Essay On Declawing

Should people declaw their cats? Scratching is a normal behavior in cats. Cats scratch to attack, defend,mark their territory, remove aged cuticle, and stretches the muscles. (McKeown, et al., 1988, Leaders, 2009) When the scratching becomes a problem some owners chose to declaw their cats. Declawing, or onychectomy,is the surgical amputation of the cat’s third phalanges, toe bones, and the claws. (Leaders, 2009) Declawing is performed by using a sterilized nail trimmers, scalpel blades, or surgical lasers. (Leaders, 2009) Declawing should not be allowed, it has major welfare concerns and it hurts the cat more than it helps them. The majority of the reasons declaw is more for the owner’s benefit then for the cat’s benefits. There are alternatives to declawing that do not harm the cat such as behavior modification or trimming the cat’s nails. The reasons why some owners consider declawing their cat is to protect their furniture from …show more content…
We can see signs of pain on declawed cat by seeing the they are reluctant to bear weight on their paws and do not want to move. There are also signs of chronic pain that can last for about forty-two days after the declawing procedure. Surgical complications can occur as well such as hemorrhage, which is when a cat, typically older cats, bleeds too much and cannot stop the flow of blood. Along with claw regrowth, wound dehiscence, paralysis, distal limb ischemia, wound infections, and other complications. Declawing can also impair behavior. (Leaders) Declawed cats will not be able to defend themselves, climb trees, or are at risk of any outdoor situation.(McKeown, et al., 1988, Morgan,1989) They will also have weaker muscles because declawing eliminates the normal isometric resistances that is associated with the claws pullion against the surface.