Explaining Declawing to Potential Pet Owners

Jo Singer

Many people believe that feline declawing is a simple procedure performed to prevent property damage and accidental injuries. Unfortunately, there are veterinarians still recommending that cat owners have their kitties declawed when they are spayed or neutered; often at a considerably reduced cost.

Most cat breeders include an agreement in their sales contract forbidding the potential pet buyer to declaw their kitten or cat.  While breeders fully understand the reasons why cats should not be declawed, some breeders may have clients who were already planning to declaw the kitten/cat since they already are living with declawed cats.  As a result, some potential buyers may be reluctant to sign the contract because they don’t realize what this surgery entails or the risks involved following the procedure.

To help assuage any concerns that potential buyers may have with this requirement, and to help them better understand why the no-declawing clause is included in the contract, we reached out to veterinarian Dr. Kirsten Doub to get some helpful suggestions and useful talking points about declawing, which you can discuss with your potential buyers.

We first asked Dr. Doub to explain exactly what declawing surgery entails and the risks involved.  She said that many people think that declawing is just a simple procedure in which the claws are removed.

In reality, declawing is a surgical procedure in which the cat’s toes are amputated at the last joint. Most people aren’t aware that during the surgery it’s not only the nail that’s removed, as a portion of the bone is also removed.

Since cats normally walk with their toes bearing their body weight and their steps cushioned by their paw pads, losing that bone makes it impossible for them to ambulate correctly.  Declawed cats attempt to compensate for the excruciating pain in their sore paws by trying to shift their weight farther back on their feet which effectively results in the cat walking on its wrists. The stresses that result from this abnormal movement and posture may cause arthritis in the legs, which will impair the cat, causing even greater suffering.

Although declawed cats may experience complications immediately following the procedure, the long-term damaging effects of declawing, such as arthritis, permanent lameness and other serious side-effects may not appear for many months – or even years.

We asked Dr. Doub why most people want to own a cat.  Her opinion is that people want kitties as companions and unconditional friends … Cats which are affectionate, even-tempered snuggle buddies.

“Personally, I think cats are amazing in that they are super agile, highly intelligent creatures and that is what fascinates me about them. They can land from high places and seem to be able to get into all kinds of adventurous mischief, especially with their claws. But when a cat is declawed it turns this amazing agile creature into an “agro stuffed animal.”

She is also greatly concerned about the welfare of declawed cats.  She said, “Declawed cats are less likely to snuggle or to be ok  with the ever changing environment of a house with bizarre noises, and strangers. Feline declawing often erodes the growing bonds and trust that develop with their guardians.  Declawed cats may develop Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and can react to any new stressor with teeth blazing or withdraw into themselves and won’t be the congenial “dog trapped in a cat body” that most of us enjoy.

Since most breeders include a contract clause that requires the kitten or cat to be kept indoors and not allowed to freely roam outdoors unsupervised, we asked Dr. Doub how this clause might affect the cat which will be kept strictly indoors.

Dr. Doub said, “In my opinion if people are willing to spend considerable money to get a pedigreed cat, they likely will want to keep it indoors and away from outdoor predators who may be waiting to eat, bully, or seriously injure the cat.

“Declawing causes cats to be more prone to litterbox aversion, a condition that is caused because their paws are hurting.  What too often happens if you have the cat declawed is that the beloved, expensive cat who you wanted to keep indoors may end up at some point being cast outside where the choice of where to pee won’t matter. But having been declawed this makes the cat more susceptible to predators and injury. It simply becomes a vicious cycle.”

Dr. Doub continued, saying, “Today the most progressive cat owners do not declaw.  This is truly an antiquated, unnecessary practice, especially with all the wonderful alternatives available, such as Soft Paws, scratching posts and nail trimming.  Breeders are working hard to get the best specimens of pedigreed cats possible and those cats are born with claws, and those claws are part of what the breeder is selling. These cats come ‘as is’ and should be not be modified to meet the new owner’s needs.”

Dr. Doub discussed another critical reason for cats not to be declawed.  She said, “Declawed cats can be much more difficult to handle when visiting the veterinarian. One of the things I have noticed at my clinic is that ALL our aggressive cats are declawed, but not all of our declawed cats are aggressive. As much as I don’t want to slight aggressive cats, if the truth be known, an aggressive cat may get less care at a vet than a non-aggressive one. When we are working with an aggressive cat we have to sedate them to do anything, and people don’t want to bring them in due to the cost/stress of sedation every time they come to the clinic. Additionally  quick rechecks are virtually impossible.

“As a result, some declawed cats are getting less vet care and not coming in for those important every six-month visits which are so critical for good preventative care.  It seems to me that proud/good breeders want their cats to go to good homes where they stay healthy.

“Most declawed cats often seem to have only gone to the vet for the declaw and then never again until they get a life-threatening illness during senior years. What about those important vaccines, dentals, and wellness exams?   Their ‘meanness’ seems to keep them away from proper health care.  I think some of these cats are just easily stressed, not mean. But unfortunately we don’t oftentimes get a chance to find out if they aren’t up to date on rabies vaccines, (which are required by law). But that is another side issue and a vicious cycle.”

Talk to your potential buyers about all the available alternatives to declawing. This may help alleviate many of their concerns about living with a cat with claws.  These alternatives include Soft Paws, scratching posts, cat trees and also showing them how to trim their cat’s claws.

These simple tips can truly help a potential buyer be more willing to sign the contract since they will be armed with critical information about declawing and less anxious about damage to their furniture or property.

 

Update: The good news is that as of July 1, 2024, three states (New York, Maryland, and Virginia) have banned declawing of cats. In addition, several major cities in the United States have enacted similar laws, with more states and cities sure to follow.

 

Dr. Doub received her Doctorate of Veterinary Medicine in 2009 from Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine. In fact, this school of veterinary medicine doesn’t teach their students feline declawing.
She is the Director of Paw Project Utah and is deeply involved in an extensive research project targeted at proving that cats which have been declawed are greatly at risk of suffering permanent, intractable pain resulting from this procedure.

 

This article originally appeared in Cat Talk Magazine