Declawing Cats: It Should Be Illegal
In 2015 New York lawmakers considered a bill to ban the practice of declawing cats. The proposed legislation caused many debates amongst veterinarians, animal behaviorists, and pet owners as to whether or not it should be illegal. Onychectomy or declawing is a procedure where the toe bones and attached claws of a cat are amputated through a surgical operation. Advocates of declawing cats argue that it is a necessary procedure to provide cats a better chance at being adopted and retained in their new homes. The surgery is practiced in order to stop scratching behavior like destroying furniture. However, a majority of those adopted cats that go through this procedure end up being readmitted to the shelters due to other behavioral problems that arise after surgery. These issues arise as a result of a combination of long-term and short-term pain that occurs once they are declawed. It is not necessary to resort to onychectomy as there are other solutions that cat owners or future cat owners can use instead. For these reasons, cat declawing should be illegal as this cruel practice does not benefit cats. …show more content…
These complications included permanent lameness, infection, pain, hemorrhage, claw regrowth, and paralysis. Symptoms may not manifest until months or years after they have undergone surgery. Additionally, felines are more likely to hide pain and its symptoms are not easily recognized by those who are not familiar with cat behavior (“Pain Recognition and Management in Cats”). Unfortunately, the side-effects of onychectomy do not stop at physical
In 2015 New York lawmakers considered a bill to ban the practice of declawing cats. The proposed legislation caused many debates amongst veterinarians, animal behaviorists, and pet owners as to whether or not it should be illegal. Onychectomy or declawing is a procedure where the toe bones and attached claws of a cat are amputated through a surgical operation. Advocates of declawing cats argue that it is a necessary procedure to provide cats a better chance at being adopted and retained in their new homes. The surgery is practiced in order to stop scratching behavior like destroying furniture. However, a majority of those adopted cats that go through this procedure end up being readmitted to the shelters due to other behavioral problems that arise after surgery. These issues arise as a result of a combination of long-term and short-term pain that occurs once they are declawed. It is not necessary to resort to onychectomy as there are other solutions that cat owners or future cat owners can use instead. For these reasons, cat declawing should be illegal as this cruel practice does not benefit cats. …show more content…
These complications included permanent lameness, infection, pain, hemorrhage, claw regrowth, and paralysis. Symptoms may not manifest until months or years after they have undergone surgery. Additionally, felines are more likely to hide pain and its symptoms are not easily recognized by those who are not familiar with cat behavior (“Pain Recognition and Management in Cats”). Unfortunately, the side-effects of onychectomy do not stop at physical