How Much Does It Cost To Declaw A Cat?

Declawing costs a cat a substantial part of his ten front toes, lots of pain, fear, discomfort and uncertain behavioral changes. It cost the cat’s owner about 100 US dollars. My point is that the price for the cat is far higher.

This is a re-publishing of a post I made about three years ago. I built the page in response to a lot of people asking the question in the title. Everyone answered it conventionally in terms of dollars. They still do. I never saw it that way. Honestly, the operation is cheap. The consequences are very expensive for the cat and sometimes even for the cat’s owner because a lot of cats suffer and the operation changes their behavior to the detriment of cat and owner.

We have to realise that cats are very good at not showing pain and discomfort. When people who have declawed their cat say that their cat is fine, the truth is they are guessing and trying to reassure themselves that their decision was the correct one. Often people justify declawing a cat using self-deceiving arguments to assuage their guilt.

Side note: When a website is large older posts get buried and forgotten. People don’t see them anymore unless they are lucky to bump into them. Google does not find them. Some old post are found by Google but lots are not. This is an attempt to bring some old posts forward and add some text because they deserve to be seen by people who have visited the site for the first time.

Here is a visual interpretation of the point I made in writing. There is a symmetry between the money and toes. It is ghastly symmetry. Money often equates to pain, injustice and abuse.

It costs the person this:

It costs the cat this:

Who is paying the most?

The lower photo is copyright protected please note. Please respect copyright.

Michael

Comments for How much does it cost to declaw a cat? Note: these comments were made some time ago before the site was moved. That is why the formatting looks different. New comments can still be made below. Click here to add your own comments

Feb 18, 2012 So disgusting ! by: Ken (Scotland) I was shocked and angered to see the photos of the claws…….the people that do this to those beatiful Cats and then profess that it is in the Cats best interests are soooooo sad !If anybody believes it is the right thing to do…..then a Cat is just NOT for you. They scratch sometimes, they bite sometimes…….live with it and enjoy them for what they are.Not what you want to make them !!

Feb 14, 2012 A big stick by: Anonymous Sorry to laugh on the page of this serious subject but Ed does make me and I know exactly how you feel Ed. I’d like to take a big stick to people who get their cats declawed and knock some common sense into their brains with it. Then an even bigger stick to the vets who declaw and knock their heads clean off with it. That’s how I feel when I read about it, angry enough to want to do that. So there!

Feb 14, 2012 Package Deal by: Harold Cats come with claws. It’s a package deal.

Feb 13, 2012 Feel the same by: Michael Edward, I feel like you. Your comment made me smile. I am not sure I’d use a big stick though. LOL

Feb 12, 2012 Good one man by: Edward Man youve written a good one here and the pictures as well. If the vets who axe cats toe end off for that money think its worth crippling cats to make it they shouldnt be doing that job because I think they must hate cats. I could never go to America because if I saw a crippled cat I would have to set about the person it belonged to and the vet that did it with a great big stick. Ed

Feb 09, 2012 How much? by: Cat lady Too much! Not to the ignorant or cruel owner of the cat but to the cat itself.I don’t understand how vets can get away with doing this? I don’t understand why people get a cat and want its claws taken away.Don’t like claws? Don’t get a cat!

Feb 09, 2012 To Helen by: Ruth Those bones contain claw cells so the whole bone has to be removed because even if only a small part is missed, the cats claw grows back crooked and it means more surgery. Vets can also leave a splinter of bone behind which can cause the cat agony even years later if it moves. People think laser declawing is kinder and has no problems but it’s just the same, if not worse, as the flesh can be scorched too. Too many cats are suffering in the USA and Canada and this is why we in the UK are helping the people there who want it banned. Our vets never declawed cats even when it was legal, it’s very cruel. All help to educate people who don’t know yet that it’s not ‘just’ the claws is much appreciated.

Feb 09, 2012 Appalled by: Helen Clare UK What butchery. I did not know they took off so much of the toes. I hadn’t given it much thought but if I had I would have thought it was ‘just’ the nails and not the bones.Anyone who wants this done should not have a cat at all.Just awful.Think it should be totally outlawed.

Feb 08, 2012 Shame on them by: Ted Looks to me like the sharp points have been cut off the claws on those severed toes before the op. Are the cowardly declaw docs so afraid of being scratched when mutilating the unconscious animal that they do that first? Shame on them for the abuse of innocent cats. I can only wish the money they make doing it brings them sheer misery.

Feb 08, 2012 YES butchers! by: Jane A Great pics Michael,they don’t need words.I agree with Mrs M that the vets who do this despicable surgery are butchers! They don’t belong in a clinic to care for peoples pets they belong in an abbatoir where they can chop bits off animals to their hearts content.

Feb 07, 2012 Vets Don’t Care by: Anonymous We rescued an abandoned stray that was scarred on his back paws. Imagine how sad it was to see his front stumps. This is not surprising to me because the mentality of a declawer is a mentality of one who does not care. The vets are worse. Once the money is in their pockets, their job is over. We took him to a local veterinary clinic to make sure he was healthy and the first question they asked us is if we planned on letting him outdoors or indoors. My husband told them we would never let a declawed cat outdoors and don’t know how he survived this long if not for the kind people who were feeding him. They then replied that if we ever decide we want to put him outdoors, come to get a leukemia vaccination. That is how much they cared about a defenseless animal who they may have even mutilated years ealier in their own dungeon.

Feb 07, 2012 Pictures speak a thousand words by: Leah England Its true Michael you don’t need words with pictures like those.I totally agree with what someone said ‘I’d like to see a vet talk their way out of that one!’ Well frankly I would too!!They always say its a manicure well if that’s so how would they explain away those bone joints at the end of each claw?!Vets don’t see cats as beautiful creatures needing claws for numerous reasons, they don’t care that they mutilate them and make them suffer terrible fear, anguish and pain they don’t care about anything except the cost to them if de-clawing was banned.

Feb 07, 2012 Anonymous Amputees by: Michael Good point Anonymous Amputees. Thanks for the comment.Of course, all the money in the world = less than the mutilation to the cat.

Feb 07, 2012 No comparison! by: Anonymous Amputees Don’t forget that after the surgery the owner continues to pay out money while the cat is forced into a lifetime of pain and misery. Why?The owner has to continue to cover vet bills for the complications resulting from declawing; i.e. urine stains on furniture, urine stains on floors, walls, counters, etc. Medical bills to keep the cat sedated and mobile.The cat has to continue to pay because of being crippled by a loss of digits. He can no longer defend himself, scratch an itch, jump successfully onto anything, high or low, and he can no longer carry his own weight on his toes without constant pain. How would the owner like to walk around on toe stubs?I will NEVER declaw a cat for cosmetic reasons, only if the cat has suffered a severe injury that requires the medically necessary loss of a toe/digit.SHAME ON DECLAWERS!!!! If you don’t like claws, get a goldfish!

Feb 07, 2012 That is so graphic by: OMG OMG that is so graphic!Anyone contemplating having their cat declawed should be forced to look at that picture in great detail.Only a person who hates cats would then go ahead.In my opinion vets who do this disgustingly cruel procedure DO hate cats!

Feb 07, 2012 No comparison by: Barbara Easy question easy answer, the cat pays in pain, fear and a lifetime of disabilty and is at risk of losing his home through no fault of his own. What are a few dollars compared to that! I hate declawing and those who declaw.

Feb 07, 2012 BUTCHERS by: Mrs M Anyone looking at those pictures and seeing what some vets do to earn their money must have a heart of stone if they still think declawing cats is acceptable.’ Those toe ends look like joints in a butcher’s shop window and that’s exactly what declaw vets are……………BUTCHERS!!!

Feb 07, 2012 A troll or a cruel person ? by: Ruth I posted this link on all the facebook anti declaw groups I’m a member of. On the one called ‘Paws with Claws say no to declawing’ is this comment from someone called Suzanne:‘If you have an indoor cat it is,truelly worth the money. I Love to always have a cat. And, this is my first Persian cat i had de-clawed. My Basset Furniture(was expensive-that’s why I had it done) is still in great condition. It isn’t a scratching post!’Either she is a troll or she has completely missed the point ! If she really did have her cat declawed because of her very important ‘Basset furniture’ then she is a very cruel person. She must have read on the group pages the reasons why declawing is legalised abuse. Either way she’s banned, we don’t want people like her around us !

Feb 07, 2012 Idea by: Michael Thanks Rose. Yes, the idea is to bend the answer to one that is not usual but which is more faithful to the truth.People who ask the question “How much does it cost to declaw a cat?” won’t think of this as the answer. They will think of dollars and the cost to them.We need to adjust their thinking so that they think of the cost to the cat.They just don’t think of that probably because Mr Vet, pillar of society, has misled them.

Feb 07, 2012 Toenails! by: Elisa I think this shows more is removed than the toenails. I’d love to hear a declawing vet try to explain this one.

Feb 07, 2012 Sickening. by: Linda I have only recently been made aware of this problem and now having seen the pictures I am disgusted. How can you take an animal that you love and put it through that mutilation. If you don’t want to risk damage to furnishings look at the alternatives or don’t get a cat.

Feb 07, 2012 Maggie by: Michael Thanks Maggie. How are you? What are you doing these days?

Feb 07, 2012 Perfect by: Maggie This is great, Michael. This simple article consists of two pictures and merely a few words, yet the message is so clear.Good work, Michael. This was a very clever idea, and will be very effective in getting the message across.

Feb 07, 2012 Thanks by: Michael Thanks. I would like to thank the photographer of the declawed claws and phalanges.I think this page makes a good point: that declawing is about what people want and pay for, not what is good and right for the cat.The more comments the better because as Ruth says it will help get the page noticed. I say that not for personal benefit but for the cat.Declawing is a complete anomaly. It does not happen in Asia or Russia or South America or Europe. It only happens in North America.I deliberately kept text out of the page for impact so comments are doubly important.

Feb 07, 2012 Good one by: Rose Good one Micheal,the financial cost to the ignorant or cruel person is nothing in comparison to the cost the cats pay through their suffering and being crippled for life.

Feb 07, 2012 Those pics say it all ! by: Ruth Those pictures say it all Michael !Come on all anti declaws, let’s get this article out there to everyone we know in countries that declaw so they can use it to drive home the point. Also on facebook, twitter, cat groups and wherever else we can. Lots of comments needed on here too to bring it up on Google searches as this is a question often asked.

Feb 06, 2012 sad by: I feel horrible…. The fact that you picture american money really hits home. I had no idea it was illegal elsewhere. Still working on it here. Wish I could “borrow” this article!!! People here in the US need to see these pictures, the “Vets” sure don’t show these or even explain it like this. Just tell you it’s like a “nail trim”….

Feb 06, 2012 Hits home by: Mary I hope all those in favor of declawing their cats see this. This certainly hits home, makes the point on how devastating this is if you choose to do this to you cat. I hope anyone who agreed with this in the past, will see how barbaric and cruel this is. There is no way a can can recover psychologically totally to having something this awful done to them. Thank you for posting this….even as painful as it is for me….someone that would never do this…to see.

Feb 06, 2012 De clawing a cat by: Anonymous Those pics made me feel ill. How could anyone do that to a beautiful cat. It is so cruel!!!!