Here is the typical scenario. Someone decides that they want to have a cat or kitten and perhaps goes to their local shelter and picks out their new little pet companion. Once that kitten or cat has adjusted to life at its new home, its owner becomes dismayed at the destructive behavior of their new arrival. Their pet is clawing and scratching up their carpet, rugs, sofa or chairs and woodwork furniture. Rather than simply getting scratching posts for their kitten or cat to deter it from this habit, or apply the nail clips that are now available, the person decides to go to their veterinarian and asks for the "surgical" procedure of declawing. What the person doesn't realize is that to call it surgery is a misnomer, for it is actually nothing less than mutilation of a cat's paws which can create not only horrible pain for the rest of the cat's life, but can actually change the behavior of the cat as well.
There is a reason why cats have claws to begin with and it is part of their natural anatomy. Claws allow a cat better balance, enables them to jump, gives them traction when they walk, they can pick up things with their claws...like their favorite toy, scratch themselves, and have better usage of the litter pan. Most people figure that it is more fitting and necessary to declaw a cat that is an indoor cat only, but they put that cat at a dangerous risk should the cat accidentally escape, and without claws, is completely defenseless in the outside world that it is unfamiliar with. If the runaway cat comes across other cats or even dogs, the likelihood of being able to defend itself is dramatically reduced. That cat won't even be able to hunt for it's food while it's missing from it's home and the possibility of starvation and ultimately the cat's death exists.
What most people don't realize is that declawing or in the more technical term, Onychetomy, is not just a simple surgery that removes only each claw of a cat. A cat's claw is not similar to our fingernails, but "is part of the last bone (distal phalanx) in the cat's toe." (1) In other words, it's not only the claw that is removed, but is the removal or amputation of the distal phalanx at the joint.
To quote one of my main sources I used for information about declawing:
...."Contrary to most people's understanding, declawing consists of amputating not just the claws, but the whole phalanx (up to the joint), including bones, ligaments, and tendons! To remove the claw, the bone, nerve, joint capsule, collateral ligaments, and the extensor and flexor tendons must all be amputated. Thus declawing is not a "simple", single surgery but 10 separate, painful amputations of the third phalanx up to the last joint of each toe. A graphic comparison in human terms would be the cutting off of a person's finger at the last joint of each finger."...(2)
Usually, it's only the front claws that are removed, but it's not unusual that a pet owner will ask, or the veterinarian will suggest that the back claws be removed as well. Besides being an extremely painful surgery for the cat in which recovery time may be rather long and painful in itself, and in which the cat now must get used to its amputated toes, declawing can have many complications as well.
Once again to quote from the Declawing.com website:
...."Complications of this amputation can be excruciating pain, damage to the radial nerve, hemorrhage, bone chips that prevent healing, painful regrowth of deformed claw inside of the paw which is not visible to the eye, and chronic back and joint pain as shoulder, leg and back muscles weaken.
Other complications include postoperative hemorrhage, either immediate or following bandage removal is a fairly frequent occurrence, paw ischemia, lameness due to wound infection or footpad laceration, exposure necrosis of the second phalanx, and abscess associated with retention of portions of the third phalanx. Abscess due to regrowth must be treated by surgical removal of the remnant of the third phalanx and wound debridement. During amputation of the distal phalanx, the bone may shatter and cause what is called a sequestrum, which serves as a focus for infection, causing continuous drainage from the toe. This necessitates a second anesthesia and surgery. Abnormal growth of severed nerve ends can also occur, causing long-term, painful sensations in the toes. Infection will occasionally occur when all precautions have been taken."... (3)
In other words, declawing subjects a cat to chronic infections throughout it's life. Physical or medical problems aren't the only factors involved with declawing. Cats have been known to suffer extreme emotional problems in their behavior as well. That once happy kitten or cat, may become withdrawn and can demonstrate all the symptoms of depression. The cat may also become fearful, timid and nervous, and may no longer be friendly and may even avoid its owner. On the other spectrum, rather than withdrawn, the cat may instead be hostile and aggressive. Having lost its main defense mechanism, its claws, cats will often take to biting. Also, since the cat will find it painful to use it's litter pan, it will start urinating outside of the pan, a behavior that most cat owners won't tolerate, and next thing you know, that cat is being either returned to the shelter as unmanageable, or worse yet, the pet owner might have the cat euthanized, not realizing of course, that it was the declawing that created all the problems in the first place.
A good majority of veterinarians and of course pet rescuers are entirely against declawing, and just why this surgical procedure still exists here at all in the United States is a mystery. The United States is the only country that still sanctions the continued veterinary practice of declawing, while in the majority of European countries, such as Britain, Germany, Ireland, Austria, the Netherlands, Sweden, and Norway, plus countries such as Brazil, Australia, Japan and New Zealand have not only banned it, but have made it illegal. So why isn't it banned and made illegal here as well?
There are so many alternatives to declawing, one is to routinely clip just the tip of the nail with simple nail clippers, something most cat owners can do themselves, or there are also nail clips that can be attached painlessly to the nail, such as the Soft Paws brand.
Soft Paws Soft Paws
I have had cats all my life, since I was five years old. I am now fifty-one and still have cats, and never, in all my years had I ever considered getting any of my cats declawed. I just didn't think it was necessary, and I have to admit it has only been recently that I began reading up about this surgical practice of declawing, that I'm so grateful that I never decided to have this done to any of my cats. I'm just betting, my cats are grateful as well. To be perfectly honest, I frankly don't care if my cats do scratch up my furniture a bit...furniture can be replaced, a live, loving little soul can't. I could never image subjecting a cat to a lifetime of pain and misery, and neither should anyone else who wishes to own a cat either.
Sources for information about declawing:
One of my main sources of information is from this website, where I quoted several sections:
Declawing.com (1),(2),(3)
This is also an excellent website, as it contains numerous articles by both vets and cat owners alike and is a must read. It even has graphic photos of the declawing sugery itself:
declaw.lisaviolet
Image Source:
Photo of a cat after its declawing surgery. One of the "nicer" photos
Credit: declaw.lisaviolet.com
Copyright: declaw.lisaviolet.com
1 comment:
I got my first cat from the shelter a couple of years ago. I did a bit of reading and decided not to have him declawed, but this goes more in-depth than anything I read before. This is so barbaric and hurtful. I can't imagine why anyone would put their cat through this. Thanks for the information. I'm glad I decided not to do this and will never do it to any other cat I might have in the future, either.
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