WEBVTT - Why Is Declawing Cats Controversial?

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<v Speaker 1>Welcome to brain Stuff production of iHeart Radio. Hey brain

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<v Speaker 1>Stuff Lauren Boglebom Here does it look as if Jack

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<v Speaker 1>the Ripper went dog day afternoon on your couch? Does

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<v Speaker 1>it seem as if Edward scissor hands continually carves abstract

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<v Speaker 1>figures into your door jams? If you answer yes to

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<v Speaker 1>these questions, chances are you have a cat. Cats are

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<v Speaker 1>notorious for scratching. Some scratch furniture, some pick it carpets,

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<v Speaker 1>a few slice human flesh. They use chair legs as

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<v Speaker 1>scratching posts, and have been known to shred drapes and

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<v Speaker 1>tablecloths into rags. Cats scratch, That's what they do. The

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<v Speaker 1>American Veterinary Medical Association the a v m A says

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<v Speaker 1>that this is both perfectly normal, but conversely that up

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<v Speaker 1>to half of people's complaints about feline behavior regards destructive scratching.

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<v Speaker 1>Cats don't do it for malevolent reasons, but mainly to

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<v Speaker 1>mark their territory, sharpen their nails, stripe their tiny cat muscles,

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<v Speaker 1>or remove dead husks from their claws. All of this

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<v Speaker 1>is natural and instinctive, but because such activities can have

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<v Speaker 1>unwanted consequences, many cat owners resort to declawing their feelines.

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<v Speaker 1>But what exactly does this process entail and why is

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<v Speaker 1>it controversial. In July twenty nineteen, New York became the

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<v Speaker 1>first state to outlaw cat declawing. Pet Owners who declaw

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<v Speaker 1>their cats for anything other than medically necessary therapeutic purposes

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<v Speaker 1>alike in the case of feline cancer, can face a

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<v Speaker 1>stiff thousand dollar fine. That's because declawing isn't a benign practice.

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<v Speaker 1>The most common procedures involve a veterinarian amputating the last

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<v Speaker 1>bone of each cat toe with a blade or laser.

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<v Speaker 1>It's the equivalent of cutting off each of a human's

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<v Speaker 1>fingers at the last knuckle. Other procedures involve severing the

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<v Speaker 1>tendon in each toe that controls the toe's claw. That

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<v Speaker 1>option allows the claw to remain the cat just won't

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<v Speaker 1>be able to use it. The claw will continue to grow, though,

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<v Speaker 1>meaning that the owner will likely have to trim the

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<v Speaker 1>cat's nails. Any kind of surgery like this done to

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<v Speaker 1>a creature with a central nervous system is of course

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<v Speaker 1>going to be painful. But how painful pain in animals

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<v Speaker 1>is tricky to measure. They can't talk us through it,

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<v Speaker 1>and we know that in humans, when we experience pain,

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<v Speaker 1>it's not just that we've taken damage and it hurts,

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<v Speaker 1>but further that that damage and hurt is upsetting. We

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<v Speaker 1>can't know whether animals have a similar response, but there

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<v Speaker 1>are some cues we can take from animals to suss

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<v Speaker 1>it out. The m v A says clinical signs of

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<v Speaker 1>pain following declining include a guarding posture, reluctance to bear

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<v Speaker 1>weight on the de claude limbs, and reluctance to move.

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<v Speaker 1>After reviewing one study, the a v m A says

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<v Speaker 1>that sixty one of a hundred and sixty three cats

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<v Speaker 1>exhibited signs of pain for between one to forty two

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<v Speaker 1>days after declining, and twenty of cats went lame for

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<v Speaker 1>between one and fifty four days. Longer surgery times and

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<v Speaker 1>use of scalpels versus other instruments increased risk for lameness

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<v Speaker 1>after surgery. With the passage of the measure in New York,

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<v Speaker 1>the Empire State joined several US cities, including Los Angeles

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<v Speaker 1>and Denver, in banning decline, while similar bills are being

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<v Speaker 1>considered elsewhere. Kitty Block, president of the Humane Society of

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<v Speaker 1>the United States, hopes more communities will make declawing illegal.

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<v Speaker 1>In an email, Block said that the procedure is an

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<v Speaker 1>unnecessary convenience surgery. Quote. Complications from declawing include an increase

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<v Speaker 1>in biting and litter box avoidance, which often results in

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<v Speaker 1>the cat being surrendered to an animal shelter. Block says

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<v Speaker 1>the Humane Society is partnering with the Paw Project and

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<v Speaker 1>veterinarians to educate lawmakers around the country about the issue

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<v Speaker 1>in hopes of expanding the ban. So if declawing is

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<v Speaker 1>so painful for cats, why do people choose this option.

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<v Speaker 1>The reasons vary. Some do it because they love their furniture.

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<v Speaker 1>A declaw may protect cat owners, especially those with compromised

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<v Speaker 1>immune systems, who could experience life threatening complications from cat scratches,

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<v Speaker 1>but let's be real, instances of cats killing people through

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<v Speaker 1>infection are rare. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that

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<v Speaker 1>each year, twelve thousand people in the United States are

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<v Speaker 1>diagnosed with cat scratch fever, resulting in five hospitalizations. For

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<v Speaker 1>most people, though, the disease is mild with low grade fever, fatigue,

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<v Speaker 1>and headaches, and there are ways to change a cat

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<v Speaker 1>scratching behavior. Here are a few from our friends at

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<v Speaker 1>pet m D. You can invest in a scratching post

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<v Speaker 1>or several and place them strategically around the house. When

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<v Speaker 1>your cat starts to scratch, don't yellow scold, just pick

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<v Speaker 1>her up and put her near the post. Try sprinkling

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<v Speaker 1>catnip on your cat scratching post to make it more inviting.

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<v Speaker 1>You can also tack a toy to the post, or

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<v Speaker 1>by scratching post with one. When the cat swipes at it,

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<v Speaker 1>she might scratch the post and realize it's pretty great.

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<v Speaker 1>Cover your cat's favorite scratching sites with double sided sticky

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<v Speaker 1>tape to deter future scratching, or try spraying furniture with

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<v Speaker 1>herbal sprays that cats will avoid. Finally, you can always

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<v Speaker 1>trim your cat's nails to a blunt edge, or if

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<v Speaker 1>your cat isn't a fan of nail trims, consider buying

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<v Speaker 1>plastic colored caps to place over the claws. Not only

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<v Speaker 1>will the caps save your furniture, but your cat will

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<v Speaker 1>be pretty style in. Today's episode was written by John

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<v Speaker 1>Paritano and produced by Tyler clayg. Brain Stuff is a

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<v Speaker 1>production of I Heart Radios. How Stuff Works. For Ruin

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<v Speaker 1>this and lots of other humane topics, visit our home planet,

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<v Speaker 1>how Stuff works dot com, and for more podcast from

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<v Speaker 1>My Heart Radio, visit the heart Radio app, Apple Podcasts,

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<v Speaker 1>or wherever you listen to your favorite shows.