Pros and Cons of Declawing a Cat with Alternate Solution

Declawing a cat is as if cutting off its hand. We have shared the pros and cons of declawing a cat and the side effect of declawing. Alternate Solution for this has been included as well.

This is a technique where the cat owners do to take off the claws of their cats. It has been a topic debated by various medical groups across the world. Some medical practitioners term it a significant surgery and a risk to take.

This article is going to tell us what declawing a cat is all about and why some cat owners would choose to declaw their cat. Are there any alternatives or than taking this risk?

What are the pons and cons of declawing a cat and the type of risk involved? If you’re a cat owner and have all these questions all lined up, then read on to acquire this vital knowledge of declawing your cat.

The procedure of declawing a cat

There are various means used by a lot of people to declaw a cat. But there is just one major thing involved: to take off the claws; you also have to remove the bone which this claw grows from. If you don’t, the nails might try to grow back.

The difference in declawing a cat some owners might decide to take every bone and claw off while others will leave the bone for the claw to grow back.

A sliding blade instrument is usually used to declaw a cat; it’s almost like cutting off; the blade cuts a thin straight line through the bone joint towards the piece of bone that holds the claws and another part of the bone, which is bigger than the other. When you carry out the first phase of the declawing, underneath is a pad that you would cut into two parts, it’s like the cutting of your finger.

When you do that, underneath that is the pad, and you cut that right in two parts. So it’s like cutting your entire finger tip-off.

For cosmetic declawing, you should use a small, thin curved blade to slide out the bone and the claw; cosmetic clawing doesn’t involve cutting the pad off. The pillow is still intact, and the tissues are there too. The pad will enable the catwalk comfortably with ease. If the pad is cut in half, the catwalks with difficulty.

The pad is where the cat puts its weight on, so when you take it off, they become unaffordable for a couple of weeks. They experience pain, too, because cutting off the pad would get the soft tissues involved. Most veterinarians don’t like to do cosmetic declawing because it is a time-consuming and challenging procedure.

Considering the process of declawing cats

Veterinary care ensures they provide you with adequate information you need to know about declawing your cat to enable you to make the right decision.

Declawing is an amputation process because the claw is permanently fixed to the cat’s uncle and is going to be cut off. This amputation is a significant surgical process for cats.

Below are the three medically approved and accepted ways by which one can declaw a cat.

Blade Declawing

Blade declawing is a technique of using a thin scalpel blade to cut through the tendons holding the end toe bone in place.

Guillotine Declawing

This method, a guillotine nail clipper is used, before using this instrument, make sure it is sterilized to prevent the cross of infection or microbial growth. The nail clipper is pierced into the end bone and cutting through the tendons to avoid damaging the middle toe bones.

Laser Declawing

The laser is involved by cutting off the cat’s claw’s third bone. This method is more expensive than the bald declawing method, but the laser method limits deep bleeding and comes with less sore and pain. It gives your cat a quick recovery time.

Reasons why Pet Owners Declaw their Cat

There are a few good reasons some cats need to be declawed, and some of the ideas are; A cat might need to be declawed if the claws are severely damaged or noticed to be a tumor.

Sometimes, some owners need to declaw their cats because it would be a hazard to them. Some people can get infected with the bacteria that can grow on the cat claws, some people also have a delicate immune system, and they get irritated by the cat’s claws and can make them decide to declaw a cat.

However, the main reason why a cat owner would declaw a cat is due to social interaction issues; cats are destructive and can peel off home furniture and decorations.

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Pros of declawing a cat

Here are going to discover the actual advantages cat owners gain when they finally get to declaw their cat.

Cat owners are faced with the right decisions of declawing their cats. Some do it, while others would never see it as a great idea. Let’s check out the pons of declawing a cat;

Declawing a cat is for the owner’s household safety, Cat owners would want to save their furniture, which is the typical reason why cat owners declaw their cats. The thought of having an expensive leather couch torn by your cat wouldn’t be pleasing to you. Cats can be destructive and can scratch off the sides of your furniture.

The benefits of declawing a cat are that you’d be sure that your furniture wouldn’t be ripped off by your cat. If you declaw your cat, your cat will be harmless to you, the kids, and other pets in the house. They won’t try to scratch anyone when they are annoyed, scared, or during their playtime.

Keeping your cat without claws would make them safe for everyone and all furniture in the house.

Cons of declawing a cat

Most times, the front claws are removed, and the final nails don’t get declawed. While your cat cannot use his front claws to put on some new designs on your furniture, the rear claws you didn’t take off can do just the same damage you are avoiding.

During playtime, your cat might be running or jumping across the furniture and creating rips and punctures on the furniture. This damage would be visible on leather furniture then it would cause on fabric.

Keeping both the front and back claws trimmed would prevent your cat from destroying the furniture in the future. This practice would help to train your cat not to scratch and rip off furniture. You can try having a spray water bottle close, so whenever your cat tries to scratch furniture, you spray the water on your cat, and it will understand it is not just a good idea to do that.

When a cat’s front claws are taken off, they become more threatened and uncomfortable, this can lead to violence, and they use their back claws to cause worse damage. Not having their front claw can make them feel defenseless, and they react negatively.

Declawing your cat is a process of removing the first digits of your pet cat’s toes on their front feet. The procedure is the same as taking off our fingers; it is considered very painful and a sort of tour for cats.

Declawing causes behavioral problems in cats. The typical behavior is not being able to use the litter box. After the cat is declawed, the cat’s front feet are sore for them to use, and they don’t get to use the litter box; using it, the painful claws will cause them pain. The aching pain will continue for a couple of weeks until they feel less pain, and the sore heals completely.

Complications that come with Declawing a Cat

Like we humans, we could have an infection after surgery, mainly if no sterile instruments are used. If you fail to prepare proper sterilization d, the claw can grow back poorly and cause abscesses.

Also, your cats can start having problems with their litter box. Most cats won’t be able to use their litter box, they would mess it up, and the cat will also start to bite.

How long would it take for a Cat to Recover after Declawing?

The time for a cat to recover depends on the process. Every surgery, as expected, comes with some pain that comes with it. But, you must manage the pain that comes with the declawing process.

However, the rate at which declawing pain eases depends on the type of declawing method. Cosmetic declawing tends to heal much faster; it takes a minimum of two weeks to treat because the footpad isn’t involved.

Risks Involved in Declawing

Declawing a cat waves its disadvantages for the pet owner and cat. It is a painful procedure, and just like any surgery, it has specific risks, such as anesthesia and other inherent risks. Also, when you declaw your cat, it makes them feel defenseless and violent.

Meanwhile, few cat owners feel it is unnatural to cut off a cat’s claws; declawing is done for the cat owner’s benefits rather than the cat’s benefits.

Alternatives Solution to Declawing

Cats are trained not to scratch furniture, but unfortunately, scratching is normal behavior for cats and kittens. You can provide your cats with alternatives, such as a scratching post or a piece of carpet to scratch.

To use this method, you should start when your cat is still a kitten to get positive results.

Make kittens use a scratching carpet when you see them scratching furniture make the rug look like the furniture your cat loves to scratch on with this, your kitten would be used to the carpet or posts you had provided.

Other alternatives include

Soft Claws

These are thin nail caps that are designed for cat claws; they are applied with a surgical adhesive, cats usually get used to them within a few weeks. This method requires patience, but it’s one of the most effective alternatives to declawing.

Frequent Nail Trimming

This method may be less useful to some cats. But also you are widely used as an alternative to declawing. Nail trimming is keeping the nails of your cats short. Trimming, however, will not stop your cat from scratching and ripping furniture.

It is a less effective, but mostly and accepted alternative used than amputating cats claws. It involves trimming the cat nails short. However, this method will prevent a cat from using the little existing claws to scratch your furniture.

Conclusion

When you declaw a cat, it’s just like taking off your fingernails completely. I bet you can’t imagine that. Cat owners take this risk for specific purposes, as discussed above.

Before you declaw your cat, ensure that you are ready to keep up with the changes that come with declawing your cat. Don’t stress your cat after it’s been declawed or force it to use the litter box, their claws are sore at the moment and don’t need to be stressed until the sores get healed completely.

Pros and Cons of Declawing a Cat with Alternate Solution

The procedure of declawing a cat