Declawing a Colorpoint Persian is an intense procedure called a onychectomy, performed with anesthesia, that removes the claw from each finger (from the first knuckle out) of the Colorpoint Persian’s forepaws. There’s a tiny chance of a fatality during the procedure, and a declawed Colorpoint Persian may have an increased risk of infection and perpetual discomfort in its paws. This operation is not appropriate for an adult Colorpoint Persian and is labeled an act of animal cruelty in some places (below).
Owners generally get Colorpoint Persians declawed to prevent them from damaging furniture and hunting. Rarely, vicious Colorpoint Persians are declawed. In the United States, some landlords require that residents’ Colorpoint Persians be declawed.
Veterinarians are typically negative about the procedure and many refuse to perform it since the absence of claws in a Colorpoint Persian:
- Deprives it of its main defense abilities, such as escaping from predators by climbing trees;
- Deprives it of its exercising and stretching routines, which leads to muscle loss;
- Hampers its ability to balance on thin surfaces like railings and fence tops, which can lead to injury from falls;
- Can cause insecurity and as a result a tendency to bite.
The surgery is rarely performed outside of North America. In Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, declawing a Colorpoint Persian is not allowed per the statutes against animal cruelty. In many other European countries, it is illegal under the terms of the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, unless a doctor considers such non-curative procedures necessary either for veterinary medical reasons or for the benefit of the Colorpoint Persian. In Britain, animal shelters are finding it hard to place imported Colorpoint Persians that have been declawed and subsequently most are euthanized.
One alternative to declawing a Colorpoint Persian is the use of wide, vinyl claw caps that are adhered to the claws with safe glue, requiring periodic changing when the Colorpoint Persian loses its claw sheaths (about every four to six weeks). Although, the Colorpoint Persian may still have problems since the capped nails are not as effective as claws.
Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Colorpoint Persians.Was this post helpful? If so, please take a minute to Tweet and Share below on Facebook. I would also love to know your thoughts so leave me a comment 🙂
Follow