Declawing a cat is not just the removal of its nails. It is amputation, pure and simple. The cat’s claw is not a fingernail. It is part of the distal phalanx or last bone of the cat’s toe. The only way to be sure the cat’s claws are completely removed and prevent regrowth of vestigial claws or abscesses is to amputate the entire distal phalanx up to the joint. This amputation includes bone, ligaments and tendons. It is equivalent to amputating the tips of all ten of your fingers at the last joint above the nail.
The surgery is called Onychectomy. This is not just a simple surgery. It is ten amputations. It can be done by guillotine style cutters, scalpel or laser.
Declawing is uncommon outside of the United States. It is, in fact, considered animal cruelty in some other countries and is illegal in many European countries. In England it is termed inhumane and unnecessary mutilation.
When the pet owner has certain medical conditions such as AIDS, diabetes, cancer patients under going chemotherapy and organ transplant patients taking anti-rejection medications the choice may come down to declawing the cat or separating the cat from the owner. In these cases it may be kinder to declaw the cat than break the human-animal bond and cause further trauma to both cat and owner.
If you are considering declawing your cat to prevent messing up a piece of furniture then there are other ways to modify claw sharpening behaviour. There are even designer scratching posts available that will fit in with your decor and will not embarrass your sofa, chair or love seat by being too lowbrow for the neighborhood.
I will not make the blanket judgement that all declawing is cruel. Each situation is different. I will say that I have never had one of my cats declawed. I did, however adopt a big Orange Marmalade cat that was already five years old and he had been declawed. That cat lived to be almost twenty-five years old. Until the day he died he suffered from periodic infections in one toe that would require a Vet’s attention. We learned to watch for little bloody spots where he had walked and when we saw them we knew it was time for another Vet visit.
Before you rush of to have your cats claws removed, do a little reading and find out what you are really doing to the animal. You can read an excellent description of the whole process including diagrams at http://www.maxshouse.com/facts_about_declawing.htm and another at http://www.petstation.com/declaw.html.
