Many people consider declawing as an immediate solution to a cat’s scratching habits; however, if you were to ask someone what this procedure is all about, they would probably answer that it means removing the cat’s nails, which is far from the truth.
Declawing is a surgical procedure in which the end bones of the cat’s toes get amputated completely, thus leaving the cat completely defenseless against predators or ill-intentioned people. It is a difficult procedure, with total anesthesia required and can be quite a shock for the cat that is subjected to such a procedure, being left to deal with postsurgical pain and post traumatic shock.
Cat owners usually decide on removing 10 distal phalanges (the front paws), but the veterinarian can also decide on operating the rear paws as well.
Although declawing is forbidden in many countries around the world, such as those from Europe, Australia or Brazil, most states in the US accept declawing as an alternative to the scratching issue, not being aware of the serious consequences declawing poses to cats.
Many felines subjected to this surgery have been noticed to develop behavioral issues, such as increased sensitivity and aggressive tendencies towards people and animals, a higher biting frequency as well as psychological problems, apathy and lethargy. One thing is fully understandable, as cats are suddenly left without the only means of defense against predators, which is a big shock to them and which causes them to react in the least expected ways. Many of them have been reported to have litter problems - they soiled various places of the home more often. Some of them also developed cystitis, which is a health problem in direct relation to the stress they undergo as a result of declawing.
After their paws are declawed, cats are afraid of placing weight on their affected feet, so they tend to walk on their wrists. There are also other post-surgical complications that may arise, such as hemorrhage, swelling, paralysis, incomplete healing, chronic pain syndrome and others.
Cats can try to mutilate themselves as a result of declawing, this being one of the many examples of behavioral issues that can develop after the surgery. In fact, although declawing has been considered a solution to the scratching problem, the issues that arise after this procedure often lead to cats being brought into shelters, as a result of them not being able to control when they eliminate or when they bite people that used to be dear to them.
Declawing a cat is like cutting down a human’s fingers at the last knuckle – if only the thought horrifies you, imagine how terrifying it must be for a cat that actually has gone through this procedure!
This said, under no circumstances, apart from medical reasons of saving a cat’s life, should declawing be allowed – it is a cruel and inhumane act towards a companion that loves us dearly and would not imagine in its wildest dream of betraying us by cutting down its hands!
