Declawing a cat can be done with a variety of surgical techniques, and for a multitude of reasons.
Most dedicated pet parents I have talked to are against cat declawing because they put their cats above the integrity of their material possessions.
I understand that they don't mind their furniture being destroyed because they love their cat fluffy; however, there are other reasons to consider declawing or their alternatives.
A lot of cat enthusiasts believe that the only reason cats might be declawed is because the owner is tired of their property being shredded to bits.
I would agree that, in my experience, this is the number 1 reason given in the clinic when asked if they want to go through with the procedure; however, they are overlooking the main reason why declawing was recommended in the first place! Declawing is a lot more functional and useful than other cosmetic procedures such as ear cropping or tail docking in that it protects wildlife.
As pet owners, we hate to think of our cats as bloodthirsty predators, but in reality that is what they really are.
Okay, maybe not bloodthirsty, but extremely efficient and highly effective predators.
Rodents, lizards, birds and insects have all been hit hard by feline predation since the domestic cat was introduced to North America in the 1800's to control rodent infestations.
One might be surprised to learn that their cat, with even limited outdoor access, may take the lives of between 50 and 100 animals a year.
When there are over 100 million domestic cats in the United States, with around 65% of them considered outdoor cats, you can see why feline predation could be a problem.
Especially for our threatened and endangered species.
It may be abundantly obvious, but our pets do not make the distinction between an endangered bird, or a common variety while hunting.
Now that it is known that declawing was developed in an attempt to curb feline related animal mortality, exactly how effective is it in accomplishing this goal? Well, to be honest it has only been marginally effective.
Cats that are declawed still kill a lot of wildlife, even if they are less successful in their predatory efforts.
An alternative to declawing are softpaws, which are basically little plastic coverings glued onto your cats nails.
These work just as well as a declaw, but need to be reapplied periodically.
Some people even put bells on their cats collars to try and warn wildlife that the cat is coming.
Unfortunately, birds are not easily spooked by bells because they are not programmed to know exactly what the bell sound means and are consequently victimized anyways.
A major downside to declawing your cat is that they will have a diminished ability to defend themselves if attacked by a dog or another cat.
Most cats are still proficient at climbing trees with just their back paws intact, so they should still have a fair chance at escaping an attacking dog so long as there is something to climb up on nearby.
All-in-all, declaw procedures have their roots in animal conservation, which is something I think we can all appreciate; however, it does not seem to be as effective as we had hoped in lowering the wildlife death toll.
I am not certain that we will ever get the situation under control, and am not as sure that declawing is entirely necessary.
That is for you to decide! Unless of course your city or county has already made that decision for you.