Why is declawing so detrimental to cats?
A25. Declawing is a painful and serious surgery that should not be taken lightly. A cat without claws is one without self-defense, leaving it defenseless against their predators, psychologically speaking. Physically mutilating the joints of your cat’s “toes”, can change a cat mentally. Their personality and disposition may completely alter, possibly making the cat more aggressive or more withdrawn. The potential side effects resulting can creating the opposite affect that declawing was intended for. The claws help the cat to establish proper balance during walking, running, springing, climbing and stretching. Claws help exercise the foot muscles. Additionally, cats use their claws to scratch their bodies with. Like all surgeries, there are associated complications that include pain, permanent damage to the radial nerve, hemorrhaging, unhealed bone chips, painful re-growth of deformations, chronic back and joint pain as leg and back muscles weaken.
