Dangers of Declawing: Spare Your Feline Friend

Whether used for personality quizzes or classroom discourse one of the most significant questions throughout childhood and possibly lifelong: who is better cats or dogs?

For me, it always has been (and will be) cats. Now, I am not here to argue who's better (cats of course!) as I do have three cats (Floofy, Squeaky, and Hank) and one dog (Bird) - not to mention 20 chickens. You also can't forget about two previous cats of mine that have also been family pets: Jersey and Spotty. 

At my elementary school, we had something called morning care and after care. These programs were for kids to either arrive to school earlier or stay a bit later after school to make it easier for parents to pick up and drop of their kids. One of the counselors had a roommate whose cat gave birth to 12 kittens over the span of a couple weeks. So, naturally having a cat enthusiast family, my parents and I chose to adopt one of the kittens. After going through a series of names, we decided on the extremely creative name: Floofy. 

The cat in question

In our living room we have two leather chairs that my mom was quite fond of. Unfortunately for those chairs, Floofy was an athletic kitten who would jump up and down and run all over the place. In an attempt to save the chairs my mom asked that Floofy be declawed. Unfortunately, we were not aware of the horrors that declawing could do to a cat and the vet removed her front claws. Obviously, looking back this was not a smart decision and ultimately did not save the chairs that my mom so loved. So why was this act of declawing Floofy so inhumane?

Well, firstly, we have to ask the question: why do people declaw their cats? There are various reasons as to why people choose to declaw their cats. Some owners are concerned about their furniture, or the possibility of getting scratched, or they have always had declawed cats, or they want to "level the playing field" between their cats. While these might be completely valid reasons, there are easier, cheaper, and less destructive methods to solving the listed problems.

So, I have mentioned the term declawing multiple times but what does it actually entail? Declawing is the removal of each front toe at the first joint. In order to not cause readers to faint I won't go into too much detail about how the toe is removed - just know that the cat is put under anesthesia and the area is sanitized in order to remove the claw and bone portion.

Diagram showing before vs after a declawing procedure

Each veterinarian differs in the method they use. Some use scalpels whereas others use heavy-duty nail clippers. In order to prevent substantial bleeding afterwards it is recommended that the wound is sutured or closed with surgical glue. If you still are not following on why this removes important parts of a cat, I will provide you with the human equivalent pictured below. Imagine all of your fingertips removed at the first knuckle. This is what it would look like:

Featuring my hand (I could be a hand model don't you think?)

So, why is removing this claw and bone portion so detrimental? Well, firstly we have to cover what having claws allows a cat to do. Claws allow cats to scratch which creates the ability to scent and mark territory, and they allow cats to kneed which is a way of showing pleasure. Cats are typically able to climb to high places which creates vantage points and a safer environment, and without claws, cats can no longer have a full body stretch. Additionally, there are potential complications of declawing a cat. Let's go through them.

Complications after surgery: Some cats have claw regrowth or abscesses.

Pain: Just like humans, it is assumed that cats are able to feel phantom pain - pain in limbs that no longer exist. And since there are usually 10 amputations (20 if you include the hind legs), there is a likely chance that there will be phantom pains. Even if your cat seems "fine" there are ways to suffer in silence just like some humans do too.

Stiff joints / Arthritis: The joints essentially become stiff and "frozen" as the tendons that previously controlled the joints retract. But my cat makes scratching motions so they wouldn't miss their claws then, right? Well it is more realistic to assume that those cats are trying to stretch their stiff body parts and unfortunately, not succeeding. These body parts are so stiff that the toes joints are not able to be moved, even if the cat is under anesthetics.

Problems using the litter box: After going through surgery, some cats especially older ones tend to use anything but what they are actually supposed to use. So, if you like cleaning up cat urine and spending extra money to remove the pee, then declawing is for you. Personally, I would rather take a few scratches to my couch than having it peed on.

Biting: As claws are a primary defense mechanism for cats, when they are removed cats tend to shift towards biting as a defense mechanism.

Personality changes: As a result of no longer being able to stretch fully, removal of primary defense mechanisms, arthritis and joint stiffness and pain, many cats exhibit changes in behaviors.

Neglect / death: Due to all of the above symptoms, many owners no longer see their cats as desirable. Unfortunately, this results in neglect whether trapped in certain rooms, dropped off at shelters, or abandoned. Forcing a declawed cat into the wild is usually a death sentence as cats are not able to defend themselves from other wildlife (cats, dogs, predators, etc.) or natural disasters. Tragically, many declawed cats are seen as desirable to serve as live bait for fighting dogs or be sold to function as animal testers.

Are there other more humane options to remove a cats claws? Unfortunately, there are not. While tendonectomies are an alternative, they still result in constant nait trimmings to decrease risk of injury and often do result in a declawing. But then why do some veterinarians recommend declawing? Well, they are actually in violation of American Veterinary Medical Association policy. And if you are one susceptible to peer pressure, just think that 25 countries consider declawing inhumane and made it illegal to perform those procedures.

So what can a person do to prevent their cat scratching them or the furniture? Provide your cat with places they can scratch. Personally, I recommend having multiple cat scratchers throughout your home as they will usually utilize those instead of furniture. Scratching posts should be tall enough that your cat can get a full enough stretch. It is not necessary to provide cats with full size cat trees (while it is nice for the cats) but it is necessary to provide spots where your cat can scratch. Also to prevent getting scratched yourself, try to read into your cat's behavior. If they seem avoidant and resistant to contact, do not pursue and ignore their wishes. If you ignore their boundaries, they might lash out and attack.

I hope that reading this post has either changed your mind about declawing cats or at least made you a bit more knowledgeable on the topic. I hope that looking forward you will make the best decision for your cat and keep in mind the negative effects of declawing.