Should You Declaw Your Cat?

Bony Spurs

Bits of bone left behind from the distal phalanx can lead to bony spurs within the toes. One study showed that up to 63% of cats had residual bone show up on X-ray3. Another 8% had bone remodeling, or those bony spurs, evident on X-ray.

Over-Grooming and Back Pain

The study showed that declawed cats were also three times more likely to have back pain, barbering (over-grooming), and aggression as compared to non-declawed cats. It’s speculated that the back pain arises from changes in gait to accommodate for walking on painful toes. The barbering is thought to be a self-soothing mechanism, like when you massage a sore area.

Going Outside the Litter Box

Declawed cats with residual bone fragments were also almost 10 times more likely to pee and poop outside of the litter box. It's thought that cats with painful toes may not appreciate having to walk and dig in sandy, gravel-like litter, the crystal variety litter even more so. As anyone who has struggled with a house-soiling cat can tell you, it’s difficult to completely resolve this, and as any shelter volunteer will tell you, it’s difficult for a cat with house soiling issues to get adopted.