Cat Declawing Research Paper

Cats are delightful pets that provide an endless amount of love and affection to their human companions. In contrast, most owners find the claws of their cat to be problematic and in some cases, highly dangerous. Onychectomy, or declawing, is a surgical procedure that removes each one of a cat’s claws, typically for reasons that are suitable for their guardians. Cat owners usually decide to declaw their pets in order to protect the people around them, household objects, and supposedly for the wellbeing of the cat. Declawing procedures started to take place in North America during the late 1950’s, and more common to the rest of the world in the 1970’s. Approximately 31% of cat owners in the united states declaw their pets every year. Although …show more content…
In an article written by Jean Hofve, doctor of Veterinary Medicine, expresses that, “It is impossible to know how much chronic pain and suffering declawing causes, because cats are unable to express these in human terms” (Hofve). Although cats cannot verbally express their pained emotions in human terms, we can however, envision what it must be like, in reference to our own bodies. Relatively speaking, having a human finger removed would be as equally painful as the removal of a cat’s claws. While human can express the pain they endure verbally, felines will justify their moods through body language and physical emotions. Unlike other mammals, cats are digitigrades; which means that they walk on their toes. When a cat is declawed, they tend to walk on their paws very lightly, as if they were stepping on broken glass. According to “Why Cats Need Claws”, the article explains that “When the end of the paw is amputated (removed), as it is during a declawing operation, the cat has to modify her stance accordingly. Being forced to walk unnaturally can put a strain on the paws and cause long-term pain” (Loewenthal). Similar to the previous commentary, a different article claims that declawing, “is a painful surgery, with a painful recovery period” (Schelling). The removal of a cat's claws will consequently cause a lifetime of pain and suffering which can then correspondingly lead to infections …show more content…
Cats often lash in several ways since their bodies and lifestyles are now fluctuating. One of the issues they can develop following their procedure is aggression. Without its claws, a cat can become very irritated which can also lead to the destruction. They often take out their aggression on house hold object, as well as people. While some cats become aggressive, others can become scared and withdrawn. Due to the fact that a cat cannot carry out its rage with their claws, they will then use their teeth as their alternate defense meconium. Biting is another behavioral issue a cat can develop after surgery. When a cat becomes irritated, unable to receive the attention they entail, or scared, they will begin to bite. When people have their cats declawed for the reason that they want to protect their children, the owners are the ones who are often bit. Finally, another act of disobedience that pet owners will recognize is litter box aversion. Due to the fact that their paws are tremendously sensitive after surgery, attempting to bare their weight while soiling inside their litterbox becomes extremely difficult and almost impossible. In addition to their sensitive paws, cats can become depressed and inactive which leads to weight gain, that also hurts their paws as well. When they cannot make it into the litter box, cats will use household objects