Declawing is a controversial issue in both the cat lovers’ and animal rights communities. For those who aren’t so informed on the issue and would like to know more about it, here is some basic information.
What does the declawing process entail?
Declawing means removing (amputating) the distal phalanges of an animal’s end bones — basically, the last/smallest bone on their toes — such that the claw is removed and does not grow back. There are three kinds of declawing processes:
Guillotine clippers are used to sever the joint between the third toe bone and the second, cutting through the pad of the paw in the process. This method causes significant pain and discomfort (painkillers and medication are needed following surgery) and, if done improperly, may result in bone splinters or calluses on the paw pads that lead to chronic pain and possibly limping and lameness.
A scalpel blade is used to remove the bone while keeping the pad intact. Although this method is said to be more painless and comfortable for the cat, it is a very delicate and specialised procedure and many vets are not able to perform it.
Laser/radiosurgery declawing is an alternative method that is gaining popularity, involving using a laser instead of a scalpel blade, thus causing little to no bleeding during or after the surgery, forgoing the need for bandages and greatly reducing post-operative pain. However, it is much more costly than the conventional declaw, not many vets have the equipment to do it and even those that do may not be able to do it well.
(Note: the first two methods include having the surgical wounds glued or sutured shut after the procedure.)
Why do people declaw their cats?
Declawing may be done by a veterinarian in cases of chronic inflammation/infection of the toes, tumours, gangrene etc, but most people get their cats declawed not for the animal’s health but in order to prevent them from scratching at household furniture or at humans. Some private apartments/residences state in their rent agreement that the keeping of cats is banned unless they have been declawed, although such rules are legally forbidden for public housing in the US. There are a minority of people with compromised immune systems who get their cats declawed for their own safety and welfare.
Keeps cats in their homes who would otherwise be given to shelters or euthanised for aggressive and/or destructive behaviour (this does not always work; many cats are given to shelters because of litterbox avoidance or aggressive behaviour that arose after declawing, and there are contradicting studies about whether declawing actually improves the cat’s behaviour).
Protects cat owners from becoming infected or having their health compromised if their cat is prone to scratching humans severely.
Protects other pets from being injured by the cat if the cat is aggressive towards them.
Declawed cats cannot climb trees
Declawed cats cannot catch prey (they are less effective hunters but most are still able to engage in natural hunting behaviours)
Declawed cats cannot use litterboxes (they can, but shredded paper/newspaper litter substitute should be used for a few weeks after declawing to prevent irritation and/or infection of the surgical wounds, and some cats do develop litterbox avoidance after surgery)
Various studies show 50-80% rate of post-op complications (pain, haemorrhage, swelling, limping, lameness, nerve damage, infection, chronic pain syndrome). Improper post-op pain control/medication can lead to years of chronic pain for the cat. Claws can sometimes regrow from a couple of weeks up to 15 years after surgery.
Older cats (generally two years of age and above) are more likely to suffer from post-op complications and find it much more difficult to recover from the surgery.
Declawing cats takes away their primary mode of defense against potential threats or aggressors. Outdoor cats should NEVER be declawed. (Letting your cat outdoors is already putting them at great potential risk, and declawing them is just asking for an early, gruesome death.) Conversely, declawed cats should NEVER be let outside, unless supervised and on a leash with a harness — and even then there is still significant risk involved.
Declawing a cat only addresses the symptoms of the underlying problem (i.e. the destructive and/or aggressive behaviour) and not the root of the problem itself (i.e. why they feel the need to engage in those behaviours in the first place). Cats may scratch at furniture for a variety of reasons: anxiety, insecurity, lack of appropriate channels to release pent-up energy, boredom etc. Cats can also be aggressive because of lack of play (thus a need to release energy through their natural hunting instinct), lack of clear communication and signals between the cat and their human (mistaking the human’s hands or legs for a toy, thinking the human is playing with them instead of reacting in pain), being provoked by the human (lack of knowledge on the part of the human about cat body language, the human unknowingly touching a part of the cat’s body that has sustained internal injuries), or for territorial reasons (feeling insecure due to a lack of space they can establish as their own, possibly due to the presence of other animals in the home). Without fixing these issues, you are only making things more convenient for yourself while doing nothing to help your unhappy and dissatisfied cat.
Alternatives to declawing:
Trim your cat’s claws regularly. Here are some links on how.
Get your cat a scratching post. Finding the right kind of scratching post that appeals to your cat (material, texture, shape etc) is important, but so is operant conditioning and training your cat to use it instead of the furniture to exercise their scratching impulse.
Invest in vinyl nail caps (available from vets, pet stores and online). These are glued to the cat’s claws and have to be replaced every 4-6 weeks, depending on your cat’s scratching habits. (However, there have been cases in which the caps couldn’t be removed and the cats had to have surgery to get them off, so please be wary of using these and perhaps it would be wise to get brand recommendations from your vet or other people who have used them for their cats before.)
Address the root causes of your cat’s destructive and/or aggressive behaviour. Most cats do not act like this by nature; there is something in their environment, diet, or their interaction with humans and other animals in the house that is causing them to behave this way. Fixing these problems instead of simply mitigating their effects will improve the emotional and psychological welfare of your cat.
Some sources say placing double-sided sticky tape on places the cat likes to scratch is effective, but this seems to depend on the cat and whether the owner is willing to do this to their furniture.
My personal opinion (for anyone who cares):
Declawing is necessary in some cases, but when done to address a cat’s behavioural problems it is a superficial and risky solution. It should only be used as an absolute last resort if the only alternative is giving up the cat or endangering the welfare of other humans and animals. Before adopting or buying a cat, please be responsible enough to consider whether you have the time, resources and commitment to give them a healthy and happy life in your home and whether you are capable and willing to deal with any potential problems your cat may have. Cats are not “just mean” or “crazy”, they do not scratch you or your furniture to “get revenge”. It is our duty to learn to communicate with our companion animals, to teach ourselves to read their body language as well as detect their unspoken needs and wants in order to properly care for them.
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