What is Declawing?

Many years ago declawing your cat was highly recommended by veterinarians to all their cat clients. It made sense to owners to get it done so they wouldn't worry about scratching around the house or damage done to family and friends. The only downfall was that vets didn't fully explain exactly what the procedure entailed and how painful it is for their cats. After the procedure, most cats would end up going home with little to no pain medicine, which made them want to just sleep away their pain for many weeks of recovery. 

At first glance, declawing can appear to be a quick and easy way to prevent cats from being rehomed due to scratching and clawing. However, the surgery, called an onychectomy, is really an amputation of a portion of the cat's toes. Cat nails are not separate from the bone like a human's fingernails. They are in fact an extension of the bone and this procedure not only cuts at the bone but also through the ligaments, nerves, and tendons of the cat's foot. This can be very painful for the cat, not just during the recovery period but many cats experience pain the rest of their lives. There is also the potential for the surgery to not be entirely successful, leading to portions of the nails regrowing and causing tremendous pain while walking. Many cats are abandoned, rehomed or even put down due to behavioral or litter box issues. It is thought that this lingering pain in their paws from a botched declawing surgery could be a major contributor to these aggressive or behavior problems.

Cats who are declawed are also stripped of their natural instincts and behaviors for hunting and defending themselves. This can be detrimental for a declawed cat that finds itself outside encountering predators or other animals. 

For the groomer, behavior issues, aggressive and lingering pain can all lead to a challenging and unpleasant experience during the groom. Declawed cats also tend to know that they lost the weapons in their front paws, which can lead to a greater likelihood of the cat trying to bite as their only means of defense.

What is Tendonectomy?

A tendonectomy is the surgical removal of small portions of the tendons in a cat’s front paws. The tendon is part of the mechanism that controls the flexing of the cat’s digits, thus removing it prevents extension and retraction of the claws. The tendonectomy was developed as a more humane alternative to the traditional declaw, but the fact remains that the procedure is painful, alters the cat’s body permanently, requires upkeep for the rest of the cat’s life, and can lead to infection and lameness. 

In August of 1998, the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association reported a study that compared the long and short term complications of tendonectomy versus those of traditional declaw. While cats who received the tendonectomy showed lower pain scores immediately post operatively, both procedures showed an equal frequency of other complications (bleeding, lameness, and infection). The number of days it took for a cat to walk normally again was not different between the declawed cats and the tendonectomy cats. There was no significant difference between the percentage of owners satisfied with declaw versus the percentage of owners satisfied with tendonectomy. 

Because they are unable to extend their claws, cats with tendonectomies will require regular nail trims for the rest of their lives. If the nails go untrimmed, they will continue to grow in a circular fashion, eventually becoming ingrown. Ingrown nails cause severe pain and lead to infection. 

Information direct source: National Cat Groomer's Institute

Making declawing illegal nationwide is the ideal - many states (including New York, New Jersey, Florida, etc.) either have active bills or have passed laws making the practice illegal. Many worldwide countries (such as Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Romania, Serbia, and many more) have either intense restrictions or bans on the practice. 

However, the entire process in the U.S begins state-by-state. Animal rights are often overlooked as a national issue. Declawing is akin to abuse. Cats suffer lifelong issues, as mentioned above, and their behavior often worsens instead of improves.

I hope to raise awareness of the negative effects of declawing to the point that it becomes illegal in at least my home state if not the entire country.

Thank you for reading. Please sign and help change animal welfare for the better.