Declawing Your Cat Isn't As Humane As You Think
January 30th 2009 03:21
To make it as simple as possible, cats walk on their toes versus their paws like most mammals. Their entire body is built and designed to distribute the cat's weight across its toes as it walks, runs, and climbs. The claws are used for balance, exercise, and stretching, so when you remove the claws, you are altering the confirmation of the cat's feet, causing them to meet the ground at unnatural angles, which in turn causes back pain.
That said, many people opt to declaw their new cat so that they can protect their furniture or whatever else they thing they're doing. And, I'll admit, when my parents got me a cat many years ago, she was declawed. I didn't know any better, and will never do that again...
Essentially, when you have your cat's claws removed, you are not only amputating the cat's claws but part phalanx all the way up to the joint of the toe. Basically, when a cat undergoes claw amputation, bones, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and the joint capsule are all removed.
The entire process is very painful for the cat in terms of healing.
And, because cats use their claws, vets tend on ONLY declaw the front two feet. As, I remember being explained to me a few years back by a lady I was volunteering with, in case the cat gets out of the house, it needs some method of defense, so the back to feet are left with claws, although in reality this doens't help much.
There are many complications with declawing your cat. They can include excruciating pain, damage to nerves, hemorrhage, bone chips preventing healing, painful regrowth of deformed claws inside the paw, chronic back and shoulder pain, and weakened leg and back muscles.
Other complications can include infection, abscesses, and footpad laceration.
If you are worried about getting scratched yourself or your furniture getting ruined, you can always purchase numerous cat scratching posts as well as the cat nail covers.
That said, many people opt to declaw their new cat so that they can protect their furniture or whatever else they thing they're doing. And, I'll admit, when my parents got me a cat many years ago, she was declawed. I didn't know any better, and will never do that again...
Essentially, when you have your cat's claws removed, you are not only amputating the cat's claws but part phalanx all the way up to the joint of the toe. Basically, when a cat undergoes claw amputation, bones, ligaments, tendons, nerves, and the joint capsule are all removed.
The entire process is very painful for the cat in terms of healing.
And, because cats use their claws, vets tend on ONLY declaw the front two feet. As, I remember being explained to me a few years back by a lady I was volunteering with, in case the cat gets out of the house, it needs some method of defense, so the back to feet are left with claws, although in reality this doens't help much.
There are many complications with declawing your cat. They can include excruciating pain, damage to nerves, hemorrhage, bone chips preventing healing, painful regrowth of deformed claws inside the paw, chronic back and shoulder pain, and weakened leg and back muscles.
Other complications can include infection, abscesses, and footpad laceration.
If you are worried about getting scratched yourself or your furniture getting ruined, you can always purchase numerous cat scratching posts as well as the cat nail covers.
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Comment by James Rickard
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Check this out...
Comment by Queenie
Quirky Folk
Quirky Queenie
Comment by Anonymous
She's currently living a happy life and still stalks little toy mouses and bottle caps. Does she need to have claws to bat them around? No.
Comment by Whitney
Gaming for Life
The Female View
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Tech Stripe
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Queenie, it was their first cat, as well as mine. They didn't know any better and neither did I at the time. I know if I ever get another cat, I will not declaw it.
Anonymous, you are correct in that the cat doesn't necessarily need claws to bat and play, but there are longer conditions that can be caused by declawing a cat.