Why not declaw cats?

Blue Boots.

In 2013 Blue Boots was surrendered for behavioral issues including litter box avoidance and extreme aggression. Fortunately, someone stepped in and Blue Boots went to a Specialty Purebred CAT Rescue foster. The vet through SPCR found the cause that explained everything, though most people would not have connected the dots, as Blue Boots’ original owner did not. See, years earlier, Blue Boots had undergone a 4-paw declaw procedure. It’s quite routine and widely accepted in the US and even vehemently defended. What you see in these photos are the deformed claws that were growing WITHIN and THROUGH Blue Boots’ paw pads.

In one study of declawed cats in a particular shelter, one vet found that 66% had left over P3 fragments from the declaw being performed improperly. 33% of them had more than 5 fragments. Of those with fragments, 45% had at least one fragment larger than 5 mm. 28% had a 100% fully BOTCHED declaw procedure, meaning they had bone fragments larger than 5 mm left in each declawed toe.

In the case of Blue Boots, he was 100% botched, meaning those bone fragments left behind in each toe also included a part of each nail bed. Over the space of time after his declaw, the ingrown claws caused constant pain and resulted in his litter box issues and his aggression. Again, his owners weren’t able to connected the behavior with the cause and he would have been killed.

If an individual MUST have a declawed cat, either due to the potential health risks of a possible scratch or due to the rules of their living arrangement, please consider adopting an adult feline from a rescue or shelter that has already been declawed. If a child colors on a wall, you do not cut off their fingers. You teach them not to. The same applies to kittens and training them to use an appropriate scratching surface. There are so many alternatives and humane solutions. This is not merely my opinion, but a truth based upon the research of countless veterinary professionals, proven statistics and studies done throughout the world. Declawing is now banned in 28 countries.

Carla Lynch

While I agree with most of the article,  I take a firmer stand on declawing.   There is NO reason to declaw a cat.   It is an abusive and barbaric custom that has no place in today’s society.    I have also found,  from some research,  that too many Vets push this procedure for cats because it is a high profit option, requiring almost no effort on their part,  and allowing them to charge a large fee.

If the issues mentioned above are a factor,  I suggest one of these courses of action:

• Do not get a cat.   Get a dog.   Get a large, stuffed,  plush toy.   Cats are not accessories to one’s life, they are members of the family, and so to treat them as anything else is simply wrong.
• Get a set of nail clippers and learn to snip the sharp tips of the claws off.   This eliminates the issues of a cat scratching a person or damaging the surroundings.
• Make sure that the cat has plenty of scratching posts and boxes to do the deed on.
• Take the cat to the groomer’s and get caps put on the claws.   It is possible to do this oneself,  but,  it takes some practice and,  is really something that is worth letting the professionals do.