Persuasive Essay On Declawing

The Truth About Declawing The controversy surrounding the declawing, or onychectomy, of domestic cats is heating up nationwide. Opinions are strong on this subject and are, for the most part, based on whether you’re a cat owner or a veterinarian. Pro-declaw groups, and most veterinarians, claim that if more cats are declawed, less cats will end up in shelters or euthanized; anti-declaw groups maintain that declawing is barbaric and inhumane, and causes permanent physical and psychological damage to the cat. Declawing is, essentially, a maiming of the animal’s paws. Declawed cats are more likely to bite, and in addition, litter box problems arise because of declawing. For their protection and quality of life, no domestic cat should ever
With all three methods, the last bone of the cat’s toe containing the claw is sawed, cut, or burned off. This leaves the cat walking on its foot bones rather than its toe bones, and can cause deformities of the foot and other issues such as arthritis. Claws can grow back and puncture through paw pads; bone chips can form and must be surgically removed. In the scalpel method of declawing, a scalpel saws off the toe bone between the first and second joints. The guillotine method uses a large scissors-type clipper made specifically for pet toenails that chops off the first phalanx of the toe. Laser declawing is relatively new to the veterinary industry and involves the burning off of the first phalanx, which can result in severe burns to the surrounding tissues and paw pads. All three methods cause the cat severe pain, and when all four paws are declawed, the cat has no choice but to walk on the painful paws – even though medications are given to relieve the pain, they are often
These cats then begin to urinate and defecate in places such as on carpeting or furniture, where the surface does not cause them pain when they step on it. Like biting, this behavior, once learned, is nearly impossible to reverse. Uses of different litter materials such as soft wood chips or newspaper rarely accomplish their purpose, as the cat will have learned to associate the litter pan with pain and will no longer approach it. Again, cats who refuse to use a litter pan are usually taken to a shelter, and again, are often euthanized. No one wants a cat who won’t use a litter pan. Cats often become depressed after declawing as well, and many owners have reported behavioral changes, including hiding, refusal to eat, and a change from being loving and affectionate to being cross and