Whom do we hurt when we declaw a cat? Whom do we help when we turn away a client who wants his or her cat declawed?
Given the long history,1 the ongoing debate, and the fact that declawing is frequently requested in the U.S., your practice will need to take a position on the procedure.
Declawing is the removal of the third phalanx or bone, which includes the claw, from a cat’s digits. The debate is whether the procedure should be performed “by request” versus “by medical necessity.”
The Pros: Why Declaw?2
A client may turn to declawing in an effort to prevent or stop damage his or her pet causes. For instance,
- Cats damage home furnishings through natural scratching.
- Cats cause injuries by inadvertent contact with their sharp claws.
- Cats cause injuries using their claws offensively.
Any of these problems may make a cat unacceptable as a pet and may cause its owner to relinquish or euthanize it. However, no evidence supports declawing as a preventive measure before a cat has exhibited any of these problems.
Related Article: Handling Convenience Euthanasia
The Cons: Why Not?
- Surgically removing the bone and claw of the toes is painful.
- The cat may suffer chronic pain or paresthesia secondary to the declawing.
- The cat may develop undesirable behaviors, such as litter box avoidance and biting, because of the suffering.
- Declawed cats cannot defend themselves.
Is your goal to serve yourself, your client, or your patient, and in what order?
Whom Will You Serve?
To formulate your practice’s position on declawing, whether it is formal or informal, start with an understanding of whom you serve. Ranking all the stakeholders will help clarify your position.
- If you serve yourself/your colleagues, then you do only that which is acceptable to you/your colleagues.
- If you serve your patients, then you work through the issue to find a solution that best serves those patients.
- If you serve your clients, then you do what they ask.
No issue is black and white, and the order of your rankings is not right or wrong, but thinking about this order of importance will help you navigate your dilemma. Serving yourself may conflict with serving the client, and serving the client may conflict with serving the patient. But you must serve.
Related Article: The Cost of Pet Care: How Much is Too Much?
Even if you rank service to the patient first, your answer to the question Will you declaw my cat? may still not be Yes or No, but It depends.
Use the following decision tree to work through the issue with a client.
Is There a Problem?
Declawing is now so commonplace that it has become “tied to” neutering procedures in kittens. “She is here for spay-declaw.” Separating the procedures is a first step toward understanding whether a problem exists that declawing will solve. Ask your client open-ended questions about the kitten’s/cat’s daily routine and lifestyle, such as:
- How is “Kitten” doing as a new member of the household?
- What are “Cat’s” favorite activities?
If there is a problem, it will come up.
Problem? No. Just Declaw, Please:
If there is no problem, address that specifically to understand your client’s motivation. Often a new cat owner will request a declawing when claws are not a problem for some of these reasons:
- I know he will start scratching my furniture soon.
- It will cost less to do it now, with the neuter, than if I do it later.
- All of my other cats have been declawed.
How you address these clients, who have no evidence that their cat has a problem such as scratching, will depend on your stakeholder rankings. For example, if you ranked your patients first, you will need to explain to your client that you are not in favor of declawing unless there is a specific problem. You should keep in mind that clients who have made the decision that they want their cat declawed are not likely to change their mind and attempting to educate them may enlighten them or make them angry.
Yes, We Have a Problem:
If there is a scratching problem, determine whether it can be solved another way. Today there are multiple options. Deterring cats from using their claws inappropriately is both an art and a science and has received a lot of attention from behaviorists and product designers alike. Be familiar with the options, and use them as tools to help your patient and educate your client. However, if the client has his or her mind made up about declawing, your rankings will again help you make your decision.
Do We Have Success?
Each client varies, with different expectations, needs, attitudes, and emotions. Be ready with your position and your presentation, whether it is a conversation, written materials, show-and-tell, or testimonials. Success is not always a happy client, nor a cat with or without toes.
Is your goal to serve yourself, your client, or your patient, and in what order? If you know that, outcomes will usually meet expectations.
