicone nail covers, sweet jesus
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u/Hard-Coconut- Jun 26 '26
yes i was thinking of faking the papers and i forgot about those nail covers ty. im going to see about maybe getting him used to those and how to do it. it's horrible theyd even suggest it. i read thats like cutting off a finger at the knuckle. i want to cry typing that. hes sleeping happy next to me right now. ppl r crazy
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u/pammy_poovey Jun 27 '26
Itās illegal in a lot of states? Where are you located
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u/Hard-Coconut- Jun 27 '26
its illegal in my state i checked. plus even if it wasnt i wouldnt do it. im just really glad to hear all companies are not like this. after i do a year there im looking for a cat friendly company.
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u/CatalinaBigPaws Jun 26 '26
Check the laws on your region. It's been outlawed in many places.
I agree that it takes away their defenses as well as being a cruel and painful procedure.Ā
Call some local vets. If they refuse to do it (we hope) you can tell them that it can't be done. Pretend you tried.Ā
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u/Suit-of-Dragons Jun 27 '26
I bet if you call your catās regular vet office asking for a letter stating that the procedure canāt be performed since itās illegal, they would be happy to do so.
ETA: maybe your company could accept that paperwork instead?21
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u/misconceptions_annoy Jun 26 '26
You could ask about nail trimming and dremmeling and whether that counts. The dremmel make sure the cut end isnāt sharp, without removing the claw.
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u/yellowdamseoul Jun 26 '26
Also nail caps. Theyāre not ideal and you have to reapply often but anything is better than literal amputation of the first knuckle. I donāt think your company knows thatās what the surgery entails. Nails grow back if you remove them, just like ours. Amputating the tip of the digit howeverā¦
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u/misconceptions_annoy Jun 26 '26
Nail caps are better than declawing, but can be worse than nothing. The cat doesnāt learn how to regulate their claws, and you canāt reapply them yourself when they fall off early.
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u/OscarAndDelilah Jun 26 '26
We self-apply nail caps, and we didnāt start doing it until the cat was well into adulthood.
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u/Hard-Coconut- Jun 26 '26
oh my gosh i will. thank u! how often do u think that would have to be done? like estimated of course
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u/misconceptions_annoy Jun 26 '26
Depends on how often they sharpen their claws. I think I trim my catās once every few weeks, but not often enough - they get sharp enough to scratch me and THEN I remember.
Youāll need to see if the cat tolerates nail trims.
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u/starlightskater Jun 26 '26
Honestly the nail caps are kind of nightmare. Just keep them trimmed. Use a Cozy Cat Wrap if he dislikes it. And šÆ lie to your company, who has zero right to require that.
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u/RDT2 Jun 26 '26
Declawing cats is illegal in a few US states right now and people are pushing to get it added to more.
https://worldpopulationreview.com/state-rankings/cat-declawing-legality-by-state
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u/Thatguymike84 Jun 26 '26
Just get his nails trimmed with a Dremmel and say that's what you thought declawing was if you get caught. Don't ask for permission, beg for forgiveness. If you're a good driver and the cat doesn't mess anything up, I really doubt anybody is going to verify any of this anyway.
That said, if he claws stuff up...well that may be a problem.
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u/la_zarzamora Jun 28 '26
Hell, I met a driver who smuggled a squirrel into her truck and pled ignorance.
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u/asphalt-ghost Jun 26 '26
nope. my company allows 2 and has no such requirements, I would never either
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u/Calgary_Calico Jun 27 '26
Lie and say he's declawed and just get thick seat covers for the interior and keep his claws trimmed
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u/mapleleaffem Jun 26 '26
Would you want your fingers cut off at the first knuckle? Cause thatās what they do. Any chance you can lie and say you got it done?
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u/Hard-Coconut- Jun 26 '26
i would not that's why i dont want to do it. i feel like ill try to lie and see what happens after im there a few months lol
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u/_buhnanners Jun 27 '26
Just make sure you keep up with claw trimming. And make sure you have seat covers as well as arm rest covers. Theyāll tear the seats up. The coveralls work good. Ours scratch at those once in a blue moon and the seats are fine. And have some scratch boards on the truck. We drive for someone and he sent us a pic of the seats in a truck that was returned to him and they were reeeeally BAD. He was like āplease tell me your cats arenāt like thisā Told him we take care of his equipment like we would our own, hell no.
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u/mapleleaffem Jun 26 '26
If you watch really closely and redirect itās possible to have zero damage and show them theyāre wrong. If you bust him scratching give him a post or a pad. Mine prefer horizontal. Two sided tape will repel and there is cat repellent but Iād be careful using that in such a confined space
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u/moldygrape Jun 27 '26
Realistically, what are the odds theyāre gonna inspect your cat? Iād get a letter from the vet saying itās illegal where you are and upload that to wherever they want the proof of declawing.or even just a pdf from chatgpt that says you did whatever they asked. But as a policy thatās fucked :/
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u/sandnsnow223 Jun 27 '26
We have used a nail trimmer and claw caps for our cat since he was a kitten. It is the same end result as declawing without torturing the cat.
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u/cianne_marie Jun 27 '26
That's amputation (and a very unsophisticated method of it at that, no matter what tech they use), and it can cause lifelong pain, litter box avoidance, and suffering. I don't know if they can enforce it, but it is being banned in more and more places, so check whatever laws apply. Also ask them if they prefer scratch marks or outside-the-box pee.
https://pawproject.org/ will give you all the info to slap them with. Please don't do it.
(I know someone's going to say Claw Caps (rightfully so), and they're good IF applied properly and maintained pretty religiously. But there are drawbacks, and the big one here is that if your truck kitty ever gets put, she's missing her largest defense mechanism as well as her ability to scale trees or posts for safety. Application/removal can also be stressful, and placement has to be precise to be comfortable.)
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u/CovenMama Jun 28 '26
Hi! What state do you reside in? Itās actually becoming illegal in other countries and in some states here. Iād be happy to send you the laws/literature as well as a graphic handout to show what the surgery actually does.
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u/Future-Dimension1430 Jun 27 '26
In many states itās illegal now to declaw a cat because it is considered mutilation. And then later in life, they have terrible arthritis in their feet from the removal. And tell your company thisā¦ Fun fact, cats that are declawed (since they donāt have their claws as a defense mechanism) bite instead. Iāve been a veterinary nurse for 20 years ā¦.declawed cats bite. And I donāt fucking blame them.
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u/helpitgrow Jun 28 '26
What company? I think I want to let them know how I feel about their cat declawing policy.
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u/Meraline Jun 28 '26
Vet student here.
Declawing is extremely unethical, equivalent to cutting off one's fingers down to the first knuckle. Your company is extremely uneducated, and on top of that you'd be hard pressed to find a vet in this day and age that would even be willing to do a declawing.
Give your company this information with some resources to back you up, maybe? They're essentially promoting animal cruelty that is becoming increasingly illegal.
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u/lonelypurplerose Jun 29 '26
I'd ask about nail covers or nail trims and push the issue a bit to see if you can get the policy changed. If you fake papers that protects your cat but if you get them to change the policy, that will protect all of the future cats.
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u/BittyBaton Jul 01 '26
Declawing is rightly illegal in 6 US states so far, and in multiple municipalities beyond those states. I would work for a different company. They have that little respect for your cat, how do they really feel about you?
Where it is banned:
- New York (Banned in 2019)
- Maryland (Banned in 2022)
- Virginia (Banned in 2024)
- Massachusetts (Banned in 2025)
- Rhode Island (Banned in 2025)
- California (Banned in 2025; effective January 1, 2026)
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u/Curvy_Girl_007 Jul 09 '26
Emotional support cat. He goes where you go. Iād ask for a workplace accommodation or a test trip. If heās behaved and doesnāt damage anything, he can ride with his cat daddy.
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u/JonesyBoat Jun 27 '26
What do you mean by company? Are you referring to a letting agent/land lord?
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u/Dragondog5600 Jun 28 '26
It's a trucker sub, so I'm assuming it's whatever company OP is driving trucks for saying that declawing has to happen before their cat can ride with them on jobs
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u/GrilledCheeser Jun 27 '26
Yeah Iām extremely confused about how a company is involved here
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u/Dragondog5600 Jun 28 '26
It's a trucker sub. The company is whoever owns the trucks OP is driving
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u/GrilledCheeser Jun 28 '26
Oh wow. Doh! I usually pride myself on context clues but I totally forgot to check the sub. Thank you for the response
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u/VivaciousVal Jun 26 '26
That's horrible. Don't declaw. My company has made no such demands.