“My cats wear AirTags. They’re not allowed to even go near the door. I’m so afraid if they get out because they have no way to defend themselves,” she said. “They lost their protection tools. So it makes me sad.”
She also joked, or perhaps only half-joked, that Gray Kitty and Baby Kitty now act “possessed” and try to make her life “miserable” because of what happened.
The emotional center of her comments was less about inconvenience and more about regret. Kardashian framed the choice as one made from inexperience, saying she had never owned cats before and did not understand the implications.
Why fans reacted so strongly
The podcast’s comment section quickly filled with criticism, even though Kardashian said she had not known how controversial and harmful the procedure is considered to be.
One commenter wrote, “I cannot believe you got your cats declawed. That is so beyond inhumane and makes me so sad.”
Another added, “Declawed!??? Poor babies that is soo cruel. This should be illegal.”
A third person was even more severe, writing, “Why would one consider declawing a cat? This action is comparable to the act of poaching an elephant for its tusks. Strongly advise against acquiring any additional animals.”
The reaction was not especially mysterious. For many cat owners and animal welfare advocates, declawing is viewed as a preventable harm done for human convenience. Kardashian’s admission that she was uninformed may explain how it happened, but it did not soften the response from people who see the surgery as unacceptable under almost any circumstances.
The Kardashian family has faced pet criticism before
The backlash also landed in a wider context. Members of the Kardashian family have been criticized more than once over their treatment of pets, which means any new animal-related disclosure tends to arrive with extra scrutiny already attached.
Last December, Kim Kardashian was criticized by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals after she gave each of her four children a new Pomeranian puppy for Christmas.
“Puppies are not plushies, and it’s a damn shame that Kim missed the chance to be a spokesperson for shelter pups and instead is being rightly slammed on social media for that,” PETA founder Ingrid Newkirk told the Daily Mail at the time.
Newkirk also said, “Ignoring the homeless animals crisis is inexcusably callous,” and urged the Skims founder “to call PETA or a local shelter the next time [she] wants to bring an animal into [her] home.”
Kim Kardashian was also questioned over a garage video
In 2022, Kim faced another round of criticism after she posted a since-deleted video showing her dogs living in a garage. The clip prompted concern from viewers and drew a response from PETA.
The animal advocacy group said at the time that it was “hoping hard” she had other arrangements for the dogs.
“What PETA does know is that dogs are highly social pack animals who need more than just soft beds and decorative stockings: They deserve to feel safe, loved, and to live inside the house as part of the family,” the organization said.
That history helps explain why Khloé’s podcast confession spread so quickly. It was not just a celebrity sharing a regretful pet story. It was a public admission about a widely condemned procedure, involving animals she says were meant for her child, from a family whose pets have already been the subject of public concern.
Kardashian’s central point was that she now believes she made the wrong call. For viewers and listeners, the harder question is how many people learn the same lesson only after an animal has already paid for it.
