Op-Ed: AP-Petside Poll on Declawing is Alarming

It would be a huge understatement to say I was greatly dismayed with the results of the recent AP-Petside.com poll, asking American Pet owners if they thought declawing cats was an acceptable practice. According to the poll results 59% of pet owners, which included 55% of cat owners thought that it was fine! What I find difficult to understand is why folks who claim to truly love their cats continue to believe that the surgery is simple procedure, posing minimal risk to the well being of their cats. However, in reality, front claw declawing is the amputation of each toe bone at the first joint (Rear paw declawing is not commonly performed). The surgery is far from benign and requires intensive pain control medication. Worse yet, some practitioners do not provide adequate pain control, which results in cats being in horrendous post-surgery pain that can last for extensive periods of time. Chances are, folks that make the decision to have their cats declawed to prevent damage to furniture, carpets or an accidental scratch or two, have the surgery performed due to the lack of sufficient information about what the procedure really entails. This information should be provided by their veterinarian but isn't always, rendering the owner unable to make an informed consent. It is indeed very sad for the people who often regret their decision to have their cat declawed when behavioral and physical problems develop following the surgery. Potential complications from declawing include: Infections, lameness, regrowth of claws requiring further surgery, joint stiffness and arthritis. As a result of the surgery, some cats may even resort to biting as a first line of defense, using their teeth since they have been deprived of their claws. Additionally, several myths still continue to abound about how declawing cats helps prevent them from being surrendered to shelters, when in fact, according to studies, 15% of cats that are declawed will develop litter box avoidance behavior which is one of the leading reasons that people surrender cats to shelters. Another perpetuated myth is cats make better pets once they are declawed. Even though the American Veterinary Medical Association recommends that declawing cats should be a last resort measure, and many expert feline behaviorists suggest that declawing should not be considered a routine procedure, many practitioners continue to offer package deals when combined with neutering and spaying. Young Kittens are not given an opportunity to learn to use scratching posts. Owners are not trained to clip nails or to have soft paws applied to the claws as an alternative. It is indeed strange that in over 37 countries around the world and in several California cities where the surgery is banned, people seem to be able to live happily with cats that have their claws. I bet if the poll was directed to those folks, the results would have been startlingly different. What do you think? Leave a comment and share your views. Image Source: Flickr user minkuni