CVMA and Declawing Cats

24 June 2018

The California Veterinary Medical Association is in favor of declawing cats per the CVMA Policy on Declawing of Domestic Cats their website, July 2010.

The article does not cover the complete facts about declawing, only that veterinarians are trained professionals who will only prescribe the declawing procedure as a last resort to prevent abandonment or euthanasia.  They also suggest that declawing is a safe alternative to unwanted scratching, especially for those who are unable to properly train their cats.  The CVMA also states that "current surgical techniques and modern anesthetic and pain medications have greatly reduced the pain and discomfort associated with cat declawing." What they decline to say has harmful effects and is hidden with the rest of the facts about declawing:

Facts (and analyses):

• CVMA:  Veterinarians are trained to distinguish medical and behavioral problems and need to be able to continue to educate and counsel clients.
• That is true, but too many veterinarians are more interested in making money to take into consideration the welfare of their patients: the animals. As a result, these vets refuse to educate their clients and don’t distinguish between behavior types.
  
• CVMA:  Veterinarians do not take the issue of declawing lightly and strive to educate pet owners about available alternatives.
• This is not completely true. If a veterinarian is opposed to declawing, they would not perform the surgery merely at the request of the owner. Too many vets are refusing to educate their clients about the long-term/life-time effects of declawing.
  
• CVMA:  Claw removal is sometimes medically necessary for conditions such as tumors or chronic infections.
• That should be the ONLY time a claw is removed, and ONLY on the affected toe, not all of them for the convenience of the owner’s furniture.
  
• CVMA:  Studies have proven that behavioral problems are the leading cause of unnecessary relinquishment of animals.      
• Veterinarians promote declawing cats with “uncontrollable” scratching problems claiming that a declawed cat will keep his home.
• That is not true. Too many declawed cats develop worse behavioral issues and are relinquished to shelters because of these worse behaviors.
  

• CVMA:  Not all pet owners are able to successfully train a cat to refrain from using its claws in a destructive manner.

• Many cat owners don’t even own scratching posts for their cats. These cat owners prefer the idea of instant scratching prevention rather than having to teach the cat to use a scratching post.
  
• CVMA:  Owners who are elderly or disabled may lack the ability or means to provide the needed training.
• Not always true! Being elderly or disabled does not mean incapable. Many elderly and disabled people have great success training their cats and kittens.
• If the person is too incapable of training a cat or kitten, they should consider another type of animal that doesn’t use its claws/nails to scratch.
  
• CVMA:  Owners, or those living on or otherwise coming on to the premises, may be immunocompromised and thus more susceptible to diseases transmitted through feline clawing.
• False!  The Center for Disease Control does not encourage declawing cats as a way to prevent disease in immunocompromised individuals. Ticks transmit more diseases than cats do. https://www.cdc.gov/healthypets/pets/cats.html
• In an article by the CDC, 1997 USPHS/IDSA Guidelines for the Prevention of Opportunistic Infections in Persons Infected with Human Immunodeficiency Virus, they say “declawing is not generally advised,” https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/rr5804a1.htm
• Another article by the CDC, Bartonella Infection (Cat Scratch Disease, Trench Fever, and Carrión’s Disease) says “Declawing is not recommended.”
  https://www.cdc.gov/bartonella/cat-scratch/
• Again, either teach the cat not to scratch people or have a pet that doesn’t scratch.
  
• CVMA:  Still others may be faced with pets that are particularly resistant to training.
• No animal is untrainable! All animals can learn and therefore be trained, some just take more time and patience than others. If training a cat is too difficult, get a different type of pet.
  
• CVMA:  Euthanasia, abandonment, or other forms of relinquishment should not be the last resort for the cat owning public.
• To this I agree!!! BUT declawing should never be an option. Surgeons are not allowed to operate on anyone without the patient’s permission. This should apply to cosmetic declawing also. The only exception is for the health of the cat’s toe due to accidental injury or illness, such as cancer.
  
• CVMA:  Current surgical techniques and modern anesthetic and pain medications have greatly reduced the pain and discomfort associated with cat declawing.
• NOT TRUE!!!  To explain why declawing should never be an option, below is a list of facts about declawing:

• Declawing is the amputation of the last knuckle of each toe. This includes more than just the nail: the skin, bone, knuckle, muscles, tendons, nerves, blood vessels, etc.
  • For front declawing, that is a total of 10 separate amputations.
  • If the cat is both front and rear declawed, that is 18 separate amputations.
• Amputations are extremely painful, regardless of which method is used. (Just ask a human amputee.)
  • Remember stubbing your toe? Think how badly it would hurt if it had been cut off!
• Pain medication used is not always sufficient during the procedure.
  • Many cats have cried out as their bones are cut.
• Rarely is pain medication prescribed after the surgery.
  • Some vets don't believe animals feel pain.
  • Imagine having major surgery without any pain medication after you wake up!
• After the surgery, the cat is not given time to heal like a human amputee.
  • They don’t get bed rest while the stumps heal.
  • They don’t get wheelchairs during recovery.
  • They must put weight on the severed toe bones, without any cushioning, to walk to their food and water, and their litterbox.
  • Then these feline amputees have to use these same amputated toe nubs to scrape litter over their waste.
• The pain associated with using newly amputated toe bones causes behavioral problems in the long run.
  
  • The cats associate the pain with the litterbox because it hurts to scrape the litter, even if it is only paper. 

Many kitten owners claim that the surgery does not affect their kittens because within a day or two, the kitten continues playing just like before. That is because the kitten is full of youthful energy and has to expend it just like children do. They know that something is wrong with their paws, but the need to play is strong. Plus, the kittens understand that nothing is going to reverse the removal of their claws. So, they continue on with their lives.

If you still disagree that your kitten will be “just fine” after declawing, talk with parents whose children lost limbs. Even though these children continue to play, life is never the same as it is for those people who have never experienced amputations.

Another thing to consider:

What would you do:

If your child took a screwdriver and used it to destroy the covering on your favorite chair? Or, if your child used a hammer to gouge a hole in the kitchen wall, how would you discipline that child? Would you have his fingers cut off to make sure he/she never did it again?

That would be considered extreme child abuse and no parent would never even consider such horrendous punishment. The worst thing any parent would consider may be a spanking, time out, or restriction of some sort.

So, if you claim your kitten is a member of your family, then why are you not teaching it how to behave like a family member?

The Physical Consequences of Declawing Your Cat

April 5, 2014 by POPEYE

(Jean Hofve DVM) Declawing changes the way the cat’s paws function, and this creates stress on the joints of the paw, wrist, elbow, shoulder, and spine. The cat’s gait changes, as weight is shifted backward from the toes to the large rear pad of the paw.

Research has demonstrated that, after declawing, cats shift their entire weight more toward the hind legs. This is quite a feat, considering that the front legs normally bear about 60% of the cat’s entire weight.

Within 6 months or so, normal weight distribution among the four legs is restored to pre-surgery values. However, changes and stresses within the paw persist and may even worsen due to normal contracture of the severed tendons due to scar tissue formation.

Over time, this altered stress can contribute to the development of arthritis.

In most older declawed cats, the toes are completely “frozen,” immovable even under deep anesthesia.

Declawing causes observable changes to the cat’s anatomy that are not only visible on radiographs (x-rays) but are obvious to anyone who cares to see them.

Here is what it looks like:

VS.

It would be interesting to hear what the orthopedic specialists make of these changes. Can the veterinary community continue to deny the reality that declawing causes serious long-term consequences to the cat?
http://www.federaljack.com/the-physical-consequences-of-declawing-your-cat/comment-page-1/#comment-477354

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