Making the Decision to Declaw a Cat

Declawing of Cats is a Controversial and Sometimes Volatile Subject

May 9, 2009
Lorie Huston

The Decision to Declaw a Cat is a Difficult One - alvimann

Declawing a cat is a surgical procedure which has pros and cons. While there are people opposed to declawing cats, there are others that believe declawing is beneficial.

Declawing a cat is an important decision which should be made based on knowledge of all facts and consideration of both sides of the controversy.

What is Declawing?

Declawing a cat involves amputation of the last digit of each toe. Some cats may have only the front feet declawed while others may have all four feet declawed.

The surgical procedure for declawing a cat or kitten takes place while the cat or kitten is under a general anesthetic. Pain medications are administered both during and after the declaw procedure to decrease the pain involved for the cat or kitten.

The declaw procedure itself may be done using one of several methods, depending on the expertise and experience of the veterinary surgeon performing the surgery. Traditionally, declaw surgery was performed by dissecting out each individual nail with a scalpel or other knife-life surgical tool. However, in recent years, laser declaw surgery has become more readily available and may offer faster recovery times with less bleeding and discomfort than traditional declaw surgery. However, both types of surgery are performed and are accepted as effective.

Ideally, declawing should take place at a young age. Kittens, because of their smaller size, need to bear less weight on their feet following the surgical declaw procedure. Therefore, they tend to heal more quickly than more mature cats who naturally have a greater body weight. Kittens are often declawed as young as 6-8 weeks of age.

Cats or kittens which have been declawed need to remain indoors. The claws of a cat are one of the major defense systems a cat has at his disposal to protect himself. In a declawed state, a cat is more vulnerable and therefore safer indoors.

Aguments Against Declawing a Cat

There are many people who feel that declawing a cat is inhumane and some even go so far as to call the declaw surgery mutilation. Many lawmakers are now attempting to legislate whether a cat can be declawed in their jurisdictions or not.

Arguments in Favor of Declawing a Cat

In opposition to those people who believe that declawing is cruel and inhumane, there are many people who believe that declawing a cat makes the cat a better pet, making the bond between the cat and cat owner stronger and decreasing the chance that the cat will be relinquished to a pound or shelter or abandoned due to behavioral problems that the cat owner is unwilling or unable to tolerate in the home.

Those who oppose declawing a cat often claim that a declawed cat has a greater tendency to bite. However, there is no evidence that would prove this to be a correct assumption.

Alternatives to Declawing a Cat

There are a few alternatives to declawing a cat which are worthy of mention. There is a surgical procedure whereby the flexor to each nail is severed, resulting in the inability of a cat or kitten to extend the nail. This is known as a digital flexor tendonectomy. Cat owners opting for this alternative to declawing their cat need to be prepared to periodically trim the nails. If a cat owner fails to trim the nails for a cat which has undergone a digital flexor tendonectomy, the nails can overgrow and penetrate the skin and pads of the feet, causing pain and infection.

Another alternative to declawing a cat is applying a product known as Soft Paws to the nails of the cat. Soft Paws are coverings which slip over the nail and are glued into place temporarily. Cat owners electing to use Soft Paws need to be aware that Soft Paws will need to be replaced periodically, usually once every 4-6 weeks. However, the application of Soft Paws is not painful for the cat and surgery and/or sedation is not required to place Soft Paws on the claws of a cat.

By carefully considering all aspects of the declawing controversy and determining what type of lifestyle is intended for the cat in question, cat owners can make an educated decision pertaining to declawing their cats.

Lorie Huston, Feature Writer, Pet Care, Sears Photography Studio

Lorie Huston - Lorie Huston, DVM

Declawed Cats Should not be Allowed Outside - jusben

Cats Should be Declawed as Kittens, if Possible - penywise

There are Alternatives to Declawing a Cat - alvimann

Comments

May 10, 2009 12:43 AM

Guest :

There are no arguments in favour of declawing a cat, how can it make "owner" and cat closer when the "owner" has betrayed the trust of the cat? And how can it make a cat a better pet when there is every possiblity that the cat will develop behavioural problems e.g inappropriate toiletting, biting (yes this does happen)or withdrawal/nervousness. And then what about the possibility of muscular/skeletal problems later in life through the cat being forced to walk in an unnatural way and being unable to stretch the muscles in the chest, back, legs and paws by hooking up and stretching?

Cats are notoriously brave and will hide even extreme pain rather than show weakness, this is why so many "owners" think that their cat is Ok afterwards, some even think it's cute to see their cat hold up a paw never thinking that that paw is hurting!

Shelters are full of declawed cats, adapted to their owners idea of the perfect cat but when they find that all is not as simple as they imagine, their furniture gets peed or pooped on instead of clawed or their children get bitten instead of scratched, out goes the cat..some dumped to fend clawless for themselves and some destined to sit in a cage in a shelter until deemed un-rehomable they are killed.

No method of "declawing" (de toeing) a cat is humane and no-one has the right to deprive a cat of their right to enjoy every claw on every paw being used for the purpose it grows there.

May 10, 2009 5:26 AM

Guest :

There is never any justification for declawing a cat !There is no benefit to the cat, only to the selfish owner.The people who say it makes the bond stronger between owner and cat obviously should have got themselves a stuffed toy as they don't understand a living feeling cat needs to be independant and to enjoy its life a a cat should, with its rightful claws.Do these people enjoy their power over a defenceless animal ? The talk about pain medication to decrease the pain is sickening, there should be NO pain because a cat should not be put through the most painful procedure a cat can endure and deprived of its claws, to begin with. Removing the toe ends/claws by amputation or laser makes no difference to the pain and the result that the cat is disabled. Lasering is less bloody and heals quicker, that's all ! Declawing is supposed to be a last resort procedure for serious scratching behaviour,so its hardly 'ideal' that kittens are routinely declawed, in fact it's wrong to assume they will grow up with scratching problems. People are offered a neuter/declaw package by some vets,but those vets don't explain the seriousness of declawing and that many cats have biting or litter tray problems afterwards.Or that years later, because after declawing a cat can not exercise propely by digging in its claws, to keep its leg, shoulder, and back muscles healthy and strong, many declawed cats develop arthritis.In countries where declawing is banned,we train our cats to scratching posts.Anyone who doesn't like it that cats have claws, simply doesn't get a cat ! Cats are born with claws because they need them and to take a perfectly healthy cat and have it made into a disabled cat by declawing it, is very wrong.Finally it doesn't save cats from Rescue Shelters,because after the behavioural problems begin from declawing, many end up in shelters anyway as 'bad cats'and have very little chance of being rehomed.The sooner declawing is banned worldwide, the better !
Retired vet nurse/cat rescue

May 10, 2009 7:21 AM

michelecyprus :

Declawing is banned in at least 25 countries on the grounds that it is considered to be a form of animal cruelty. Legislation in the UK goes so far as to refer to it as an "unnecessary mutilation". There are never any pros to the procedure since it is always done for the benefit of the owner and not the cat's physical or mental welfare.
How on earth can amputating the end of a cat's toes make them a "better" pet or make the "bond between the cat and cat owner stronger"? Such statements are pure nonsense and purely from the perspective of the human and not the cat itself. Using that rationale, wouldn't amputating the fingers of children be a good idea, so that it prevents them from growing up to become thieves, murderers, or violent criminals?
Even the AVMA who are not opposed to declawing, suggest that it should be a last resort option, and therefore should not routinely be performed on kittens before they have even exhibited any undesirable behaviour with their claws.
The paragraph advising alternatives to declawing failed to point out the most obvious one - teaching the cat claw manners based on their natural behaviour. Literally millions of people worldwide have babies, children, furniture or compromised immune systems, and yet they don't find it necessary to amputate their cat's toes. They understand that if cats are provided with something of their own to scratch and encouraged to use it, that they will not ruin household items. Through play, kittens can be taught to be gentle with their claws and human children should always be taught to respect animals and handle them correctly so that don't get scratched. There's a wealth of information available on the internet on how to do this, all it takes is love and patience - two emotions that those who chose to declaw cats seem to lack.

May 10, 2009 8:15 AM

Guest :

declawing of cats and kittens is certainly a very volatile subject, as, in my own opinion, and also many other cat lovers, it SHOULD JUST NOT HAPPEN. Thereis a reason why it has been banned in so many countries and that is because it is cruel. It just seems beyond belief that people should willingly want their animals to be mutilated like this, whatever happened to animals being as nature intended. If cats were meant to have no claws or soft paws attached, they would be born like that. Please lord, one day let common sense prevail. Leaves cats the way they were meant to. This is like having genetically modified pets

May 10, 2009 8:21 AM

aunty :

I'm at a loss as to how you can justify the idea that declawing can be beneficial? To the owner maybe because it saves them the time and trouble spent on training the kitten/cat where it is acceptable for them to use their claws and it saves them the expense of replacing furniture that their laxness in training costs them but beneficial to the cat? Never in a month of Sundays!
AVMA policy states that the declawing procedure should be carried out only as a last resort when all other measures have failed,so how then can veterinarians justify amputating the toes of kittens 6-8 weeks old? At that age kittens have no control over their claws and haven't had the chance to demonstrate whether or not they will use them destructively,nor at that age would it have been possible to even start to train a kitten to use a designated scratching area or post. The excuse of many people who declaw their cats is inappropriate scratching but anyone who declaws a young kitten is doing it just for the sake of doing it,with no intention of it being a last resort!
The statement that declawing strengthens the bond between cat and owner is absurd,and how can amputating a cat's toes make it a better pet? It makes it a different pet that's for sure but a cat comes with claws so if the claws aren't part of the deal maybe a different kind of pet is indicated and not altering a cat to suit the vagaries of the owner.
If people in the 25 countries of the world where declawing is banned can manage nicely with cats plus claws why can't the people in the USA and Canada manage? What is it that makes them unable to cope with a fully clawed cat? Why are they scared to let their children learn in a natural way that cats,and indeed all animals,should be treated kindly and gently and if they don't do so then they'll get a swift scratch from the cat or nip from the dog. That's how I learned and how all the children in all the generations of my family learned. And if our furniture is less than perfect does it matter,is a house full of love and kindness not more important than a perfect sofa?
What would be the most laughable thing were it not so tragic is that declawed cats often turn to soiling the very possessions that they were mutilated for the sake of,a cat with sore & sensitive paws may choose a soft sofa or bedding above harsh litter,or a cat tormented by a child might give a nasty bite,far worse than a swift scratch I can assure you.Wake up and smell the coffee folks,declawing is cruel!

Jun 7, 2009 2:03 AM

Guest :

I will not be popular with my opinions here, i can tell. I do agree that yes declawing a pet IS painful; and I can see how it is inhumane. However I am a cat owner and I do have a declawed cat.

I tried all of the alternatives to surgery--- my cat chewed off his soft paws leaving bloody stumps on his front paws REGULARLY. My cat is a wonderful cat, very loving and posessive of his family. He dosent scratch the furniture and never has he does however attack small children in my home. The cat had a 18 month old child cornered-- not in his mind being aggressive but as playing with the child. This was regular behavior for my cat from the time that I got him. My friends children have been scarred by my cats claws. After 2 years of trying I could not train him not to "play with the children" the way that he was.

Since he would not keep the soft claws on, and he would not leave the children alone... would it be more humane for me to kick him out of my home or to send him to the over populated animal shelter (or should I say DEATH CAMP)than to pay the money to have him declawed?

Saying that getting a cat declawed is selfish of the owner is 100% correct. I am so selfish that I wanted to be able to keep my cat, to not have children scarred, to not want to send him away to die. I am horribly selfish. I am so selfish that I tried every alternative to avoid the surgery for 2 years. I am so selfish that instead of getting rid of my cat and pawning him off on a stranger who could/would get rid of him themselves---I used the last alternative I had. I am a selfish owner of a declawed cat, and I LOVE my cat. For all of your pious opinions thrown about and you statistics with your noses stuck up in the air about those of us who choose to get our cats declawed -- what do you really KNOW? I know this---- my cat still loves me and he is very faithful to my family, he is happy and pampered and well taken care of.

Aug 7, 2009 1:59 AM

Guest :

There are fair reasons to declaw. I don't let my cats outside. I live in a rural area and it's too dangerous, there is no reason to have concern they will be turned out w/out claws and I have made provisions for them upon my death. Cats enjoy ripping, it's marking their territory. Two ruined a house full of furniture despite every attempt to stop them, for years.
Declawing was a way to keep my cat and not have my home ruined. Painful for the cat. Yes it is.
After three days, they began to play with their toys!
After healing, their paws are not tender and the cats are very well behaved beloved pets... and I'm not angry at the shredded door jambs, the wall corners, the couches, curtains or the bed being torn to shreds. It's much easier to teach a cat to stop spraying or urinating out of box than it is to redirect the desire to mark by clawing, and I don't care how many scratching posts you put out, or how many nail caps (which are said to have more success with PASSIVE cats). Mine weren't passive or aggressive, but they did NOT want the caps on their claws.
My cats have been declawed for 10 years, and 2 years ago, I had 2 new additions declawed as kittens. The day they came home they had discomfort, the successive days, they healed just fine and were bouncing all over in no time. They even begin to use their paws differently without claws, they touch your face, they grip items, they adapt and not all of the adaptation is aggressive or negative, quite the contrary.
We spay and neuter our cats. We tend to believe it's a very good thing. This too is a terribly painful operation. I don't think people realize how invasive the spay procedure is, or that adhesions occur...but we do it for convenience sake most of the time. The benefit is that it can reduce some types of cancers and it makes the animals more tolerable by stopping the yowling. That's the bottom line on most spay/neuter for animals we don't let roam or mix with the opposite sex.
I'm astonished at the mentality that the declaw surgery is inhumane.
We CLEAN cat's teeth and that is traumatic (and carries risk) if you've ever witnessed or had it done to a beloved cat.
Declaw IS surgery and carries with it pain in the healing process, but the cats, if they were well rounded, will weather it well, and those who were not, we'll perhaps declawing wasn't the answer to the issue?
I have had, over 20 years, 10 declawed cats. None of them exhibited negative behaviors after their declaw.

Sep 2, 2009 9:43 AM

Guest :

You people are rediculous. I agree 100% that declawing is a painful procedure, but so is a surgery to spay or neuter. What makes you think that the fact that the cat is declawed would have anything to do with behavioral issues later on in life. There are plenty of unwanted cats and other animals out there facing worse fates than a simple declaw, and in my opinion, there will be even more unwanted if this procedure becomes illegal. To the comment about causing skeletal difficiencies later in life, that's a little dramatic since there is no connection between the two.

Sep 30, 2009 11:31 AM

Guest :

I think it interesting that everyone thinks it's inhumane to declaw a cat...I have two cats that got declawed because the one was terrorizing the other. I was finding dried, caked blood behind my cat's ear, and neck that was from the other cat attacking him. I declawed my cats to keep our family together...also, to live in my apt complex (and in most apt complexes) you have to have your cats declawed...so reconsider before you judge. I love my cats and they are very happy...I grew up with a declawed cat, and she was in pain for a couple days (just like any human surgery) and was healed and back to normal very quickly.

Mar 29, 2010 8:44 PM

Guest :

I am currently employed at an animal shelter and have seen a very high number of cats returned because of changes in behavior one of which is conveniently not included in this article (though many other articles available on the web include it.)

First, litter box issues are common after this surgery. The largest number of de-clawed cats returned to us are for this reason. The cats get home after their surgery and find it painful to use the litter box, which leads to them urinating and defecating on the carpet.

As a second point, many of these cats certainly do become more prone to biting, and to add to that, become much more fearful altogether, especially in new surroundings. Many times cats that were originally outgoing and friendly have returned de-clawed and are quite fearful and quick to bite when handled, which one should probably expect since they've no other way to defend themselves after the de-claw.

On top of these things, de-clawing is really hardly ever necessary. In fact, I can only think of three reasons, nail bed cancers, polydactyl cats with deformed paws where the claws quickly grow into the paw, and as an absolute last resort when all else fails, but even then, if your furniture is THAT important to you should you have gotten a cat? De-clawing is simply laziness on the owners part. It is relatively easy to teach a cat to use a scratching post, and even easier to routinely clip its nails (which are clear unlike a dog's, making hitting the quick almost impossible).

Simply put, this article is garbage. The writer dismisses de-clawed cat's increased chance of biting as anecdotal (despite this behavior being noted on several other websites by veterinarians, shelter employees, and even being noted on the Humane Society of the United States web-page) and ignoring problems caused with inappropriate waste elimination habits, while supporting the other side of the issue with silly and fallacious arguments.

You need "evidence" to prove de-clawing increases biting, but "there are many people who believe that declawing a cat makes the cat a better pet, making the bond between the cat and cat owner stronger" is a valid argument?

A de-claw also is not comparable to a spay or neuter, since cats benefit considerably from these procedures. Both procedures increase life expectancy dramatically by reducing the animals risk for a wide variety of cancers, reducing chances of acquiring sexually transmitted disease, and reducing the behavioral drive to run away from home to seek mates.

De-clawing may be necessary in rare cases, and should be a last resort for owners. However, working at a Humane Society, I see plenty people who come in swearing they tried everything and professing their love of their animals and that the problem is unfixable, only to find that after spending a little time with the animals what they've said is untrue. For most lazy owners the "last resort" is the only resort they try.

The guy who tried the soft-paws and failed did his best. The others on here are bums.

May 23, 2010 11:19 PM

Guest :

In my opinion, declawing a cat should NEVER be the first option for an owner and is not a decision that an owner should take lightly. However, I grew up with cats who had been declawed (we had several throughout my childhood). They NEVER had problems walking/using the litter box. In fact, they used to stretch up and scratch our furniture as if they still had claws! None of our cats had problems cleaning themselves nor were they biters. I'm not saying that there are not cats who have had some of the above problems after surgery, but I hate when people generalize. Cat owners need to do their research - most of these post-surgery problems are probably due to inexperience on the part of the vet. I have cats now and have made the decision not to declaw. Not because my cats were damaged by it growing up, but because the procedure shouldn't be abused.

May 28, 2010 2:52 PM

Guest :

I agree with the person who reminds all you nay-sayers that neutering and spaying are a form of mutilation, yet you would never in your right mind tell people to spare your animal the pain and keep them reproducing...My cat just got neutered and declawed, and to tell you the truth my cat had way more pain from the neuter. One of his testicles wasnt descended, so not only did they try to go through his backside, they had to cut a 4 inch incision in his belly.. I also feel way safer with him around my son, and our other older cat.

Jun 11, 2010 1:30 AM

Guest :

A digital flexor tendonectomy is hardly a humane alternative. Its almost as cruel.
There is NO argument in favour of declawing a cat.
It does not necessarily improve the bond between cat and owner - seems it generally the people who value their own convenience over their cat's health, happiness and welfare who would declaw.
And its these same people who dump their pets the minute they become in any way 'inconvenient'
If you love your cat, please, do not declaw him or her

Declawing is NOT the same as neutering or spaying

Jul 16, 2010 2:45 PM

Guest :

Nothing wrong with declawing...

Jul 22, 2010 9:21 AM

Guest :

I dont really like the idea of declawing BUT, no one will take a cat who shreds the carpet, Has ever scratch post known to man(wont use them) and climbs up on the roof of my 3'd floor apartment when she is on the patio. Why let her out, because she loves to go out and lie in the sun with another Declawed cat she has grown up with. i took these two in to save them, and short of putting her down, it has to be declawing like her brother...(he was declawed when I got him.) chews off soft paws, and still shreds the carpet while I am away, its de-claw or else.....

Aug 3, 2010 2:47 PM

Guest :

I agree that declawing maybe cruel but at the same time so is spray/ neuter. These are both surgical procedures done without the cats approval. It takes alot of money to have a pet and if you feel better with a declawed cat then do it. Its your house and no one should have to feel like they have a defend themselves in their own home.
I got a cat from the SPCA that attacked my children for no reason..(long story short) I returned the cat and they would not allow me to get another cat. The cat that I returned was adopted 2 days after I brought her back and 2 months later she is returned by that owner. Its a shame that some places care more about the animals than the people.
People can go to jail for harming an animal but its ok to kill an unborn child. What a confused world we live in.

Dec 26, 2010 9:40 PM

Guest :

I was watching a video on youtube and this argument came up. Googled it to see what people say about it. I mostly read the comments here. I have no intention on promoting either side of the argument, just stating what I witnessed, so this comment is just to provide an example of an owner (family) with a declawed and non-declawed cat.

I was very young when we had our first cat, but I do remember she was "declawed." I remember her still having the claws though, because I would play with her feet and sometimes get poked, but she was never able to take them out and bring them back in.

http://www.drjustinelee.com/blog/cat-questions/85-is-declawing-cats-cruel

I looked this article up and found out what procedure would have done that (For my own knowledge). Again I was very young so I don't know why she was "declawed" but as a kid I knew she wasn't going to be an outdoor cat because we live in a populated area right outside of the main city.

I never remember her having problems using the litterbox and she was really quite friendly. She was a very good lap cat and always wanted to sleep in the bed with you. She would only bite if you pissed her off (naturally) and nip my mom's ankle if she was really hungry (similar action to the way my dog barks when he wants food). She lived till the age of 19 (died of old age) and I never noticed any problems with her claws or feet or pads.

We took in a stray (female) when the first cat was about 9 and after the initial meet and greet the "declawed" cat never acted out against the other. The stray is an indoor outdoor cat (there was no way of keeping her indoors since she was used to it at the time) so she isn't "declawed" but we never had a problem with her scratching the furniture (luckily). The stray is currently 12, and minus the miss snooty pants attitude she has, I witnessed no difference in their behaviors.

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