The Horrifying Truth: Declawing [EDITED]

Hello, Patch Pet Lovers!

The Volunteer Auxiliary for Animal Shelters, Inc.,wants to know: “Declawing "Do You Really Understand What This Means?"

After reading the information below about declawing, written by The Volunteer Auxiliary for Animal Shelters, Inc., I learned some very sad facts and statistics, and, since that time, have seen some horrible effects of declawing first-hand.

The Associated Humane Popcorn Park Shelter shared "The HORRIFYING TRUTH: Declawing" on their Facebook page and asked their readers the following:

“Ever wonder why we are so against declawing of cats? Think we're being too harsh when we will not adopt out to families that plan to declaw? Check out this article (courtesy of The Volunteer Auxillery [sic] for Animal Shelters, Inc.) and you might feel differently.”

To contribute in the efforts of outreach and raising awareness to the “horrifying” consequences cats may suffer, I’ve included the complete article below for readers who may not be on Facebook:

Declawing: Do You Really Understand What This Means?
Declawing:
-Declawing is not a “simple” surgery
-To declaw your cat, the bone, nerve, joint capsule, collateral ligaments, and the extensor and flexor tendons must all be amputated
-10 separate, painful amputations of the third phalanx up to the last joint of each toe are performed
-Complications from surgery include: excruciating pain, damage to nerves, hemorrhage, chronic back and joint pain as shoulder, leg, and back muscles weaken
-People say “my cat wasn’t in pain”. The truth is, cats often do not shown pain because it is a sign of weakness
-Declawing is illegal in several countries, including Japan, Australia, England, and most of continental Europe
Psychological & Behavioral Complications:
-Most cats are so shocked by declawing that their personalities change
-Cats who were lively and friendly become withdrawn and afraid
-Deprived of their primary means of defense, cats become nervous, fearful, and/or aggressive, often resorting to their only remaining means of defense, their teeth
-A declawed cat frequently resorts to biting when confronted with even minor threats
-Balance is affected by the inability to grasp with their claws
-Some cats stop using their litter box because of the pain associated with scratching in the litter after a declawing procedure. This means they will find a more comfortable place to go….i.e.- your rug, carpet, blankets, etc.
-Removing the claws makes a cat feel defenseless. The constant state of stress caused by a feeling of defenselessness may make some declawed cats more prone to disease.
Statistics:
-50% of cats will come out of the operation with immediate medical or behavioral complications for 2-3 weeks, and 30% will have complications for the rest of their lives
-90% of the cats with litter box aversion are declawed cats
-80% of declawed cats that are surrendered to shelters are euthanized because they have a behavioral problem
-70% of cats turned into shelters for behavioral problems are declawed
-Many declawed cats surrendered to shelters are surrendered because of behavioral problems which developed after the cats were declawed. Ultimately this results in euthanasia

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Helping to keep beloved furry babies healthy and safe... and pet parents informed!

Lori

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