To Declaw or Not to Declaw: A Feline Issue

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Anybody’s house can be filled with prized possessions and expensive furniture, but just think how much more memorable your items are with deep grooves from your household cat in them. From climbing the Christmas tree to marking territory on the grand piano, cats can leave a mess behind and not even mean to A surgical procedure called onychectomy, could solve any pet owners solution to this mess. The only problem with this procedure is that it seems kind of brutal to just do this to your favorite little feline. If a procedure like declawing never existed, many cats would be put into a shelter or even thrown out by their trusted pet owners. Therefore, it is important for critics to learn both sides of the issue before making a full judgment over the subject. Onychectomys
People have many misconceptions over the subject of declawing their cats. They say it’s almost like cutting off the tips of a human’s finger; truth is, their right. Onychectomies (declawing) is simply the surgical removal of the last bone in each digit of the paw. Generally declawing is only done on the front claws of a feline, but in some cases the back has to be done as well. It is important to discuss the procedure with your local veterinarian. Also, check the local listings to make sure it’s legal for you veterinarian to perform such a surgery. In many places it’s illegal to declaw an animal, while others it isn’t. Hypothetically speaking, say in Butler county Kansas it’s perfectly legal to perform an onychectomy, but in one county over it’s completely illegal. Now, why is this procedure so controversial? Well mainly because a lot of people feel like it’s brutal, inhumane, and even causes pain in the long run of cat’s life. This is a topic that arouses very pas...

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...rderous visions of Ms. Mittens after she decides to tear down the kitchen curtains, take her to a veterinarian to explore all the alternatives to her destructiveness. To declaw, or not to declaw, now that is the question.

Works Cited

Atwood-Harvey, Dana. "Death or Declaw: Dealing with Moral Ambiguity in a Veterinary Hospital." Society & Animals 13.4 (2005): 315-342. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
"AVMA Policy Statement on Declawing of Domestic Cats." DVM: The Newsmagazine Of Veterinary Medicine 38.8 (2007): 16. Academic Search Premier. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.
"Declawing Cats: Far Worse Than a Manicure." The Humane Society of the United States. The Humane Society, 12 Apr 2013. Web. 9 Dec 2013.
Ginsberg, Susan. "Cats, Claws, and Conflict." Animals 126.4 (1993): 26. MasterFILE Premier. Web. 9 Dec. 2013.

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