Indoor Cats, Scratching, and the Debate over Declawing: When 3CHAPTER Normal Pet Behavior Becomes a Problem

Katherine C. (Kasey) Grier and Nancy Peterson

hen pet animals share to stress that they enjoy the com- mousers. The U.S. Post Office our living spaces, their panionship of pet animals in their owned what one observer called Wneeds and natural behav- homes; pointing out the complexi- “quite an army of cats” to protect iors sometimes are at odds with ties and contradictions in living the mail; postmasters in large the varying standards for house- with pet cats is intended to cities even had budgets for “cat hold appearance, sanitation, and acknowledge the historical, socially meat” (this being food for cats, not polite social life that Americans constructed, and changeable char- food from cats). Around markets have established over time. How acter of pet keeping and to encour- and stables and anywhere grain pet owners have resolved these age people involved in companion was stored to service livestock, issues provides insight into their animal welfare work to consider cats were present (Grier, in press). changing ideas about the role of why some practices can be promot- Although the majority of Ameri- animals in their households and ed or simply tolerated, while others can cats still worked for a living as suggests how much, or how little, are problematic. late as the 1940s (Jones 2003), people may actually know about some families enjoyed the compa- the biological behaviors and psy- ny of what memoirist Samuel chological needs of the creatures The History of Canby Rumford of Wilmington, they care for. This essay examines the Cat as a Pet Delaware, recalling his childhood one particular issue associated with in the 1880s, called “just plain the problem of sharing spaces: in America cats.” While cities were home to declawing pet cats as a common The domestic cat (Felis catus) many thousands of feral and solution to avoid destructive arrived in America with the first unowned cats, and even cats with scratching. This is a volatile issue permanent European settlers in owners were sometimes purely ani- and has generated much emotion- the seventeenth century. Ships car- mal workers, ample documenta- al debate. It pits loving cat owners rying immigrants and supplies tion survives of well-cherished pet who see such surgery as an act that almost always carried at least one cats and of cats who were both breaches the trust of responsible cat to kill the rats that plagued workers and well-loved compan- pet care for their feline compan- ships’ food supplies. On shore, cats ions. The Quaker diarist Elizabeth ions against loving cat owners who soon played an essential role as Sandwith Drinker cherished her see the surgery as an act that predators in the ecology of human- old cat, Puss, so much that, when strengthens their bond with their animal communities. Small busi- the cat died from a “disorder feline companions. It divides those nesses and government offices among the cats” of Philadelphia in in the animal welfare and veteri- relied on resident cats to protect 1800, she arranged a funeral for nary community as well, where their contents from rats and mice, the animal. The Rumfords had a many opinions are believed to be and, by the mid-1800s, it was even family pet cemetery with wooden the right opinion. The authors wish possible for city folk to rent good monuments for both cats and dogs

27 dating back to the 1830s. Despite life. Cities had needed them, but down Concord-way what’s kind to efforts to establish a pet-cat now the misery of half-starved feral cats.’” While conventional wisdom “fancy” with a show circuit begin- and unowned cats, and increasing, considered cats to be pets for ning in the 1870s, most cat lovers if misguided, public concern about women and little girls, there were in would have scoffed at the idea of cats as carriers of diseases, includ- fact both male and female cat lovers. buying a “purebred” cat. Pet cats ing poliomyelitis, led to new efforts Samuel Clemens, better known as were acquired from friends or to control their numbers. Whether Mark Twain, was a passionate cat neighbors or adopted as strays. At stray cat populations had increased lover (which may surprise readers of the same time that these lucky dramatically in those years, as advo- The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, cats enjoyed life in the laps of fond cates of control claimed, it is true where Clemens discussed at some owners, in places like the Rum- that hundreds of thousands of cats length the trading and play value of fords’ barn, cats who lived on their were captured and killed between a dead cat among small boys). This own ingenuity “multiplied in great 1890 and 1910. was a trait he shared with his moth- numbers” (Grier, in press). In 1911 the New York Society for er, who, he recalled, succored scores Because cats were expected to the Prevention of Cruelty to Ani- of strays in the 1830s and 1840s. hunt, their owners often assumed mals (SPCA) killed upwards of Once his own family was established, that they could fend somewhat for three hundred thousand cats, most- Clemens indulged his passion for themselves. Thus cats occupied an ly kittens. Philadelphia disposed of cats freely; one daughter recalled ambiguous position in the house- fifty thousand and Boston another Clemens walking around with a cat hold as somehow less tame than twenty-five thousand that same named Lazy draped around his neck dogs, and their quest for prey year. The author of the McClure’s like a stole (Grier, in press). sometimes put them in conflict magazine article that startled read- In sum, pet cats were more com- with humans. For example, where ers with those figures excoriated mon in eighteenth- and nine- households kept poultry, cats were pet owners who abandoned their teenth-century America than has a nuisance because they found cats for the summers or refused to been suggested previously. Some chicks such easy pickings. In May euthanize unwanted kittens: pet cats had real devotees who 1872 cat lover Alice Stone Black- It does not fit in with the loved them and valued them as well, who cared for a small flock at decencies of civilization that so more than mouse catchers. Even her family’s suburban house, found much living and dying should the most beloved pet cats, howev- herself marching over to her next- go on casually, in lofts and cel- er, lived lives that were much dif- door neighbor to “tell him if he did lars and drains and coal-pock- ferent from those of their modern not keep the cat shut up we should ets and vacant houses. Neither counterparts. have to kill it” (Grier, in press). does it accord with a decent For one thing, all cats lived at Eventually the problems caused humanity that so many sen- least part of their lives outdoors. by such ambiguities came to the tient and dependent creatures This was a sensible solution given attention of the animal welfare should be left so completely at the blunt realities of cat ownership: community. By the early twentieth the mercy of circumstances. even pet cats were sexually intact, century, advocates complained (in Grier, in press) expressing a range of behaviors about an apparently common prac- Throughout the nineteenth cen- (unpleasant to humans) that feline tice among city folk of turning out tury, as now, some people were seri- sex lives necessarily engendered. cats for the summer when the fam- ous cat lovers. Lydia Jackson Emer- Further, cat owners who confined ily went on vacation, or of keeping son, Ralph Waldo Emerson’s second their animals had to improvise lit- cats during the summer at the sea- wife, was one of these. Her step- terboxes with sand, wood shavings, side or country house and leaving daughter Ellen complained in an or torn newspaper. Thus, even in them behind when the family 1859 letter to her sister that the big cities, most pet cats were rou- returned to the city for the winter. family not only tolerated a black kit- tinely allowed out to wander, and Also during this time, urban pub- ten, the barn cat, two others named owners expected them to have lic health professionals in the Violet and Kitty Minot, a large black adventures, including fights with largest cities turned their attention cat, and “Aunty’s cat and all moth- other wanderers. In the early to remaking cities into orderly, er’s pensioners,” but that they 1890s, teenager John W. Gould of healthier environments with safe recently had been “much afflicted by Orange, New Jersey, was pleased water, clean streets, and regular the arrival of another cat.” Emerson when his cat Mike matured enough municipal trash pickup. In this con- himself joked that the cat came to have “his experience fighting text, the ubiquitous urban tramp from a nearby town, where she had outside. He has licked all the cat was no longer a joke or even an “met a cat who said ‘Why, haven’t Tramps but one and I think he will unpleasant yet acceptable fact of you heard? There’s a Mis’ Emerson whip that one next time” (Grier, in

28 The State of the Animals III: 2005 press). Leaving the house meant to keep their cats as indoor pets (APPMA 2003–2004). In 2002 that pet cats were exposed to infec- was the growing popularity of spay- there were 77.6 million owned cats tious diseases, injury, or death. ing and neutering. According to and 65 million owned dogs in the However, the fact that many cats the 2003–2004 National Pet Own- United States (APPMA 2003– lived at least part of their lives out ers’ Survey by the American Pet 2004). In an informal survey of of doors also meant that they could Products Manufacturers Associa- declawing across the United States, express their range of behaviors tion (APPMA), 84 percent of cats one author (N.P. 2004) found that more fully. Thus, owners were less were spayed or neutered in 2002. costs at twenty-five veterinary facil- likely to confront certain behaviors Surgically removing the sexual ities for the declawing of forefeet like scratching, and, when they did, organs of cats eliminates some range from $50 to $476, or an aver- they had a handy and inexpensive undesirable behaviors (wandering age of $158 per declaw. Given solution: put the cat outside. to find a mate, fighting, noisy heat Patronek’s estimate that as many cycles) and often decreases others as 25 percent of the owned cat pop- (urine spraying to mark territory). ulation is declawed (2001), this The Changing Sterilization has become synony- would represent 19.4 million de- Experience of mous with responsible pet owner- clawed cats and revenue to veteri- ship, thanks to the work of animal narians of more than $3 billion. Keeping a Cat welfare organizations, animal shel- Any significant lowering of the Several important changes in the ters, and veterinarians (see appen- declawing rate would be a large routines of pet keeping made it eas- dix A). It signals a dramatic change financial loss to the veterinary com- ier for owners to keep cats as in- in human behavior over a relatively munity. Declawing opponents ar- door pets. The first was the inven- short span of time since the 1960s. gue, however, that addressing be- tion of new products specifically for Cats seemed to fit well into havior problems can enhance the cat owners. The most important of changing patterns of living in value of a veterinary practice and these was commercial cat litterbox America. They could live comfort- make up for that loss. By offering fillers. Kitty Litter™ was bagged ably in apartments and small hous- pet behavior services and/or rec- and sold in 1947 by Edward Lowe, a es and were reputed to make fewer ommending outside resources, vet- Florida salesman who dealt in gran- demands on their owners for atten- erinary practices can maintain ulated clay products intended to soak up grease spills. The granulat- ed-clay cat litter business took off Table 1 rapidly because Lowe and his com- Percentage of APPMA Owners petitors were actually responding to latent demand in the market- with Scratching Posts place; manufacturers of pet sup- 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 plies had been offering cat “toi- Own a lets” containing paper pads for Scratching 28 30 33 37 35 some years. There is other circum- Post: stantial evidence that increasing numbers of cat owners were inter- Source: 2003–2004 APPMA National Pet Owners Survey. ested in considering, or were forced by their living conditions in tion and care than did dogs. In its client loyalty, strengthen their high-rise apartments or near the first survey of American pet owners client services, and generate addi- busy streets of America’s cities, to in 1978, the APPMA reported that tional revenue from services, prod- consider keeping their cats 31.7 million households had dogs ucts, and referrals (Peterson 2002). indoors. By the 1930s, commercial and 16.2 million had cats. Accord- Since 1978, the APPMA has pro- scratching posts became available ing to APPMA statistics, the num- vided a profile of dog owners, but it for sale in pet stores; in 1936, the ber of cats (62 million) exceeded took another twenty years before first U.S. patent for a scratching the number of dogs (53 million) in the association established a simi- post appeared, and numerous varia- American households for the first lar profile for cat owners. Accord- tions followed. By the 1950s, pet time in 1992. Cats have continued ing to the 1998 cat profile: 68 per- stores even offered spray repellants to outpace dogs since then, and cent of owners were female; the intended to keep cats away from the number of households that average age of a cat owner (male or furniture (Grier, in press). have a cat increased faster (8 per- female) was forty-five; and more cat The second important change cent) than the number of house- owners were single (36 percent) that made it easier for cat owners holds with any pet (3 percent) than were dog owners (27 percent).

Indoor Cats, Scratching, and the Debate over Declawing: When Normal Pet Behavior Becomes a Problem 29 arthritis), cats’ physical and men- Table 2 tal needs being unmet by their Demographic Profile of Cat Owners caregivers, or the stress caused when cats are expected to adapt to Female: 68 percent changing human routines. In 1950 one-person households Age: 40–49 (25 percent) accounted for 9.5 percent of all 50–64 (20 percent) households; by 2000, they ac- counted for 26 percent, an all- Marital Status: married (59 percent) time high. Even in multiperson single (19 percent) (second largest) families, however, pets are often left home alone for many hours Over the course of their lifetime, 67 percent of cat owners have been pet every day. This situation has owners for more than twenty years. prompted the creation of new pet services such as “doggy daycare” Source: Ralston Purina 2000. and professional dog walkers, but nothing comparable is available for cats in most communities. Be- Table 3 cause cats are presumed—not without some justification—to be Reasons for Removing a Cat able to occupy themselves indoors from the Household just as they used to fend for them- selves outdoors, they have become Eliminating Outside the Litterbox: 33 percent the exemplary urban pet. Yet, rea- Biting People: 14 percent sons given for why cats are surren- dered to shelters reveal that be- Intolerant of Children: 11 percent havior problems account for many Scratching People: 11 percent such relinquishments. Most cats who enter shelters are between six Destroying Household or Personal Items: 8 percent months and three years of age and have lost their homes due to unac- Source: Ralston Purina 2000. ceptable behavior (Miller et al. 1996; Patronek et al. 1996; For the 2002 survey, collected in- Commercial cat food had been Salman et al. 1998, 2000; Kass et formation indicated that 11 per- available since the 1890s, but it al. 2001). Behavior problems ac- cent of cat owners were females liv- was rarely used until the 1930s, counted for 14 percent of the rea- ing alone and 7 percent were males and it began to outsell dog food in sons owners reported for surren- living alone (Armstrong, Tomasello, 1958 (Jones 2003). dering a cat; the most commonly and Hunter 2001). reported behavior problem in cats Increasing interest in cats as Unacceptable was fearfulness, followed by pets has lead to more intensive scratching the furniture, not using patterns of care. In the late 1960s Cat Behavior the litterbox, and objecting to and early 1970s, the growth of the Pet cats live longer lives thanks to being held (Miller et al. 1996; Line pet-cat population and the improved health care and nutrition 1998). Other studies show that demands of cat owners stimulated and an indoor lifestyle. From 1987 destroying household or personal several veterinary schools to add to 2000, the life span of the aver- items is among the top five reasons more information on cats to their age cat increased by more than for removing a cat from the house- curricula, publishers to include one-third, according to the Ameri- hold (but not necessarily bringing cats in their veterinary texts, and can Veterinary Medical Association the pet to a shelter) (Table 3). pharmaceutical companies to in- (AVMA) (2002). This increased life It has been estimated that behav- crease the range of products avail- expectancy means that owners are ior problems are identified in 5 per- able for cats (Jones 2003). Cats more likely to experience behav- cent of all veterinary visits, account Magazine was founded in 1945, a iors that they cannot tolerate, such for 20 percent of a veterinarian’s number of popular advice manuals as urination outside the litterbox, time, are the main reason for came out after World War II, and which is associated with deteriorat- euthanasia of pets, and cause prac- many other publications followed. ing health (conditions such as titioners to lose 15 percent of their

30 The State of the Animals III: 2005 client base annually (Landsberg munities, such as Aurora, Col- membership magazine urging own- 1991a). Approximately 97,000 cats orado; Overland Park, Kansas; and ers to keep their cats indoors. are euthanized annually in small Muscle Shoals, Alabama, are “Most cats,” she added, “will soon animal veterinary practices in the adopting ordinances that mandate get the idea that the scratching United States because of behavior confinement for cats, a common post is the perfect outlet for their problems (Patronek and Dodman requirement for dogs (Aurora: Sec. need to use their claws” (in Dasch 1999). Although veterinarians 14-101. Running at large. [a] Pro- 1984, 15). (This was also men- seemed unwilling to euthanize ani- hibited. It shall be unlawful for the tioned in Fox 1987.) mals for behavior problems solely owner of any cat to fail to keep the Cats continued to figure promi- on the basis of a client’s request, cat from running at large within nently in the HSUS News, but, many did not inquire routinely the city. Code 1979, §7-30; Ord. while the articles encouraged about animal behavior and often No. 97-51, §8, 10-13-97). keeping cats indoors, the majority were not confident enough in their Animal welfare groups, including of cover photographs and internal clinical skills to treat behavior prob- The Humane Society of the United editorial photographs depicted lems (Patronek and Dodman 1999). States (HSUS), have played an cats outdoors and without collars important role in the emphasis on (Summer 1985, Spring 1987, keeping cats indoors. To prevent Spring 1988, Fall 1991, and Spring Keeping Cats destruction by indoor cats, the late 1993 issues) and indoors without Indoors Phyllis Wright, HSUS director of collars (Winter 1988 and Winter Companion Animals, recommend- 1990 issues). According to D.J. The human population demograph- ed that cats’ claws be trimmed reg- Salem, editor of the Massachusetts ics mentioned previously and the ularly and carefully with a special Society for the Prevention of Cruel- risks of diseases, poisons, attacks by nail clipper and that cats be taught ty to Animals’ Animals magazine other animals, abuse by humans, or to use a scratching post in the first (1976–1979) and of the HSUS speeding vehicles make the great of several articles in The HSUS’s News (1981–1999), animal protec- outdoors a dangerous place for free- roaming animals. When cats are left outside unsupervised, their chance of being injured, becoming Table 4 ill, or even dying is increased. The estimated average life span of a Cat Owner Routine, by Percentage free-roaming cat, even one who Cat Indoors During the Day Cat Outdoors During the Day ventures outdoors unsupervised only occasionally, is less than three 1998 56 18 years, compared to fifteen to eight- 2000 54 11 een years for the average indoor- only cat (HSUS 2003). 2002 57 14 It is important to remember that cats have always lived their Cat Both Indoors and Cat Outdoors Only lives outdoors; what is different Outdoors During the Day During the Night today is that the risks most cat owners were once willing to 1998 34 68 assume as simply part of the reali- ty of keeping a cat have become 2000 35 63 less acceptable to many. Two out 2002 29 68 of three veterinarians now recom- mend keeping cats indoors, most often citing dangers from vehicles Cat Outdoors Only Cat Both Indoors and and disease (Jacobs, Jenner, and During the Night Outdoors During the Night Kent 2001). Because fewer than 5 percent of “found” cats taken in 1998 16 23 by animal shelters are reunited 2000 12 25 with their families, many animal shelters now require potential 2002 14 16 adopters to promise to keep their cats safely confined. Some com- Source: APPMA 2003–2004.

Indoor Cats, Scratching, and the Debate over Declawing: When Normal Pet Behavior Becomes a Problem 31 tion magazines struggled for Zawistowski, personal communica- and aggression toward humans; for decades with the dearth of collared tion with N.P., August 18, 2004). adult cats the problems were inap- animals in agency-purchased—as Zawistowski recalls that the most propriate elimination, aggression well as in unsolicited—photo- heated arguments in the education toward other animals of the same graphs (personal communication department at that time involved species, aggression toward hu- with N.P., November 2004). Salem the issue and focused on the mans, and property destruction believes that the evolution in pho- impact that cats could have on (Patronek and Dodman 1999). tographic images came not as a wildlife populations and the poten- Kittens begin to retract their result of increased sensitivity to tial dangers to cats. The ASPCA claws at about twenty-eight days of the issue on the part of magazine Complete Cat Care Manual (Edney age and begin to scratch by day staffs but rather with the advent of 1992) included information on thirty-five (Beaver 1992). Thus, computer software that allowed how to build a cat run as a safe out- eight-week-old kittens are just the digital “addition” of collars to door venue. The promotion of beginning to scratch when they are stock photographs. Commissioned indoor cats continued in the more adopted into new homes and can photography, although rarely used recent ASPCA Complete Guide to be introduced immediately to by The HSUS because of its cost, Cats (Richards 1999). scratching posts and other accept- depicted both cats and dogs wear- able objects to satisfy their need to ing collars, beginning in the mid- scratch. Cats scratch to (1) condi- 1980s (The HSUS’s “Until There is Indoor-Cat tion their claws by removing old None, Adopt One” poster is an Behavior Problems nail sheaths, (2) display domi- example). Salem notes that nance in front of subordinate cats, agency-provided stock photos and the Debate (3) scent mark with the glands on depict collarless animals to the their paws, (4) visually mark by same extent they always have, but over Declawing leaving shredded matter as evi- photo retouching can “cure” the One behavior that figures promi- dence, (5) stretch and exercise problem. She notes that internal nently as distressing to cat owners their forelegs, and 6) enjoy a pleas- discussion on both of these sub- is scratching. It is second only to ant sensation. jects (outdoor cats and collars) climbing in controllable behavior and attempts to reconcile policy (Table 5). with available images began soon The top four behavioral prob- A History after her arrival at The HSUS in lems owners of kittens cited during of Declawing 1981. By 1996 the cover of the veterinary office visits were (from In the last forty years, an increasing Spring HSUS News depicted an most frequent to least frequent) number of indoor cat owners have indoor cat with collar and ID tag. inappropriate elimination, proper- chosen to deal with clawing at furni- Shelter Sense, the HSUS publica- ty destruction, aggression toward ture and household textiles through tion for the animal-sheltering com- other animals of the same species, munity, addressed the issue of indoor cats early in April 1989, August 1990, and March 1994. In Table 5 2002 The HSUS launched its Safe The Pros and Cons of Pet Ownership, Cats campaign to educate owners about the consequences of and by Percentage of Respondents solutions to letting owned cats Benefits Drawbacks roam unsupervised outdoors. An unpublished HSUS survey (R. Companionship, Love, Company: 88 Sadness When They Die: 49 Lockwood, personal communica- Fun to Watch/ tion with N.P., July 22, 2004) indi- Have in Household: 75 cated that 74 percent of respon- dents somewhat or strongly favor Convenience, Easy to Maintain: 67 Shedding: 38 keeping a cat indoors all the time or Relaxation, Relieves Stress: 65 Climbs on Countertops/ under supervision when outdoors. Tabletops: 34 The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Like Child/Family Member: 62 Damage to Furniture (ASPCA) began its transition to a or Carpet: 30 preference for keeping cats Source: APPMA 2003–2004. indoors about 1989 or 1990 (S.

32 The State of the Animals III: 2005 a surgical solution, declawing (feline (1964); Kansas (1964, 1976, 1984); urged owners of indoor cats to pro- onychectomy). The last bone of each Pennsylvania (1971, 1994); UC vide a suitable object on which to toe is amputated, with a guillotine- Davis (1977, 1989); and Texas scratch, but none offered declaw- type nail clipper, scalpel blade, or (1972). R. McClure, D.V.M., (per- ing as a solution. Then, as now, laser, to prevent regrowth of the sonal communication with N.P., other, more laissez-faire, attitudes claw, which is adhered to the bone. February 26, 2003) indicated that existed: “A special post is not neces- The early history of the procedure he was doing an occasional declaw- sary if other suitable provision has remains unclear. A search (by N.P.) ing procedure as early as 1951 in been made; the substitute must be of thirty antiquarian veterinary private practice. In 1953 the Merri- something he likes to use, such as a books published between the 1900s am-Webster Dictionary first offered chair a cat has chosen which may to the 1950s uncovered no refer- a definition of declaw: “to remove be given to him” (Bryant 1969, ences to declawing. A search of the claws of (as a cat) surgically.” 44–45). However, Whitney (1953, more recent veterinary medical lit- One feline veterinarian reports 262) does include one reference to erature for declawing and onychec- that even early (circa 1968) pub- surgical intervention: “As a last tomy in cats yielded forty-eight stud- lished discussions of declawing in resort, your veterinarian can oper- ies from 1973–2002 on the effects of veterinary journals primarily dis- ate on two toes in each foot and cut different techniques, anesthesia and cussed refinements of technique. a little tendon to prevent a cat from pain medications, attitudes of own- She hypothesizes that the first clawing furniture, wallpaper, etc.” ers, assessment of complications, declawings were done on captive By the early 1960s, declawing was measurement of pain, and other lions and tigers and other wild presented as an option for owners topics. The earliest citation for felines (J. Hofve, D.V.M., personal who used veterinary care: declawing was Nagle’s A Technique communication with N.P., March A comparatively new cat cus- for Feline Onychectomy (1976), 19, 2003). J. Peddie, a 1965 gradu- tom, de-clawing an indoor cat, which describes a technique for ate of Cornell in private practice saves endless wear and tear, declawing cats that Nagle had used from 1969 to 1991, started to without making any apprecia- for the previous twenty years. declaw exotic cats in 1969 in Thou- ble difference to the cat. When The technique of declawing sand Oaks, California, because of you take your cat to the hospi- seems to have entered some small- that location’s proximity to the tal for the altering operation, animal surgical curricula in the movie industry (personal communi- consult with the veterinary sur- 1950s. Class notes on feline sur- cation with N.P., March 21, 2003). geon who can de-claw the cat’s gery from the College of Veterinary Declawing was standard procedure front paws at the same time Medicine at Iowa State University to satisfy the industry’s liability and under the same anesthesia. turned up the first discussion there insurance carriers. At the time, a (Schulberg 1961, 128–129) of declawing in 1955 (George pioneer of exotic animal care, M. Although more research remains Beran, D.V.M., personal communi- Fowler, D.V.M., had developed an to be done on the spread of the cation with N.P., March 25, 2003). exotic declawing technique that practice, by the 1970s declawing An informal survey (by N.P.) of thir- involved a total disarticulation of seems to have become a normal ty veterinarians in practice, retired the third phalanx. This technique part of feline medical care. from practice, or in school con- severed the main tendon that pulls ducted at the HSUS exhibit booth the toes into the paws. The result- The Financial at the 2004 annual American Vet- ing “floppy” toes caused ulceration Component erinary Medical Association confer- of the animals’ central foot pads, There are currently 77.6 million ence in Philadelphia indicated that which supported their full weight. owned cats in the United States declawing was not taught to those Peddie modified Fowler’s technique, (American Pet Products Manufac- who graduated from Auburn (in which he found in Fowler’s books on turers Association 2003–2004). In 1943); Guelph (1947); Pennsylva- exotic medicine and surgery on cats an informal survey undertaken at nia (1951, 1952, 1957); Georgia weighing more than one hundred the American Veterinary Medical (1955); Cornell (1961); Ohio pounds. Peddie’s technique left the Association (AVMA) conference in (1999); Oklahoma (2003); UC extensor process (which enables Philadelphia in 2004, one author Davis (1970); or Wisconsin (2002). extension of the claws) intact, thus (N.P.) found costs for declawing the Other veterinarians indicated that giving cats toes with which they forefeet at twenty-five U.S. veteri- declawing was taught when they could grip and on which they could nary facilities ranged from $50 to graduated from Iowa (1949, 1981, balance. $476, averaging $158 per declaw. 2005); Auburn (1951, 1969, 1984); Many popular books (Simmons (Declawing is commonly combined Cornell (1956, 1965); Georgia 1935; Harman 1948; Schrody with spay/neuter surgery, which (1975); Ohio (1959, 1971); Purdue 1957; Deutsch and McCoy 1961) allows the cat to undergo only one

Indoor Cats, Scratching, and the Debate over Declawing: When Normal Pet Behavior Becomes a Problem 33 period of anesthesia.) Accepting undergo other less defined ‘person- cruelty statutes in the California Patronek’s estimate that as much as ality changes,’ the results of sever- Penal Code to make it a misde- 25 percent of the owned cat popula- al studies do not support these meanor for any person to perform, tion is declawed (2001) translates beliefs.” The problem was and procure, or arrange for surgical into 19.4 million declawed cats, remains a lack of hard data. Hetts claw removal, declawing, onychec- representing more than $3 billion pointed out that “no prospective tomy, or tendonectomy on an exot- in revenue to veterinarians. Such an studies, in which the frequency of ic or native wild cat species. The amount represents a significant problem behaviors are (sic) meas- AVMA officially opposed declawing source of income. ured before as well as after declaw- of exotic cats in January 2004. ing, have been done” (personal In response to this legislative The Case Against communication with N.P., February action, the Cat Fanciers Associa- Declawing 11, 2003). Thus, “the most that tion (CFA) announced its opposi- Declawing became controversial can be said about adverse behav- tion to any legislative attempts to soon after it appeared as an elective ioral sequelae to onychectomy is target veterinary elective surgical surgery in small-animal practices. that they remain as hard to dismiss procedures. According to the CFA, Carr (1963, 113) called it a “drastic as they are to quantify” (Patronek few declawing procedures are exe- remedy” to be confined to “a few 2001, 936). cuted on exotic/wild cats in Cali- problem cats.” He reported anecdo- In recent years declawing has fornia, and the option to declaw tally that “occasionally a cat will be become a controversial subject needed to remain available to expe- taken to a vet to be put to sleep outside the veterinary and re- rienced individuals based on their because it has been guilty of so search communities as well. Cat veterinarian’s professional judg- much damage with its claws.” Carr owners have been urged by some ment and advice. However, three added that the practice was already behaviorists, veterinarians, animal other California cities—Berkeley, so hotly disputed that welfare groups, cat writers, and Malibu, and San Francisco—passed [T]wo very respected leaders in others to accept scratching behav- resolutions condemning declawing. the cat fancy have offered a ior as normal and to seek alterna- There is no consensus on the reward for the “arrest and con- tives to surgical remedies. In 1998 effects of declawing on the person- viction” of anyone who has the ASPCA issued a policy state- ality or behavior of cats. Some been responsible for declawing ment condemning argue that declawing can cause a cat. Declawing is not against [D]eclawing of cats as a matter postoperative discomfort or pain the law, of course. These people of supposed convenience to cat (Davis 1993; Estep and Hetts believe sincerely that it should owners. It is a form of mutila- 1994; Pollari and Bonnett 1996; be outlawed. (Carr 1963, 113) tion and it does cause pain. The Overall 1997; Jankowski et al. Opponents argued against the only time the surgery should be 1998). Others point out that when surgery because of psychological considered is when the health it is done properly, declawing caus- trauma to cats. Beaver (1992, 81) and safety of other animals, es minimal pain, improves the pet- pointed out human beings or the individual owner relationship (Houpt 1991; [C]ats that depend on their cat is involved, and euthanasia Yeon et al. 2001), and is a better claws as weapons or for climb- or abandonment the only real- alternative to relinquishment or ing can become psychologically istic alternative. euthanasia (Ames 1968; Lands- and physically traumatized if Declawing has even become a berg 1991b; Estep and Hetts they suddenly discover their matter for municipal legislation. In 1994); Phillips and Phillips 1994). lack of claws. Even though 2003 West Hollywood, California, Small-animal practitioners see there is no evidence of long- became the first city in North Amer- all kinds of owner behavior, some term problems as a result of ica to prohibit declawing. The of which is less than ideal, and they this procedure, there remains a AVMA opposed the bill on the recognize that even conscientious moral controversy about the grounds that veterinarians are bet- pet owners have different levels of surgery, and a perception exists ter suited than are politicians to tolerance for destructive pet that other problems, such as make medical decisions. The initial behavior. Indeed, one study sug- biting and jumping on coun- attempt to include domestic cats in gests that furniture clawing is ters or tables, will develop. the state bill was defeated, but a often ignored unless it is per- Yet Hetts (1999, 78) argued revised bill, A.B. 1857, was intro- formed on some object of high eco- that, “although it has long been duced in February 2004; signed into nomic value (R. Lockwood, person- believed that declawing causes cats law on September 24, 2004; and al communication with N.P., July to become aggressive (to bite), to took effect January 1, 2005. The 22, 2004). In the most extreme have litterbox problems, and to law added a section to the animal cases, owners deciding between

34 The State of the Animals III: 2005 euthanasia and declawing will not berg 1991b; Beaver 1992; Donald 1992). It also teaches the cat to run tolerate the infrequent furniture 1992; Shelter Sense 1994; Houpt, from the owner (Beaver 1992). Fail- scratching that might occur Honig, and Reisner 1996; Lamb ure at training may also reflect (Houpt, Honig, and Reisner 1996). 1996; Overall 1997; Lachman and self-selection on the part of owners Thus veterinarians tend to frame Mickdeit 2000; Christensen and unable/unwilling to invest the their observations on the topic in HSUS staff 2002; Horwitz 2003; amount of time dog owners must terms of two choices, declawing or Thornton 2004). Public education to end up with a comparably obedi- relinquishment. They resent the on normal cat behavior seems to be ent animal. suggestion that they cause unnec- a powerful tool: one study found Another approach is to enhance essary pain when performing the that the incidence of relinquish- public understanding and tolerance surgery, arguing that the cats they ment decreased if cat owners had of normal cat behaviors such as declaw behave normally soon after read a book or other educational scratching. Understanding cats and the surgery. Many veterinarians materials about feline behavior their behavior was addressed only point out that the improvement in (Salman et al. 1998). relatively recently in HSUS publica- surgical techniques and analgesics Still, little is known about the tions. Although the HSUS News was and the more frequent use of anal- success or failure of cat training. a report to the members on the gesics during and following declaw In one study on pet keeping (Ral- activities of The HSUS, the Spring surgery has made what was a ston Purina 2000), the top four 1995 issue did feature “More than a potentially traumatic surgery much cat-behavior problems mentioned Meow” and the Winter 1996 issue less so nowadays.1 by owners were clawing the furni- included “When the Litterbox is a Opponents of declawing cite a ture (20 percent), climbing on fur- Letterbox,” both behavior-oriented study by Kass et al. (2001) that niture or counters (16 percent), articles. The Summer 2001 issue of showed that, although 18 percent eliminating in the house outside The HSUS’s new members’ maga- of the cats specifically presented to the litterbox (10 percent), and zine, All Animals, introduced a vet- shelters for euthanasia were relin- bringing birds and/or mice into erinary column by Debra Horwitz, quished for behavioral reasons, the house (8 percent), all natural D.V.M., DACVB, veterinary behavior- destructiveness inside or outside behaviors for a small, agile, preda- ist, and subsequent issues featured the home was, at 14 percent, not tory animal. Dog owners are cats and their behavior (Horowitz even in the top ten objectionable encouraged to seek obedience and 2002, 2003, 2004). Veterinarians behaviors. Loewenthal (2002) other forms of training, yet many who visited HSUS exhibit booths at found that relatively few declaws cat owners seem unwilling to make the AVMA and North American Vet- were performed as last-ditch efforts this same kind of effort with their erinary Conferences in 2003 and to save a cat from going back to the cats and consider their cats to be 2004 received a free HSUS Pets for shelter. untrainable. Cat owners do not Life behavior CD-ROM with behav- seem to be highly successful disci- ior tip sheets they could distribute plinarians. Disciplining or scolding to their clients. Until recently, vet- Alternatives their pet is the top method used by erinarians frequently relied on myr- to Declawing cat owners (35 percent) to handle iad copied journal articles, which behavior problems; 24 percent of were not directed to pet owners, for Cat owners are now presented with cat owners say they do nothing this purpose. two nonsurgical options for dealing when their cat misbehaves. Only with clawing: nail trimming and the 30 percent of cat owners have use of plastic nail caps coupled with solved their pet’s behavior prob- An Ethical diversion, through training, the lat- lems completely, although 42 per- ter using both aversive and positive Question cent of cat owners say they have reinforcement. Nail trimming is made some progress (Ralston Puri- much easier for owners to perform with Practical na 2000). Complicating the pic- when cats have become accus- ture further is evidence that scold- Consequences tomed to the procedure from kit- ing and discipline to discourage Opponents of declawing have tenhood. Cat behavior experts cats from scratching without pro- strong feelings on the subject. believe that undesirable scratching viding an acceptable substitute can “Declaw? Never. How would you like can be prevented or eliminated actually backfire (Beaver 1992). It to have your nails pulled out one by with appropriate behavior modifica- can lower the scratching threshold, one and be forced to walk around tion techniques and urge owners to so that the cat is attempts it even on stumps for the rest of your life?” consider surgical intervention only more frequently, and the animal’s announce Janik and Rejnis (1996, as a last resort (Lewis 1984; Lands- frustration increases (Beaver 95). Declawing is “the worst sort of

Indoor Cats, Scratching, and the Debate over Declawing: When Normal Pet Behavior Becomes a Problem 35 cosmetic surgery—done entirely indoors in the United States. (The tion was not important (51.4 per- for the convenience and benefit of indoors phenomenon seems to be cent vs. 64.4 percent), but more the cat’s owners, and almost always United States-based. Although than half of those ranking protect- to the detriment of the cat. “It’s 42.73 million cats live in Western ing animals as a high priority still the equivalent of having your fin- Europe, and data on the percent- favored declawing, a level of sup- gers cut off at the top joint,” age living indoors have not been port not seen for any of the other according to Christensen (2002, published, the proportion of pet practices surveyed (e.g., 10 per- 157). This is a far stronger position cats who are housed indoors is cent opposed increased penalties than one espoused twenty years lower in Britain than it is in the for dogfighting or cockfighting; 10 previously by Fox: United States). The prevalence of percent opposed restrictions on With a persistent clawer, it is a declawing in the United States sow confinement). simple procedure to trim the may be due to the fact that many G. Patronek, former director of claws with a nail trimmer. Some more cats are confined indoors Tufts Center for Animals and Public cats will fight being restrained than are confined in Europe (Turn- Policy, says that animal welfare for this, and for some owners er and Bateson 1998). workers err in basing their opinions the only alternative is euthana- An unpublished survey indicates on the effects of declawing solely sia. A third alternative is declaw- that 55.4 percent of the American on the animals seen in shelters and ing, and although it is a contro- general public strongly favored or without comparison to the general versial subject, I think it is better favored declawing. Support for population. He suggests that, when than getting rid of the pet be- declawing was significantly associ- judgments are made without a cause it persists in clawing furni- ated with income, with 42.6 per- proper comparison group, a com- ture or people. (1974, 147) cent of those with incomes under mon trait (such as having a full- Clients and practitioners are $20,000 and 62 percent of those time job) may appear to be associ- beginning to express ethical con- with incomes over $50,000 favor- ated with relinquishment just cerns about onychectomy. These ing the procedure (R. Lockwood, because there are so many owners concerns are developing at the personal communication with N.P., with that trait (personal communi- same time that attitudes are July 22, 2004). Those who favored cation with N.P., February 2, 2003). changing in the United States keeping cats inside were also more The question, he says, is whether it toward the practices of tail dock- likely to support declawing (48 occurs more frequently with ani- ing and ear cropping in dogs. The percent) than were those who were mals brought into shelters than AVMA’s policy on declawing indi- opposed to declawing but support- with those remaining in their cates that the procedure is justifi- ed keeping cats inside (31 per- homes. Lack of appreciation of this able, with adherence to appropriate cent) (R. Lockwood, personal com- logic has led to draconian adoption surgical and medical principles, munication with N.P., July 22, policies (no one who works full when the cat cannot be trained not 2004). More than 39 percent of time can have a puppy, for exam- to use his or her claws destructive- those who opposed allowing a cat ple) that are only now becoming ly, but it should not be performed outside unsupervised still favored recognized as counterproductive solely for cosmetic purposes (Over- declawing, with 23 percent oppos- (personal communication with all 1997). ing both declawing and allowing N.P., February 2, 2003). Internationally, declawing is con- cats outside without supervision. Patronek points out that if sidered mutilation and is either This suggests that declawing was declawing procedures using good illegal or considered extremely in- not seen as a welfare issue in the surgical technique and analgesia humane and to be performed only same way as were other issues in caused the large number of neurot- under extreme circumstances in the survey, which included dog- ic behavior problems alleged by Australia, Austria, France, Belgium, fighting, chaining a dog for extend- some advocates, shelters would be Brazil, Denmark, Finland, Ger- ed periods, puppy mills, chimps in deluged with spraying, biting cats many, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, research, and canned hunts, but (2001). This doesn’t mean that Japan, Montenegro, Netherlands, excluded tail and ear docking. some cats may not be affected New Zealand, Norway, Portugal, Many respondents who opposed adversely by declawing, but the evi- Serbia, Slovenia, Sweden, and other practices did not oppose dence isn’t there yet to support a Switzerland (The Paw Project, declawing. Those who reported broad-based problem or to identify http://www.pawproject.com/html/ that they thought protecting ani- which cats are likely to be harmed faqs.asp). mals from cruelty and abuse was seriously by the procedure (person- Ironically, the debate over “very important” were significantly al communication with N.P., Janu- declawing is inadvertently at odds less likely to favor declawing than ary 30, 2003). with the campaign to keep cats were those who said such protec- Patronek offers a possible expla-

36 The State of the Animals III: 2005 nation for shelter workers’ percep- where declaw/neuter packages are especially when it’s not difficult tion that inappropriate elimination routine. While both the animal to teach a cat to use a scratch- may be linked to declawing. He welfare community and the major- ing post. Instead of declawing sees it as a statistical artifact asso- ity of pet owners now agree that your new cat, get her a great ciated with these observations: spaying and neutering should be scratching post (or two) and owners who declaw their cats are routine, the fact remains that in teach her how to use it. That likely to be much more concerned both groups, declawing is usually said, if the choice is between about their furniture and house- preemptive, anticipating future getting rid of the cat, keeping holds than owners who don’t; behavior of pet cats. him outdoors, or declawing, therefore, when declawed cats in What can and should be done then declawing is the best these households have an inappro- about the difference in perception option. (Thornton 2004, 200) priate elimination problem, those between the animal welfare com- The question then becomes, is owners have a low tolerance for munity and average cat owners? the animal welfare community will- damage and turn the cats in rather One important first step may be ing to live with this kind of practical than working to resolve or tolerat- decoupling declawing and neuter- ethics on the part of pet owners? ing the problem (Patronek 2001). ing in veterinary practice and Since the “last resort” argu- In contrast, owners of cats with returning declawing to its former ment is the premise behind so claws are less concerned about fur- status of last-resort surgery. As many national recommenda- niture, and so forth, so when their Christensen and the staff of The tions and local policies, it cats develop an inappropriate elim- HSUS (2002) note, onychectomy seems there would be data on ination problem, they are much “is almost never medically or the likelihood of owners to less likely to turn them in and behaviorally necessary, and should relinquish cats with claws and more likely to tolerate or attempt never be considered routine or on the propensity of potential to resolve the problem (Patronek done preemptively.” Enhancing adopters to reject a shelter 2001). From the shelter workers’ owner and small-animal veterinary that prohibits declawing. But perspective, they encounter the education about cat behavior is an while studies have shown that former group, and the latter are important step. It is also clear that many owners relinquish cats invisible to them. Therefore, the more research on socializing cats for scratching furniture and logical conclusion is that inappro- and retraining cats with behavior other household items, it’s priate elimination is associated problems is very much needed. This unclear whether a declawing with declawing. Patronek also cau- research needs to generate practi- surgery would have prevented tions that, unless one knows how cal options for cat owners, not sim- those surrenders or whether many non-declawed cats in homes ply identification of long-term those cat owners were aware of exhibit inappropriate elimination behavioral trauma in declawed effective options in the first behavior, one can’t draw that con- cats. Finally, the animal welfare place. (Lawson 2004, 20) clusion. Patronek suggests that community may need to acknowl- It behooves all involved in pro- one reason that declawing looks edge that there are occasions when moting the welfare of cats to edu- “protective” against relinquish- declawing is appropriate, as in cate, educate, educate so that ment in retrospective studies is cases where accidental clawing may declawing is no longer viewed as a because it is a marker for other fac- affect the health of an owner or routine preventive surgery but tors (like socioeconomic status when the occasional adult cat truly becomes a “last resort.” and providing veterinary care) that absolutely resists other kinds of are highly correlated with pet training interventions and the retention. “That doesn’t mean,” he owner wishes to continue keeping The Future says, “that if you declaw cats it will the animal indoors. Making other- of Declawing reduce their relinquishment across wise good-enough owners defensive Pet owners turn to veterinarians the board” (personal communica- about their care for their animals more often than other sources for tion with N.P., January 31, 2003). does not benefit anyone. Should pet care advice. Patronek (personal Further, the success of cam- the best position that ordinary cat communication with N.P., February paigns for spaying and neutering owners may be expected to take on 1, 2003) notes that “veterinarians may have inadvertently normalized declawing be much like the posi- are still the most accepted source of the idea of routine surgical inter- tion expressed by the author of one information about pet issues, and vention to reshape cat behavior. recent book on cat care? when they treat [declawing] as a This idea is reinforced by the link- Ethically, it’s difficult to justify perfunctory part of owning a cat, age between the two practices in this kind of mutilation simply then it’s no surprise that a lot of small-animal veterinary practices, for an owner’s convenience,

Indoor Cats, Scratching, and the Debate over Declawing: When Normal Pet Behavior Becomes a Problem 37 owners do not think twice about it.” discussion might actually get peo- Patronek suggested that one rea- ple thinking about whether they Appendix son attitudes about declawing are really do need to declaw. slow to change is that, when the Patronek believes that, short of Organizations’ arguments focus on the brutality of that, falling back on the ethical Positions on the surgery, there are plenty of issue of animal integrity may be Declawing practices where, when the proce- fruitful in convincing cat owners dure is performed with good tech- not to declaw. That appeal has The Humane Society nique and analgesics, the kitten worked to some degree with ear of the United States pops up and is running around cropping, but ears are visible, In 1978 The HSUS issued its policy after surgery with little or no claws less so. Cosmetic Surgery on Animals: apparent discomfort. It flies in the Declawing cats because they “The Humane Society of the United face of the everyday experience in scratch destructively is like de- States opposes declawing of cats these practices to suggest that it barking dogs. It’s a quick fix, when it is done solely for the con- should not be done because of the but it only treats the symp- venience of the owner and without pain. When one author (N.P.) con- toms and not the cause. If only benefit to the animal.” In the trasted people’s reaction to cats (and dogs) were provided online article (http://www.hsus. debarking—another surgical inter- with more stimulation, per- org/ace/11789) “Declawing Cats: vention designed to solve a behav- haps these convenience surger- More Than Just a Manicure,” The ior problem—with declawing, ies wouldn’t be necessary. (Per- HSUS says that, “Although new Patronek agreed that most people sonal communication with techniques for declawing cats, such look at a debarked dog making N.P., January 30, 2003) as laser surgery and tenectomy, may hoarse attempts to express normal Pet keeping inevitably involves lessen the pain that typically follows behavior as obviously grotesque, human efforts to control natural declawing, the surgery is still con- but they do not feel the same animal behaviors. Pet owners’ sidered an unnecessary procedure.” about declawing. desire to preserve their property is Patronek believes the challenge valid, and our ideas about what are The American Veterinary is to engender the same feeling acceptable behaviors and methods about creating a disability through of control change over time. We Medical Association declawing, and unless owners should be conscious of the histori- The AVMA believes that authority report problems or veterinarians cal character of our ideas about for decisions regarding the appro- actually see something that makes acceptable practice on the part of priateness of performing declawing them uncomfortable, or there are owners, veterinarians, and the ani- should rest within the bounds of a well-controlled longitudinal stud- mal welfare community and about valid veterinarian-client-patient ies to demonstrate some adverse behaviors on the part of pets. relationship. According to G. effects, it will be an uphill battle. Golab, D.V.M., assistant director of the AVMA’s Professional Public He acknowledges the possibility Note that studies would not reveal any- 1 Any significant decrease in the number of Affairs Communications Division, thing substantial that was not asso- declawing procedures performed would trans- the AVMA has always encouraged late into a large financial loss to the veteri- veterinarians to educate owners ciated with a surgical botch. nary profession. Declawing opponents argue, He believes that people who however, that addressing behavior problems concerning any surgical or medical want to declaw their cat won’t pay can enhance the value of a veterinary practice procedure, including declawing and make up for that loss. By offering pet (personal communication with any more attention to studies than behavior services and/or recommending out- they do to licensing requirements side resources, practices can maintain client N.P., March 17, 2003). The only dif- when they exist. He points out that loyalty, strengthen their client services, and ference, she says, is that generate additional revenue from services, [I]t has now been formally people do what they please when products, and referrals (Peterson 2002). they take an animal out of a shel- written into the position state- ter, and, as a 2003 PETsMART ment. The change is related study showed, a great percentage not as much to veterinary edu- of adopters will be unavailable for cation as it is to public educa- contact three to six months after tion since it’s only recently the adoption. Patronek asks: does that the public has taken an the animal shelter policy on interest in the AVMA’s official declawing turn away people who positions on issues such as this refuse to be dishonest on princi- and, consequently, the AVMA ple? He suggests that a thoughtful Animal Welfare Committee

38 The State of the Animals III: 2005 believes it is prudent to now cations, hemorrhage, infection, have all “physical properties” and include information in the and pain. If onychectomy is per- identified these—“e.g., eyes, ears, position what formerly would formed, appropriate use of safe and legs, tail, etc.” Section 10 was have been assumed to be effective anesthetic agents and the changed in 1959 to say, “Cats not understood. use of safe peri-operative anal- having all their physical properties, AVMA Position Statement on gesics for an appropriate length of e.g. eyes, ears, legs, tail, claws, Declawing Prior to March 2003: time are imperative. The surgical etc., or having any congenital or Declawing of domestic cats is alternative of tendonectomy is not acquired defects, may not receive justifiable when the cat cannot be recommended. any awards.” This rule has been in trained to refrain from using its Declawed cats should be housed effect ever since. The current show claws destructively. indoors. rules (May 1, 2004, to April 30, AVMA Position Statement as of Scientific data do indicate that 2005) cover the claws in section March 2003: cats that have destructive clawing 2.09 (Eligibility for Entry): “A cat Declawing of domestic cats behavior are more likely to be or kitten not having all its physical should be considered only after euthanatized, or more readily re- properties—eyes, ears, legs, tail, attempts have been made to pre- linquished, released, or abandoned, claws, both descended testicles vent the cat from using its claws de- thereby contributing to the home- (adult cat only)—or has had sur- structively or when its clawing pre- less cat population. Where scratch- gery which changes a cat’s natural sents a zoonotic risk for its owner(s). ing behavior is an issue as to functions (e.g., tendonectomy), is The AVMA believes it is the obli- whether or not a particular cat can not eligible for entry.” And show gation of veterinarians to provide remain as an acceptable household rule 28.18d says: “A judge will dis- cat owners with complete educa- pet in a particular home, surgical qualify any entry entered contrary tion with regard to feline onychec- onychectomy may be considered. to these rules, including declawed tomy. The following points are the There is no scientific evidence cats or kittens and adult, whole foundation for full understanding that declawing leads to behavioral males that do not have two and disclosure regarding declawing: abnormalities when the behavior of descended testicles....” Scratching is a normal feline declawed cats is compared with behavior, is a means for cats to that of cats in control groups. The American Animal mark their territory both visually Hospital Association and with scent, and is used for claw The American (AAHA) conditioning (“husk” removal) and Association of Feline The American Animal Hospital stretching activity. Practitioners Association (AAHA) counts more Owners must provide suitable The American Association of Feline than 32,000 veterinarians as mem- implements for normal scratching Practitioners Position Statement bers. AAHA’s newest standards, behavior. Examples are scratching on Declawing was passed in Sep- published in Spring 2003, break posts, cardboard boxes, lumber or tember 2002. It maintains that: ground in six areas of companion logs, and carpet or fabric remnants Surgical declawing is not a med- animal practice: client services, affixed to stationary objects. Imple- ically necessary procedure for the continuing education, pain man- ments should be tall or long cat in most cases. agement, patient care and compli- enough to allow full stretching, and While rare in occurrence, there ance, practice leadership, and sur- be firmly anchored to provide nec- are inherent risks with any surgi- gery. The practice leadership area essary resistance to scratching. cal procedure including, but not asked, “Is there a moral framework, Cats should be positively reinforced limited to: an ethical definition, for daily prac- in the use of these implements. • anesthetic complications tice?” The task force recommended Appropriate claw care (consist- • hemorrhage that a practice use written guide- ing of trimming the claws every • infection lines to outline ethical philosophy one to two weeks) should be pro- • pain regarding commonly encountered vided to prevent injury or damage • side effects of pain medication ethical issues such as healthy pet to household items. euthanasia, cosmetic surgery, devo- Surgical declawing is not a med- The Cat Fanciers’ calization, declawing, client com- ically necessary procedure for the munications regarding errors made cat in most cases. While rare in Association (CFA) within the practice or another prac- occurrence, there are inherent The Cat Fanciers’ Association (CFA) tice, and limitation of care for risks and complications with any recently revised its official show financial reasons. surgical procedure including, but rule regarding declawing. Before not limited to, anesthetic compli- 1959, the rules required the cat to

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