Decisions to make before you declaw your cat
Obviously, the decision to have your pet declawed should not be taken lightly. There are legitimate reasons why having a pet in the home using his/her claws could be unacceptable. For example, if you have young children, elderly adults, immune-suppressed individuals or individuals with blood clotting disorders in the home, frequent scratches even from “play” cannot be tolerated.
Veterinarians are not naïve to the fact that many clients choose to have their pets declawed primarily to protect their furniture. This is why declawing a cat has become such a controversial issue. Many feel that it is a gruesome and cruel procedure done for the owner’s own convenience. But if having a pet declawed enhances the bond between a cat and his owner allowing that pet to remain indoors with the owner, where he is much safer from different diseases and other hazards outside, then declawing that cat is in that cat’s best interest. I must stress, however, that it is a permanent alteration to your cat’s anatomy and there are certain decisions that need to be made.
Understanding the declawing procedure
Having your pet declawed is not just removal of the claw as the term implies. It is the removal of the last portion of their “finger” from which the claw grows. Imagine removal at the first joint, which includes the end of your finger and its associated fingernail. At Case Veterinary Hospital, we only use Laser technology for the surgery, which allows us to dissect the joint without ever touching it. The Laser also seals nerve endings and blood vessels as it “cuts”, thereby decreasing bleeding and pain. Therefore, the post-operative healing period is shorter and the pet is much more comfortable. Cats are usually up and about the same day and go home the following morning. If complications do arise it is usually because the cat is allowed to lick at the incisions. Excessive licking can open the incisions, causing them to bleed and be susceptible to infection.
What to expect after your cat is declawed
Declawing is a permanent decision. The declawed pet must absolutely, for no reason, ever be allowed outside. Without claws, a cat is rendered defenseless in a fight. The pet is also unable to escape as claws are used to scale fences, climb trees, or otherwise get away from an attack. Allowing a declawed cat to go outside is simply irresponsible. Before deciding to have the surgery done, it is important that you decide that this pet will permanently, for the life of the pet, remain an indoor pet. This includes when you move to a new house, transfer ownership to another person, etc. We must also consider that the declawed cat is defenseless inside against other indoor pets as well.
About the author: Dr. Carla Case-McCorvey, veterinarian and owner of Case Veterinary Hospital, grew up in the business that was first begun by her great-grandfather in 1909. After graduating from the University of Georgia’s College of Veterinary Medicine in 1999, Carla followed both her grandfather and father and now enjoys being the 4th generation (yet first woman) to run the family practice, which is celebrating its 100th Anniversary in Savannah, Georgia.
For more information about Savannah’s full-service small animal hospital, Case Veterinary Hospital, go to www.casevet.com
June 15, 2009 at 7:26 am
Here in the UK where of course declawing is banned, it was never, even before the ban, acceptable to have a cat declawed because of young children or elderly adults in the home.Our children are taught from being small,to handle cats gently and with respect and they are supervised until they do.Our cats are trained to scratching posts from being kittens and it’s very rare an elderly person is scratched.My own late mother had delicate skin due to steroid treatment and had 4 fully clawed cats which never harmed her, although she was scratched by a neighbour’s dog which tore her skin when jumping at her.Many of us here can’t believe that declawing is still acceptable in the USA and that a supposed to be last resort procedure according to the AVMA, is done to many kittens routinely, when it is banned or considered extremely inhumane in 35 other countries.In my career as a Veterinary Nurse there was not one single Veterinary surgeon I worked for, who would do the procedure even before it was banned.
June 21, 2009 at 12:31 am
[...] Veterinarians are not naïve to the fact that many clients choose to have their pets declawed primarily to protect their furniture. This is why declawing a cat has become such a controversial issue. Many feel that it is a gruesome and cruel procedure done for the owner’s own convenience. But if having Read more at http://mysavannah.wordpress.com/2009/06/14/decisions-to-make-before-you-declaw-your-cat-by-dr-carla-... [...]
June 21, 2009 at 3:32 am
[...] Veterinarians are not naïve to the fact that many clients choose to have their pets declawed primarily to protect their furniture. This is why declawing a cat has become such a controversial issue. Many feel that it is a gruesome and cruel procedure done for the owner’s own convenience. But if having Read more at http://mysavannah.wordpress.com/2009/06/14/decisions-to-make-before-you-declaw-your-cat-by-dr-carla-... [...]