Onychectomy, popularly known as declawing, is an operation to remove an animal's claws surgically by means of the amputation of all or part of the distal phalanges, or end bones, of the animal's toes. Because the claw develops from germinal tissue within the third phalanx, amputation of the bone is necessary to fully remove the claw. The terms onychectomy (origin: Greek , 'nail' + , 'excision') and declawing imply mere claw removal, but a more appropriate description would be phalangectomy, excision of toe bone.
Although it has been somewhat common in Canada and the United States, declawing is considered an act of animal cruelty in many countries, (see "Declawing practices" below) as it causes physical and psychological suffering to the animal (although the extent of this suffering is subject to debate).
Medically indicated onychectomy Onychectomy can be a treatment for comminuted fractures, pseudarthrosis, intraarticular fractures, irreparable luxation, neoplasia, and chronic infections.
Elective onychectomy Elective onychectomy is usually done on all toes on the front paws. Sometimes the rear paws are declawed as well.
Despite the fact that it is a surgery without medical cause, in some parts of the world, particularly in Northern America, declawing was for many years a relatively standard practice, and "surveys of routine elective procedures" in 1988 and 1996 showed it was performed along with neutering in more than 20% of cases.
Although increasingly controversial, when the procedure is presented and perceived as mundane and innocuous, non-medical reasons for this procedure can be convincing:
Risks from scratching Data on relinquishment to shelters indicate that many owners relinquish cats who engage in unwanted scratching. For example, a survey of veterinarians in Brazil reported scratching as the second-most-given behavioural reason for abandonment of cats.
While sometimes framed as concern for household possessions, people are indeed concerned with pain and infection, although the U.S. Centers for Disease Control do not recommend declawing to prevent cat scratch disease, even for felines in contact with immunocompromised humans.
Methods
Despite the prevalence of elective onychectomy in North America, no standard practices exist regarding the surgical techniques or surgical tools used, the administration of post-operative analgesics or other follow-up care, or the optimal age or other attributes of cats undergoing the procedure. There are three surgical methods: scalpel blade, guillotine trimmers, and laser.
No technique or method has been proven to eliminate the many complications associated with declawing. The International Society of Feline Medicine states that "Even if future improvements in surgical techniques can negate some of the adverse effects associated with declawing, iCatCare and ISFM believe this procedure is unethical other than if required to manage a medical condition and should be banned."https://icatcare.org/our-campaigns/declawing-of-cats-position-statement/ International Cat Care & International Society of Feline Medicine – Position Statement on Declawing of Cats
Recovery, health and behavioral effects
Onychectomy is an orthopedic surgery involving one (or more) separate phalangeal amputations, which requires general anesthesia and multi-modal pain management before, during, and after surgery.
A 2018 study by Martell-Moran, et al. found, in a study of 274 cats, that "declawing cats increases the risk of unwanted behaviors and may increase risk for developing back pain. Evidence of inadequate surgical technique was common in the study population. Among declawed cats, retained P3 fragments further increased the risk of developing back pain and adverse behaviors. The use of optimal surgical technique does not eliminate the risk of adverse behavior subsequent to onychectomy." The study found that inappropriate toileting, biting, aggression and overgrooming occurred significantly more often in the declawed cats than the non-declawed cats (roughly seven, four and three times more often, respectively, based on the calculated odds ratio). A declawed cat was also almost three times more likely to be diagnosed with back pain than a non-declawed cat (potentially due to shortening of the declawed limb and altered gait, and/or chronic pain at the site of the surgery causing compensatory weight shift to the pelvic limbs).Nicole Martell-Moran, Mauricio Solano, Hugh Townsend. Pain and adverse behavior in declawed cats. J Feline Med Surg. 2018 Apr;20(4):399-401.
In a survey of 276 cat owners, 34% reported post-surgical discomfort in their cats while 78% reported primarily tenderness.Landsberg GM. Cat owners' attitudes toward declawing. Anthrozoos 1991;4:192-197. Recovery time took from three days to two weeks. Increased biting strength or frequency was reported in 4% of cats, but overall, 96% of owners were satisfied with the surgery. Some other studies found lameness after onychectomy lasting >3 days,Landsberg GM. Feline scratching and destruction and the effects of declawing. Vet Clin North Am Small An Pract 1991; 2: 265-279.Yeon SC, Flanders JA, Scarlett JM, et al. Attitudes of owners regarding tendonectomy and onychectomy in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2001; 218: 43-47. >1 week,Martinez SA, Hauptman J, Walshaw R. Comparing two techniques for onychectomy in cats and two adhesives for wound closure. Vet Med 1993; 88: 516-525. 8 days,Holmberg DL, Brisson BA. A prospective comparison of postoperative morbidity associated with the use of scalpel blades and lasers for onychectomy in cats. Can Vet J 2006; 47: 162-163. > 12 days,Romans CW, Gordon WJ, Robinson DA, et al. Effect of postoperative analgesic protocol on limb function following onychectomy in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2005; 227: 89-93. 180 days,Jankowski AJ, Brown DC, Duval J, et al. Comparison of effects of elective tenectomy or onychectomy in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1998; 213: 370-373. and 96 months.Tobias KS. Feline onychectomy at a teaching institution: a retrospective study of 163 cases. Vet Surg 1994; 23: 274-280.
At one veterinary teaching hospital, between 50 and 80% of cats had one or more medical complications post-surgery; 19.8% developed complications after release. Other studies have reported medical post-op complication rates as 24%,(Jankowski 1998) 53%,(Martinez 1993) 1.4%,(Pollari 1996)Pollari FL, Bonnett BN, Bamsey SC, et al. Postoperative complications of elective surgeries in dogs and cats determined by examining electronic and paper medical records. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1996; 208: 1882-1886. 82.5% for blade and 51.5% for shear technique,(Tobias 1994) and 80%.(Yeon 2001) Reported medical complications include: pain, hemorrhage, laceration of paw pads, swelling, reluctance to bear weight on affected limb, neuropraxia, radial nerve damage, lameness, infection, abscess, tissue necrosis, wound dehiscence, incomplete healing, protrusion of 2nd (middle) phalanx, claw regrowth, scurs (growth of deformed claw segments), retention of flexor process of third phalanx, chronic draining tracts, self-mutilation, dermatitis, lethargy, palmigrade stance (walking on wrists), chronic intermittent lameness, chronic pain syndrome, flexor tendon contracture, and cystitis (stress-associated bladder inflammation). Claw regrowth has been seen by veterinarians anywhere from weeks up to 15 years after onychectomy.
In post-operation follow ups Yeon, et al. (2001) found six of thirty-nine cats (15%~) were house soiling and seven (18%) had increased biting frequency or intensity. The authors concluded based on this and previous studies that "behavioral problems following onychectomy were not pronounced". Follow-ups in this study were conducted an average of eleven and a half months after surgery.
Behavior problems are a primary cause of cats being relinquished to shelters. Proponents of declawing argue that declawing reduces undesired behaviors (scratching) and thus reduces the likelihood of relinquishment. Opponents of declawing argue the surgery itself creates more behavioral problems leading to relinquishment of cats. A study by Patronek et al. (1996) found in a univariate analysis that declawed cats were only 63% as likely to be relinquished as non-declawed cats. A multivariate analysis conducted in the same study shows odds of being relinquished to a shelter were 89% higher for declawed cats. The authors concluded that the conflicting results of the two analyses made it difficult to interpret the effects of declawing. In a shelter setting, more declawed cats were reported by their owners to have problems with inappropriate elimination (house soiling). However, this study ultimately found no association between the declaw status of cats and their aggression towards humans or frequency of inappropriate elimination (house soiling).Patronek, GJ, Glickman LT, Beck AM, et al. "Risk factors for relinquishment of cats to an animal shelter" . J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1996;209:582–588.Patronek GJ. "Assessment of claims of short- and long-term complications associated with onychectomy in cats". J Am Vet Med Assoc. 2001 Oct 1;219(7):932-937.
In another study, 16% of declawed cats developed behavior problems (12% biting), and more declawed (55%) than clawed (45%) cats were referred to a vet teaching hospital for behavior problems. This was the second-longest follow-up period (2 years) ever examined.Bennett M, Houpt KA, Erb HN. Effects of declawing on feline behavior. Comp Anim Pract 1988;2:7-12.
Patronek, Glickman and Beck (1996) found no association between the declaw status of cats and the frequency of inappropriate elimination (house soiling).
In another study of 275 cats, 11 cats (4%) developed or had worse behavior problems post-declawing; 5 clients (less than 1%) reported that their cats had developed litterbox and biting problems.
Chronic pain syndrome of onychectomy has been described by a pain management specialist as leading to unwanted behaviors, including increased aggression.Gaynor J. Chronic pain syndrome feline onychectomy. NAVC Clinicians' Brief. 2005 April.
A prospective study comparing declawing with tendonectomy noted many medical as well as behavior complications.
An internet survey found that declawed cats were more likely to jump on tables and counters and house-soiled more than non-declawed cats (25% vs. 15%).Morgan M, Houpt KA. Feline behavior problems: the influence of declawing. Anthrozoos. 1989;3:50-53.
Legal status While onychectomy is banned in at least 38 countries, laws and policies governing it vary around the world. For example, many European countries prohibit or significantly restrict the practice, as do New Zealand, Japan, and Turkey. The list below gives an overview of the situation in different parts of the world.
Australia In Australia, the practice of declawing is regulated at state level and there is a ban on the procedure in certain states, though not in New South Wales, where onychectomy is allowed in limited circumstance as an alternative to euthanasia. The Australian Veterinary Association's policy states: "Surgical alteration to the natural state of an animal is acceptable only if it is necessary for the health and welfare of the animal concerned. Performance of any surgical procedure for other than legitimate medical reasons is unacceptable."
Brazil In Brazil, declawing is not allowed by the Federal Council of Veterinary Medicine.
Israel In Israel, the Knesset Education Committee voted unanimously to send a bill banning the declawing of cats for non-medical reasons. The bill has passed second and third readings on 28 November 2011, effectively making declawing a criminal offense with penalty of one year in prison or a fine of 75,000 shekels.
Europe