Declawing a cat

Your cat uses her claws for just about everything she does. When she plays, her claws grip the top while she punches it with her hind feet. Her claws provide proper balance and secure footing when she climbs and are her main means of defense should she be attacked.

Your cat also uses her claws for scratching. This allows her to mark her territory. It also exercises her muscles. You've also probably seen her kneading her paws in contentment – this harkens back to her kitten days, when such action stimulated the flow of milk when
she was nursing.

Declawing a cat can be painful and expensive

If these tiny tools are so important to a cat, why do some owners have their animal companion's claws removed? Declawing is expensive, painful surgery. And because their first line of defense has been taken away, declawed cats may resort to biting more often than their intact counterparts.

Potential complications resulting from declawing a cat

Many humane associations and veterinarians are against the surgery of declawing. This surgery, while done under general anesthesia, leaves the cat with considerable pain for several weeks and is not without complications. For example, bone spur re-growth often occurs at the surgery site causing permanent draining wounds and infections requiring further surgery.

Another problem that may develop is smaller, less functional toes that leave cats unable to run and play as well as before. Less commonly, neuromas can form which cause limping or lameness, or even death from routine anesthesia. For these reasons surgery is often much less desirable than the more humane and safer options available such as nail capping and behavioral modification.

Alternatives to declawing a cat

Nail caps can be purchased at many veterinary clinics, groomers and pet shops or online. The owner simply applies a small vinyl cap over the claws at home. These caps are held in place with a drop of nontoxic adhesive and lasts 4 to 6 weeks. The owner reapplies these claw-shaped soft caps as they come off.

Cats wearing nail caps can still extend and retract their claws, and still enjoy all the benefits of having their nails for jumping and playing but are limited from scratching furniture or people. Many kittens will wear nail caps when young and then not need them when they have outgrown some of their more frisky behaviors, which is much better than a permanent surgery that could leave your cat with lifelong consequences. Futhermore, nail caps can be discontinued at anytime if your cat begins to spend more time outside, while declawed cats are left defenseless outside.