SolveYourProblem.com Article Series: Cat Care
Cat Care Tips
Should
I Declaw My Cat?
When you have your cat declawed, you are actually amputating
the first joint of each front toe. This is necessary
because the nail bed covers almost the entire joint,
and leaving a portion of the claw un-amputated can result
in some nasty infections and other complications.
Make no mistake, this is painful for a cat to undergo, and
it will take the cat several weeks to recover physically. Typically,
declawing is only done on the front claws, leaving the back
feet intact; this isn't necessarily good, as a cat can do massive
damage with back claws alone once it clamps onto you with its
teeth!
You should not declaw your cat unless you really need to –
and there are a few reasons why you should. Here are five reasons
given by people to declaw their cats, some good, and some bad.
"He claws up my furniture." Cats
are going to claw things; it is not just instinctive, it
is physically necessary
for them to keep their claws at a manageable length. There
are alternatives to declawing a cat to protect your furniture;
you can purchase a scratching post and train the cat to use
it, for instance, or you can get claw sheaths that fit over
each claw and then clip the cat's claws regularly.
"He will scratch the baby." This
is a much more valid reason than the cat clawing the furniture.
If you have
a very aggressive cat, it might be something to genuinely worry
about. Not only does a cat scratch hurt, but it also can carry
some nasty diseases; cats do use their claws to bury their
feces, as I remind my son when he wants to let the cat on the
table.
"I'm pregnant and afraid of getting toxoplasmosis." Obstetricians
routinely admonish pregnant women to not change the litter
box or handle cats that could scratch them because of the risk
of toxoplasmosis. However, the reality is that most toxoplasmosis
is contracted by gardening or handling raw meat that is infected
with the bacterium. If you have a history of problem pregnancies
and a cat that will scratch, this might be a valid reason to
have your cat declawed.
"I'm an immunocompromised person, and though I love my
cat, I can't afford for him to scratch me." This is probably
the very best reason to get your cat declawed. Immunocompromised
people, whether the issue is organ transplant or HIV, need
the companionship of those they love, but a simple cat scratch
can cause a raging infection that your body may not be able
to fight off. If you do have a problem like this, you should
get your cat declawed, but you should also be aware that you
cannot let your cat outside after this; it will be at a disadvantage
against dogs and cats that don't have this disability.
"I'm afraid of cat scratch fever." This
is also a valid reason, but it's usually not a danger. Cat
scratch
fever is spread by bacteria called Bartonella henselea. It
is generally found to infect humans in the cold fall and winter
months, possibly because your outdoor cats spend more time
indoors. About five percent of the US population have been
exposed but have not developed this disease. Symptoms include
fever, chills, and a lethargy and malaise, and it's often mistaken
for flu. A more serious form involves swollen lymph nodes that
may have to be drained; most of the time, this form is found
in people with weak immune systems, and it can kill.
The odd thing is adult cats only rarely transmit the disease;
most commonly it comes from the kittens. The bacterium lives
in the cat's mouth and migrates to the claws, but only the
claws appear to be able to spread the disease. Declawing kittens
at an early age if they're in a household with an immunocompromised
person is the only reliable way of preventing the disease;
though kittens with the disease can be screened and treated
with antibiotics, the bacteria generally comes back. There
is also no record of a person having the disease more than
once.
And the one good reason to not have your cat declawed: any
cat that goes outdoors is exposed to terrible danger if he
or she is declawed. Only get your cat declawed for a good reason,
and then be aware that you must take pains that he or she never
get out of doors alone and unleashed again.
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SolveYourProblem.com : 2007
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