Declawing the Cyprus Cat is a major operation called a onychectomy, performed using anesthesia, which removes the claw from each finger (from the first knuckle out) of the Cyprus Cat’s forepaw. There’s a miniscule possibility of a fatality in the surgery, and a declawed Cyprus Cat might have a slight risk of infection and perpetual pain in its paws. This operation isn’t suitable for a full-grown Cyprus Cat and is called an act of animal cruelty in some countries (as shown below).
Owners generally get Cyprus Cats declawed to stop them from hunting and from damaging furniture. Seldom, vicious Cyprus Cats are declawed. In America, some landlords demand that residents’ Cyprus Cats be declawed.
Doctors are generally negative about the procedure and some refuse to do it because the lack of claws in a Cyprus Cat:
- Deprives it of its main self-protection skills, like escaping from predators by climbing trees;
- Reduces its exercising and stretching habits, which leads to muscle atrophy;
- Impairs its ability to walk on narrow surfaces such as railings and fence tops, which can lead to injury from falling;
- Can lead to insecurity and a subsequent biting habit.
The procedure is uncommon outside of North America. In Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany and Finland, declawing a Cyprus Cat is not allowed by the laws against cruelty to animals. In many other European countries, it is prohibited under the terms of the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, unless a veterinarian considers such non-curative procedures beneficial either for veterinary medical reasons or for the benefit of the Cyprus Cat. In England, animal shelters are finding it difficult to place imported Cyprus Cats that have been declawed and subsequently many are euthanized.
An alternative to declawing a Cyprus Cat is the application of blunt, vinyl claw caps that are applied to the claws with harmless glue, sometimes requiring changing when the Cyprus Cat sheds its claw sheaths (about every four to six weeks). Although, the Cyprus Cat will still experience difficulties because the capped nails are not as effective as claws.
Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Cyprus Cats.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 🙂
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