Declawing - Onychectomy
This info comes from Animal Radio Network newsletter - 3/22/03
The news has been chock-full recently about several counties
condemning and possibly banning the declawing procedure Onychectomy.
While we pride ourselves in unbiased reporting, we have always
supported anti-declawing views. We believe the American public is
misinformed when it comes to declawing. The procedure itself is
illegal in most countries.
Psychological & Behavioral Complications
Some cats are so shocked by declawing that their personalities
change. Cats who were lively and friendly have become withdrawn and
introverted after being declawed. Others, deprived of their primary
means of defense, become nervous, fearful, and/or aggressive, often
resorting to their only remaining means of defense, their teeth. In
some cases, when declawed cats use the litterbox after surgery, their
feet are so tender they associate their new pain with the box
permanently, resulting in a life-long aversion to using the litter
box. Other declawed cats that can no longer mark with their claws,
mark with urine instead, resulting in inappropriate elimination
problems. In many cases, this results in relinquishment of the cats
to shelters and ultimately euthanasia. Many of the cats surrendered
to shelters are surrendered because of behavioral problems which
developed after the cats were declawed.
Risk factors for relinquishment of cats to an animal shelter:
*Among 218 cats relinquished to a shelter, more (52.4%) declawed cats
than non-declawed cats (29.1%) were reported by owners to have
inappropriate elimination problems.
Source: World Small Animal Veterinary Association - 2001
The incidence of behavior problems following Onychectomy in cats; two
months to five years (median 11.5 months) after surgery:
*(33%) developed at least one behavior problem.
*(17.9%) had an increase in biting habits or intensity."
*(15.4%) would not use the litter box
Source: World Small Animal Veterinary Association - 2001
Many declawed cats become so traumatized by this painful mutilation
that they end up spending their maladjusted lives perched on top of
doors and refrigerators, out of reach of real and imaginary
predators, against whom they no longer have any adequate defense.
A cat relies on its claws as its primary means of defense. Removing
the claws makes a cat feel defenseless. The constant state of stress
caused by a feeling of defenselessness may make some declawed cats
more prone to disease. Stress leads to a myriad of physical and
psychological disorders including suppression of the immune system,
cystitis and irritable bowel syndrome (IBS).
"The consequences of declawing are often pathetic. Changes in
behavior can occur. A declawed cat frequently resorts to biting when
confronted with even minor threats. Biting becomes an
overcompensation for the insecurity of having no claws. Bungled
surgery can result in the regrowth of deformed claws or in an
infection leading to gangrene. Balance is affected by the inability
to grasp with their claws. Chronic physical ailments such as cystitis
or skin disorders can be manifestations of a declawed cat's
frustration and stress" -David E. Hammett, DVM
This info comes from Animal Radio Network newsletter - 3/22/03
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Posted on SHARE Yahoo group March 22, 2003