Cat Corner

What it Means to Declaw Your Cat

By Gianina Scalise

Throughout most of Europe, declawing a cat is considered unnecessary and cruel. It is an illegal procedure to perform, and those who do are charged with animal cruelty. However, in America, the surgery is very common and is performed regularly at veterinarian offices without fear. What is the discrepancy?

Many cat owners that consider declawing their cat(s) are unaware of what the surgery actually entails. They know that their cat is plucking at the fabric of their very expensive couch or ruining their leather, and to cohabitate more peacefully, declawing is laid out as an option. Those who go ahead with the surgery do not want to harm their cat, either; they love their pet and merely want to make things a bit easier. However innocent this mindset may seem, it is also a very selfish one.

To understand why, the surgery itself as well as the possible complications need to be laid out.

First and foremost, many owners think of a cat's claws in the same way they think of their toe nails. However, this is not the case. A cat's claw is not adhered to the skin, like our nails, but instead is adhered directly to the bone of the toe. To remove the claw, the last joint of each toe is sawed off.

It is, very bluntly, an amputation.

The surgery itself is painful, and the recovery period is difficult. Most cats cannot remain sedentary. They are active animals, and it is in their nature to run, jump, claw, and climb. Unlike a human who undergoes surgery on their feet, a cat is not given the luxury of a wheelchair or bed-rest. They must still stand to eat; they must dig in their litter box; and they must jump up to their favorite perch.

And like most animals, cats can be deceptive. While they may be in pain, they will try not to show it because in the wild, showing pain is akin to showing weakness. Cats may be domesticated, but their instincts are still intact. Veterinarian Christianne Schelling points this out on her website dedicated to educating the public about declawing: "No cat lover would doubt that cats--whose senses are much keener than ours--suffer pain. They may, however, hide it better. Not only are they proud, they instinctively know that they are at risk when in a weakened position, and by nature will attempt to hide it. But make no mistake. This is not a surgery to be taken lightly."

Dr. Schelling also notes that a cat's physiology is sacrificed: "Your cat's body is perfectly designed to give it the grace, agility and beauty that is unique to felines. Its claws are an important part of this design. Amputating the important part of their anatomy that contains the claws drastically alters the conformation of their feet." A cat's grace and agility are not the only characteristics that are compromised by declawing, though. By taking away their means of defense, cats are left unable to defend themselves from predators if the need ever arises. For this reason, you should never consider declawing if your cat is an indoor-outdoor cat.

What can you do instead of declawing? There are a few options, and though they take a little more time and upkeep, they are much humane and safer for your cat:

• Offer several scratching posts to keep their attention 
• Trim your cat's nails weekly
• Use nail caps! Nail caps are made of vinyl and adhere to the nails with feline-safe glue. They last for about a month and come in different colors
• If your cat begins to kneed or scratch at the furniture, a stern "no" along with a mist of water from a squirt bottle should dissuade him or her

If you are still considering declawing after doing your research, be sure to discuss the procedure in depth with your veterinarian. It is an expensive, radical surgery, and the decision should not be made on a whim without proper consideration. However, keep in mind that there are other, more humane options and that your cat deserves the best.