Epidemic of Botched Cat Declaw Operations

On their Facebook page, The Paw Project Ohio provide the shocking results of a study they have recently completed into the proficiency of veterinarians carrying out declaw operations (technical term: onychectomy). Here are the results presented in an image which anyone is free to use. Please ask if you wish to use it as there is no right-click downloads on this website. Just leave a comment.

This is a hugely important piece of research. The importance cannot be overstressed. Please spread the word by sharing this post if you want to try and influence lawmakers wishing to ban declawing.

In words: there is a 66% failure rate on declaw surgery in respect of the cats checked. This isn’t 1-2 vets, they say – this is a 66% failure rate overall. The figures are too high to conclude that the problem of botched declaw operations concerns one or two vets. This is an epidemic! They say: please be patient and keep sharing. More shocking news to come…..

A thought: a person commented on the Utah Paw Project page.  They asked whether we can automatically assume that where there are bone fragments in the paws of declawed cats that the cat feels pain or at least discomfort.  I think that is a reasonably fair question to ask but common sense dictates that the answer must be Yes. Bone fragments are sharp and they are under the skin. What can one expect?

In any case, these are botched declaw operations because we know that when veterinarians declaw cats they remove the last phalange of the toes of the cat.  This means that a length of bone at the end of the cat’s toe is removed at the point where that phalange of bone is connected to another length of bone.  In which case an incision is made through tissue that connects the bones together.  As I understand it, there is no need, therefore, for the veterinarian to cut through bone itself. This clearly indicates that veterinarians are being incredibly careless when they slice off the end of cat’s toes in declawing the cat.

Of course, in this post I am making no judgement about the morality of the operation itself (we all know it is a immoral). In this article we are simply looking at the skill of the veterinarians involved and on these results we have to conclude that there is very little skill evident.  If there is skill is not being applied and in which case we have to conclude that the veterinarians involved are being incredibly careless as stated.

I have read on the Internet that veterinarians carry out the declawing of the 10 toes of a forepaws of a cat in around 15 or 20 mins.  I would like a veterinarian to confirm this. For me, this supports what I stated that these “doctors” are being very, very careless and treating a cat’s toes as a vegetable that requires trimming!  It’s as if they’re trimming the end of a runner bean when preparing dinner….