Declawing Is Bad, But Is It Worse Then Shelter? Also Any Studies Showing Long Term Effects On Cats?

[saleri]

Just curious if there's any studies on the long term negative effects of having a cat declawed, cause every time I see this brought up, I see a few people saying they declawed their cats, and their fine..

Also I assume most of us would rather have a cat be declawed then euthanized(unless you argue otherwise), but what about if a owner wouldn't adopt a cat that isn't declawed and there's no other choice and the other option is for the cat to remain at a shelter or homeless?

edit: I know shelters will offer already declawed cats for people that would want to declaw their cats, we're not counting that for the sake of conversation for my second point.

 

[Neo_23]

I don't think a good shelter would ever adopt out a cat to an owner that wants to declaw it. Most shelters would deem these people as unsuitable parents for pets so it would be an easy decision for them to deny an application. If I worked at a shelter and someone came in and said I will only adopt a declawed cat I would show them the door. Actually, I did volunteer at a shelter once and was told that they had a strict no declaw policy and I was to deny any person who showed any sign of wanting to declaw their adopted cat.

By the way, I hope you know you're getting into the same boat again with this thread as your vegan diet thread. Be prepared for a lot of passionate responses... but something tells me you already know this.

 

[saleri]

I don't think a good shelter would ever adopt out a cat to an owner that wants to declaw it. Most shelters would deem these people as unsuitable parents for pets so it would be an easy decision for them to deny an application. If I worked at a shelter and someone came in and said I will only adopt a declawed cat I would show them the door. Actually, I did volunteer at a shelter once and was told that they had a strict no declaw policy and I was to deny any person who showed any sign of wanting to declaw their adopted cat.

By the way, I hope you know you're getting into the same boat again with this thread as your vegan diet thread. Be prepared for a lot of passionate responses... but something tells me you already know this and are anticipating it.

I did add to the title that "declawing is bad" so I thought that implied that I wanted more thoughts and proofs to give to people considering declawing then me actually wanting to declawing cats.

Both my kittens occasionally scratch the floor and my couch, but I'm a very young single guy and could honestly care less about my simple furniture, ehh at worst my landlord might charge a few bucks in a year or two, but oh well.

Though I'm a little bit surprised that was the policy at the shelter. I volunteered at a shelter for a few weeks before I got Lilo, never asked though I did mention once briefly I thought it was wrong. Is that the policy at most shelters to not adopt a cat out if the owner wants to declaw?

 

[Neo_23]

I did add to the title that "declawing is bad" so I thought that implied that I wanted more thoughts and proofs to give to people considering declawing then me actually wanting to declawing cats.

Both my kittens occasionally scratch the floor and my couch, but I'm a very young single guy and could honestly care less about my simple furniture, ehh at worst my landlord might charge a few bucks in a year or two, but oh well.

Though I'm a little bit surprised that was the policy at the shelter. I volunteered at a shelter for a few weeks before I got Lilo, never asked though I did mention once briefly I thought it was wrong. Is that the policy at most shelters to not adopt a cat out if the owner wants to declaw?

I think your thread sparks interesting conversation and I’m not saying I’m personally upset that you started it. I’m just warning that you may get some passionate responses, but then again maybe not.

I’m pretty sure that most shelters wouldn’t allow adoption if they knew an owner was going to declaw. Every shelter application form I have filled out has asked if I plan on declawing. This question is basically there to weed out those people who have these intentions.

Actually, declawing is illegal in some European countries, Denver, and Nova Scotia. There is a movement in my province to have it made illegal too. The Canadian Vet Associaiton has also condemned it.

The question of whether mutilation vs. death is better shouldn’t even be a question. We would never see an orphanage giving up a child for adoption to parents that wanted to cut off its arms. It’s just silly to me. And if they’re willing to declaw the cat then they probably would do even worse things to it and should not be cat parents.

 

[Willowy]

It depends on the shelter, I'm sure. The only time I adopted a kitten at a shelter, they did ask on the application if I planned to de-claw and I put "no", and they didn't say anything on the subject. So maybe if somone checks "yes" they talk to them about it? I have no idea.

"Which is better, de-claw or the shelter?" is a false dichotomy. Those are never the only 2 solutions. Countries that have banned de-clawing don't have more cats in shelters than the US does.

I know some people who really care about their cats who, without being educated on the subject, had them de-clawed, not knowing any better. But those who have been educated and still choose to do so. . .they don't really want a cat. They want a pet pillow. I wouldn't trust them not to dump the cat as soon as a problem popped up.

 

[Neo_23]

Also, I’d like to point out that in the same way that there will be no studies on long term effects of vegan diets for cats because it is unethical, there will also likely never be any studies on long term effects of declawing. These proposals would not pass an ethics review committee in modern times.

Edit: The only way I could see a study being done is maybe studies on cats that have already been declawed in the past.

 

[saleri]

I think your thread sparks interesting conversation and I’m not saying I’m personally upset that you started it. I’m just warning that you may get some passionate responses, but then again maybe not.

I’m pretty sure that most shelters wouldn’t allow adoption if they knew an owner was going to declaw. Every shelter application form I have filled out has asked if I plan on declawing. This question is basically there to weed out those people who have these intentions.

Actually, declawing is illegal in some European countries, Denver, and Nova Scotia. There is a movement in my province to have it made illegal too. The Canadian Vet Associaiton has also condemned it.

The question of whether mutilation vs. death is better shouldn’t even be a question. We would never see an orphanage giving up a child for adoption to parents that wanted to cut off its arms. It’s just silly to me. And if they’re willing to declaw the cat then they probably would do even worse things to it and should be cat parents.

Yeah I guess the two document forms I had to sign probably asked that too, though to be honest I filled it out pretty quick.

Yeah the recently addition of Nova Scotia was really what made me start this form.


I saw the typical number of people that said declawing is cruel and that it's good that this is happening, but I did see a few people asking for proof of long term effects or ones that had cats that they declawed or came declawed and didn't notice any problems.

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

...
I’m pretty sure that most shelters wouldn’t allow adoption if they knew an owner was going to declaw. Every shelter application form I have filled out has asked if I plan on declawing. This question is basically there to weed out those people who have these intentions.
...
The question of whether mutilation vs. death is better shouldn’t even be a question. We would never see an orphanage giving up a child for adoption to parents that wanted to cut off its arms. It’s just silly to me. And if they’re willing to declaw the cat then they probably would do even worse things to it and should be cat parents.

It's not only on Applications that the question is addressed. The rescue which provided me with my beloved kitty Milly also had terms of, "I agree not to declaw my cat", on its Adoption Agreement/Contract.

 

[thatfilmgirl]

ASPCA would not let me take my cat home if I was planning on declawing and if I was going to let him outdoors. I wasn't declawing (but I'm seriously considering claw caps because he'd been a stray his whole life) but I do let him outside. He doesn't go far.

When we first got cats, we had their front paws declawed. We would not make the same choice now (it was 1999). Cats were fine until Prissy hit about 15/16 she went through a period of peeing on the bed until we got a new litter she liked, which I think felt better on her paws. It isn't just the removal of a claw, it's the removal of the first bone (like removing your finger to that first knuckle).

TL;DR there's no comparison of de-claw vs shelter. They are two completely different things.

 

[Neo_23]

I saw the typical number of people that said declawing is cruel and that it's good that this is happening, but I did see a few people asking for proof of long term effects or ones that had cats that they declawed or came declawed and didn't notice any problems.

I wouldn’t expect any pet parent who decides to declaw their cat to notice any problems. Cats are notorious for hiding pain and any person that chooses to declaw their cat probably isn’t very in tune with their cat’s behaviour in the first place and wouldn’t be able to pick up signs of distress.

 

[Lari]

And there are cats who are declawed and then sent back to the shelter because they start biting or develop litterbox issues. So you really can't make it an either/or choice.

 

[saleri]

It depends on the shelter, I'm sure. The only time I adopted a kitten at a shelter, they did ask on the application if I planned to de-claw and I put "no", and they didn't say anything on the subject. So maybe if somone checks "yes" they talk to them about it? I have no idea.

"Which is better, de-claw or the shelter?" is a false dichotomy. Those are never the only 2 solutions. Countries that have banned de-clawing don't have more cats in shelters than the US does.

"Which is better, de-claw or the shelter?" is a false dichotomy. Those are never the only 2 solutions. Countries that have banned de-clawing don't have more cats in shelters than the US does.

Is a certainly an interesting point, but is that really true?

Cat declawing: Once routine, procedure now draws fire as harmful – The Denver Post

According to this an estimate 20% of cats go through declawing. That's an insanely huge number of cats that have to go through that process(honestly was shocked when I read that, hope someone can prove that is wrong and it's lower), and honestly most people I talk to have their cats declawed.

I do wonder what percent of that 20% of cat owners would still want to adopt a cat if they couldn't declaw? Even if it's just one percent of that 20%, that's still a million cats that would have being adopted. Although fair points by Neo, that maybe it's still better to be not declawed then have a home with a likely ignorant or non-caring owner.

 

[saleri]

I wouldn’t expect any pet parent who decides to declaw their cat to notice any problems. Cats are notorious for hiding pain and any person that chooses to declaw their cat probably isn’t very in tune with their cat’s behaviour in the first place and wouldn’t be able to pick up signs of distress.

Good point! Thanks.

 

[lalagimp]

I'm just going to say it:
If someone wants a declawed cat then they should go to the shelter in the first place, and pick up one that someone else got declawed and dumped there.
Amalie has done very well with her declaw. I don't know who did it to her, but she was a stray and I took her home with me. She's maybe about 12 now and gets a little back pain from time to time, but I don't know if I can attribute that to her procedure or just her aging.
There are many, many cases where declawed are not a procedure to save the cat from being euthanized. I seldom hear of a cat so destructive that they want to amputate their toes or give them away. It's a lifestyle decision and if you don't like the cat the way it came, then get a different pet. I have a family member that purposefully gets their cats declawed, and then provides NO enrichment for the cat's natural behaviors.
Amalie may not have her tippy toes, but she enjoys "scratching" up a sisal post. It feels good.
Angel used to live with us until Stewart moved in and was too rough for her. Those same people had her ALL FOUR DECLAWED. She loved having scratching posts. We rehomed her to my boyfriend's ex and that lady never bought her a post for the years she lived there.
"Why does she need it?"
How about because she's a cat?

 

[Neo_23]

"Which is better, de-claw or the shelter?" is a false dichotomy. Those are never the only 2 solutions. Countries that have banned de-clawing don't have more cats in shelters than the US does.

Is a certainly an interesting point, but is that really true?

Cat declawing: Once routine, procedure now draws fire as harmful – The Denver Post

According to this an estimate 20% of cats go through declawing. That's an insanely huge number of cats that have to go through that process(honestly was shocked when I read that, hope someone can prove that is wrong and it's lower), and honestly most people I talk to have their cats declawed.

I do wonder what percent of that 20% of cat owners would still want to adopt a cat if they couldn't declaw? Even if it's just one percent of that 20%, that's still a million cats that would have being adopted. Although fair points by Neo, that maybe it's still better to be not declawed then have a home with a likely ignorant or non-caring owner.

That’s probably not a very accurate statistic.

I’m curious, where do you live?

 

[Willowy]

Is it down to 20%? It was 50% last time I checked . Higher than that in the early '90s.

I think most people who do it don't know what it entails and some may not do it if they were educated on the subject. Those who would do it even after knowing. . .well, like I said, they don't want a cat; they want a pillow.

There was a study that showed that spayed/neutered and de-clawed cats are more likely to be surrendered to a shelter than those who are spayed/neutered and not de-clawed (of course, most cats dumped at a shelter have never seen a vet at all), I'll see if I can find that one again.

 

[Neo_23]

I'm just going to say it:
If someone wants a declawed cat then they should go to the shelter in the first place, and pick up one that someone else got declawed and dumped there.

I’m going to have to disagree. I don’t think a person who is requesting a declawed cat should have a cat at all.

 

[saleri]

Is it down to 20%? It was 50% last time I checked . Higher than that in the early '90s.

I think most people who do it don't know what it entails and some may not do it if they were educated on the subject. Those who would do it even after knowing. . .well, like I said, they don't want a cat; they want a pillow.

There was a study that showed that spayed/neutered and de-clawed cats are more likely to be surrendered to a shelter than those who are spayed/neutered and not de-clawed (of course, most cats dumped at a shelter have never seen a vet at all), I'll see if I can find that one again.

Oh boy, I sincerely hope it was never 50%!@?

 

[abyeb]

Declawing is the amputation of each digit at the first joint. Cats are digitigrade, meaning they walk on their toes whereas humans are plantigrade. When a cat’s toes are amputated at the first joint, their weight gets shifted back to their wrists causing early onset arthritis.

Declawed cats have pain walking and digging through litter, meaning that declawed cats are prone to inappropriate elimination. Inappropriate elimination is the most common reason that people relinquish cats to shelters. In cities where declawing has been banned (including San Francisco and Los Angeles), the rate of cats being relinquished to shelters has decreased. This was discussed in The Cat-Lover's Anti-Declawing Handbook by Jean Hofve, DVM, which is available for free online here: http://www.littlebigcat.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ADAH-2018.pdf

If a declawed cat is acting aggressively, there is greater injury to their owners, as they are will bite. Cat bites get infected quite easily.

There are many alternatives to declawing, including training cats to use scratching posts (it is quite easy, and once cats discover their scratching posts, they would rather scratch those than the sofa, because it feels nicer), along with regular nail trims (which, if the owner is unable to do, this can be done at the vet's or a groomer). Some owners use claw caps as well.

Here's some TCS articles on the topic:

Declawing - More Than Just A Manicure

How To Best Take Care Of Cat Claws

Why Cats Should Not Be Declawed

 

[saleri]

That’s probably not a very accurate statistic.

I’m curious, where do you live?

Small town in Michigan. Although I know people in places like Ann Arbor, Detroit, Troy that have declawed their cats.