Be informed upon why “Declawing” is a cruel procedure and the reasons why you need to be against it.
Declawing, also known as onychectomy, is a cruel and pointless procedure, expensive, irreversible, and with lifelong detrimental health effects on a cat. PETA unequivocally declares, “If performed on a human being, declawing would be like cutting off each finger at the last knuckle.”
Expert Dr. Karen Becker explains, “Cats use their claws for balance, exercise, and stretching and toning the muscles of their legs, back, shoulders and paws. They also use them to hunt and capture prey, to escape or defend against predators, and as part of their marking behavior when they live outdoors.”
Dr. Becker adds, “Declawing isn’t a nail trim or even nail removal. It’s removal of the claw, bones, nerves, the joint capsule, collateral ligaments and the extensor or flexor tendons. Amputation of the third phalanx or the first toe bone that houses the nail drastically alters the confirmation of the feet, which can lead to a whole host of physical complications such as chronic small bone arthritis, degenerative joint disease, and neuralgia.”
There are no known benefits to cats from declawing, no matter what mercenary veterinarians out to make a quick buck will tell you. Humanesociety.org explains, “People often mistakenly believe that declawing their cats is a harmless “quick fix” for unwanted scratching. They don’t realize that declawing can make a cat less likely to use the litter box or more likely to bite.”
That’s because you’ve taken away a cat’s first line of defense―hence they become more aggressive.
Declawed cats walk with constant pain, can no longer use the litterbox (because the litter gets into their wounds), and have to relearn how to walk. While a few sites like webmd.com claim that there is “no evidence” of all of the above aftereffects on a declawed cat and that declawing is “okay,” the experience of a majority of veterinarians, cat owners, humane shelters and workers, and many other experts speaks volumes.
If you feel you need to declaw your cat, please give it up for adoption instead of subjecting it to a lifetime of pain and cruelty. (Compiled by CFB)
This story appeared in Animal Scene’s March 2015 issue.
