Declawing a Norwegian Forest Cat is a major surgery called a onychectomy, performed using anesthesia, that eliminates the claw from each finger (from the first knuckle out) of the Norwegian Forest Cat’s paws. There’s a small chance of death in the surgery, and a declawed Norwegian Forest Cat might experience a slight risk of infection and life-long discomfort in its paws. This surgery isn’t advised for a mature Norwegian Forest Cat and is called an act of animal cruelty in some regions (see below).
People usually get Norwegian Forest Cats declawed to stop them from hunting and from damaging furniture. Seldom, vicious Norwegian Forest Cats are declawed. In America, some landlords demand that tenants’ Norwegian Forest Cats are declawed.
Doctors are typically critical of the operation and sometimes decline to perform it since the lack of claws in a Norwegian Forest Cat:
- Hinders its main defense abilities, like escaping from predators by climbing trees;
- Impairs its stretching and exercise habits, which can lead to muscle atrophy;
- Reduces its ability to walk on narrow surfaces such as railings and fence tops, which can lead to injury from falls;
- Can lead to insecurity and as a result a biting habit.
The procedure is uncommon outside of North America. In Finland, Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland, declawing a Norwegian Forest Cat is illegal per the laws against cruelty to animals. In many other European countries, it is forbidden under the terms of the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, unless a vet deems such non-curative procedures beneficial either for veterinary medical reasons or for the health of the animal. In Britain, animal shelters are finding it tough to place imported Norwegian Forest Cats that have been declawed and subsequently many are killed.
One substitute for declawing a Norwegian Forest Cat is the application of blunt, vinyl claw caps that are applied to the claws with harmless glue, requiring periodic changing when the Norwegian Forest Cat loses its claw sheaths (about every 4 to 6 weeks). Yet, the Norwegian Forest Cat may still experience difficulties because the capped nails are not as effective as claws.
Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Norwegian Forest 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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