Declawing Cats: Pros and Cons

Declawing Cats: Pros and Cons
By Batul Nafisa Baxamusa

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Declawing cats is an illegal procedure in many countries, yet it is rampantly carried out in America. The following article on pros and cons of declawing cats will help explain owners regarding the implications of this medical procedure.

Declawing cats is carried by many cat owners to stop their cats from scratching on furniture, shredding drapes or injuring kids. Declawing cats is carried out using a medical procedure called onychectomy. This is a very painful procedure that removes the claws of your kitten or cat. It is similar to cutting off each off your fingers one by one. This is because you are cutting off one bone on the claws. This is an irreversible procedure and after coming out of the anesthesia, you cannot imagine the pain the kitten or cat goes through.

In this article we will discuss some of the pros and cons of declawing cats. This is one of the most inhumane practices and is illegal in most of countries. As you will learn in the following pros and cons of declawing kittens, the animal is almost handicapped as it loses balance, cannot use its claws to defend itself and even climb a tree or table. Let us see the cat declawing pros and cons in detail.

Pros and Cons of Declawing Cats

Declawing Cats – Pros
Declawing cats will not cause the cat to lose its natural instinct to scratch. It will however, not cause any harm to your furniture or carpets. Also, it won't injure you or the kids with its claws. And anyways scratching never lead to any type of bacteria or virus begin injected into humans. These are a few declawing cats pros that are definitely out weighted by the following declawing cats cons.

Declawing Cats – Cons
Once declawed, a cat will never be able to grow back its claws. A fully or partially declawed cat will not be able to keep its balance, walk properly and may even suffer from behavioral problems. They tend to become moody and won't remain as friendly as they were. This procedure involves amputation of the first digit. This means removing the first knuckle of your finger. If too much tissue is removed by the vet, the cat may remain club footed and maimed for life. If enough tissue is not removed, it may cause the claw to grow back and the cat may require additional surgery.

A cat may limp for months and be in pain for many days. The sand or gravel in litter box may cause the cat to feel pain as they do not have claws to protect them. This will make them have accidents around the house and you may have to switch to litter box products like shredded paper after declawing. Declawing cats is an unnecessary procedure carried out by lazy owners who cannot train their cats to use a scratching post effectively.

As you can see declawing cats is a very painful procedure that should be avoided. Cats scratching has caused any major infection or injury to humans on very rare occasions. As a pet owner, if you are ready to see your cat suffer after declawing then you may go ahead. As a cat owner myself, I would advise all cat lovers to never carry out declawing cats as this is one of the most inhumane procedures. I hope this article on pros and cons of declawing cats helps you in deciding if your cat really needs this painful punishment.