The Dangers of Declawing

Cats have sharp nails, and most cat owners find them a hazard to furniture, skin, and much more. But is declawing cats really the solution?

What is Declawing?

Many people think that declawing just removes the cat's claws. This is wrong. Declawing is a surgery where a cat's toe bones and claws are completely amputated. More specifically, cutting off the last bone of each toe. On a human, that would be the same as cutting the fingers off at the first knuckle.

Side Effects of Declawing

Not surprisingly, cutting off a cat's toe bones and claws has serious consequences. Declawing causes chronic pain, bone spurs, lameness, necrosis as well as nerve damage. Bone spurs are projected growths of bone, and are caused by the cat's unnatural posture from having their bones and claws removed. Necrosis is sometimes called flesh eating bacteria, which is an infection of the facial and subcutaneous tissues. Not only that, but because of all of the cat's pain while using their claws, they may stop using the litter box, leading to messes all over the house. Many cats will also start up habits of biting people, sort of as a compensation for cutting off their claws.

Claws and their Everyday Use

It's hard for humans to think about how not having claws will affect a cat for the rest of their life. Instead, it might be easier to contemplate how life would be without the tips of our fingers. We use our fingers for everything, from scrolling through this blog post, to playing the piano or simply picking up a pencil. If we stop and think about how much the loss of our fingertips would affect us, we can apply that to cats and realize how harmful it is for them. Just as humans use our toes for balance, cats claws are no different. Declawed cats have to completely relearn how to walk after the surgery, just as a human would after losing toes. Also, clawing is a natural and healthy behavior for cats. Just like humans, cats need to exercise and enjoy themselves. Scratching does both of those things for them. Removing their claws removes their way of relieving stress and getting exercise. While many people think that declawed cats are safer, they can actually become more aggressive after this procedure. The lack of claws makes them feel so insecure as well as vulnerable to outside predators. Cats claws are their first line of defense.

Alternatives to Declawing

Instead of declawing, there are so many much more humane options out there. You can still make your cat's claws safer without harming them. One common solution are nail caps. Nail caps are soft and non-toxic covers that do not add discomfort to the nail beds or paws while still covering up the sharp parts. They also still allow the claws to retract and move. One important thing to note while using nail caps is that your cat should not go outside while wearing these, as they won't be able to climb trees or protect themselves. Another solution to declawing is simply trimming their nails. My family uses regular nail clippers to do this as well as a towel to wrap the kitten in to hold them still. Although most cats don't enjoy this, it doesn't hurt them and makes their nails much less sharp. If you're worried about your cat scratching up the furniture, I recommend getting a scratching post that allows them to still enjoy scratching while not destroying furniture.