From an RVT standpoint,
de-clawing is a very bloody surgery and no, cats don't generally handle it very well. What owners don't see is how their legs jump each time their fingers are snapped off, what owners don't see is that even while they are under they wince in pain some even bite. It's reflex, they are heavily sedated however their nerves still detect whats going on. When the cats wake up the majority of the time the glue that holds their pads closed usually comes out and they bleed all over the cages or they bite at their stitches. Generally we have to put the glue back in and it's very painful for them as their paws are really sore. The cats are so confused, yes they have pain medication but that look in their eyes is awful. What did they do to deserve that? Our clinic stopped de-clawing because people were so flippant about it. It's always "my cat is destroying my furniture". Cat's are rather stoic in the sense that it's weak in the wild to show pain so it looks like they are okay but usually they are in pain for months. Some will even stop using the litter box because post surgery (even with the special litter) they don't understand why it hurts to scratch in the box so they associate pain with the litterbox. Which kind of defeats the purpose because now the cat is being more of a "bother" to the owner for now it's pooping on the floor, it's not tearing up the furniture but it's soiling it.
What I will say is that it's a cats natural instinct to scratch, they have to shed their dead nails. As a responsible owner it's your job to teach them where to scratch and clip their nails like you would a dogs. I own two cats one of which was declawed before we got him. He's declawed in the front AND the back. He doesn't like to use the litterbox, and he still makes scratching motions on the scratching posts because it's his instincts. What his previous owners don't understand is that he has no way of defending himself and he's run outside of my house several times and i've had to go after him. I feel awful for him, but we give him a good home with love and understanding. My other cat I got as a kitten and I've been diligent about clipping his nails and teaching him where to scratch. I have no issues with him and we have leather furniture. SOOO I guess im so against it because it shouldn't be an alternative, owning a pet shouldn't have such an "easy" way out because in the long run it has consequences. Sometimes there are none but i've seen more cases where there are some. My de-clawed cat is slightly arthritic when it's cold and he can barely walk. I know it's because of the surgery. He's only 3 years old and didn't deserve the hand he's been given.
I do have somewhat of an understanding for owners that choose to do it, but it's my own personal preference based on experience to be so firmly against it.
sorry this got kind of long.
To address the dog aspect, I don't think they should be declawed in the front, in the back, anywhere. They can't retract their claws like a cat so it would permanently affect their gait. We need our toes, so do they. I can't imagine it being done in the past, those poor dogs.
I don't think this is comparable to cropping and docking. I am against it, my own yorkie is really against all standards. He's parti-colored and natural tail. (I finally get him in 5 days!) dew claws are different. They are vestigial, like wisdom teeth. It's not just for aesthetics it's to avoid getting it caught on something. Great Pyrenees are the only ones that keep them in their breed standard because of their double set.
If this canine de-claw were done as a newborn I would think it would still have detrimental effects later on in their life. It might not be as painful if they were adults but I think it would end up diminishing their quality of life. |