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those of the author and do not
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News Online
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Claws are
Better for Paws
By Paige Burns
The domestication of cats began about 12,000 years ago, and today cats
are one of the most popular animals to have as pets. Because cats are
natural predators, they are born with sharp claws that are used to
catch their prey. As domestic pets, cats don’t necessarily need their
claws because they don’t need to catch their food. Without the need for
their claws, cats are often declawed on their front paws in order to
maintain the upkeep of the owner’s possessions or to prevent harm.
These declawing operations however, are harmful to the cats. More and
more people are asking themselves if declawing their cat is really
worth it and the answer is simple: No. The risks associated with
declawing cats outweigh the benefits.
Declawing a cat comes with many serious health risks. According to the
Humane Society, declawing cats often leads to lasting physical
problems. To list a few, cats can often experience infections in the
paw, post-surgery injury, nails growing back, nerve damage and even
life-long pain.
Not only is there the high possibility of these health risks, but
behavioral changes are also a common result of declawing, especially in
adult cats two years or older. Cats can become more aggressive than
they ever were before the surgery. This could be due to the stress and
anxiety caused from surgery, or even because the cat no longer feels
safe without their claws. After the surgery, it is even common among
cats to start viciously biting people, including their owners.
Pain is another factor that may influence the decision of declawing a
cat. After surgery, declawed cats can’t use cat litter because the
litter could get into their wounded paws and cause infections. This can
lead to fear of litter boxes in some cats, which is a problem in itself
if the cat is indoors, whereas this may not be a problem for outdoor
cats who don’t use litter boxes. Also, cats tend to carry most of their
weight on their front paws, so after being declawed, cats will shift
their weight to their back legs. This can lead to their wrists
collapsing which is also very painful.
Because declawing is so painful for cats, some scientists have declared
declawing as animal abuse. In today’s world, some countries, including
France, Germany, England, Ireland, and many others, have even banned
the declawing of cats because the pain and suffering the cats have to
go through is so cruel.
Unlike humans, cats’ nails grow from the tip of their toe bones. To
avoid re-growth of the nail, declawing a cat has to be done by
amputating the tip of the bone in each toe, rather than the root of
each claw. The Humane Society and even some veterinarians have claimed
that this is the equivalent of cutting off a human’s finger at the last
knuckle. Now ask yourself if your cat were your own child, would you
cut off the ends of his or her fingers just to avoid scratching?
Of course, the idea of not having scratch marks all over your furniture
and your body sounds great, but putting your cat through as much pain
as declawing causes is not the answer. There are multiple ways to avoid
cats scratching. Some veterinarians offer nail caps that are easy to
apply and cover the nails of your cats without causing pain or
discomfort. Another way to avoid cat scratches is to get a scratching
post. These posts allow cats to use their claws without damaging your
furniture.
If you have concerns about your cat’s scratching habits after reading
this, contact your local veterinarian and see what they recommend for
alternatives to declawing.
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