Cats use their claws for various purposes. The claws are important to cats, as they are an essential part of balancing. If youve ever noticed a cat jumping and latching on to a high object, youve probably noticed that he uses his claws to pull himself up. When climbing trees, cats tend to use their claws to latch onto the bark and climb towards their destination. Cats also use their claws for stretching, walking, and running as well. The claws are also a cats primary source of defense against other animals and humans as well. Most cats keep their claws extremely sharp, as their claws and teeth are basically their only weapons. The claws are also essential for using the bathroom as well, as cats use them to cover up their mess with dirt.

Cats also use their claws to scratch things, which mark their territory. Their claws have glands, which contain a secretion. When they leave their mark on something, the secretion is transferred to the area they scratched. This is detectable to other cats although not to humans. Sometimes, they will also scratch something to remove the older claw which will fall off and give them a brand new claw that resides underneath. As sad as it is, a lot of pet owners choose to put their own possessions above their cat, such as their expensive furniture or carpets. These cat owners are afraid that they cat will ruin their furniture or carpet, and therefore will choose to get their cat de-clawed. Getting a cats claws removed is a surgical procedure, one that can only be performed by a veterinarian. The owner will need a good reason though, as a vet wont do the surgery just to keep ones furniture or carpet protected. If youve been thinking of getting your cat de-clawed, you should know that the process can totally change his personality. Once the cat is de-clawed, he will be in pain and confused.

He may not be able to jump in the window or on the couch, and he may not be able to play like he once did. Some cats, after being de-clawed, tend to get aggressive and bite with their teeth. To make a long story short, the cat will be completely miserable which is a tough thing to bear for those who love their cats. Those who decide to own cats should know that a cat can scratch on occasion. If someone is not prepared to deal with that fact, they shouldnt own a cat in the first place. Cats are great pets, although they do have claws and they will use them on occasion. There are plenty of other great pets out there, if you arent up for handling a cat. If youre just worried about your furniture or carpet, there are ways that you can keep your cat from scratching on your belongings.

The first thing to do is to get your cat a scratching post and let him know where it is and how to use it. You can also get a rush mat as well, which will help your cat with his instincts to scratch. You may have to demonstrate how to use the mat or the post at first, although your cat should catch onto it quick. Once you have shown him the ropes, he will scratch on the post or the mat and not your furniture or your carpet. Although many dont realize it, there are other ways to protect your things other than getting your cat de-clawed. Getting a cats claws removed is very painful and confusing to the cat, and may totally change his outlook on things. Before you decide to take the inhumane path of getting your cat de-clawed, you should look into your other available options- your cat will like these options much better.

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File:Declawedcat.jpg|thumb|Close-up of a declawed paw.]] Onychectomy popularly known as declawing is an operation to surgically remove an animals claws by means of the amputation of all or part of the distal phalanges or end bones, of the animals toes. Because the claw develops from germinal tissue within the third phalanx, amputation of the bone is necessary to remove the claw. The terms "onychectomy" (origin: Greek ὄνυξ onycho nail + ἐκτομή ektome excision) and "declawing" imply mere claw removal, but a more appropriate description would be phalangectomy,http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/phalangectomy excision of toe bone. Although common in North America,lt;/ref> and some Asian countries such as Korea and China,Elective surgery declawing is considered an act of animal cruelty in many countries (see "Declawing practices" below).

Medically indicated onychectomy

The amputation of the distal phalanx is indicated in case of chronic inflammatory processes, tumours, persistent and severe infections and gangrene that are limited to the distal phalanx. The procedure is usually limited to the affected claw, leaving the healthy claws (if any) intact.

Elective onychectomy

In North America, declawing is commonly performed on housecats to prevent damage to household possessions by scratching and to prevent scratching of people. To achieve this result, all distal phalanges of the front paws, and sometimes the rear paws, are amputated. Although no precise figures are available, peer-reviewed veterinary journal articles estimate that approximately 25% of domestic cats in North America have been declawed. Some privately owned apartment buildings in the U.S. ban cats unless they have been declawed. This is not the case in publicly subsidized housing, however, because in 2007 the U.S. Congress enacted legislation that forbids public housing authorities from having such rules.http://hsus.typepad.com/wayne/2007/07/declawing.html Congress Takes Swipe at Pet Declawing] Some North American veterinarians hold the position that people with compromised immune systems, due to conditions such as AIDS should have their cats declawed to prevent Cat-scratch fever http://www.askthecatdoctor.com/declawingcats.html Declawing Cats]

Methods

Despite the prevalence of elective onychectomy in North America, no standard practices exist regarding the surgical techniques or surgical tools used, the administration of post-operative analgesics or other follow-up care, or the optimal age or other attributes of cats undergoing the procedure.

Recovery, health and behavioral effects

File Onychectomy inflammation.jpg In a survey of 276 cat owners, 34% reported post-surgical discomfort in their cats while 78% reported primarily tenderness.Landsberg GM. Cat owners attitudes toward declawing. Anthrozoos 1991;4:192-197. Recovery time took from three days to two weeks. Increased biting strength or frequency was reported in 10 cats (4%) but overall, 96% of owners were satisfied with the surgery. At one veterinary teaching hospital, between 50 and 80% of cats had one or more medical complications post-surgery. 19.8% developed complications after release. Lameness was noted for 1–42 days (and it was reported that one cat experienced pain 8 years later).Tobias KS. Feline onychectomy at a teaching institution: a retrospective study of 163 cases. Vet Surg 1994; 23:274-280. Medical complications have also been reported by some private practitioners; in a survey, 34.8% of 320 veterinarian surveyed reported long-term complications.Landsberg GM. Declawing is controversial but saves pets. A veterinarian survey. Vet Forum1991;8:66-67. A study of two different surgical techniques found that 16% of those who underwent joint amputation developed lameness while only 5% who underwent bone amputation did.Martinez SA, Hauptmann J, Walshaw R. Comparing two techniques for onychectomy in cats and two adhesives for wound closure. Vet Med1993; 88:516-525. 22% of the first group and 16% of the second experienced wound dehiscence On the other hand, the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) policy statement on declawing states: "There is no scientific evidence that declawing leads to behavioral abnormalities when the behavior of declawed cats is compared with that of cats in control groups."http://www.avma.org/issues/policy/animal_welfare/declawing.asp AVMA position statement on the declawing of domestic cats - April 15, 2003] In one study, 16% of declawed cats developed behavior problems, and more declawed (55%) than intact (45%) cats were referred to a vet teaching hospital for behavior problems.Bennett M, Houpt KA, Erb HN. Effects of declawing on feline behavior. Comp Anim Pract.1988;2:7-12. In another study, eleven cats (4%) developed or had worse behavior problems post-operatively. Despite positive attitude toward declawing, 5 clients reported that their cats had developed litterbox and biting problems.Landsberg GM. Cat owners attitudes toward declawing. Anthrozoos 1991;4:192-197. Behavior problems are a primary cause of cats being relinquished to shelters. In one study, when all factors were accounted for, the odds of being relinquished to a shelter were 1.89% in the case of declawed cats, versus 1.00% in the case of intact cats. This represents an 89% greater chance of relinquishment in the case of declawed cats. Inappropriate elimination was 80% more likely in declawed (52.4%) as opposed to intact cats (29.1%).Patronek, GJ, Glickman LT, Beck AM, et al. Risk factors for relinquishment of cats to an animal shelter. J Am Vet Med Assoc.1996;209:582–588.

Declawing practices

lt;!-- This section is linked from Cat --> Declawing is uncommon outside of North America and laws governing its practice vary. Many Europe n countries prohibit or significantly restrict the practice, as do Australia New Zealand and Turkey The list below gives an overview of the situation in different parts of the world.

Australia

In Australia declawing has never been common, and for all practical purpose, does not exist. Nationwide legislation was recently enacted that prohibits the declawing of cats except for medical need of the cat.http://www.daff.gov.au/animal-plant-health/welfare/aaws The Australian Veterinary Associations policy states: "Surgical alteration to the natural state of an animal is acceptable only if it is necessary for the health and welfare of the animal concerned. Performance of any surgical procedure for other than legitimate medical reasons is unacceptable."http://avacms.eseries.hengesystems.com.au/AM/Template.cfm?SectionPolicies&Template/CM/HTMLDisplay.cfm&ContentID2157

Brazil

In Brazil declawing is not allowed by the Federal Council of Veterinary Medicine. [http://www.fcav.unesp.br/hv/resolucao_877.pdf Resolução nº 877, de 15 de fevereiro de 2008] ===Israel=== In [[Israel]], The Knesset Education Committee voted unanimously to send a bill banning the declawing of cats. The bill has passed second and third readings on November 28th 2011, effectively making declawing a criminal offense.http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/Flash.aspx/224508 ===Europe=== In many European countries the practice is forbidden either under the terms of the [[European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals]]{{cite web | title=European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, Chapter II - Principles for the keeping of pet animals, Article 10(1) | url=http://www.animallaw.info/treaties/itceceets125.htm|accessdate =August 22, 2005 }} or under Local Animal Abuse Laws, unless there it is for "veterinary medical reasons or for the benefit of any particular animal." Some European countries go further, such as [[Finland]], [[Estonia]],http://www.riigiteataja.ee/ert/act.jsp?id=13118797 the [[Netherlands]], [[Germany]] and [[Switzerland]],{{cite web | title=Swiss Federal Act on Animal Protection, 1978, Section 8: Prohibited Practices, §22(g) | url=http://www.animallaw.info/nonus/statutes/stchapa1978.htm | accessdate=August 22, 2005 }} where declawing cats for non-medical reasons is always illegal under their laws against [[cruelty to animals]]. Austria
In [[Austria]], the Federal Act on the Protection of Animals, in Section 7, states, surgical procedures "carried out for other than therapeutic or diagnostic purposes...are prohibited, in particular...declawing."http://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Erv/ERV_2004_1_118/ERV_2004_1_118.pdf nited Kingdom
In the [[United Kingdom]], declawing was outlawed by the [[Animal Welfare Act 2006]], which explicitly prohibited "interference with the sensitive tissues or bone structure of the animal, otherwise than for the purposes of its medical treatment."[http://www.opsi.gov.uk/acts/acts2006/ukpga_20060045_en.pdf untitled] Even before the 2006 Act, however, declawing was extremely uncommon, to the extent that most people had never seen a declawed cat. The procedure was considered cruel by almost all British [[veterinarian|vet]]s, who refused to perform it except on medical grounds. The Guide to Professional Conduct of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons stated that declawing was "only acceptable where, in the opinion of the veterinary surgeon, injury to the animal is likely to occur during normal activity. It is not acceptable if carried out for the convenience of the owner ... the removal of claws, particularly those which are weight bearing to preclude damage to furnishings is not acceptable."http://www.cdb.org/vets/mutilations.htm

United States

Declawing is legal in most US jurisdictions. It is estimated that 25% of owned cats in the United States are declawed (Patronek 2001). Declawing was outlawed in West Hollywood California, in 2003, the first such ban in the US.lt;/ref> The ordinance was authored by West Hollywood Councilmember John Duran and sponsored by the http://www.PawProject.org Paw Project], a non-profit organization based in Santa Monica, CA.http://veterinarynews.dvm360.com/dvm/Feline+Center/San-Francisco-considers-ban-on-cat-declaw-surgerie/ArticleStandard/Article/detail/611833 The California Veterinary Medical Association challenged the law in court.http://www.cvma.net/doc.asp?ID2801 CVMA - California Veterinary Medical Association - West Hollywood Petition Denial] The CVMA maintained that West Hollywood had overstepped its municipal authority by enacting an ordinance that infringed on licensed professionals’ state-granted rights. It did not directly address declawing as an animal welfare issue. The CVMA initially prevailed in Superior Court, but in June 2007, the California Court of Appeal overturned the lower court ruling, thus reinstating the law banning declawing in West Hollywood.lt;/ref> In 2004, California became the first state in the USA to enact a statewide ban on the declawing of wild and exotic cats. The bill was introduced by California Assemblymember Paul Koretz and sponsored by the Paw Project.ftp://leginfo.public.ca.gov/pub/03-04/bill/asm/ab_1851-1900/ab_1857_cfa_20040615_135639_sen_comm.html In 2006, the United States Department of Agriculture enacted a ban on declawing of all wild and exotic animals held by USDA-licensed owners.http://www.aphis.usda.gov/ac/publications/declaw_tooth.pdf In April 2007, the city of Norfolk, Virginia Virginia outlawed declawing by persons other than veterinarians (Municipal Code Sec. 6.1-78.1).http://library1.municode.com/default-test/home.htm?infobase10121&doc_actionwhatsnew In 2009, the California state legislature approved a measure, sponsored by the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), intended to stop other cities from passing bans similar to West Hollywood. By including in the bill all professions licensed by the state Department of Consumer Affairs, the CVMA got the bill pushed through, and it was signed by the Governor in July, 2009. However, the bills effective date, January 1, 2010, provided a window of opportunity for grandfathering any other declaw bans passed locally in the state before that date.http://info.sen.ca.gov/pub/09-10/bill/sen/sb_0751-0800/sb_762_cfa_20090615_100327_asm_comm.html] In 2009, seven other California cities, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Berkeley, Burbank, and Culver City, passed ordinances banning declawing on the basis of animal cruelty.lt;/ref> lt;/ref>

Ethical viewpoints on declawing in the US

Although widely practiced, declawing is ethically controversial within the American veterinary community. Many American veterinarians are critical of the procedure and some refuse to perform it.http://www.declaw.com/list.asp Veterinarians who do not declaw] The two leading national animal protection organizations in the US, the Humane Society of the United States and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals strongly discourage or condemn the procedure.http://www.pawproject.com/html/faqs.asp FAQs on Cat Declawing, Declaw Surgery and Feline Scratching Behavior] The Humane Society of the United States and other animal advocacy groups have supported legislation banning or restricting declawing.http://www.pawproject.com/html/acknow.asp Acknowledgements] Major opposition to attempts to ban or restrict declawing has come from veterinary trade organizations, such as the California Veterinary Medical Association. The American Veterinary Medical Association considers declawing acceptable under certain circumstances but states that it "should be considered only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively or when its clawing presents a zoonosis risk for its owner(s)." Despite the clear ethical guidelines given by the AVMA, surveys suggest that 95% of declaw surgeries are done to protect furniture. Further, because younger cats are better able to adapt to life without claws post-surgery than older cats, 76% of cats are declawed before they reach 8 months of age, precluding any serious effort at training and/or use of other non-surgical alternatives.Declaw Update, Pulse,Southern California Veterinary Medical Association, November 2009, p. 4

Alternatives to declawing

Surgical

Tendonectomy involves cutting the deep digital flexor tendon of each claw, resulting in the cat being unable to move its distal phalanges. Without the ability to expose its claws, the cat is unable to wear down or groom its claws. For this reason, the cat subsequently requires regular nail clippings to prevent its claws from growing into its paw pads. A 1998 study published in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association comparing cats undergoing onychectomy to cats undergoing tendonectomy found that, although the cats undergoing tendonectomy appeared to suffer less pain immediately post-operatively, there was no significant difference in postoperative lameness, bleeding, or infection between the two groups.lt;/ref> A 2005 study found no evidence that tendonectomy is less painful than onychectomy.lt;/ref> The American Veterinary Medical Association and the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association explicitly do not recommend this surgery as an alternative to declawing.http://canadianveterinarians.net/ShowText.aspx?ResourceID28 Canadian Veterinary Medical Association]

Non-surgical

One non-surgical alternative to declawing available through veterinarians is the application of vinyl nail caps (marketed in the US under brand names such as Soft Paws and Soft Claws) that are affixed to the claws with nontoxic glue, requiring periodic replacement when the cat sheds its claw sheaths (usually every four to six weeks, depending on the cats scratching habits).http://walnutcreek.patch.com/articles/arf-column-the-itch-to-scratch Other alternatives include regular nail trimming; directing scratching behavior to inexpensive cardboard scratchers or scratching post , or emery scratching pads that dull the claws; rotary sanding devices (Dremel, Pedi-Paws); covering furniture or using double-sided sticky tape or sheets such as Sticky Paws; remote aversive devices such as Scat Mats; or acceptance of cats scratching behavior.

See also

*Declawing of crabs *Overview of discretionary invasive procedures on animals *Veterinary medicine

References

External links

*http://www.cat-training.com/declawing-cats-cost How Much Money Does Declawing Cats Cost?] An analysis of the monetary costs, ethical issues, and alternatives of cat declawing *http://www.vin.com/VINDBPub/SearchPB/Proceedings/PR05000/PR00016.htm Studies Pertaining to Feline Onychectomy] A summary of various studies and surveys *http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?PA&S0&C0&A568 Declawing and Its Alternatives from The Pet Health Library *http://www.hsus.org/web_file/PDF/hsp/SOA_3-2005_Chap3.pdf "Indoor Cats, Scratching, and the Debate over Declawing: When Normal Pet Behavior Becomes a Problem."] from http://www.hsus.org/press_and_publications/humane_bookshelf/state_of_animals_iii_2005.html The State of the Animals III: 2005] Humane Society Press. *http://www.pawproject.com The Paw Project] Non-profit anti-declawing lobby group *http://www.declawing.com/htmls/declawing.htm Declawing: What you need to know] anti-declawing site *http://www.askthecatdoctor.com/declawingcats.html Ask the Cat Doctor: Declawing Cats] Includes an anatomical chart for better understanding of the declaw procedure. Category Cat health Category Animal welfare Category Surgical removal procedures Category Animal cruelty