Domestication probably began around 4000 BC, as remains of ancient cats Felis silvestris and Felis chaus were found in the Egyptian tombs of the period. The first tangible evidence of the domestic status cat comes from ancient Egyptian paintings and sculptures dating back to 1600 BC, in which cats are shown eating and hunting with man (Bradshaw 6). "From about 1450 BCE onwards, images of cats in domestic settings became increasingly common in Theban tombs, and it is likely that these animals were fully domesticated. The cats are usually illustrated sitting, often tethered, under the chairs of the tomb owners' wives, where they are shown eating fish, gnawing bones, or playing with other ho

Dr. Kimberely Harrison, who refuses to perform the procedure, feels that Veterinarians in the U.S. continue to perform this surgery because it is not in the vet's "financial best interests to discourage declawing." She also comments that "declawing is easy money" for veterinarians and that it more time efficient to perform the surgery than to discuss alternatives to the procedure with clients (Perry 12). "Behavioral problems frequently haunt declawed cats," as observed by Dr. Harrison, the most common being not using the litter box. When cats become stressed beyond what they can handle it often manifests itself as a litter box problem. Out of the 3 to 12 calls a day she receives about non-medical litter box problems in cats, 90% of the cats with this litter box aversion are declawed cats (Perry 12). While conducting a study on the relinquishment of cats to animal shelters in 1996, it was found that 52.4% of declawed cats that were surrendered to a shelter were reported to have inappropriate elimination, as compared to the 29.1% of non-declawed cats in shelters (Patronek 583).

Declawing does not always stop the behaviors it was meant to either, mainly destruction in the house. Some cats will use their back claws to tear up furniture and other cats have habits like knocking things off shelves or chewing on objects that are also annoying to owners (Richards). Declawed cats were found to jump more onto tables (~75%) than intact cats (~53%) and more house soiling occurred (~25%) than with intact cats (~15%) ("Cat Bites").

A 1994 study by the department of veterinary clinical sciences at Washington States University College of Veterinary Medicine found that out of 163 cats that endured declaw surgery, 50% had one or more complications immediately after surgery. Of the 121 cats whose progress was followed after surgery, 20% had continued complications, such as infection, bone protrusion into the pad of the paw, and prolonged intermittent lameness and abnormal stance (Perry 12). Thirty four percent of owners themselves reported that their cats had discomfort post surgically, primarily tenderness (78%) and that full recovery was 67% in three days 96% within two weeks (Landsberg 196).

Around 1000 BC, pharaohs of Libyan descent, who worshipped cat gods such as Bastet, ascended the throne. Bastet was a god with the head of a domestic cat who represented all the good aspects of the sun, and came to represent fertility both in the fields and in women. These pharaohs built the city of Bubastis, a center for Bastet's cult. Domestic cats were sacred and memorialized. Museums in the present day are filled with 3000-year-old paintings, engravings, sculptures, and amulets. They were so highly revered that to kill a cat often held the penalty of death (Beadle 67-68).

Social play starts in a kitten at around four weeks of age and is most prevalent from seven to fourteen weeks of age (Bateson 11). Although play seems to be an important initial practice for kittens in their social, motor, and predatory skills, no theories have been proven as to the tangibility of the benefits of play later in the cat's life (Bradshaw 89-90). Though nothing can be proved, an important function of play that scientists and behaviorists overlook is the development and exercise of the kitten's retractable claws.

Behavior Modification: This alternative requires a great deal of work on behalf of the owner. The cat must be watched as much as possible in order to correct the behavior. An important thing to remember when dealing with cats is that they do not seem to understand physical punishment (Schelling, sec.5). However, the owner should praise the cat when it does scratch in the correct place.

Some say it is because of the independence cats have kept, despite their domestication, which causes many common problems in the home. Scratching is a common behavior problem in house cats, one that leads some cat owners to have them declawed. "In t

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