Facts About Declawing Your Cat

Yes, there is a lot of debate about whether you should or shouldn't declaw your cat. But what are the medical facts behind this act?

How Is A Cat Declawed?

According to an article on pets.webmd.com there are different ways in which the act of declawing can be done. Yet, all of these techniques involve one fundamental act: the act of removing the bone that the claw grows. If you don't remove this bone the claw will just grow back, again.

Normally, the article stated that an instrument is used to slice the joint between the bone and an adjoining bone (which is bigger). A straight line is made. This slice will also cut the pad underneath, which is like cutting the tip off of one's finger.

However, there is a cosmetic declawing that does not affect the padding. It is done with a curved blade. In this procedure, the claw and a tiny piece of the bone is removed. This procedure doesn't hurt the cat's soft tissue or her padding. Therefore, she can walk again comfortably, quicker. Yet, this is a time consuming procedure and most vets do not like doing it.

Yes, the cat will suffer pain from each procedure. The cat can also suffer complications.

Normally, there are no health reasons to remove a cat's claws. The only reason to do so is if the cat is suffering from a tumor or if the cat's claw is damaged beyond repair.

If you were thinking about removing your cat's claws for the sake of your furniture, please know that there are other options if training is not working. Currently, there are products on the market such as softclaws, which are covers that can be glued to your cat's nails to keep him from scratching himself and your furniture.

Sources:

pets.webmd.com