Declawing the Asian Cat is an intense operation known as onychectomy, performed with anesthesia, which removes the claw of each digit (from the first knuckle out) of the Asian Cat’s paw. There’s a tiny possibility of death in the procedure, and a declawed Asian Cat might have an increased risk of infection and long-term pain in his paws. This operation isn’t recommended for a mature Asian Cat and is deemed an act of animal cruelty in some countries (as below).
People typically have Asian Cats declawed to impede them from damaging furniture and hunting. Rarely, vicious Asian Cats are declawed. In the US, some landlords demand that tenants’ Asian Cats are declawed.
Animal doctors are typically critical of the procedure and some decline to do it since the absence of claws in a Asian Cat:
- Hinders its main defense skills, like running away from predators by climbing trees;
- Hampers its stretching and exercise habits, which can lead to muscle loss;
- Deprives it of its ability to balance on narrow surfaces such as railings and fence tops, leading to injury from falling;
- Can cause insecurity and as a result a tendency to bite.
This surgery is uncommon outside of North America. In Switzerland, the Netherlands, Germany and Finland, declawing a Asian Cat is not allowed per the statutes forbidding cruelty to animals. In many other countries in Europe, it is not allowed under the terms of the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals, unless a veterinarian deems such non-curative procedures beneficial either for veterinary medical reasons or for the health of the animal. In Britain, animal shelters find it difficult to place imported Asian Cats that have been declawed and subsequently many are euthanized.
One substitute for declawing a Asian Cat is the application of blunt, vinyl claw caps that are affixed to the claws with safe glue, requiring periodic changing when the Asian Cat sheds its claw sheaths (about every 4 to 6 weeks). Yet, the Asian Cat may still experience problems since the capped nails are not as effective as claws.
Don’t forget to check out these other articles about Asian 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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