Position Statement on Declawing Cats

The ASPCA is strongly opposed to declawing cats. The ASPCA does not perform declaw surgeries and supports and utilizes behavioral and environmental alternatives to this practice.

Cats rely on their claws as essential tools for both offense and defense. They use them to capture prey and to settle disputes with or escape from other animals or people who are hurting or threatening them. As part of their daily rituals, cats instinctually pull the claws on their front paws through surfaces that offer resistance. They do this to mark their territory, exercise muscles normally used in hunting, relieve stress and remove worn sheaths from their nails.

Declawing of cats, or onychectomy, is the amputation of the last digital bone, including the nail bed and claw, on each front toe. The surgery involves the risk of anesthesia, excessive bleeding and surgical complications, including post-operative infection and pain. When damage is caused to tissue or bone fragments are left behind, the cat may experience chronic pain requiring ongoing medication and management.

A variety of alternatives exist to manage natural scratching behavior and to prevent injury from cat scratches. These include having a cat’s nails trimmed regularly in order to blunt the tips; providing scratching pads, posts and other appealing structures for the cat to use (and employing behavior modification techniques to induce the cat to use them); using deterrents such as double-sided tape (e.g., Sticky Paws®) to protect furnishings; and covering the claws with soft, temporary pads (e.g., Soft Claws®). Owners should also become versed in feline behavior and proper handling techniques to avoid being scratched.

Because declawing has not been proven an effective method for improving other behavioral issues, including aggression toward people or other cats, it should never be used as a behavioral remedy or as a preventative measure. Behavior concerns should be discussed with trained behavioral experts, who can recommend techniques that are effective in managing feline behavior issues.

The potential for exposure to zoonotic diseases from cat scratches (including in households with immunocompromised people) is also not a valid justification for declawing a cat. Notably, in providing recommendations for reducing the zoonotic risk associated with pet bites and other exposure to pet saliva, urine and feces, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the U.S. Public Health Service suggest simple measures such as sanitation, hygiene, careful selection of pets and changes in animal contact. These recommendations do not include declawing.

Veterinarians should thoroughly explain the pain, permanence and complications of declawing to owners; they have a responsibility to inform clients of alternative, nonsurgical methods to address destructive clawing, including referral to an animal behaviorist.