The Declawing Dilemma...
What you should know about declawing

Techniques
Declawing a cat is commonly done one of two ways: excisional method or guillotine (clipper) method. The excisional method removes all of the last bone (P3) of the toe. The claw extends from this bone, and it is analogous to the small bone that the human fingernail covers. This is most commonly done with a scalpel blade, some vets use laser for this. The guillotine method is a clipper than severs the P3 bone in half, removing the claw and distal(end) part of this bone.

A third technique, called tenotomy , is not a declaw, but a surgical procedure where the tendons that operate the claw are cut, but the claw remains. Care must be taken after this procedure to keep the nails trimmed, so they do not grow into the pad (the cat doesn't have control over the claw).

Photo Description of a Declaw Surgery
If you are curious to see exactly what is done during a declaw surgery, read "Cat Declaw Procedure" by T. J. Dunn, DVM of The Pet Center.

Age to Declaw
Young (4 months to 8 months), non-overweight cats are better candidates for surgery when the decision to declaw has been made. They do experience pain, but recover much quicker and with less complications than older and/or overweight cats. Many veterinarians do administer pain control medication post operatively.

Possible Complications
Complications can include, but are not limited to, the following: excessive bleeding, nail bed infection, nail regrowth (with guillotine method), pad injury during surgery, and limping. Some cats experience sensitivity and/or limping for days to months after the surgery with no apparent cause. It is unknown if cats experience 'phantom pain' as it has been noted in humans. If you do elect to declaw your cat, the cat should be a strictly indoor cat.

Alternatives to Declawing
There are many alternatives to declawing. Here are a few tips and ideas.

Nail Caps - Soft Paws. These are soft nail caps that are glued on to the existing trimmed nail. They are also made for dogs

Trimming the claws - Trimming the claws regularly (click here for an excellent photo tutorial of trimming tools needed and techniques). Most owners do this at home. If you are unable to, your vet or groomer can perform this service or teach you how.

Diversions - Get a scratching post. There are many to choose from. You may need to 'teach' your cat how much fun it can be. You can also make your own cat scratching post. A popular variation on the traditional scratching post is the cardboard model filled with catnip.

The Discussion Continues...
This article was updated January 2001 - please see the updated article for more discussion on this topic.

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Text: Copyright © Janet Tobiassen Crosby. All rights reserved.

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