It's been reported that 25% to 43% of all cats in American homes are declawed.

The reason for this high number is that many veterinarians actively market and recommend the procedure without disclosing the details and long-term effects of the procedure to their clients, thus many people with cats don't understand that declawing is amputating the bones and think they are doing "the right thing" for the beloved feline.

Declawing is illegal in 27 countries, yet in The United States it's only been banned in a handful of cities in California where after 10 years of hard work from animal rights activists, it's being recognized as the inhumane procedure that it is.

Animal organizations, educated veterinarians and cat behaviorists such as Jackson Galaxy, have publicly protested against declawing, calling it inhumane and unnecessary.

Despite popular belief, declawing isn't the equivalent to having a human's fingernails trimmed. Declawing involves the amputation of the last bone of each toe on a cat, and if performed on a human being, it would equate to cutting off each finger at the last knuckle.

This barbaric procedure provides no medical benefit to the cat and to the contrary, has shown to create an entirely different set of behavioral and physical problems on 33% of cats who undergo declaw or tendonectomy surgery at the hands of uneducated veterinarians.

A report in the February-March 2003 issue of The Pet Press, found that 75% of veterinarians agreed to perform declawing without question and without any attempt to establish a medical, behavioral, or any other indication to justify the procedure. Not only is declaw-on-demand the norm, the staff at veterinary clinics commonly encourage clients, whose cats are scheduled for spaying or neutering, to "supersize" the procedure by adding declaw surgery.

*It should be stressed that equating surgical sterilization to surgical declawing is an invalid comparison and a poor rationalization for performing the mutilating procedure of amputating a cat's toes.*

According to the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association (SCVMA), most veterinarians offer declawing and 5% make over $1000/hour performing the procedure. Clients who bring their cats to these veterinarians typically report that neither the nature of the procedure, complications, nor humane alternatives is ever discussed.

Pet owners typically cite protection of their furnishings as being foremost among their reasons for having a cat declawed; however, such owners may not realize that the pain and other complications from the surgery can cause behavioral problems that are even worse than the problems for which the cat's toes were originally amputated.

A cat can still bite a child and may have to resort to doing so since the cat has been robbed of its primary defense: its claws.
A cat whose paws hurt when digging in a litter box may avoid the litter box altogether. If you think scratched furniture is an issue, you won't be too happy when a cat starts biting or not using the litter box.

Most importantly, humane alternatives to declawing exist and are easy to use.

A cat can be trained to use scratching posts to sharpen its claws without damaging furniture. Reward the cat with praise, love and treats for scratching in the right place. Rubbing the surface with catnip, or using a catnip spray, may enhance the attractiveness of the post. For the more adventurous types, there are cat trees in dozens of sizes and colors, with features such as hidey-holes, lounging platforms, hanging toys, and other creative amenities.

Many people do not know that scratching is a deeply ingrained instinct in cats and they should provide a scratching post for them. If there is no appropriate spot, they will be forced to substitute furniture or other objects.
Adequate exercise, especially interactive play sessions, have also shown to help channel the cat's energy and prevent them from scratching furniture.

Another great option is double-sided Sticky tape like Sticky Paws® which can be applied to furniture help deter a cat from scratching that surface. When the cat goes to scratch there, the tape feels funny to their paws and they learn not to use that surface anymore.

Despite their reputation for independence, cats can readily be trained to use a scratching post instead of the sofa, curtains or rugs.

Nail caps called Soft Paws® or Soft Claws® can be used as a last resort in extreme situations, these caps are glued painlessly to a cat's claws to prevent damage due to scratching and are changed every couple of weeks. These items can be purchased at pet supply stores or online.

Regular nail trimming can prevent damage to furniture as well. This can be done professionally at a veterinary to avoid accidentally trimming too deep and getting the quick. You can ask the veterinary for advice on how to do it at home and there are plenty of tutorials on the web.

Furthermore, there is evidence that declawing cats is not helping them stay in their adoptive homes. On the contrary, declawed cats are disproportionately abandoned to shelters and may be euthanized more often because of the behavioral and physical problems that the cat begins to exhibit after being declawed.

An estimated 50–70% of pets in shelters had visited the veterinarian in the year preceding relinquishment. Yet, Dr. Scarlett reports, "Only 25% of veterinarians routinely actively identify and treat behavioral problems." She writes, "Less than a third felt confident of their ability to treat common behavioral problems. Perhaps even more disturbing, only 11.1% of veterinarians felt it was the veterinarian's responsibility, rather than the client's, to initiate discussion about behavioral problems."

Despite all of the marketing hype, new techniques and names for declawing, such as laser declawing or tendonectomy, aren't any better. Some of these techniques were developed in an effort to compensate for the mutilating effects, extreme pain, or health complications known to be associated with the other techniques; however, each of these techniques has complicating factors or adverse health risks associated with them.

Lasers declawing is often marketed by veterinarians who have bought a laser. Laser beams are used to burn through the cat's toe joint instead of using a scalpel or guillotine blade. A study reported in the September 1, 2002 issue of the Journal of the American Veterinary Association by Mison, et al.,reported that lasers offered no benefit over the more conventional methods of declawing, stating "differences in discomfort and complications between groups treated via scalpel versus CO2 laser were not clinically relevant" while complications (bleeding, limping, swelling, infection) were generally worse in the laser onychectomy (declawing) group, compared against blade onychectomy in the first 2 days after surgery. Laser declawing can result in 4th Degree burns (burning of the bone).

Disturbingly, 12 days after the surgery, at the conclusion of the study, declawed cats still showed evidence of pain.

It seems clear that the real solution is to educate veterinarians so they can offer proper education to their clients and acknowledge the behavioral problems that come with declawing.

By banning declaw surgery in The United States, we are sending a clear message to vets and their clients, that this is an outdated and unacceptable procedure that is not justifiable, regardless of financial gain or wrongly perceived convenience.