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The subject of declawing is very controversial. Some people think that it is a cruel surgery. Other groups view the preservation of furniture and skin as taking precedence. There are countries that have outlawed this surgical procedure as did an area of California.
A true declaw procedure involves the surgical amputation of the very last part of the digit, the part of the bone from which the nail actually grows. In an adult cat and/or a cat that is overweight the healing process can be much more painful and prolonged than with an immature and/or light feline.
My personal opinion is that the procedure should not be done on any older cat or even a younger cat that is overweight. There is an alternative procedure for the dedicated cat owner.
There is a surgical procedure, the tendonectomy, which prevents the cat from extruding the claws without surgically removing any part of the bone or nail bed. The tendon that allows the cat to stick its claws out is surgically cut so the cat can no longer scratch the leather sofa, your toddler or the elderly caretaker on blood thinners. However, these cats require monthly maintenance. The nails will continue to grow and MUST be cut every month. If the cat has a bad disposition or has an owner that even periodically neglects its care then this may not an advisable procedure. In addition, the sheath around the nail must be cleaned even more frequently. Cats would normally be able to stick out their nails when grooming and lick the base of their nails to remove dirt, oils and debris. Since the procedure prevents the cat from moving the nails out of their covering, the dirt, oil and debris builds up around the nail bed and in the sheath and can cause odor, inflammation and irritation if proper hygiene is not religiously applied by a loving and dedicated cat owner.
I sincerely hope that the local shelters and SPCA’s that prevent adoptions to clients that need to declaw cats will consider this as a viable option so that more cats will get loving homes and less cats will be euthanized just because of certain closed minded opinions.
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