Declawing
The Mutilating Declaw Surgery

A cat's remarkable grace and agility, its faultless sense of balance, are, to a great extent, due to its retractable claws, which allow it to establish footing for walking, running, springing, climbing, or stretching. A cat's claws are also its best defense mechanism. Scratching also serves to keep your cat in shape. The act of scratching stretches and pulls and works the muscles of a cat's front quarters.
The outer part of a cat's claws regularly become frayed. When a cat scratches, it pulls off the outer part and exposes sharp, smooth claws. Scratching is also a way of fulfilling the cat's strong instinctive need to mark its territory. Not only does a cat mark an object visibly by scratching it, but the scratching deposits secretions from glands in the feet that can be smelled by other cats.

In addition, a cat spends about one third of its time when it is awake grooming itself. The claws are a very important part of this function, and used extensively to help keep the cat's fur smooth and clean. This is not just for "good looks" - grooming is the way a cat controls body temperature and the affects of outside temperatures; grooming also controls the scent signals used by the feline body; grooming is important for cleanliness, health, and for waterproofing the cat's body. The licking and scratching that a cat does while grooming itself or in social grooming combs out tangles in the fur, and removes skin irritations and dead skin and hair. There is no way a cat can use its teeth effectively to reach the important areas of the neck, head and mouth for grooming, and teeth are not nearly as efficient in keeping the other parts of the body in perfect condition.

Some declawed cats will resort to biting behavior when confronted with even very minor perceived stress or threats. This behavior is the overcompensation for the cat's insecurity about not having any claws. Sometimes, a cat's sense of balance is affected by not being able to grasp and measure objects with their claws. Chronic physical problems such as cystitis and skin disorders can all be the results of a declawed cat's sense of frustration and high degree of stress. Remember, too, that it IS possible for serious infections to occur, and for the claws to even grow back, often in a deformed and difficult-to-treat state.

There are two commonly used procedures to declaw cats, disarticulation and amputation. Disarticulation removes the third bone and attached nail of each digit. This is equivalent to removing the last bone, with the fingernail, of a person's finger. The ligaments, tendons, and joint capsule that attach that bone to the digit are all cut. Amputation cuts the last bone into two pieces, removing the end with the claw and claw bed and leaving a small part attached to the digit. In both procedures, the pad of the paw is left intact.

	Without additional comments, these pictures say a thousand words! Barbarian is that VET or person who makes such Brabaric Action

The tourniquet, used to reduce blood loss during the surgical procedure, can damage the radial nerve and result in paralysis of the leg. This paralysis is usually temporary but can be permanent. If the incisions come open and expose the remaining bones of the digits, infection can occur and the wounds must be left open to heal, which can take longer than if sutures were holding the wound closed. If the declawing procedure is not done correctly, the claw can grow back. As in any surgery there is the risk of anesthetic death.

After a declaw surgery the cat must be confined while the incisions heal. Shredded newspaper or paper towels should be used in the litter box in place of litter to keep litter out of the incisions.

Instead of declawing try introdutcing a scratching post. Buy or make a scratching post that's tall enough so the cat can stretch completely when scratching, and stable enough so it won't wobble when being used. It should be covered with a heavy, rough fiber. Carper or Sisal work well for this. Place the post in an accessible area. If you're trying to discourage the cat from scratching a particular piece of furniture, try placing the post in front of the furniture, gradually moving the post aside as the cat begins to use it regularly.
Try rubbing the post with catnip; make it a fun place to be. At the same time, the favorite furniture scratching area can be made less attractive by attaching tape that is sticky on both sides or a piece of cotton scented with bath oil to the furniture.
Also keep your cats nails trimmed. Cutting the nails regularly may help keep a cat from scratching the furniture, or at least reduce the damage done by its scratching. Get your kitten used to having its nails clipped while it is young. With an older cat, it may help to begin by handling the cat's feet under pleasurable circumstances. Then begin to introduce the clipping procedure by approaching the cat while its relaxed or even napping and clip only one nail per session. Praise your cat while you clip the nail and reward it with a treat.
If you're in doubt about what the proper nail length looks like, have your veterinarian trim the nails once. The only equipment necessary is a good pair of nail clippers and a nail file or emery board to gently round off any rough edges. Never use scissors, since they can tear the nail.
Hold the clippers perpendicular to the nail you will be trimming and slide the blade onto the nail. Before cutting, look for the pink "quick" that runs down the center of the nail. The clipper blade should be placed about an eight of an inch forward of the quick, and the nail clipped with one smooth squeezing action of the clippers. Be extremely careful not to cut into the quick. If this happens, the cat will experience pain, and bleeding is likely. The bleeding may stop without assistance, or you may need to hold a soft cloth on the nail or apply a little corn starch. If you trim a small amount of nail on a regular basis, the quick will actually tend to recede.

There are also products out now such as SOFTPAWS©, that can be used (kind of like fake nails) to discourage a chronic furniture scratcher. Take the time to try these products before even considering the permanent, irreversible, expensive and mutilating declaw surgery, as they have worked for millions of happy cats and their owners.