It is telling how vet students at UW-Madison are taught about declawing cats.
“It’s combined in a lecture with other amputation procedures, because that is what it is,” says Dr. Ruthanne Chun, associate dean for clinical affairs and hospital director at UW School of Veterinary Medicine.
Declawing is often misunderstood as a procedure where only the nails of a cat are removed. But it is far more invasive.
“What people don’t realize is that when a cat is declawed the tip of the toe — at the first joint — is removed,” says Dr. Susan Krebsbach, a vet from Oregon, Wisconsin, who specializes in animal behavior. “Either a scalpel blade or laser is used to cut the toe at the joint to remove the bone as well as the nail. So it’s an amputation.”
Krebsbach is the state representative for the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, which strongly opposes declawing cats, as does the American Association of Feline Practitioners. The American Veterinary Medical Association advises that cats should be declawed “only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively or when its clawing presents an above-normal health risk for its owner(s).”
Krebsbach and other vets note that the procedure rarely benefits the animal and is done primarily to prevent damage to furniture. The surgery carries risks, and not just the usual ones from anesthesia. “In addition to amputating the last part of the toe, you are cutting into the nerve, the tendon and muscle,” says Krebsbach. She says removing the tips of 10 front toes can rob cats of their balance, movement and ability to defend themselves. Recovery can be painful.
In July, New York became the first state in the country to ban the procedure. Other states, including California and Florida, are considering prohibitions. Declawing is illegal in such cities as Denver, Los Angeles and San Francisco and St. Louis is considering a ban as well. Krebsbach and Chun say they are not aware of any efforts in Madison or Wisconsin to advance legislation banning the procedure.
But many vets are discouraging the surgery. A few months ago, the UW veterinary hospital stopped offering declawing as part of a package that included spaying and neutering. “I don’t feel that we need to make it easier or less expensive for clients who elect that,” says Chun.
Vets at the UW clinic educate their clients about declawing and available alternatives, says Dr. Calico Schmidt, a clinical instructor at the UW vet school.
The first thing cat owners can do is regularly trim their cats’ nails. If owners can’t master this, or if the cat is not agreeable, there are vet techs who, for a price, will come to the house and do the deed.
Owners can also teach their cats suitable places for scratching, which is a natural instinct for felines. “Put nice scratching posts in appropriate places in the house, and redirect them there so they learn where it’s okay to scratch and where it’s not,” says Schmidt.
Schmidt says placing double stick tape or aluminum foil over places cats like to scratch can work as a deterrent. Krebsbach says you can also choose furniture that is less attractive to cats — opt for a microfiber couch rather than one upholstered with fabric that has threads in it.
There are also soft vinyl nail caps, by such companies as Soft Paws, that can be glued to cat nails. “They use non-toxic adhesive to put over each claw,” says Krebsbach. And they come in different colors. The caps, according to the company, “do not interfere with a cat’s ability to extend and retract the claws. The kitty can still scratch, which is essential for mental and physical health. However, the claws, being covered by vinyl, don’t do damage to household items during the scratching process.”
There are some rare instances where declawing benefits the animal. Krebsbach says she had a cat with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, a disorder that affected the feline’s connective tissue, causing his skin to be very fragile and susceptible to injury. “He would literally lick himself and get open wounds,” she says. “So I ended up doing a full declaw for him — strictly for medical reasons — to prevent injuries from normal grooming or if he were to scratch himself.”
And sometimes it is the only way to keep cats and their humans together. Schmidt says she once had an elderly client with very fragile skin. The woman had a close bond with her cat, who was also older. The woman was accidentally scratched by her cat and was being told that because she was vulnerable to infection, she needed to give the cat away. “In that instance,” says Schmidt, “I felt that declawing her cat was hopefully saving her cat from being rehomed or having to go to a shelter or have a not very happy ending.”
Chun agrees that once all alternatives to declawing are tried, the relationship between the animal and human must be considered. “The bond between humans and animals is so important, especially in an elderly population where that animal may be their constant social companion. So how do you manage that? That’s a tough one.”
Krebsbach, who is just a week into her position as the state rep for Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, would like to see Wisconsin follow the lead of New York in banning the procedure.
“Hopefully we will see some good things happen in our state,” she says, “where we really are an advocate for animals.”
