by Pamela Sosnowski

Created on: December 29, 2009   Last Updated: January 19, 2010

Imagine what life would be like for you if your entire fingertips, right up to the first joint, were amputated. Grasping objects, such as the wheel of a car, would be very difficult. So would texting, typing, and using a computer. It would also be a challenge to write effectively with a pen. Your fingers would also be extremely sensitive to the touch for a very long time - perhaps even permanently.

If this were done to a human, it would most certainly be considered mutilation; however, when the same thing is done to a cat it's called maintenance, or declawing. Unfortunately, many people believe that having a cat declawed means that their nails are simply removed. In reality, it is a complicated medical procedure that requires an amputation of each toe up to the first joint (also known as deknuckling) - the equivalent in humans would be having the first inch of each finger removed. It is a cruel and painful procedure performed only for the owner’s convenience that has disastrous implications for the cat. Several countries consider the surgery inhumane. The United States is one of the few countries that still performs the procedure; it is illegal and has been banned in several European countries, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan (in 2003, however, declawing was declared illegal in West Hollywood, California, making it the first American precinct to denounce the practice.) Many American veterinarians are dead against it and will discourage owners from doing it. The Association of Veterinarians for Animal Rights states that declawing is "unacceptable because the suffering and disfigurement it causes is not offset by any benefits to the cat. Declawing is done strictly to provide convenience to people." Any cat owner considering declawing should not even own a cat in the first place. To have a cat’s claws removed is blatant mutilation, and scars them not just physically, but psychologically.

According to PETA, a declawing operation requires the removal of nail, bone, and cartilage up to the first joint of each toe. Tendons are severed, and normal function of the paws are disabled. The surgery can cause gangrene, permanent nerve damage and pain, and scar tissue formation. Cats that have been declawed have a hard time relearning to walk and balancing themselves after surgery; think of how difficult it would be for you to walk if you had all of your toes amputated. As a result, they often develop weakened leg, shoulder, and back muscles, and are reluctant

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