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I know this topic has been discussed a million times. But new members may be looking to make an informed decision regarding their cats.
I've made my plea for us to educate people about this topic, and not alienate people. So here is my attempt to be educational and not preachy. I found this article and it really struck a chord with me.
I recommend sharing it with those that are considering having their cat declawed. Please do not use it to "guilt trip" those whose cats are already declawed. As I stated once before, what's done is done, and you can't get the claws back.
Declawing is outlawed in at least 27 countries around the world, and 8 cities in the USA (in California).
Also in California, they are about to pass a law prohibiting landlords from requiring people to declaw their cats (or debark their dogs), as part of the rental agreement.
I'm glad to hear about the declaw and debarking legislation with regard to landlords - that is just plain wrong.
Facts swayed me to be against declawing, not visual threats of disfigurement. I don't think gory pictures like those found on the declawing link are necessary to make a point about declawing. There will always be uncaring or inept veterinary surgeons out there. Some have absolutely no business performing any surgery, much less an Onychectomy - bad surgeries result in horrific disfigurement and pain. That is the same for any surgery, be it animal or human. I liken that to showing gynecological surgery photos performed by Jack the Ripper to some poor woman who is getting her tubes tied, or John Wayne Bobbit surgery photos to an adult getting prepped for a health related circumcision.
Nevertheless, I appreciate your truly passion about cat welfare.
Facts swayed me to be against declawing, not visual threats of disfigurement. I don't think gory pictures like those found on the declawing link are necessary to make a point about declawing. There will always be uncaring or inept veterinary surgeons out there.
Excuse me but I worked in several Animal Hospitals and the best of surgeons have declawed cats and the cats had complications. Sometimes major ones. Don't be so quick to blame the veterinarian doing the surgery. This is a surgery that in and of itself invites complications. It's a crippling type of "injury" to the cats paws, paws that are needed to walk on among other things. It deforms the paws as the tendons contract and it is well known to cause endless lifelong pain for many cats no matter how good the surgeon. Many cats are never the same afterward. They suffer personality changes the owners aren't happy about. This is a surgery that is of no benefit to the cat and should be outlawed in the USA as it has been in so many other countries. I saw no gory pictures. In fact I wish you could actually see what can and sometimes does happen to declawed paws. The blood and puss and odor of decay and toes needing amputation.....
I didn't find the visuals too graphic or gory but it's not the first time I've seen declawing information so maybe it's not a shock to me anymore. I'm against declawing and think information like this is important for people who are considering doing this to their cats.
Unfortunately the full text is not available in most cases, but there are two very common themes. The first is that pain control is very often inadequate (or nonexistent and the amount of pain caused by declawing is often under-appreciated. It is notoriously difficult to tell when a cat is in pain- they are much better at hiding it then dogs. Pain control in the veterinary world is still really in its infancy and as a result the pain control given varies widely between practices and even within a practice between doctors. If a vet bases the need for pain control merely on observation of the animal, they are likely to undertreat. Poor pain management is associated with more complications, including ongoing pain months or years after the surgery. Even when pain control is given, it is rarely given past the first three days following the operation. Studies indicate pain management should likely be extended much longer (imagine only treating a person for three days after they lost all of their toes.)
The other factor is that the rate of complications seems to vary very widely between studies, most likely due to variations in technique and skill of the operating surgeon. Some studies report very low complication rates, while some report as high as 50%. Perhaps moreso than other operations, the outcome of declawing is very tied to the skill of the individual. It isn't easy to screw up a routine spay or neuter...the techniques involved are very straightforward. With declawing, the smallest flaw in technique can make a huge difference in the outcome.
Some other interesting things...
Several studies in various areas suggested about half of owned cats were declawed. The majority are declawed before one year of age and of those, most were declawed at the same time as spay/neuter. This was often the result of a 'package deal' being offered by the vet. While vets estimated that anywhere between 10-70% would give up their cats if they could not declaw them, only 4% of surveyed owners agreed with this.
It appears that vets may be severely overestimating the risk of owner relinquishment and may perhaps even be advocating for the surgery with this thought in mind. There are conflicting studies, but declawed cats are either given up in equal number to shelters or in greater number. They have a higher rate of urination related problems (again, some conflicting studies), though there is little support for a higher rate of aggression. So declawing does not protect cats from relinquishment and may even contribute to it.
Another thing I found interesting is that declawed cats are often still allowed outdoors.
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