Declawing & behavior changes... let's dig deep!

I know your looking for scientific info, but I thought I'd throw in my two cents.. I have seen first hand the kind of behavior declawing can cause. My mother has had 2 decolawed cats. The first, very, very sweet little girl. Until she got spayed and declawed, that is. The problem is, cats use their claws as a defensive weapon, it is how they defend themselves from danger. When they lose their claws, they feel somewhat defenseless, not to mention, declawing can cause pain in their paws, that can last their whole lives. This can cause them to be nasty. With my moms first cat, after being declawed, she had major litterbox problems, and she was very mean. Even to my mom, her owner. She became a very emotionally unstable cat. When my mom put her up for adoption at the Humane Society (bcause of her LB issues), the vets could not get near her to examine her, therefore she couldn't be adopted. I believe she wouldnt have been adopted anyway because she didn't know how to be nice. They put her down, and I blame the declawing ENTIRELY. She was a sweet cat until my mom mutilated her. Then, my mom got another kitten, and I tried to educate her about declawing, and explained to her that I believe that is where her other cat got her issues from. I tried to tell her ways to teach the cat to scratch in proper places, bcause that is all she cares about really, her furniture and carpet. She wouldn't listen. She took her new kitten, who was sweet, and loving, and against my good advice, got her declawed. And, as with the other cat, you can't go near her. She is one of the nastiest cats I have ever met. She has the mindset of a feral. You cannot go near her. And it wasn't like that before her claws were taken out. She feels defenseless, therefore, she will not let anyone near her. I bet my mom wishes she would have listened to me. And if she ever gets another cat, I hope she remembers what I said, and doesn't destroy her catspaws and personality, because of her own selfishness.

My theory is that if a particular cat is going to have behavioral issues, declawing will make it that much more likely. Just like how some people break under stress. And this is why you'll hear plenty of stories of cats who were fine - no biting or litter box issue.

In no way am I advocating declawing, I do consider it inhumane and Quincy will not be declawed but

Autumn was declawed by the shelter as her final chance (and as a no kill they are very understanding of 'cats in conflict' but she was starting to become a danger to volunteers). Within weeks of her declaw her personality was much nicer, she has never exhibited litterbox issues other than her OCD way of cleaning the box before using which she did before being declawed.

We have several declawed cats at the shelter at the moment, two that are 4 paw declawed. Two of them have issues, one is an overgroomer and one is nasty but her owner claims she had her declawed because she kept going for her. Not one of them have litterbox issues, but we have three cats who were not declawed with litterbox issues.

As far as scientific studies, the majority of them are done by one vet clinic or with small sample sizes. There is a recent study by the american association of feline practitioners which is the only wider scale study I have seen. It found that in most cases there was no medical or aggression reason for the declaw and did not recommend declawing unless for those cases.

Something to remember is that the majority of cats in shelters who are declawed and have issues were given up for those issues, few people spend the cost of a declaw and give them up and if its anything like our shelter, a declawed cat barely gets on the website before being adopted so you only see the ones sitting there that have issues and that many people who have declawed cats will not mention it due to the reaction they get from people

Did you read the rest of this document? I don't think you did.... because if you had, you'd see the testimonials from the shelter directors and that accounts for thousands of cats. It will not be broken down by gender, age, bla bla bla, but it will give you a solid percentage.
ETA: Scroll down to "EVIDENCE from SHELTER WORKERS,
VETERINARIANS, & CAT CONSULTANTS"

I have read the whole document several times but the problem remains that people have an agenda and I find it very hard to believe some of the statistics when I have my own to go by also.

As with anything, you can make a stat say what you want

Forget stats, if you want to see why not to declaw, watch a declaw surgery
http://www.pixiepets.com/files/declaw.htm

I think you will never find reliable statistics, because every cat is an individual & will react to declawing differently.

Not only this, which is a major factor, but the reason why they are being declawed and how they are cared for and treated after that.
If you think that declawing your cat who is a pain in your a** because they keep tearing up your favorite furniture, scratch up the carpet, and you don't have time to deal with it.....Well guess what?! Wrong reason to even think about inhumanely altering your pet! If you don't have the time to give them the attention they need, then you definitely don't have the time to insure a positive outcome. If your finger tips or nails were surgically removed, how would you feel? How would you feel if you had no choice?
It is sad to think that one needs scientific study, how many cats should be put through this study for you to see that it's inhumane?

I don't find the act of declawing humane in the large majority of circumstances, either, but I do have to say if we want to talk personal accounts, I have yet to see declawing cause negative behavior issues in cats.

My cat, for example, was declawed as a kitten. I was not the one to have her declawed - rather, I adopted her a few months ago and was told by her previous owner that she had been declawed.

Bree is the sweetest cat there is. Elusive, affectionate when she wants to be, complacent, and calm. When we groom her she doesn't get mean - just tries to play with the brush. When we bath her she complains a ton and tries to get away, but doesn't try to swat or bite. She doesn't bite, either, though she does swat at the dog when he gets way too close, which I would imagine many cats would do.

My friend also has a cat who was declawed as a kitten. Again, he is sweet and completely nonaggressive and very complacent. He is adventurous and has quite the sense of humor and loves to play with his toys and getting pets.

This isn't to say I agree with the act of declawing. The procedure itself is enough to make me blanch.

But I do have a question - does the act of declawing a kitten only cause behavioral affects in certain types of homes, such as homes that, say, have children who do not know how to properly respect a cat, and homes that have people who feel like they can treat a cat however they want because they won't get clawed?

I personally don't see a cat that was declawed as a kitten feeling immense stress and becoming aggressive if the cat was raised by a responsible family.

Again, I want to stress I don't agree with declawing. Just wanted opinions on this.

While its not publishied, one of the BEST and most heartbreaking stories regarding declawing and behavior is Bea's story. This poor kitty was resuced by a member here (White Cat Lover). She can point you to her thread.

I cried so many times reading the updates, etc.

My first cat was declawed by my parents. While Mitten never really suffered physically (tho a little at first) or psychologically in his 13 yrs of life, I vowed never to do that to a cat again after reading and seeing other results.

I've seen many declawed cats that became biters and those with litter pan problems. Just about all the cats you see being dumped in shelters or places like craigslist are DECLAWED cats. Why? Because they have physical and psychological problems that the owners will not tell you about.

I don't need proof in writing as to why declawing is bad or what effects it has - I've seen it in person! That's enough "proof" for me.

It's tougher on adult cats that get declawed - but for either it is a painful procedure. Even with pain meds - anyone who's had surgery will tell you that pain meds can't stop the pain completely.

The problem is if the cat ends up with sensitive paws or arthritis later on. When cats are in pain, they can be grumpy - which may be where people are seeing the ones that are biters. Some cats can be sensitive to litter against their feet and won't use certain kinds.
And in the worst case scenario, claws grow back and through a paw pad.

But yes, you are right. If a cat is abused at all in it's home that won't help matters.

I don't see too many declawed cats in my area - most cats are indoor/outdoor. Two that I met were biters, the last two aren't. I can't remember if the first one's home made him that way, but he was a Siamese if that matters much. The second was declawed as an adult - the woman got it done because the cat attacked her (abusive) husband (the cat was trying to protect her, I might add). That cat was a grumpy biter who had arthritis. If you got near any of her feet she would bite hard enough to draw blood - no warning, she'd just bite.

The neighbor's two outdoor cats are front declawed. Both are sweet and goofy. They are a little mouthy but the neighbors have kids that play rough with them. The cats were put outside due to peeing on things.

It should only take one example, and another point, if declawing is the answer, why are so many declawed cats abandoned in shelters and listed on Craigslist? How many declawed dogs do you come by?

Here is the primary thread on Bea.

She was a miserable, sour, biting cat. She may well have been a nice kitty at one point in time - but that cat is long gone. But we have no way to know - she was a stray, there was no history.

I can only imagine how painful it is *winces*. I personally don't ever need any scientific or situational proof to convince me. The moment I heard about the procedure, I was convinced.

Do you (or anyone) have any information regarding declawing as a cause of arthritis? And why a cat would later on develop sensitive paws to a declawing that was done, say, 2 years earlier? I'm only curious because my current girl is declawed and hearing that makes me nervous. Of course, I will accomadate her appropriately no matter what happens, but would want to hear more on this.

Currently she has no problem with us handling her paws or with her litter box.

Also didn't know that about claws growing back later in. Wow.


I do have to admit that I've never ever seen a declawed cat on Craigslist for behavioral reasons. All were 2-4 year old cats who's family got laid off, family was moving, apartment changed pet policy, allergies, etc. Of course, they could be lying, but declawed cats at the humane society are greatly, greatly outnumbered by the cats that do have claws.

But that also means I could easily see why many people here would be convinced that declawing WAS okay. Many people are rather selfish in that they declaw a cat because they're too lazy to train it, and only proof convincing the person that the effects would have a negative effect on the owner could deter him/her.

Many, actually. A large number of dogs have their dewclaws removed at birth, making them, "declawed".

But on a more curious note, what do you mean by this statement? Dogs hardly use furniture as scratching posts (with their claws, at least. Scratching posts for "itchy teeth" are another matter!).

I've read it on several sites and have seen a study or two - but it's been many years and a couple of computers ago so I don't have those bookmarks (and maybe even the sites are gone now?).
Basically when you remove part of the toes from a cat's feet you change how they must walk. Declawed cats have a much more flat footed step than clawed cats do - normal cats walk on their toes. Change in posture (just like with humans) can cause weight to distribute differently on joints.
I also remember reading that the very act of reaching up to scratch on a scratching post helps cats stretch and keep muscles strengthened. I've seen it recommended that people get a scratching post even for their declawed cats to paw and scent mark at and to encourage stretching (I think that could be covered by getting a cat tree - something most cats enjoy).

With the sensitivity it has to due with just having had surgery. A year later and the scars from the surgery I had still have some pain and sensitivity to them - sometimes I can't tolerate clothing brushing passed them. I see no reason why scar tissue wouldn't be painful or sensitive in a cat, especially in an area that had to heal while the cat had to walk on it..

For your kitty. Generally those who may have sensitivity feet do best with a finer "softer" litters. Your cat may not like pellet litters or regular non-scoopable clay as well - for example. As long as you use a nice clumping litter your cat should be ok with it.

I suppose the more on-point equivalent of de-clawing in dogs would be having their teeth removed. Since dogs cause more trouble with their teeth than their claws. Although if you have hardwood floors you might disagree about that!

The truth is that cats are considered to be second-class compared to dogs. Very few vets would ever do an elective de-claw or tooth removal on a dog, and some won't do elective de-barking/ear cropping/tail docking either. Yet so many of these same vets PUSH de-claws on cat owners, or just do them without explaining the options.

In human amputees, sometimes they have "phantom pain" in the amputated limb/s. I don't know if this happens in animals or if it's largely a human psychiatric issue. But that would explain why some cats seem to have sensitive paws after de-clawing.

Most of the owner-surrender cats (MOST are strays or from people who never take their cats to see a vet at all, but I mean the ones that were ostensibly cared for at some point) at the local shelters are de-clawed. I have no idea why (I have theories...), but that's how it is around here.

A lot of farm cats are de-clawed, too... of course nobody would de-claw a farm cat, so that means they're drop-offs from town people. And, of all the de-clawed cats I know, ONE is kept indoors-only. Which is seriously wrong; they're just helpless when their claws are cut out.

Thank you for the extremely informative post!

Bree does use clumping litter and doesn't have a problem with it. I actually wasn't even aware there were other kinds! (New cat slave, remember!)

She actually really enjoys "scratching" thins with her paws. She stretches up on the side of my bed from the floor to scratch, and on the suitcases in my closet (or shall I say, her closet?). She does it daily and I see no point in redirecting her if she doesn't do damage, so I just let her do it. Good to hear that it may benefit her.

*sigh* Hardwood floors, as well as leather couches and leather seats in cars!

Well, to be fair, very few vets would ever "de-teeth" a cat, if any, and there really can't be too many families asking for a vet to declaw their dogs.

That's actually an interesting thought. I do understand that psychologists theorize that the phantom limb syndrome (not always necessarily a pain, but also often a tingling feeling) is created because of the location of the areas in the brain that are assigned to dictate the functions of certain limbs. For example, the area in your brain that senses your right cheek being touched is right next to the area in your brain that senses your right arm being touched. So, if a man who's right arm was amputated shaves his right cheek, he may experience a tingling feeling in his amputated right arm because the area in his brain that dictates his right arm is being unused, so it "merges" with the area of his brain that is his right cheek.

This I learned in psychology class last year, so I may very well be summarizing it incorrectly. Anyone who knows more on psychology than I do (large majority of the people, I'm sure) is welcomed to correct me

Anyway, what I'm trying to say is that if a cat's brain exhibits the same behaviors our brains do (which may or may not be the case), then they may in fact feel phantom pains.


I guess where you live plays a huge factor. Out of, say 20 cats in the shelter, maybe 2 or 3 are declawed here. At least, from my prior experience as a volunteer at the shelter. Same on Craigslist. Out of the 20 advertised cats for rehoming, only 1-3 are declawed. I have also literally never known a declawed cat to be an outside cat. In fact, even Craigslist posts require that their declawed cats go to homes where they are indoor only cats. Our areas are polar opposites!

I think everyone on this forum can easily agree that declawing is wrong, especially when it comes to an older cat (aka not a kitten). I don't know what kind of a person could understand the type of procedure declawing is, and still have it done to their cat because they don't want claws to be an "inconvenience".

The big question I personally had was declawing as a direct cause of behavioral issues vs. declawed cats being inappropriately treated and raised which leads to behavioral issues. I think strange_wings answered it really well for me.

IMO the reason you don't see a decalwed cat being placed for behavior problems (biting/litter pan) is that the person knows if they put that down no one will adopt the cat. Why should they want your inheriated problem - one you caused by declawing?

So they make up other excuses of "I'm moving and can't take her", or "we are having a baby", etc. While SOME of those reasons may be legit, IMO most are just another excuse to hide the real reason. And really the reasons people give are excuses - you don't have to give up a pet when having a baby. You don't give up a pet because you are moving, etc.

You would be surprised what people have given up cats for and they are honestly cats with no agression or other issues.
I spent one Christmas between anger and tears after working Christmas Eve at the shelter where a woman came in with 4 beautiful cats, all orange tabby (some with white) who wanted to surrender them because she was getting her kids new kittens for Christmas. All of them were under 18 months old and adorable, all spayed / neutered except the youngest who was 4 months (vets prefer to do them at 5-6 months here)

The children were sitting in the snow outside crying their hearts out saying they didnt want kittens for Christmas and loved their big kittens and that they never wanted another Christmas present again. They held onto those carriers so hard, the love they felt for those cats was not faked.

How that woman could do that to her kids or the cats I will never know but it showed me that people will give up cats for absolutely no reason.

We had a beautiful black longhair physically thrown at us at the reception desk one day because 'he is a pain in the ' the guy took wanted to keep the carrier because its worth money. That cat went to one of our local pet stores who showcase the cats for us and the staff fell in love and he is now a store cat. He doesnt open the bags of food, he greets everyone with purrs and cuddles - perfect cat.

I would say very few of them are excuses on the cats we get into the shelter, other than them being excuses for the sorry state of humanity on the people involved. The few declawed cats we have taken in with issues, the owners have been very honest about as they said that the cat would be best without children in the home etc (always a red flag for us to ask more questions, declawed or not)

I agree.

then, add to that the individual personalities of the caregivers and any statistic provided would be mind blowing.

... and, like icklemiss21 said in one of the other posts - if there's an agenda, then the stats get slanted towards proving that agenda.

frogmanjared - guess you will have to write your own study and then let us know what you've found - of course, without an Agenda!

I am constantly amazed by people. That is just horrible. I worked at a shelter for a few years, and I know what you mean about reasons for giving up cats. I think the worst I ever heard was "He just isn't fun enough".

To the OP, my experience was that just as many cats with claws came in with litterbox issues as declawed cats. They would get checked for urinary tract infections, and often times it was just that. Sometimes it was the litter (type or how clean the previous owner kept it). And other times, not terribly common, was a behavioral issue causing the peeing. In fact, most people I dealt with would rather declaw a kitten than adopt an adult already declawed because they "read on the internet" that declawed cats in shelter bite/have litter box problems. It got pretty frustrating.

I have had 3 cats I rescued that were front declawed by previous owners. Only 1 has had claw regrowth, he also has pretty significant arthritis (he's 12 yrs old). None had litter box problems. The 12 yr old has always been quick to bite, but he's easily overstimulated and that's usually the cause. The biggest thing I have noticed with my declawed cats compared to the kitten we adopted last year (who has her claws and isn't a kitten anymore) is my declawed cats don't have as good of balance as Lola. The guys are klutzy compared to her. She rarely falls, but the guys have had some bad spills over the years. These days we have steps for everything since they are getting up there in age.

Edit: I'm not a pro declaw person at all, I just think the shelter kitties out there deserve a chance. I adopted already declawed adults because for years I was renting and most places required it. Lola came into our lives when we were in the process of buying a house, so no more land lord rules.

Of my many, many cats (LOL), one is de-clawed. He showed up at my house one day and stayed. Dumped, no doubt. He doesn't seem to have any de-clawing related issues, except that he's scared of the other cats, especially Scotty. But maybe that's because Scotty is a big fat jerk . Although the other (fully clawed) cats seem to handle Scotty's bullying just fine. He does walk funny, but he is also quite fat (he came that way....working on it), so maybe the waddling is due to his weight.

Though I can say with confidence that I can watch a cat walking and tell you whether the cat is de-clawed or not. They do walk differently---farther back on their heels, not on their toes like fully clawed cats.But of course their toes are removed, so they certainly can't walk on them anymore, I guess.

I did know one cat that needed something like 3 extra surgeries after she was de-clawed, because the claws kept growing back. When they finally solved the problem, she had NO bones left in her feet at all. It was very weird to feel them. She lived a seemingly happy and painfree life after they got that whole thing cleared up, and lived to be 18 (most of it as an indoor-outdoor cat ), but I'm sure she wished she still had her feet firmly attached.

I also know a cat that committed suicide after he was de-clawed. Seriously, I would swear to it. I know some people don't think that cats are capable of that kind of thing, but there was really no other explanation for his death. He was older at the time, and was visibly upset over the loss of his claws (he would try to extend them and then start hissing and spitting when he couldn't). And the first time they let him out after the surgery, he ran in front of a car....never mind he had lived in that neighborhood for years and crossed that street every day, and presumably knew how to avoid vehicles by that time.

I need to put in my two cents. I just viewed the pictures of a declawing procedure. And yes they were disturbing. But..... both of my cats were front declawed as kittens. I had the male done when he was neutered and the female when she was spayed. Both were under anethesia when the procedures were done so they did not feel this pain that everyone thinks they undergo. View some pictures of a neutering or spaying procedure and tell me that is humane.
I have had no problems with my two cats. Both of them have been very loveable pets. One is 16 and the other is 15. I will truly miss them when they are gone.
I feel that declawing is a personal decision that a pet owner needs to make on their own just as is spaying and neutering. Cats use their claws for protection and if they are indoor cats, like many are, they do not need their claws. Each owner needs to research both the pros and cons of declawing and make their own decision.
Enough said!

Have you ever had a surgery? Even when under anesthesia both human and animals vitals do respond to the trauma. Once awake from it cats are not suddenly magically healed - after the meds and anesthesia ran during surgery wear off thats when the cat starts feeling pain. The next few weeks as they have to constantly walk on those feet are not painless. And before anyone says "give the cat pain meds", these may help but unless something is drugged into a useless stupor pain meds only dull pain, they do not get rid of it.

And yes, I'll agree that neutering and spayings hurt, too. None of us are going to deny this. But these procedures actually are beneficial to a cat. Constant heats can eventually cause the death of a female cat, and intact males have behaviors that can put them at risk for being killed.
Claws have no negative impact on the cat possessing them.

Yes, but the post-op pain is considerable, and pain meds are not commonly given. When humans have foot surgery, they use crutches or a wheelchair, but cats have to walk around on their post-op feet. Plus they have to dig around in a box of (possibly dirty) sand/gravel.
Can you GUARANTEE your cats will never get out? What if something happened to you? Can you guarantee their next owners wouldn't let them out? Cats live 20 years or so, and it's unrealistic to believe that they will NEVER need their claws in those 20 years.

Besides, considering the awkward walking of de-clawed cats, I don't believe they don't need their claws....they need them so they can walk properly, at the very least. If you watch a clawed cat and a de-clawed cat walk (you really need to see both at the same time in order to make a proper comparison), the difference is clear.

Honestly I can't understand anybody who cares about their furniture enough to modify their cat's body, and to cause the cat pain in the process. But I have never been attached to inanimate things.

Spaying and neutering are painful, yes. But it's the lesser of 2 evils, I guess you could say. Really the only alternative would be to kill the excess offspring, as has been done for centuries (at least). So between those 2 choices, surgical altering is the more humane option.

Did your cats stay at the vet for a day or two afterwards? Have you ever seen cats within the first day post-declaw? I've been in & seen kittens & adult cats who have been declawed hours prior - they are miserable, hurting, and don't understand why they cannot stand up. Not a pretty sight, nor one I will ever forget.

You know, in over 20 years of living with cats and as far back as my memory goes, I can only think of one cat that tried to scratch furniture. It was new and didn't smell right to him. A few squirts of a icky smelling perfume kept his paws off the corners of the couch (and me off the couch entirely ) and that was that.

I think there are still a lot of misconceptions about clawed cats that people need to realize is wrong. Thankfully my vet and his vet techs really try to discourage declawing. ..I partially think that's because spay and neuters take less time and don't need to stay as long - leaving him open to do more surgeries and have more cages open.