Supporters of declawing incorrectly use the argument that declawing saves lives. They maintain that cats who scratch furniture may end in shelters where, in all likelihood, they will be euthanized. However, this claim ignores several important and well documented points.

There is evidence that declawed cats are more likely to be abandoned to shelters and that cats have a greater chance of being relinquished because of behavioral problems caused by declawing, specifically biting and litter box avoidance.

In a 1996 Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association (JAVMA) article, Dr. Gary Patronek, using multivariate statistical analysis, found that declawed cats had an increased risk of relinquishment and that among relinquished cats, 52.4% of declawed cats were reported to exhibit litter box avoidance, compared to 29.1% of non-declawed cats.

Recent articles have linked declawing with a chronic pain syndrome that results in aggressive behavior. Painful paws may also cause a cat to avoid rough litter...and the litter box. Biting and litter box avoidance are less tolerated by pet owners than scratching, increasing the chance that declawed cats will end up in shelters.

The National Council on Pet Population Study & Policy has reported house soiling (38%), followed by aggression (19%), as the most common behavioral reasons for pet relinquishment. A 2002 JAVMA article by Dr. Janet Scarlett, showed that only 3.3% of cats are relinquished for unwanted scratching.

The Paw Project
Winter 2006 Newsletter
http://www.pawproject.com/newsletter/pawproject_newsl_2006_wi.pdf

**this article was reprinted with the expressed written consent of The Paw Project**