PETA President Tracy Reiman Tackles Your Tough Questions and Tricky Situations

My cat is destroying my couch. I don’t want to declaw her, but honestly, why does PETA say never, ever do that? Removing her nails can’t be all that bad. 

Well, pulling out nails is bad enough. Isn’t that what used to happen in Syrian prisons under President Assad? But declawing means amputating the last joint of every single toe – 10 separate amputations. Imagine losing all your fingertips because someone didn’t want you drumming on the table. 

Cats come with claws, just as birds come with wings. Scratching keeps their claws healthy. Take their claws away, and if they get over the trauma and pain of the operation, they may end up with spinal problems because losing their claws can disturb their gait. Since they need to scratch after using a litterbox, they may avoid it. Or they may start biting because their first line of defense is gone. 

Khloé Kardashian recently said she was “misadvised” to declaw her cats and now feels terrible about it. Good for her for admitting it – but your cat doesn’t need to become a cautionary tale. Put sturdy, tall sisal scratching posts exactly where she scratches and near where she sleeps. Add flat cardboard scratchers, trim only the sharp nail tips, protect the couch’s upholstery temporarily, and reward her enthusiastically when she uses the right spot. 

Unlike your furniture, a cat’s claws are irreplaceable. Give her better places to scratch, a little patience, and the chance to remain gloriously, properly catlike. And never, ever declaw!

My son desperately wants a puppy, but we barely have time to keep up with soccer practice and homework. What do you think of us getting a fish as a starter pet? 

You can have a sourdough starter or even a Pokémon starter, but there’s no such thing as a starter “pet.” Fish are intelligent, sensitive individuals who need space, enrichment, and careful attention to water quality and temperature. A court in Argentina even recently recognized two goldfish as sentient beings and ruled that they have legal rights. It’s not possible to recreate a fish’s natural environment, and doing so even marginally well is still a lot to ask of a busy family – or a child who’s still learning that dirty gym socks belong in the hamper. 

PETA’s investigation into the betta fish trade exposed that bettas are bred by the millions, confined to tiny containers in water that barely covers their bodies, and starved and doped so that they can be shipped around the world. Many die long before they reach a store shelf. That’s nothing to support with a purchase at a pet shop. 

If your son is craving a connection with animals, I’d take him birdwatching, encourage him to volunteer at a local animal shelter, or sign him up to help out at a sanctuary. (If he loses interest at some point, those animals will still be fed, unlike what might happen with the fish.) And when your family is truly ready to make a lifelong commitment, you know the drill: Adopt – never shop.