A  cats  nail,  unlike  a  human  fingernail,  grows  directly  from  the  bone.   In  order  to  remove  the  nail  permanently,  a  veterinarian  must  remove  the  first  digit  of each  toe  by  cutting  through  the  bone.  Declawing  of  the front  feet  is  most common,  although  some  cats are  declawed  in  the  rear as  well.   Most vets will only do this as a separate surgery.

There  are  different  surgical  techniques  which  may  be  employed;  using   a  scalpel  blade,  or  a  tool  which  resembles  nail  clippers  completes  the amputation.  Recently, vets have been working with laser surgery which seems to be the most humane way to perform this surgery. Closure  of  the  surgical  site  if the first 2 methods are used is  achieved  through  sutures,  or a special surgical glue.  The cats feet are then put in pressure bandages, which are usually removed the next day.  Hospitalization is required for between 24-48 hours.  During the recovery period, most vets will recommend using shredded newspaper or special dust-free cat litter in the cats litter pan for about one week. There is risk of infection during the healing process.  Rarely, a nail will re-grow,  resulting in abscesses of the foot.  In these cases, further surgery is necessary.  Post surgical care in a laser declaw is much less involved due to the nature of laser surgery.

Few topics stir such controversy among cat lovers as the declawing issue.  Some folks habitually have each cat in their lives declawed, while others would never consider it.  A declawed cat will still go through scratching motions, as this is an instinctual behavior.  Declawed cats should never be allowed outdoors unsupervised, as their ability to climb to avoid danger is drastically curtailed.  Some cats will develop poor litter pan habits following surgery, connecting scratching in the litter box with discomfort.  Sometimes this behavior vanishes over time, in other cases it is a life long problem.  A cat declawed due to aggressive behavior may become a biter, realizing that it's first line of defense has been taken away.

In fact, studies have shown that most declawed cats voluntarily relinquished to animal shelters are turned either because of inappropriate elimination, biting, or both.

Most cat lovers agree that declawing should only be performed as a last resort.  Many shelter groups and cat breeders (myself included) require a signed contract stating that the cat in question will not be declawed.  With alternatives available such as clipping the claws on a bi- monthly basis, to Soft-Paws (plastic claw covers applied with glue) to finding a scratching post with a texture attractive to your cat, this writer urges you to exhaust all alternatives before subjecting your cat to major surgery.  Retraining a destructive cat is not without effort and perseverance, but it is successful in the vast majority of cases.