What You Need to Know About Declawing Your Cat

Declawing your cat traditionally involves the amputation of the last bone of each toe of the cat, which is equivalent to cutting off a person’s first knuckle. Imagine how painful that must feel. This surgery is not only unnecessary but also a painful and permanently crippling procedure that does not benefit the cat at all.

In recent years, the process of declawing has become more popular as many cat owners believe that the procedure of declawing a cat is a simple and harmless way of getting rid of your cat’s scratching habit that may damage furniture and carpets in homes.  

But that is incorrect. Declawing a cat can lead to many serious long-term effects to your cat, which is why this cruel process is banned in 22 countries including Australia, England, and New Zealand.

Why you should not declaw your cat

What most people may not know, is that scratching is actually a normal behaviour for the cat, it is not intended to destroy your curtains or your couch, but in fact cats need to scratch in order to maintain good physical and emotional health.

Cats scratch in order to stretch their muscles and tendons in their toes, paws, legs, and shoulders, which they often do when they first wake up from a nap, or in the middle of playing when they are happy, and to release energy during times of stress.

Cats also scratch to remove the dead husks from their claws and to mark territory. Scratching leaves a virtual sign to other cats that a specific location belongs to another feline.

Not only does a cat uses its claws for scratching, but it is also their first line of defence. They use their claws to scratch when fighting with other cats or animals and to protect themselves. They also extend their claws as a warning. Without claws, they are far more vulnerable to predators and abusers.

These cats also become more aggressive as they feel so insecure without their claws. More often than not they will resort to their second line of defence which is biting as a means of self-protection.

A cat who has been declawed will also most likely refuse to relieve itself in a litterbox, even if they are house-trained. This is because the cat has wounds on its feet after being declawed. Dr. Ryane E. Englar, assistant professor and clinical education coordinator at Kansas State University in Manhattan, Kansas, states that “When cats use the litter box, they tend to dig, or at least cover up their leavings. If cat litter gets in those wounds, it hurts. So a cat may avoid going in the litter box, thinking their feet may hurt less if they go somewhere else.” The cat is highly likely to associate pain with the litter box so they might avoid it all together.

Risks of declawing your cat

Because declawing your cat is a surgical procedure, there is a high chance of your cat getting an infection after the surgery.

Declawed cats will also have to re-learn how to walk. Our toes are crucial to our balance, well it is the same for cats. Declawing is the same as cutting off their toes. Domestic cats are digitigrade, which means they walk on their toes.

So when you declaw your cat, pain in the toes will alter the way they walk, this can be temporary or permanent following the declawing. This may affect the joints in its legs, resulting in stiffness and pain in not only their legs but they hips and spine as well and may lead to your cat developing arthritis.

Back pain in cats after being declawed can be caused by lameness, or abnormal gait. It happens more commonly to heavier cats as they are not carrying their weight as they should due to their painful feet, just like how we might walk differently if we have a blister on our foot.

Declawing your cat is a very painful procedure and the pain continues even after the surgery. Pain medicine may help, but only a little. Phantom pain, which is pain that feels like it's coming from a body part that's no longer there, can last for weeks or even months.

This excruciating pain your cat has to suffer can simply be avoided if you take look into alternatives to prevent your cat from ruining your furniture. Such as doing a nail trimming. Cats are unable to do serious damage to furniture with blunt nails. Or you can get a scratching post for your cat. Most cats can be easily trained to use a scratching post instead of scratching on your furniture.