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The Friends For the Dearborn Animal Shelter encourages pet owners to seek alternatives to the declawing of cats. If you are thinking about having your pet declawed, please take a moment to consider the following information.
The Surgery
The surgical procedure is done under general anesthesia. The standard declawing procedure calls for the removal of the claw, the cells at the base responsible for the growth, and part or the entire terminal bone of the toe. It is actually an amputation comparable to the removal of the fingers of the human hand at the last knuckle. The skin edges are sutured together and a bandage is placed on the feet for 24 hours. The cat experiences considerable pain in the recovery and healing process.
A forefoot declaw does render the cat less able to protect itself, and the owner must keep the cat in a safe environment. Declawing all four feet is strongly discouraged as the rear feet seldom cause damage to people or furniture and do provide some degree of protection. Combining the declawing procedure with neutering reduces anesthetic exposure, cost and recovery time. Younger cats show more rapid return to normal mobility than older cats. If it is done, every attempt should be made to perform the declaw prior to one year of age.
Recovery
Pain medication should be administered during and after the procedure, regardless of whether the cat outwardly demonstrates pain. A cat's instinctual M.O. is to hide pain--demonstration of vulnerability is taboo in the wild kingdom. A cat can be in considerable discomfort without external signs. Recovery takes 7 to 10 days. This is a critical period to ensure a successful recovery. Shredded newspaper must be substituted for the normal litter and kept clean to prevent infection. The cat should be kept in a restricted area so that it can not jump around and put pressure on the healing paws. This is especially important for older cats. The sutures are absorbable and do not require removal at a later date.
Alternatives
If you are concerned about damage to furniture or other furnishings, two simple alternatives are recommended – making an appropriate scratching post available and/or keeping the nails trimmed. Please refer to our information sheet on both these alternatives for complete instructions.
Sources: Cat Fancy (Abdella, Michael, D.V.M.), Oakland Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals of Alameda County
Reviewed
and Approved by: Dr. Cheryl Good,
Dearborn Family Pet Care
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April 11, 2008
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