Declawing cats is inhumane

My mother and some friends have been after me to declaw the cats, so I thought I'd share my thoughts on why I don't consider that to be a viable option.

First, some anatomy and physiology: the cat's claws grow continually, arising from germ cells that are intimately connected to the distal-most bones of the fingers and toes; permanent claw removal thus involves removing part, or often all, of those bones. Otherwise, the claws grow back. The cat uses the claws not only to hunt, defend itself from predators, and climb, but also to stretch some of the muscles of its trunk - if you've ever seen a cat sink its front claws into something and then lean/pull back, this is what the cat is doing. The cat has no other way of stretching these muscles. The claws are also used to mark territory. Finally, the bones from which the claws grow are used by the cat to walk on.

Declawing therefor is a series of ten or twenty amputations, depending on whether only the front, or the front and back claws are removed. Tendons are cut, as are nerves and other forms of soft tissue. The human equivalent would be removing the distal-most potions of the fingers and toes - amputating everything after the last joint. All of the potential complications associated with human amputations can occur, including infection, numbness, and phantom limb pain.

Since a cat cannot make use of crutches or a wheelchair, after declawing it must walk on the stumps of its freshly amputated fingers and toes. The cat must also use these stumps to paw through its kitty litter, and if it plays, it must use the stumps for that, too. And remember that in the wild, showing signs of pain or injury is an invitation to predation; cats and other animals have learned to hide their pain and injuries. So your cat is not likely to lie around yowling in pain.

There are also long term consequences, independent of those directly associated with the amputations. Once it has lost its front claws, a cat can no longer stretch, so the muscles of its back atrophy, potentially yielding chronic back pain. The shape of the paw is changed by the removal of the bone, so the remaining bones of the limb must take on unnatural positions as the cat walks. The cat can no longer use its claws to mark its territory, nor can it easily defend its territory, as it has no claws to do so, so there may be psychological sequela as well. Refusal to use the litter box or other behavior changes may also be seen.

Please, don't declaw your cats. If you live in parts of Europe, this isn't likely to be an issue, as the procedure is recognized as inhumane and is therefor illegal. See European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, Chapter II - Principles for the keeping of pet animals, Chapter 1, Article 10. See also this site for brief descriptions of several studies involving declawing (some more directly than others).

And don't tell me to have Scruffy and Shadow declawed, either.