Domestic Cat (Felis catus) skeleton + rant on cat paws and the ethics of declawing
[Image source: "Cat skeleton: overview", Lumen]
I find it cool and sort of funny how similar, skeletally that is, cat paws are to human hands. This goes for all cats - domestic and wild. However I will be focusing on domestic kitties here.
Really, the biggest notable difference is that the distal phalanges in a cat's toes are formed to claws, whilst humans obviously don't have claws. Also, the metacarpals (hand bones in humans, wrist bones in cats) are longer in cats.
[Image source: "Skeletal structure of human versus cat hand", 3D Anatomy Studios]
All Felids are digitigrade animals, meaning they naturally walk on their toes. Humans are plantigrade, meaning we walk on the soles of our feet. What would be our fingers is what a cat walks on, with the metacarpals (what would be our hands) raised off of the ground.
Here's a diagram showing how a cat stands:
[Image source: "Cat Paw Anatomy 101: Everything You Need to Know", Ruffle Snuffle]
[Image source: "Evaluation of Foot Arch in Adult Women: Comparison between Five Different Footprint Parameters", Thamilvaani Manaharan]
This is why declawing is so devastating for a cat.
Onychectomy, or declawing, is an amputation of the last (distal) phalange, typically with sterilised clippers, a scalpel, or laser. It is a surgical procedure performed in order to permanently remove the claws, preventing scratching. It's an amputation of what they are supposed to be walking on.
A declawed cat has experienced an incredibly drastic change, and it can cause permanent struggle.
Without the last phalange, the pressure point shifts from the wide base of the distal phalange to the small point of the middle phalange.
Scarring of the tendons and muscle may cause the middle phalange to retract in, making the pressure point even smaller.
[Image source: "Declawed vs Normal Cats: Observable Anatomical Changes", Jean Hofve DVM, City the Kitty]
[Image source: "The Truth About Declawing", Cats International]
If the tendons retract and the toes become locked in place, the cat is at a significantly increased risk of osteoarthritis in the paws, and if the gait is affected, further up the legs.
Veterinarian Kip Lemke illustrated the typical levels of post-surgery pain, comparing common surgical procedures. Findings were published in DVM Best Practices, August 2002. Spaying of a female animal was associated with moderate pain, and neutering of a male animal with mild pain. Declawing was associated with severe pain. Cats frequently exhibit signs of serious distress following the procedure.
It is claimed that this is typical of any surgical procedure, and that the pain decreases with time.
A 2021 study "Pain and adverse behavior in declawed cats", published by Nicole K Martell-Moran, Mauricio Solano, and Hugh GG Townsend to the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery aimed to investigate the prevalence of long-term and lifelong complications associated with declawing procedures.
176 owned cats (88 declawed and 88 with claws), and 98 shelter cats (49 declawed and 49 with claws) were studied. All declawed cats had recovered from the procedure, ruling out typical post-surgery pain or discomfort.
The study found significantly increased odds of back pain in declawed cats. Additionally, more declawed cats than clawed cats "barbered" (excessive licking, chewing and pulling out of fur), urinated/defecated outside of the litter box, and exhibited increased biting.
Proper surgical technique decreased the risk of barbering and visible obvious signs of pain, however declawed cats were still more likely than clawed cats to exhibit increased biting and litter box avoidance. This could indicate pain is still present, or that the cat is insecure or fearful.
33% of cats exhibit behavioural problems post declawing.
There are clear differences immediately post-surgery with the different methods of declawing, however all are bad.
Clippers - with no clear view of the bone, this outdated method of declawing generally leaves fragments of the distal phalange behind, potentially resulting in "nail regrowth" under the skin, increased pain, increased swelling, and an increased risk of infection.
Scalpel - decreased risk of P3 fragments, but bleeding and swelling still remains a risk.
Laser - less post-surgical pain, less swelling, less bleeding. Same long-term risks of chronic pain and behavioural problems.
https://southerncountiesrescue.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/Declawing-Jean_Hofve.pdf
Many argue that declawing keeps cats from being relinquished to shelters. This has also been proven false.
Gary Patronek, VMD, PhD, using multivariate statistical analysis, studied the risk of surrender to shelters in declawed vs non-declawed (clawed) cats, publishing his findings in a 1996 JAVMA article. He found that declawed cats were at an increased risk of relinquishment to animal shelters, perhaps due to complication. He also found that among relinquished (surrendered) cats, 52.4% of declawed cats were reported to exhibit litter box avoidance, compared to 29.1% of non-declawed cats.
The risk of animal abandonment is grossly overstated. Dr. Gary Landsberg surveyed pet owners and veterinarians in September of 1994. Just 4% of owners affirmed that they would have surrendered their cats if not for declawing. In contrast, the veterinarians in the survey speculated that 50% of the owners would have surrendered their pets.
Given the potential side effects, and the gamble that declawing is, it is fair to say that most cats would have been better off surrendered or rehomed rather than declawed.
[Images source: "Declawing", Clear Creek Cat Rescue]
