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

[darcifinn]

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.

I would never declaw my cats. That said my parents adopted a declawed rescue and it was the only way they would have a cat. Her name was Mary she lived in a huge house with a screened porch and a catio too. She was very loved and extra spoiled. If the choice is declaw or euthanize then it is a clear choice to me.

 

[saleri]

I would never declaw my cats. That said my parents adopted a declawed rescue and it was the only way they would have a cat. Her name was Mary she lived in a huge house with a screened porch and a catio too. She was very loved and extra spoiled. If the choice is declaw or euthanize then it is a clear choice to me.

Yeah, although I'm surprised that this isn't the common thought here.

 

[talkingpeanut]

The choice should never be declaw or euthanize. The choice is really declaw or rehome, and I would choose rehome every time.

 

[Neo_23]

Would you rather have your fingers cut off and live in a mansion or die?

Really? Is this a necessary question?

 

[PushPurrCatPaws]

The choice should never be declaw or euthanize. The choice is really declaw or rehome, and I would choose rehome every time.

Yep.

Not only did the adoption contract we signed for our rescue kitten have us agree to not declaw our new feline family member (as if that would ever happen: NOT), but that --if we ever were considering doing so-- we agreed to take her back to the rescue to be rehomed.

And I agree with Neo_23... are we really back to the closing the circle of this thread, saleri , by asking or assuming the same false choice here? After all the input from everyone, three pages later?

 

[prairiepanda]

I've looked at the adoption applications and contracts from every single one of the cat rescues in my city and all of them ask "How do you feel about declawing" on the application and explicitly forbid declawing on the contract. I've also seen a few already-declawed cats up for adoption, all of which were surrendered for "inappropriate urination/defecation." Can you guess why? Their previous owners declawed them to stop the scratching problem, but then the pain of using the litter box after declawing made the cats not want to use the litter box. I have also personally met a few declawed cats who managed to overcome the initial pain and live "happy" lives, but developed painful inflammatory conditions in their feet and spine at an unusually early age (5 to 8 years) which their vets attributed to the way declawing affects their posture and gait. Normally a cat wouldn't be expected to develop severe arthritis or the like until they are at least 10, more often well into their teens. So even if the cat seems happy early on, they will suffer later on in life.

If your cat is destructive, take the time to train it. If you think a cat can't be trained, it's because you've been approaching it like training a dog. Cats do not respond to the same type of training as dogs. All you need is patience and willingness to learn the language of your cat, and to dedicate a bit of your time to doing some research. If you can't be bothered to familiarize yourself with your cat enough to teach it your household rules, you shouldn't own one. It's not a choice between declawing or euthanasia unless you really don't care about your cat's well-being. If you truly care about your cat, the choice is between training it yourself or rehoming it with someone who is prepared for the challenge. If your toddler had a habit of throwing food on the floor, would you have its arms removed so that it couldn't throw things anymore, or would you try to teach them to distinguish from good and bad behavior and show them that they can be rewarded for good behavior? Both solutions would technically solve the initial problem, no? Or maybe just kill the child, because it's too much work either way?

 

[morganlee107]

My first cat was declawed before my parents realized how bad it was. He's 12 now and seems okay. He does bite a little easier than most, doesn't like to be picked up when laying down, and can be grumpy more often than not. This could be related to his declawing. My second cat was not declawed. We got him from Stray Cat Blues INC that taught my parents how bad it was and had them sign something saying they wouldn't get him declawed (ever since, my parents have been against it). He was great, very loving, didn't mind being picked up, super cuddly. Could be related to not being declawed.

I feel like it's a knowledge thing. If shelters are actively against declawing, and teach people why, they wouldn't get their cats declawed. Forallanimals.org says that declawing doesn't keep them out of shelters, in fact, they might be returned for behavioral issues because of declawing (X). And if someone doesn't want a cat after having all the knowledge, then it's probably for the best because they clearly aren't thinking about what's best for the cat.

 

[darcifinn]

Would you rather have your fingers cut off and live in a mansion or die?

Really? Is this a necessary question?

The difference is how many cats are killed each year versus how many people are walking around with no finger.

 

[talkingpeanut]

The difference is how many cats are killed each year versus how many people are walking around with no finger.

You’re actually advocating for chronic pain and behavioral issues, not a one-time procedure.

 

[Willowy]

Countries that ban de-clawing do not kill more cats. So. . .people get used to it I guess.

 

[saleri]

Yep.

Not only did the adoption contract we signed for our rescue kitten have us agree to not declaw our new feline family member (as if that would ever happen: NOT), but that --if we ever were considering doing so-- we agreed to take her back to the rescue to be rehomed.

And I agree with Neo_23... are we really back to the closing the circle of this thread, saleri , by asking or assuming the same false choice here? After all the input from everyone, three pages later?

Rehome where? No-kill shelters are now overcrowded with cats and frequently don't accept cats.

 

[saleri]

Countries that ban de-clawing do not kill more cats. So. . .people get used to it I guess.

Yeah but are any of those countries like the USA? And I say that in the worst way possible.

 

[saleri]

My first cat was declawed before my parents realized how bad it was. He's 12 now and seems okay. He does bite a little easier than most, doesn't like to be picked up when laying down, and can be grumpy more often than not. This could be related to his declawing. My second cat was not declawed. We got him from Stray Cat Blues INC that taught my parents how bad it was and had them sign something saying they wouldn't get him declawed (ever since, my parents have been against it). He was great, very loving, didn't mind being picked up, super cuddly. Could be related to not being declawed.

I feel like it's a knowledge thing. If shelters are actively against declawing, and teach people why, they wouldn't get their cats declawed. Forallanimals.org says that declawing doesn't keep them out of shelters, in fact, they might be returned for behavioral issues because of declawing (X). And if someone doesn't want a cat after having all the knowledge, then it's probably for the best because they clearly aren't thinking about what's best for the cat.

And yet this article of a sample of 1000+ cats argues that there are fewer declawed cats in shelter then there are in the general population.

https://digital.lib.washington.edu/...73/34157/Fritscher_washington_0250O_14353.pdf

Also confirmation bias of behavioral issues and biting can sway shelter people. Not that I 100% agree with it, but at least this is one study that argues it.

 

[saleri]

Would you rather have your fingers cut off and live in a mansion or die?

Really? Is this a necessary question?

I think this question can be obscenely offensive to a lot of people.

 

[1 bruce 1]

My personal feelings is if I were to declaw a cat (which I won't) to prevent scratching someone/ruination of furniture or objects, it's only fair to take my young, healthy dogs to the vet to have all their teeth pulled to prevent the idea that they might bite someone some day.
Or, I can understand training and management to the best of my ability and do what I can to prevent these things.
It also pains me to think should an indoors only de-clawed cat manage to escape and get lost outdoors. Against predators or other cats, they wouldn't have a snowballs chance at defending themselves...JMO.

 

[Willowy]

My personal feelings is if I were to declaw a cat (which I won't) to prevent scratching someone/ruination of furniture or objects, it's only fair to take my young, healthy dogs to the vet to have all their teeth pulled to prevent the idea that they might bite someone some day.

Exactly. Surveys show that 90% of pet owners think de-barking a dog should be illegal, but 57% think de-clawing a cat is perfectly acceptable. Most vets refuse to do de-barks, but most vets will do de-claws. Even though de-barking is a simple procedure, all soft tissue, doesn't actually take the dog's ability to bark away (just softens their voice), and has no serious long-term effects. While de-clawing is a major orthopedic procedure, extremely painful (considered one of the most painful veterinary procedures), and affects how the cat walks, stretches, and defends themselves for life.

People value dogs far more than cats :/.

(Note: I would never de-bark a dog either. But it is a much less severe procedure)

 

[Willowy]

Yeah but are any of those countries like the USA? And I say that in the worst way possible.

I hardly think "Americans are horrid" is a valid defense of de-clawing .

 

[morganlee107]

And yet this article of a sample of 1000+ cats argues that there are fewer declawed cats in shelter then there are in the general population.

https://digital.lib.washington.edu/...73/34157/Fritscher_washington_0250O_14353.pdf

Also confirmation bias of behavioral issues and biting can sway shelter people. Not that I 100% agree with it, but at least this is one study that argues it.

I would take this study with a grain of salt because the sample size isn't that large compared to the 73 million it mentions and it's not published in a scientific journal (it looks like it's just a graduate student's personal work, as a student myself, there's plenty of room for error and fudging numbers). Here's an article published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery in 2017 saying it does cause adverse behaviors that are the reason they are surrenders to shelters. Yes, their sample size is smaller but I trust it more as actual published work. http://www.parkanimalhospital.ca/clients/17995/documents/JFMS_declawing.pdf

 

[Neo_23]

And yet this article of a sample of 1000+ cats argues that there are fewer declawed cats in shelter then there are in the general population.

https://digital.lib.washington.edu/...73/34157/Fritscher_washington_0250O_14353.pdf

Also confirmation bias of behavioral issues and biting can sway shelter people. Not that I 100% agree with it, but at least this is one study that argues it.

There are some serious methodological issues with this study and why the heck is a psychologist doing a study on this?

 

[EmmiTemmi]

And yet this article of a sample of 1000+ cats argues that there are fewer declawed cats in shelter then there are in the general population.

Does this article look at the proportion of previously owned cats that are in a shelter who were or weren't declawed? Or do they take into account that a very large portion of cats in shelters (at least the one I volunteer at) are stray/feral who have never been owned so have never had a person decide whether or not to declaw them? Because the with strays in the mix to skew the numbers towards cats who have claws, of course the shelter populations have fewer declawed than typical household populations. That makes sense. But of cats who used to be owned and ended up in a shelter, how many of those are declawed compared to typical owned cats? Does that make sense? I didn't read the thesis, so I don't know if that was factored in.