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| Picture property of www.all-creatures.org. |
Decalwing is a common
practise in North America and one that is unnecessary, painful, and damaging to your cat physically and
emotionally.
Declawing is the
procedure of amputating the first joint of each toe on the cat’s paw; this
includes claw, bones, nerves, joint capsule, collateral ligaments and the extensor/flexor
tendons (Becker, 2011). This is a huge
problem for cats because not only is it painful for the cat, but also because claws
are extremely important for cats. Cats are digitigrades which means they walk
on their toes not the soles of their feet (Becker,
2011). Most mammals use the soles of feet, walking from heel to toe (Becker, 2011). In addition, they use
their claws to engage in natural behaviour that positively stimulated them
mentally.
Decalwing is not
harmless, it is very detrimental to the cat and many countries have banned the procedure.
The link below is a list of those countries.
Cats have claws
for multiple reasons:
-
Marking
territory
-
Stretching
their muscles
-
Balance
-
Protection
against predators
-
Nail
trimming
-
Exercise
-
Hunting
Declawing cats
is an inhumane procedure that leads to a whole host of problems physically and
in the cat’s personality.
Physical
Consequences that can be caused by declawing:
-
Chronic
small bone arthritis (Becker, 2011)
-
Lameness (Declawing Cats: Far Worse Than a Manicure, 2014)
-
Back
pain (Declawing Cats: Far Worse Than a Manicure,
2014)
-
Tissue
necrosis (Declawing Cats: Far Worse Than a
Manicure, 2014)
-
Degenerative
joint disease (Becker, 2011): imagine walking on in high heels without ever being
able to take them off. The pressure on the middle phalanx is not designed to
solely support the weight of the cat when walking or running.
-
Neuralgia (Becker, 2011)
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| Picture property of www.all-creatures.org. |
Emotional Consequences
that can be caused by declawing:
-
Aggression
-
Feelings
of stress and anxiety
-
Biting
behaviour cause by the insecurity of lacking their primary form of defence
-
Urinating
outside of the litter box to mark their territory on things they can no longer scratch; this behaviour is serious and difficult to break once
it becomes habitual for the cat. Cat urine is extremely potent and nearly
impossible to remove completely from furniture and floors.
Alternatives to
Declawing:
-
Start
training the kitten at a young age where they are allowed and not allowed to scratch.
In addition, train them at a young age to accept their nails being trimmed. Always use positive reinforcement when
doing this!
-
Different
materials and types of posts or pads can make a difference. Find a cat
scratcher that appeals to your cat and place multiple in different areas of the
house. The more scratching posts, the more likely they with not seek out your furniture.
(My cat ignores tall scratching posts; he loves and engages frequently in the
flat, cardboard, scratching posts.) *Some cats
may lose
interest in old, tattered, scratching posts; replace them when this happens or they will search for other things to scratch.*
-
Cut
the cat’s nail regularly so it does not need to seek something else to trim
them.
-
There are commercially available nail caps for
cats. I’m not familiar with anyone ever using these, nor do I know if they are
effective. If scratching is a problem that is not being solved by any of
the solutions above, it may be a consideration for extreme cases.
Resources:
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/declawing.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YLDQMvskH8
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5YLDQMvskH8
Bibliography:
Declawing Cats: Far Worse Than a
Manicure. (2014, May 12). Retrieved July 24, 2014, from Humane Society:
http://www.humanesociety.org/animals/cats/tips/declawing.html
Becker, K. (2011, November 15). Declawing:
Why You Should Never Subject Your Cat to This Torturous Procedure.
Retrieved July 24, 2014, from Healthy Pets:
http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/11/15/declawing-torture-cats.aspx
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