What is a Cat Declawing
The amputation of the last bone of each toe on a cat’s paw is called declawing. The most radical comparison would be that it is like cutting off your finger at the very last knuckle. The method of declawing is being made with a scalpel. The following is to protect the wounds with stitches or surgical glue. The last is to bandage the foot.
There is another less invasive way to perform declawing, by performing a laser surgery where a strong beam of light cuts through the tissue by vaporizing and heating it. No, matter which way the declawing is made it will cause life-lasting physical and behavioral problems for the cat. Your cat will afterward be likely to suffer back pain, litter box aversion, and can start biting.
Declawing has been banned in many countries around the globe. In the USA dozens of countries as well as the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association oppose declawing and a method called tendonectomy, unless it is necessary for medical purposes only, such as the removal of cancerous nails. Tendonectomy is a method that enables the cats to keep their claws but is not able to control or extend them to scratch.
Cat declawing is a very painful experience. It can cause a variety of problems such as back pain, infection, necrosis of the tissue, and lameness. To make it more clear for you, the cat after declawing feels like when you wear the most uncomfortable pair of shoes. In case the declawing surgery wasn’t made well can cause regrow and nerve damage.
After the surgery, you will have to use shredded paper in the litter box of your cat to prevent pain and irritation to the declawed cat’s feet. The unfamiliar litter box substitute combined with the pain when the cat scratches in the box will force the animal to avoid it. Many cats will start biting as they are suffering bad pain and feel helpless not having their claws to defend.
A veterinary student Dr. Christine Schelling used to see a cat hurling itself against the sides of its cage because of the pain it felt after declawing and swore not to make any declaw surgery in the future. She even launched a website declawing.com to educate the cat owners connected to this as she says, misunderstood surgery.
History and Controversies of this practice
Choosing a cat as a pet and keeping it indoors immerged the concept of cat declawing surgery Onychectomy. It was presented in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association in 1952 by a veterinarian from Chicago and it is how it all started.
Since this method is being declared as the most unethical for cats it has been declared illegal in many European countries, like England, France, Wales, New, Zealand, Germany, Switzerland, and Israel. In Canada, it has also been forbidden in almost all the provinces.
Cat Declawing vs. Cat Scratching
Scratching is a normal cat’s behavioral habit. The cat stretches the muscles, sheds the outer nail, and marks territory by scratching.
In the wild habitat cats use the claws to catch the prey, defend, and escape from predators.
At home, they use their claws to attack toys and climb to their favorite spots. Their paws have scent glands so by scratching the cats are marking their territory which is how they feel secure and safe.
Cats scratch and that is a vital part of their behavior, according to Dr. Susan Krebsbach, and that, as she emphasizes is a sign of a happy cat. They do not have a concept if it is ok or not. They are just meeting their needs. Cats do not consider do they need to scratch, but where to scratch according to cat behavioralists.
Many cat owners are afraid of being scratched by their cats. Some of them might already have or developed immunodeficiencies, or bleeding disorders which makes them very concerned about cat scratches. Even in this case, their doctors do not recommend cat declawing. Bites are riskier than scratches.
Many people are also wondering how to prevent cat scratches. The answer is pretty easy. Just monitor little children when close to cats, reduce stress in the cat’s environment, and detect when the cat is more active or overstimulated by petting which in veterinary is known as petting-induced aggression.
There might be cases in which you detect aggressive behavior in your cat and it intentionally scratches people out of fear what you should do is consult a cat behavioralist to modify its behavior and reinforce positivity.
Cats prefer scratching tall objects so they can dig the nails and get a good grip. That is the reason is so attractive to cats. When you obtain certain scratching objects for cats do not force them there, but slowly navigate them where they should scratch.
Medical Costs of Cat Declawing
No matter how routinized surgery this may seem it is not at all easy to make. First, you should consult your vet, make all the necessary preparations before, and obtain conditions for post-surgical recovery. Kittens may be less expensive, but an adult cat needs a more complex treatment especially if it already has existing health issues. The typical average for this kind of surgery is 600$.
Complications of Cat Declawing
Cat declawing surgery is performed under general anesthesia, so on one hand, you do not have to worry about your cat’s experience of pain during the surgery. But, please keep in mind that any surgery is a risk by itself.
Altering Solutions
There are various alternatives to avoid cat declawing:
Nail trims: Trim your cat’s nails regularly at home or the grooming studio
Nail caps: Safe sheaths to blunt cat’s sharp points
Behavioral training: Consult a pe behavioralist for help
Cat declawing is the last option after trying all the mentioned alternatives.
