The Truth about Declawing
YOU CAN'T DECLAW WITH LOVE
CATS, CLAWS & CRUELTY
Claws are one of a cat's most valuable assets. All cats use their claws practically every day of their life. Cats use their claws for scratching, climbing, balance, self-defense, playing, kneading, and even self-expression. From a cat's point of view, claws are not optional. Claws are an integral part of a cat's "catness." No cat wants to be declawed.
The painful procedure of cat declawing is regarded as so inhumane that it is illegal in many countries around the world, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. In the U.S. we’ve turned unnecessary amputation, done for the convenience of humans, into something routine.
This painful procedure is often inflicted on cats and kittens as a precautionary measure against destructive scratching. Many cats, however, will never engage in destructive behaviors and many more could be cured of destructive behaviors using methods that are much simpler and painless:
·Purchase a scratching post or cat tree – every cat should have one. Make it more enticing by sprinkling a little catnip.
Trim your cat’s nails or take them to a veterinarian for nail trimming.
Be informed by reading about the ways to keep your cat from destructive scratching.
Consider Soft Paws –an alternative that covers the cat’s claws with a vinyl cap so they cannot scratch.
Clipping your cats nails, providing things he or she is allowed to scratch on like cat trees, scratching posts etc. or purchasing vinyl nail caps that cover the nail can really make a difference. If claws are kept blunt, a cat that strays from the scratching post from time to time will do little to no damage. You can get results without painful declaw surgery by cutting the nails every two to six weeks.
If one truly loves felines, then one accepts that claws come as standard equipment. Using surgery to prevent or correct a behavioral problem is not the wisest, kindest, or best solution.
DECLAWING IS A MUTILATING SURGERY
The animal's toes are amputated at the last joint. A portion of the bone – not only the nail -- is removed. Declawing is the equivalent to a person losing the entire tip of every finger at the first knuckle. De-claw surgery is VERY PAINFUL and after the surgical wounds have healed there are often permanent physical and psychological complications.
POTENTIAL COMPLICATIONS
There’s a reason many declawed cats end up in shelters and have more behavior problems!! Many cats undergo a drastic change after surgery. As many people discover too late, declawing may cause far worse problems than it solves.
PAIN
The post-surgical pain cats suffer is obviously severe, but it’s impossible to know how much pain and suffering declawing causes. Declawing is 10-18 separate amputations, so it’s not unreasonable to believe that declawed cats experience life-long, painful phantom sensations in the amputated parts. Cats typically conceal pain until it becomes unbearable. With chronic pain, they simply learn to live with it. Their behavior may appear normal, but a lack of signs of pain does not mean they are pain-free.
POST-SURGICAL COMPLICATION
Lameness, abscesses, and regrowth of the claw can occur after surgery. About 25% of cats will develop complications from declaw surgeries.
LITTER BOX PROBLEMS
Declawed cats have more litter box avoidance problems than clawed cats. It is not uncommon for declawed cat owners to trade claws for urine-soaked carpeting. In one survey, 95% of calls about declawed cats related to litter box problems.
JOINT STIFFNESS
The tendons that control the toe joints retract after surgery, and over time joints become "frozen." The toes can no longer be extended, but remain fully contracted for the lifetime of the cat.
ARTHRITIS
Newly declawed cats shift their body weight backward onto the large central pad of the front feet and off the toes. If this altered gait persists over time, it causes stress on the leg joints & spine, and could lead to arthritic changes in multiple joints.
BITING
Deprived of claws, a cat may turn to its only other line of defense -- its teeth.
DEATH!!
There is always a small but real risk of death from general anesthesia as well as from hemorrhage or other surgical complications.
CATS, CLAWS & CRUELTY
Claws are one of a cat's most valuable assets. All cats use their claws practically every day of their life. Cats use their claws for scratching, climbing, balance, self-defense, playing, kneading, and even self-expression. From a cat's point of view, claws are not optional. Claws are an integral part of a cat's "catness." No cat wants to be declawed.
The painful procedure of cat declawing is regarded as so inhumane that it is illegal in many countries around the world, including Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Israel, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, Turkey, and the United Kingdom. In the U.S. we’ve turned unnecessary amputation, done for the convenience of humans, into something routine.
This painful procedure is often inflicted on cats and kittens as a precautionary measure against destructive scratching. Many cats, however, will never engage in destructive behaviors and many more could be cured of destructive behaviors using methods that are much simpler and painless:
·Purchase a scratching post or cat tree – every cat should have one. Make it more enticing by sprinkling a little catnip.
Trim your cat’s nails or take them to a veterinarian for nail trimming.
Be informed by reading about the ways to keep your cat from destructive scratching.
Consider Soft Paws –an alternative that covers the cat’s claws with a vinyl cap so they cannot scratch.
Clipping your cats nails, providing things he or she is allowed to scratch on like cat trees, scratching posts etc. or purchasing vinyl nail caps that cover the nail can really make a difference. If claws are kept blunt, a cat that strays from the scratching post from time to time will do little to no damage. You can get results without painful declaw surgery by cutting the nails every two to six weeks.
If one truly loves felines, then one accepts that claws come as standard equipment. Using surgery to prevent or correct a behavioral problem is not the wisest, kindest, or best solution.
DECLAWING IS A MUTILATING SURGERY
The animal's toes are amputated at the last joint. A portion of the bone – not only the nail -- is removed. Declawing is the equivalent to a person losing the entire tip of every finger at the first knuckle. De-claw surgery is VERY PAINFUL and after the surgical wounds have healed there are often permanent physical and psychological complications.
POTENTIAL COMPLICATIONS
There’s a reason many declawed cats end up in shelters and have more behavior problems!! Many cats undergo a drastic change after surgery. As many people discover too late, declawing may cause far worse problems than it solves.
PAIN
The post-surgical pain cats suffer is obviously severe, but it’s impossible to know how much pain and suffering declawing causes. Declawing is 10-18 separate amputations, so it’s not unreasonable to believe that declawed cats experience life-long, painful phantom sensations in the amputated parts. Cats typically conceal pain until it becomes unbearable. With chronic pain, they simply learn to live with it. Their behavior may appear normal, but a lack of signs of pain does not mean they are pain-free.
POST-SURGICAL COMPLICATION
Lameness, abscesses, and regrowth of the claw can occur after surgery. About 25% of cats will develop complications from declaw surgeries.
LITTER BOX PROBLEMS
Declawed cats have more litter box avoidance problems than clawed cats. It is not uncommon for declawed cat owners to trade claws for urine-soaked carpeting. In one survey, 95% of calls about declawed cats related to litter box problems.
JOINT STIFFNESS
The tendons that control the toe joints retract after surgery, and over time joints become "frozen." The toes can no longer be extended, but remain fully contracted for the lifetime of the cat.
ARTHRITIS
Newly declawed cats shift their body weight backward onto the large central pad of the front feet and off the toes. If this altered gait persists over time, it causes stress on the leg joints & spine, and could lead to arthritic changes in multiple joints.
BITING
Deprived of claws, a cat may turn to its only other line of defense -- its teeth.
DEATH!!
There is always a small but real risk of death from general anesthesia as well as from hemorrhage or other surgical complications.