SCRATCHING THE SURFACE
Pat Miller
© 1999, Pat Miller/Peaceable Paws, LLC All Rights Reserved
I once owned a declawed cat. Puff was a long-haired, white, blue-eyed deaf Persian mix. She came already declawed as part of the package when my husband joined my immediate family. Unfortunately her two disabilities (I consider declawing a disability) put her at an extreme disadvantage. My other cats bullied her, just like unthinkingly cruel schoolchildren might bully a classmate who is “different.” Puff was unable to hear the other cats approaching, and unable to defend herself when they ambushed her. She also demonstrated other behavior problems common to many declawed cats. She was quick to bite in self defense, and inconsistent about using her litter box. We ultimately closed her in her very own room, allowing her access to the whole house only when we were there to protect her, and resigned ourselves to cleaning up feces that fairly regularly landed outside the box.
This is obviously not a scientific study. In fact, a scientific study from the 1980’s claims that declawed cats demonstrate no higher incidence of these behaviors than unmutilated ones. (Investigators who conducted this study concede that the numbers of cats involved were too few for significant results.) But anecdotal evidence consistently claims otherwise. Staff at animal shelters report seemingly high percentages of declawed cats (compared to non-declawed) surrendered by their owners for litterbox and biting problems. Could it be that owners who are willing to declaw their cats for their own convenience are also less tolerant of other behaviors? Could it be that owners who seek the quick fix of declawing for a natural cat behavior that has non-surgical solutions are also not willing to pursue modification alternatives to other common behavior challenges? Perhaps a lot of cat owners who opt for declawing really aren’t suited to live with cats in the first place.
Surgical claw removal or onychectomy, is the extreme measure of amputating the entire last part of the ten front toes, comparable to cutting off a person’s fingers at the last joint. The procedure causes pain for a week or more and risks postoperative complications such as infection, hemorrhage, nail regrowth and altered feeling in the toes. Declawed cats must be kept indoors for the rest of their lives, as their abilities to defend themselves and climb to safety are severely impaired. (Yet stray, declawed cats regularly turn up at animal shelters, evidence that owners of declawed cats are either unable or unwilling to provide this simple protection to their now defenseless feline dependents.) Declawing is illegal in the United Kingdom, and regarded as animal abuse there.
Tendonectomy, an alternative to declawing, involves severing the tendon attached to the end toe digit but leaving the claw attached. This procedure comes with its own set of problems. While it is less painful (cats recover within two days), according to the Cat Fanciers’ Association some veterinarians have reported joint fusion and arthritis problems. Ongoing claw trimming is imperative or there is a risk of claws growing into the paw pads. Cats with tendonechtomies can often use their claws to some degree, and many cat owners are ultimately dissatisfied with the results and eventually opt for full declawing.
The American-based Cat Fancier’s Association is opposed to declawing and tendonechtomies, and issued a policy statement to that effect in 1996:
“The Cat Fanciers’ Association recognizes that scratching is a natural behavior of cats and that cats may be defenseless without full use of their claws if they, either intentionally or unintentionally, go outdoors. Scratching damage to household furnishings can be minimized or avoided by routine clipping of the claws, the use of claw covers and by redirecting the cat’s activity to acceptable surfaces.
“CFA perceives the declawing of cats (onychectomy) and the severing of digital tendons (tendonectomy) to be elective surgical procedures which are without benefit to the cat. Because of postoperative discomfort or pain and potential future behavioral or physical effects, CFA disapproves of declawing or tendonectomy surgery.”
Serious physical complications resulting from surgical declawing are all too possible. Whole Cat Journal reader Daniel Brown describes the ordeal he endured with his cat Pepper after a recent onychectomy:
“When he was sent home to me two days after (surgery), his paw was really swollen. Since then he has had an infection, his paw soaked and scraped, and numerous trips to the vet. Now the vet has told me that he has lost a paw pad under his outer toe. His bone is sticking through. He may need to have it amputated if it doesn’t heal...
“I decided to declaw because I live in an apartment,” Brown says. “ I own very nice furniture, and my roommate is a musician who owns a lot of expensive equipment. My best friend has four cats and they are all declawed. At the time, I saw no wrong in just having the fronts declawed. I feel guilty now that I have done this.”
The American Veterinary Medical Association takes a less extreme position on declawing than the CFA, but still opposes it as a general practice. Their policy statement says:
“The declawing of the domestic cat is justifiable when the cat cannot be trained to refrain from using its claws destructively.”
While this policy still discourages the pre-emptive use of declawing for owner convenience, it is conveniently vague about the definition of “training.” After a couple of squirts with a spray bottle an owner can claim to have tried to train the cat and find a willing veterinarian to perform the surgery. Dr. Patricia A. Hauge, owner and lead veterinarian at the Cat Hospital of Las Colinas, in Irving, Texas, advocates declawing for young felines because they recover from surgery more quickly than older cats. (See “A Vet’s Opinion on Declawing; Whole Cat Journal, Volume 1, Number 1, p.12) She routinely declaws kittens as young as ten weeks of age. How much sincere effort to train appropriate scratching behavior can an owner have done by the time a kitten is a mere ten weeks old?
Veterinarian Chistianne Schelling is a strong opponent of declawing. She presents compelling arguments against the procedure on her declawing website at http://www.declawing.com, and solutions for modifying scratching behavior at http://www.catscratching.com.
She says, “Above all, don’t declaw. Declawing is literally maiming a cat, a mistake that can lead to physical, emotional and behavioral complications. It is erroneous to think that declawing a cat is a trivial procedure similar to trimming fingernails. A cat’s claws are a vital part of its anatomy, essential to balance, mobility and survival.”
She reminds us that scratching is a natural behavior for cats and that punishment doesn’t work. Scratching feels good to cats, it’s good exercise for them, and they use it to mark their territory. Trying to get Fluffy to stop scratching is likely to be as successful as trying to get her to stop urinating and defecating, which is why so many training programs fail. Rather than prohibiting Fluffy from scratching, says Dr. Schelling, we must redirect the behavior into acceptable channels. (See Whole Cat Journal, Volume 1, Number 1, “End Destructive Scratching.”)
Dr. Schelling offers a succinct checklist for cat owners who might be considering the declaw option:
1. Don’t declaw!
2. Understand your cat’s need to scratch.
3. Forget punishment – it doesn’t work.
4. Provide a suitable place for your cat to scratch.
5. Make the scratching post attractive to Kitty – i.e. use sisal posts. (Author’s note: Our cats’ favorite scratching post is a driftwood log we picked up on the beach 12 years ago. Cheap and durable – we do vacuum up redwood splinters regularly, but the cats love it!)
6. Make the place she’s been scratching unattractive with physical or scent-related deterrents.
7. Whenever possible, start training cats at a young age.
8. You may want to trim your cat’s claws.
9. For indoor cats, consider Soft Paws as extra insurance, or an easy alternative. (Soft Paws can be ordered on the Net at http://www.softpaws.com, and are available at many pet supply stores. They do not have to be applied by a veterinarian.)
Prevention of the unacceptable behavior is another valuable training tool. You can deliberately create a more cat-friendly home environment. If Fluffy has a penchant for scratching the stereo speakers, don’t give her access to them when you are not there to interrupt and redirect the behavior to an acceptable scratching surface. Close her in a cat-safe room during your absence, or, even better, permanently mount the speakers somewhere out of her reach. If you are shopping for new furniture, eschew leather and vinyl, which don’t stand up to claws well, and avoid rough, nubby textures that just scream out “Claw me!” to your more-than-willing feline.
The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights (AVAR) also takes a dim view of declawing. In their position paper on the topic they say:
“The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights is opposed to cosmetic surgeries and to those performed to correct ‘vices.’ Declawing generally is unacceptable because the suffering and disfigurement it causes is not offset by any benefits to the cat. Declawing is done strictly to provide convenience for people.
“Some veterinarians have argued that some people would have their cats killed if declawing was not an option. We should not, however, allow ourselves to be taken ‘emotional hostage’ like this. If a person really would kill her or his cat in this case, it is reasonable to question the suitability of that person as a feline guardian, especially when there are millions of non-declawed cats living in harmony with people.
“The AVAR believes that people who desire cats as companions should endeavor to learn about feline behavior prior to adopting a cat. If certain behavioral traits are unacceptable, then the desire for a cat should be reconsidered.”
(The complete text of the AVAR position paper is available from the Internet at http://www.lisaviolet.com/cathouse/declawavar.html, on the AVAR website at: http://arrs.envirolink.org.avar/, or in the form of a brochure for distribution to veterinarians, animal shelters and the general public by calling AVAR at (530) 759-8106.)
I once owned a declawed cat. Never again. It was far too painful, watching Puff maneuver on her empty, mutilated paws for the ten years that she lived with me. To our horror, she even got out of the house once, thanks to a visiting young niece. It is impossible for even the most responsible cat owners to be able to guarantee that their declawed cats will never escape. An earthquake, a burglary, even a careless houseguest can inadvertently give Fluffy access to the outside world, where she will face real hazards without the tools she needs to defend herself or climb to safety. AVAR is right. Cats come with claws. It’s part of the feline package. People who would declaw need to reconsider their desire for a cat as a companion.
And what of Pepper, our WCJ reader’s cat who suffered complications from his declaw surgery? Pepper survived the ordeal, but after five to six weeks of failing to heal, had to have a portion of one toe amputated. When asked if he would declaw again, Brown said emphatically, “No, I would not. I would just take my chances and perhaps explore alternatives to having them declawed such as covering furniture, closing off access to certain areas in the house, etc.
“I do love my cats.”