Is it Ethical to have your Cat Declawed?
Getting a cat declawed is an extremely controversial topic in the veterinary world! While some may strongly oppose it due to the disadvantageous effects on the cat, some individuals believe that as long as they are properly cared for, there isn't a problem. So what is ultimately the right thing to do in this situation? In this post, we are going to dive into this hotly debated topic.
What is Declawing?
Before I was educated on this topic, I was part of the large percent of the population that thought declawing is just the simple removal of the nail in each toe. I was in for a rude awakening when I learned the truth about this cruel procedure. Declawing a cat is the surgical removal of the last bone, including the nail bed and claw, on each front toe. The last bone is typically amputated with a scalpel and closed with glue or stitches. This procedure is almost always unnecessary and cosmetic, with the exception of tumors that result in the removal of the nail bed. If you were to perform this surgery on humans, it would be equivalent to amputating up to the first knuckle of each finger! It is the veterinarian's job to inform the patient's owners on the reality of declawing so they can consider it when making their decision.
Diagram showing before declawing and after declawing: https://www.southcoasttoday.com/news/20190413/rethinking-cat-declawing
Effects of Declawing
The reason so many are against declawing is the effect it has on the cat. By removing the claw, it changes the way a cat's feet meet the ground, which results in numerous possible side effects. Just a few of the possible unpleasant outcomes are infection, paw pain, back pain, nerve damage, lameness, tissue necrosis, and even behavioral changes (Sullivan). After being declawed, cats may refuse to use the litterbox anymore because of the pain associated with digging after they use the bathroom and their healing wounds. If the surgery is done even slightly wrong, the patient may be left with permanent pain and nerve damage. Behavioral changes are also very common after being declawed. To compensate for having no nails to defend themselves, they may turn to use their teeth or defensive behavior more. Not being able to use their nails is a major change and can be very stressful for them, which may result in irritable and hostile behavior.
Does Declawing Result in Aggressive Behavior?
A study published by the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, suggests that declawing may increase the risk of long term pain, which manifests as aggression or unwanted behaviors. They studied a group of 137 declawed cats and 137 non-declawed cats. The entire group was physically examined for signs of pain and their medical history was reviewed for strange behaviors. They found that aggression, overgrooming, inappropriate toileting, and biting occurred significantly more in declawed cats as opposed to non-declawed cats. According to the International Society of Feline Medicine, a declawed cat is three times more likely to be diagnosed with back pain than a cat with intact claws. There is a significant change that your cat could suffer from this procedure rather than recover from it!
Looking at Declawing from a Different Perspective
Recently, I was talking to a veterinarian about this topic and I was provided with a completely different perspective on declawing cats. There is an overabundance of feral cats and the numbers are only rising. If the only reason a potential owner won't get a cat is that they don't want them to scratch up their new leather sofa, then proper declawing could possibly be okay in that situation. If your cat is declawed and recovers correctly, then there is a good chance that they won't have any negative side effects related to the procedure. Personally, I believe that it is still better not to declaw and resort to other alternatives, but I thought that this was an interesting perspective that I should share.
Declawing Alternatives
If you decide not to declaw but you still have problems with your cat's nails, here are some alternatives that avoid the unnecessary procedure, but still leave you with the desired results.
- Nail Caps
Nail caps are a great method to use when trying to avoid a cat's nails. I use nail caps for my household cat, and they have worked far beyond my expectations! For this alternative, you put a plastic or rubber cap around your cat's nails using non-toxic glue. These caps prevent the cat from scratching you, or any other surface. The downfalls are it can be tricky getting them on your cat if they don't like you touching their paws, and you have to reapply them approximately every three weeks.
Nail Caps: https://catlifetoday.com/best-cat-nail-caps/
- Nail Trimming
Nail trimming is the most obvious method to use since you're literally trimming the problem away! This isn't as effective as the other alternatives since you're not completely covering up the nail or stopping the nail-related behavior. Trimming the nails can be difficult if your cat isn't cooperative, but taking them to a groomer to have them trimmed is another option.
Cat Nail Trim: https://www.kittywire.com/safely-trim-cats-nails/
- Making Surfaces Less Desirable
If you have a problem with your cat scratching up furniture or curtains, this is a very effective alternative to declawing. With this method, you are making tempting surfaces less enticing to your cat. You can do this in many different ways. Some of your options are placing aluminum foil on the surface, putting double-sided tape on scratch-prone areas, and spraying citrus spray anywhere you do not want them scratching. Cats hate the feeling of metal and it scares them when their paws are stuck to the tape. A citrus spray may seem a little odd, but they hate the smell of it and it works as a great deterrent.
Cat Training Sticky Tape: https://okpatio.com/best-cat-anti-scratch-tape/
Is it Ethical?
Declawing a cat has often been compared to docking a dog's tail or branding a cow to make it seem normal and downplay the severity of the procedure. Declawing can be extremely painful for cats and it can leave them with long-term suffering. When I was younger my family decided to declaw our household cat, Hamilton. When Hamilton came home from his surgery he was initially fine, but after his medications wore off he was in a lot of pain. The recovery time lasted much longer than expected. The declawing was done at a young age so he adjusted relatively well, but he definitely used his teeth a lot more than before to compensate for having no claws. It was difficult seeing him suffer when we could have just gone with an alternative method. Luckily, we are more educated on the topic now and we know how to handle cat nail-related issues.
Cat declawing is a hot debate in the veterinary world and everyone has their own opinions on the procedure. I personally recommend avoiding declawing for the sake of your cat. Before declawing your cat, keep all of the facts in mind and consider the reality of the surgery.
Works Cited:
Kellog, Cecily. "3 Declawing Alternatives." FIGO, Figo Pet Insurance, 14 February 2019, https://figopetinsurance.com/blog/3-declawing-alternatives.
Martell-Moran, Nicole, Solano, Mauricio, and Townsend, Hugh. "Pain and adverse behavior in declawed cats." Sage Journals, Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, 23 May 2017, https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/1098612X17705044.
Mott, Maryann. "U.S. Faces Growing Feral Cat Problem." National Geographic, National Geographic, 7 September 2004, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/animals/2004/09/feral-cat-problem/.
Sullivan, Megan. "7 Negative Side Effects of Declawing Your Cat." PetMD, PetMD, 19 February 2018, https://www.petmd.com/cat/care/7-negative-side-effects-declawing-your-cat.
The Humane Society of the United States. "Declawing Cats: Far worse than a Manicure." The Humane Society of the United States, The Humane Society of the United States, 2020, https://www.humanesociety.org/resources/declawing-cats-far-worse-manicure#:~:text=People%20often%20mistakenly%20believe%20that,Many%20countries%20have%20banned%20declawing.
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