Cat Declawing Pros And Cons

by Paulina Jenkins

The medical procedure called onychectomy or cat declawing is a very painful and complex operation. It is an operation to remove a cat’s claws by cutting off the first joint of each of its digits. It is similar to cutting your own fingers at the last bone. Cat declawing cannot be reversed and it is a surgical procedure performed usually by a veterinary doctor and the cat anesthetized.

Many cat owners opt to have their cat declawed because of behavioral problems. This is perhaps the most inhuman form of punishment. When a cat is declawed, he or she suffers more than a loss of his or her fingers, the cat also suffers form a loss of balance, and cannot use their claws to defend themselves in a fight, or even to climb a tree to get away from danger.

As a result of cat declawing cats could end up avoiding using the litter boxes and even more spraying. Cats that are declawed will mark their territories with urine instead of their claws. A cat may become deformed in its feet and if there is bone fragments the pain could linger on. The paws become very sensitive and painful when they try to walk on their feet. Such cats may end up with arthritis in their legs and always in pain. A big cat gets more affected than smaller cats by the cat declawing operation.

Many cat owners opt to have their cat declawed because of behavioral problems. They look at cat declawing as a positive solution to the cats’ misbehaviors. These people do not anticipate any harm to their cats or any change to the personalities of their cats. To them cat declawing is affordable and safe procedure. Cats continue to scratch even without their claws and no harm seem to have been done to their pets emotionally or physically.

Cat owners must accept the fact that scratching is a cat’s natural instinct. Cat declawing put a restrain to the cat’s daily activities such as chasing, climbing, scratching, exercising, and marking territory. The most accepted option to cat declawing is a scratching post. A scratching post could provide a scratching surface for your cat and also a place for it to sharpen its claws to keep the nails healthy.

If your cat has a place to do its scratching, it will leave your furniture alone. You can try getting a chunk of log and direct your cat to do its scratching on it. One option is to place scratching posts to spots where it likes to scratch and show your cat where to do its scratching. Another alternative to declawing is to trim the nails of your cat regularly.

New developments have made it possible to lengthen the span between trimming. Vinyl caps can be fitted over your cats claws to keep them blunt and it avoids all the pain the cat would have to go through during a declawing. Other ways to deter your cat from clawing your furniture is to set traps around your home. if you set a trap that sprays a harmless but offensive odor, your cat will learn not to claw the furniture.

Cat declawing is an inhumane, cruel and old fashioned practice. Cat owners must be aware of the physical and psychological effects of declawing to their pets. Scratching is in the gene of a cat and the claws are used for scratching, marking territory and grasping. Cat declawing is purely done to fulfil the selfish purpose of some cat owners. Cats are our valued companions, how can we cause so much pain and sufferings to our best friends?

About the Author:

About the Author: Paulina Jenkins has information on the pros and cons of Cat Declawing. See more about Cat Declawing at Cat Declawing