CVMA Position Statement on Cat Declaw

CatDeclaw
C
at declaw (onychectomy) continues to be a topic in the news for the public, animal welfare groups, and the
veterinary profession. The CVMA s position is that veterinarians should counsel cat owners on the pros and cons
of the procedure, and the risks of surgery, so the client can make an informed decision. The CVMA believes the
procedure is appropriate in some cases only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws
destructively or when its clawing presents a medical risk for its owner.
The CVMA asked Dr. Elizabeth Colleran to share her thoughts on the
issue. Her article starts on the following page .
Dr. Colleran, a 1990 graduate of Tufts University s School of Veterinary
Medicine, owns and operates the Chico Hospital for Cats in Chico,
CA and the Cat Hospital of Portland, OR. She is President-elect of the
American Association of Feline Practitioners.
CVMA Position Statement on Cat Declaw
The decision to declaw a cat should be made by the owner in consultation with their veterinarian. The declawing of cats may become necessary for medical or behavioral reasons
and should be used instead of abandonment or euthanasia.
California Veterinary Medical Association ¦ www.cvma.net
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CatDeclaw: An Issu
By Elizabeth J. Colleran, DVM, MS
B
lack and white,
unequivocal, no grey, no
discussion. Some issues
are just like that, but
only for some people.
Declawing cats is an
issue that inspires passion mainly
for those unequivocally opposed to
it. Those who perceive grey do not
tend to feel passion. It is difficult to
be passionate about something that
might have two or more sides to it.
It is true that declawing is a surgery
that involves the amputation of 10 or
more digits of the forelimb that is not
medically necessary for the cat. Put
like that it is hard to see a place for
it in the veterinary repertoire. There
might be more to it, however, when
you consider both the future of the
cat and the client.
Ellen & Hannah
As a single mom, Ellen was raising
her daughter Hannah. When she was
ten, Hannah asked for a kitten.
The problem was that Ellen was
immunocompromised. In the
seventies, Ellen had contracted
breast cancer and undergone a
radical mastectomy. In the end, she
thrived but for the lymphedema that
affected her left arm and left it twice
the diameter of her right. As time
went on, Ellen contracted frequent
infections because of the edema
and poor circulation. She was often
bandaged and on antibiotics. Minor
cuts and scrapes became major
health challenges. Given that, a kitten
in her home could be lethal.
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Balanced against that, a kitten for
Hannah meant someone to love
and be loved by. Ellen gave in, and
Hannah got two cats. However,
because of her health issues, Ellen
had them declawed.
Before the surgery, Ellen sat with
her veterinarian, who described the
procedure so there would be no
mistaking how serious a decision this
was. Ellen assured her veterinarian
that the kittens would never be
allowed outdoors.
The kittens would be admitted the night
before surgery and fentanyl patches
would be applied. These would become
effective before any perception of
pain occurred. During the surgery, an
intravenous catheter would be in place
for anesthetic induction and access to a
vein should any problems occur.
Because laser surgery has been shown
to be less painful, more precise and
eliminate the need for a tourniquet, a
laser would be used for the surgery. Prior
to amputation, a ring block of anesthetic
would be placed around each foot.
The feet would be bandaged afterward
to protect the incisions. An antiinflammatory would be added for pain
management as soon as blood pressure
was back to normal. After the second
night in the hospital, the kittens would
be discharged. Ellen listened carefully
to the description and understood the
complexity of the surgery.
Franklin
Franklin had a busy life: two kids,
a working spouse, commuting
and a good job. He also now had
Phoebe and Luigi, two stray kittens
. . . California Veterinarian ¦ March/April 2010
his children brought home from a
feedstore. As the kittens grew they
started to do all the things kittens do.
Mostly they played and slept.
The problem was the cats liked
Franklin s furniture. As time went
on, the expensive chairs in the living
room began to show the effects of
their behavior. Ruined furniture
would not do. Franklin made an
appointment with his veterinarian to
have the kittens declawed.
The receptionist asked him to come
in and speak with the doctor about
his concerns. Reluctantly, Franklin
agreed. During the appointment, the
veterinarian first listened carefully to
Franklin s concerns. In response, she
explained the reasons why cats scratch,
suggested alternatives to declawing,
and reviewed the procedure.
Scratching is an expression of
normal behavior, she began. Tree
scratching is widespread among
cats and has multiple functions,
including removing loose claw layers,
depositing scent and stretching. If
there aren t alternatives, household
items ‒ furniture, carpet, firewood or
other wood ‒ will be used. Once an
object is chosen as a favorite it can
be difficult to discourage scratching
it without an acceptable substitute.
Scratching posts or similar items are
necessary to preserve the furniture.
The ideal physical characteristics of
a scratching post or board depend
on the preference of each cat, but
certain characteristics are important.
Some cats prefer scratching a
horizontal surface, others a vertical
ue for Our Times
one. In both cases, the object must
be stable so the cat can rest on its
hind limbs and reach out to scratch.
Alternatives to the selected household
object should have a similar texture.
Carpet, sisal, cardboard and wood
can be favored. Catnip may help. The
number of such products on the market
indicates how varied cats preferences
can be: catnip infused rope, horizontal
cardboard, corrugated paper − the list
is long. By being aware of the texture
the cat prefers, an appropriate material
can be selected.
Acknowledging that he understood,
Franklin still felt that he had a
problem that only declawing surgery
would solve. The doctor went on to
suggest that nail trimming along with
scratching materials would be helpful
to reduce the damage. She explained
that temporarily covering the furniture
Phoebe and Luigi had selected while
training them to use the scratching post
could also be useful. Perhaps the chairs
could be removed from the room for
awhile. She went over other training
techniques that might be helpful,
including a motion-activated fan, twosided tape and positive reinforcement
of the desired scratching behavior. Use
of the kittens favorite treats would
go a long way to reinforce the use of
scratching posts or pads. In addition,
there were claw covers which could
be placed on the kittens. While they
fall off as the nails grow out, they are
easily replaced. After this discussion,
Franklin agreed to try claw covers,
scratching posts and temporary covers
on the chairs. The veterinarian offered
to demonstrate application of the claw
covers with the family present.
Discussion
There are a number of circumstances
in which, with the proper guidance
and education,
some clients might
wish to have their
cats declawed.
No veterinarian
should ever feel
compelled to do so
and no veterinarian
should do so
without appropriate
protocols for
analgesia and
safe surgery. A
careful history and
discussion with the
owner is imperative
to understand the motivation for their
request. Often, the behavior can be
altered with good planning and detailed
coaching. A cat who is engaging in play
aggression, for example, may seem like
a natural candidate for declawing if
there are children present. Interactive
toys and behavior modification
techniques with positive reinforcement
may be a more appropriate plan.
Children can be taught how to properly
handle their cat and how to avoid injury.
Still, some cats simply are resistant to
training and may not respond.
Some medical conditions might warrant
declawing. Though some would say
that people with compromised immune
systems or chronic illness should not
own a cat, there is ample evidence that
pets improve the quality of peoples
lives in many ways. To deprive a person
of the opportunity to enhance their
lives can be seen as heartless or cruel.
Compromised immune function can
be a part of many diseases, cancer
chemotherapy, and natural aging. Time
should be set aside to allow for an
in-depth discussion of the procedure,
aftercare and the importance of
keeping the cat indoors.
There is no evidence that declawing
alters the personality of the cat or
increases the likelihood of biting. On
the other hand, studies have shown
that 70-90% of cat owners report
an improvement in the cat-owner
relationship after the procedure.
Indeed, veterinarians estimate that
half of owners would choose to
surrender the cat if they did not
have this surgery. In these cases,
declawing is a life-saving procedure.
The decision to declaw a cat should
be made carefully and with the full
consideration of the circumstances
of the cat and the owner. The
veterinarian must also be faithful to
his or her own beliefs and decide
whether to perform this surgery or
not. The skill of the surgeon, his or
her ethical position regarding the
surgery, the time devoted to client
counseling, and the analgesia protocol
all enter into the equation and will
affect the outcome for the patient, the
veterinarian and the client.
Do you have an opinion on this
issue? Go to the CVMA s Facebook
page and reply to the Cat
Declaw topic on the discussion
tab.
California Veterinary Medical Association ¦ www.cvma.net
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