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Declaw? NO, NO, NO! |
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Cat’s
claws are not toenails. To remove the
nail the last bone in the toe must be amputated – that includes bones,
ligaments and tendons. For a human
that would be similar to amputating the first joint in the finger. Imagine
trying to do any number of things with no first finger joint? Typing? Ear scratching? __________? Feel free to
fill in the blanks. In reality there
are “10 separate, painful amputations of the distal phalanx at the joint”. It is
painful surgery, painful recovery and kitty still has to walk on those
jointless toes, scratch in a litter box (OUCH!) and somehow learn to deal
with jumping up and down from various surfaces. Declawing
has been known to change a cat’s personality.
They know they are at risk – they are almost defenseless. They are stoic and many say proud so they
work hard to hide the incredible pain but the results surface in many
ways. For example, cats often
associate the pain in their feet with the litter box and refuse to use
it. Their fearfulness often results in
aggression and stress has been known to cause irritable bowel syndrome! Front
claws are a cat’s primary line of defense and those claws are equally
important in scaling walls to escape predators so they should never be
allowed to roam. I knew someone who
assured me her vet told her (???!!!) that a cat faught with its hind claws
and were in no danger being allowed free access to the outdoors. The person continued to espouse that
nonsense even after “losing” 3 declawed cats that were allowed to roam. Cats are
designed to walk on their toes unlike most mammals that walk on the soles or pads of
their feet. Therefore their bodies are
very specifically designed to support and distribute their weight based on
having those toes. Removal of those
toes (declawing) changes the alignment of their bones/joints and can result
in back pain. Another unique thing
about cats’ claws is that they use them to give very important and specific
stretches to their bodies by imbedding the claws and pulling. Without the claws they cannot achieve those
important body moves. They cannot, in
other words, properly stretch their back muscles without pulling against
their claws! Such a
simple solution to cat’s clawing in the house is to teach them appropriate
clawing surfaces and yes – YES! – cats are indeed very definitely
trainable. Sisal is a surface that
cats seem to favor highly. Whatever
one covers with the sisal must be well anchored and varieties of locations as well as
styles of sisal covered scratch surfaces are advised. Sisal covered posts that lead to high
resting places are sure to be favored.
A well anchored ramp style covered in sisal is another version – well
anchored is the key. If it moves or
wobbles around, the cat will not be likely to use it again. The
backside of carpeting is an excellent second choice for cats. Use of the carpet side may encourage your
kitty to consider all carpets scratching surfaces! Besides, kitty claws can get snagged in the
carpet loops on occasion so always use the reverse side. Again – be certain it is well anchored. Many
cats love a natural tree climbing post and will use that surface as
well. Variety and location, location,
location, seem to be easy answers to good kitty manners. (Incidentally,
location, location, location applies to proper use of kitty trays as well!) It also
pays to teach the new kitty to gracefully accept nail clipping – clicker
training works beautifully for such behavior training issues! It is worth it to check out Soft Paws on
the web or call them at 1-800-989-2542.
They offer soft vinyl caps to easily glue to kitty’s paws and they are
good for about 6 weeks. Great to use
during the training program to prevent “accidents”. As with training problems for one’s dog it
is wise to seek suggestions and assistance from a trainer who uses positive
training methods. Cats particularly do
very badly when punishment enters the picture! The
surgery is not without it complications, as though one needs even more reason
to not do such a thing to a cat. Two
recent studies reported that 50% of cats had one or more complications
immediately after surgery and 19.8% developed complications after release. So – in
case I have not made my point it is:
Do not declaw. Join the many,
many European nations in their ban on this painful optional surgery. Thank
you to Christianne Schelling, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine for the
information in this article. Onychectomy (Declawing)
Surgery
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