Reconsidering Declawing: The Controversial Practice of Claw Amputation in Cats

[Q_Goest]

So we have this cat that we had declawed. On one paw, the pads on her feet seem to have grown tiny claws again! The claws are tiny and hard and they grow out of the pad on her foot, which I thought was the strangest part.

Ever see that before?

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I guess the quick explanation is the vet botched the operation? How long ago was it?

 

[Monique]

I hate to say this, but are you sure those are not the bones of the cat sticking through the skin? Declawing is a inhumane thing to do to a cat and is illegal in many countries because of that (falling under the laws against cruelty to animals). It involves amputating the last digit of the cat's toes that grows the claw (including the claw, bone, nerve, joint capsule, collateral ligaments, and the extensor and flexor tendons). You should go and see a vet, I'd suggest finding a new one.

edit:
Apparently it is possible to regrow a deformed paw:

Claw regrowth—Claw regrowth is a consequence of incomplete removal of the ungual crest, and can result in abscess formation and pain.^{1,2,11,12,28,30} Approximately 3% of declawed cats exhibit claw regrowth,³⁰ but a 10% incidence was reported with a technique that left the flexor surface of the third phalanx in situ.¹¹ http://www.avma.org/issues/animal_welfare/declawing_bgnd.asp

 

[Q_Goest]

Hi Greg,

I guess the quick explanation is the vet botched the operation? How long ago was it?

I wondered the same thing. We had 2 cats done at the same time (front feet only). This one paw was the only one that came out like this. That was about 2 years ago. We only noticed these bumps about a year later.

The 'claws' have never gotten infected or posed any problem. They don't bother the cat at all. So yea, it's probably that the operation didn't go exactly as planned, but I wouldn't say "botched" since the claws are gone and the cat is happy and healthy.

 

[Monique]

Did you read my post?

 

[Q_Goest]

HI Monique,

I hate to say this, but are you sure those are not the bones of the cat sticking through the skin? Declawing is a inhumane thing to do to a cat and is illegal in many countries because of that (falling under the laws against cruelty to animals). It involves amputating the last digit of the cat's toes that grows the claw (including the claw, bone, nerve, joint capsule, collateral ligaments, and the extensor and flexor tendons). You should go and see a vet, I'd suggest finding a new one.

edit:
Apparently it is possible to regrow a deformed paw:

Yea, they're not bones. Must be what you've pointed out regarding claw regrowth. But as mentioned, the cat has been like this for 2 years without any problems, so I'm not going to worry about it. I just wonder why this regrowth woulding poke through the pads instead of coming out where the claw should be.

Both our cats were strays. It's not uncommon for people to dump a cat on a farm around here and let them fend for themselves. After destroying so much of the house by clawing on things, you might think declawing is preferred over dumping or euthanizing. Regardless, dogs and cats commonly have tails and ears removed or modified by operation. We've had all our pets neutered too. Hope that's ok - the world ain't perfect.

edit:

Did you read my post?

Yea, we're just posting on top of each other.

 

[Monique]

Both our cats were strays. It's not uncommon for people to dump a cat on a farm around here and let them fend for themselves. After destroying so much of the house by clawing on things, you might think declawing is preferred over dumping or euthanizing.

Regardless, dogs and cats commonly have tails and ears removed or modified by operation. We've had all our pets neutered too. Hope that's ok - the world ain't perfect.

There are other options available besides declawing, it really is an extreme measure and I'm sure many people don't realize that. Where I'm from tail docking and ear cropping is against the law as well, and rightly so. Sterilization is a different story, it prevents unwanted pregnancies and overpopulation of domesticated animals.

 

[Q_Goest]

Hi Monique,
I see you’re bothered by this, and I won’t argue that declawing isn’t the only way to alleviate the cat scratching issue. I suspect you feel it’s either painful or takes away certain ‘rights’ that the animal has as a living creature. The way I see it, there’s a limit on how much can be done to allow pets to act on their natural instincts. That includes the natural instinct to procreate for example. We change that natural instinct when we neuter the animals. That’s done for all the obvious reasons. When neutered, we take away a natural instinct simply so that the animal will conform to domestication. And it’s not just to keep them from having too many babies. It’s a behavioral issue as well. Stopping them from spraying is just one more reason for neutering. There are others.

I’d agree we should never hurt animals, including animals used for food. We should also appreciate all the wonderful things animals can provide. However, there are practical issues. Animals can’t be reasoned with. We can’t ask politely for them to stop destroying things, and we can’t punish them needlessly (for example, when they can’t be taught to stop a certain behavior). After a concerted effort, sometimes the natural instincts animals have can’t be prevented and they have to be stopped in some way if they are to remain as domesticated animals and not driven out into the countryside and dropped off or killed outright. I appreciate where you’re coming from regarding not changing an animal’s body in some way. There’s the potential for pain (though I’d insist that’s not the case here) and the potential for removing natural instincts (that’s a possibility when declawing). But from a realistic standpoint, there are times when declawing is more humane than the alternatives.

 

[Moonbear]

Here is information from the AVMA on declawing.
http://www.avma.org/issues/animal_welfare/declawing_bgnd.asp

Claw regrowth—Claw regrowth is a consequence of incomplete removal of the ungual crest, and can result in abscess formation and pain.1,2,11,12,28,30 Approximately 3% of declawed cats exhibit claw regrowth,30 but a 10% incidence was reported with a technique that left the flexor surface of the third phalanx in situ.11

So, it sounds like you should see another vet about this and monitor for signs of infection or pain.

Also, this is the AVMA's position on feline declawing:
http://www.avma.org/issues/policy/animal_welfare/declawing.asp

Basically, their position is that proper nail care is usually sufficient and declawing should only be a last resort if the choice is between declawing and euthanasia.

Unfortunately, a lot of cat owners lack education on how to encourage a cat to use approved scratchers and to train them to avoid things you don't want them to scratch, or on how to properly trim the nails on the cat to keep them from being destructive. Probably the worst culprit are those horrid, commercially available, short, carpet-covered scratching posts that just aren't rough enough to appeal to the needs of the cat...not to mention train them to scratch on carpet (how would they understand that carpet wrapped around that post is okay, but carpet elsewhere in the house isn't).

I felt bad enough putting my cat through surgery to get her spayed, and that we know is not only to prevent pregnancy and all the nasty behaviors associated with heat, but also increases the lifespan of the pets (dogs too) and eliminates the risk of a type of uterine infection that dogs and cats are prone to getting that can be life threatening.

Tail and ear docking are also not required for domestic pets either. The only species I know of where tail docking is appropriate are in sheep and pigs. In sheep, when they are out on pasture, they can get maggots and infections up under their tails if they are not docked, and in pigs, they have a bad habit of biting each others' tails (if they weren't docked, they'd be bitten off, with all the risks of infection that comes with, so better to dock them). Tail docking and ear cropping entirely for aesthetic reasons seems cruel to me.

Though, if a cat were clawing at people, and removing claws might not make the cat nicer, but would mean you could keep the cat because it wouldn't hurt when it tried to swipe at you, then that might be a situation where it becomes a trade-off between declawing vs euthanasia.

 

[celebrei]

There are other options available besides declawing, it really is an extreme measure and I'm sure many people don't realize that. Where I'm from tail docking and ear cropping is against the law as well, and rightly so. Sterilization is a different story, it prevents unwanted pregnancies and overpopulation of domesticated animals.

yes definitely! declawing is a big no no for my kitty, instead I use nail caps

 

[Monique]

Hi Monique,
I see you’re bothered by this, and I won’t argue that declawing isn’t the only way to alleviate the cat scratching issue. I suspect you feel it’s either painful or takes away certain ‘rights’ that the animal has as a living creature.

Hi Q_Goest,

I appreciate your thoughts, but it is not solely my opinion. The practice of claw amputation is outlawed in many countries for a reason, it is also a controversial practice in the United States (where it is outlawed in certain states as well). Many vets refuse to perform the operation, I'm sure they are the experts on animal welfare.

I can't comment on your reasons for the operation and can only hope that you exhausted the other options first. The most important thing is to raise awareness so that people who opt for the operation can make an informed decision.