Declawed Cats

Whether or not to declaw the family cat has long been a very controversial subject, with strong and passionate views abounding on both sides of the argument. As veterinarians, I feel our role in the debate is to act as proponents of the human-animal bond, and to assess each individual cat and that cat’s relationship to its human family as a unique situation. In that context, all factors of the cat and its family’s situation can be addressed, and a decision that will best suit that families needs can be addressed.
When owners elect to have a cat surgically declawed, it is often as a cosmetic or convenience factor, to protect furniture or other household items from the damage often inflicted by cats when they are doing what is to them a very instinctive and normal procedure…..marking their territory! When a cat digs his or her claws into your new couch, they are performing both a visual and olfactory marking behavior. The scratches are a visual message to others that “This is mine” and the scent glands in the paw pads emit a mild scent that also leaves a message. Other frequent reasons for owners to request their cat be declawed is for protection of family members that may have fragile skin, or are immunocompromised, or to protect other cats in the household from a more aggressive cat.
As a compassionate practicing veterinarian, I would prefer not to perform surgical declaw procedures on a routine basis. Surgical declawing (oncyectomy) is an elective procedure, and in most cases is performed for the owner’s convenience or lifestyle, and not for the benefit of the cat. For this reason, many people feel that this is cruel, and that the procedure should be outlawed. In my opinion, if the procedure were outlawed, less people would own cats, or many cats would be forced to live outdoors, where the threat of trauma, disease, and life- threatening injury would be much higher.
In reality I understand that as long as it remains legal this procedure will be requested by pet owners, and feel that by using good surgical technique and aggressive pain management to reduce post-operative pain and speed post-op recovery, we are often enhancing our patients’ long-term quality of life by making them more acceptable pets. This is especially true in situations where the cat would either be forced to live outdoors or abandoned at already overcrowded shelters if they were not declawed. If the procedure is to be done, we should then focus on how to best perform this surgical procedure to minimize patient discomfort and maximize recovery.
We now have state-of-the-art equipment available to help our patients recover from the declaw procedure as quickly as possible. At the Cat Hospital of Sarasota, we have recently begun using a CO2 Laser unit for a number of soft tissue and orthopedic surgical procedures. Using the laser for the declaw procedure greatly reduces both bleeding and pain by cauterizing the blood vessels and nerves. The use of a CO2 laser, along with judicious pain management, allows patients to be comfortable after surgery and recover much more quickly than compared to conventional surgery with a scalpel.
Previded by Dr Andrew King, Cat Hospital of Sarasota, 3845 Bee Ridge Road, Sarasota, 941-921-4040.