Cat Declaw

Declawing Cats There are many different declawing methods of cats. Each method has pros and cons in order to make an informed decision information about each is needed so that a person can make informed decision about whether or not to declaw their cat. There are many people who claim that it is inhumane and harmful to declaw a cat. Arguments against declawing include: trigger behavioral problems in cats, it causes the cat major pain, and a declawed cat cannot defend themselves. These are just few of the conflicting viewpoints in declawing a cat. Cat’s claws are an integral body part. They are like fingers and toes on humans. Claws are one of the basic implements for accomplishing the daily activities and also act as the first line of defense against enemies. (3) However cats can be destructive of furniture, wood work, carpeting, and could scratch children in a home. To understand why cats tend to claw things may help you understand them better. One reason is to sharpen their claws and the other is called kneading. By kneading the cat is taken back to the good old days when they would knead at momma’s breast to make her milk come down. (3) It is believed they only do this to people they really love. It is perfectly natural for a cat to claw and knead. There are several options veterinarians have to remove the claws. The Clipper Method is the most common method. (1) The third digit of the toe is cut through by using a sterile nail trimmer. This is the part of the bone from which the claw growth is removed. The veterinarian either sews the incision with suture material or closes it with surgical glue. The most common problem with this method is in some cases not enough of the third bone is removed and the claw grows back. This will lead to infection and the removal of the bone has to be removed again. The Disarticulation Method is a little more difficult to master and rarer that the Clipper method as it involves the delicate disconnection of all the

Cited: (1)Eckstein, Sandy. "Declawing Cats Q&A: Positives, Negatives, and Alternatives." WebMD. WebMD, LLC, Aug. 2009. Web. 15 Oct. 2011. (2)Jerris RC, Regnery RL (1996). “Will the real agent of cat scratch disease please stand up?”. Annu. Rev. Michrobiol. 50: 707-725. (3)Heil, Emily. "Should You Declaw?" Washington Post 16 Jan. 2005, Pet Set sec.: M07. Print.