The Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association (HSVMA) is opposed to any surgical procedure performed on an animal that is done solely for the cosmetic preference or convenience of the caregiver. Examples of such procedures in companion animals include ear cropping, tail docking, and dewclaw removal in dogs; devocalization in dogs and cats; declawing or tendonectomy in cats; and bird pinioning.

Exceptions to this position would be the rare instances in which such surgical procedures are necessitated for therapeutic purposes, such as the need to treat a severe infection or a bone fracture that has not healed properly.

HSVMA urges dog breed clubs to eliminate ear cropping and tail docking from breed standards

Cat Declawing
Cat declawing, or onychectomy, is the amputation of the distal phalanx (last bone) of each toe in order to eliminate the cat's claws. The procedure involves cutting off the last joint of the cat's digits, through skin, tendons and nerves. Declawing requires the amputation of bone because a cat's claw grows directly from the bone of the toe. The procedure is most typically performed on all ten of the toes of the front feet, but is sometimes performed on each of the eight toes of the rear feet as well.

The recovery from declawing can be painful and lengthy and may involve postoperative complications. Studies indicate that 50% of cats will have immediate surgical complications and 20% of cats will have long-term complications. These include infection, hemorrhage, persistent "phantom" pain, lameness, digital pad atrophy, arthritis and nail regrowth, sometimes requiring additional surgery.

Tendonectomy is a procedure in which the tendons in the toes are severed. The cat still has his/her claws, but is unable to control or extend them. This procedure is associated with a high incidence of abnormally thick claw growth. Therefore, more frequent and challenging nail trims are required. Because of its complications, tendonectomy may lead to declawing anyway.

One JAVMA study has reported that 33% of cats will have a behavior problem after declawing. Another JAVMA study found that declawed cats, when these behavioral problems are taken into account, are more likely to lose their homes than their clawed counterparts.9 Therefore, declawing does not necessarily reduce a cat's relinquishment risk and creates an unnecessary burden on the shelter and rescue system.

Rescue organizations very often refuse to adopt a cat to to a home that will declaw the animal because they are aware of the inherent problems of declawing. For example, a declawed cat is more likely to bite (presumably due to loss of the claws as a primary defense mechanism) and less likely to use the litter box (presumably because of pain when digging in the sand). Inappropriate elimination and biting are the two top behavioral reasons cited as reasons for relinquishment.

Observation of behavioral changes occurring after declawing provides compelling support for the claims that declawing cats increases their likelihood of expressing litter box avoidance and aggressive biting.8 The studies done so far to analyze this relationship have been limited in their ability to control multiple variables and form a definitive conclusion. However, the findings support these connections.

Declawing is not recommended by infectious disease specialists for cats who live with humans who are immunocompromised or have bleeding disorders. The risks from scratches for these people are less than those from bites, cat litter or fleas carri ed by their cats. Common sense measures such as nail trimming or protective nail caps are sufficient precautions.

Declawing, when performed by laser, is still the amputation of the last toe bone of the cat and carries with it the same long-term risks of lameness and behavioral problems as does declawing with scalpels or clippers. Studies have failed to show that laser declawing is less painful for the cat in the post-operative period.

European veterinary medical professional organizations, including the UK's Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, have publicly expressed their opposition to declawing, equating the procedure with "mutilation" and stating that declawing for the "prevention of furniture or carpet damage is unacceptable."

Because scratching is a natural behavior in cats, the human caregiver should redirect this instinctive behavior by providing environmental enrichments to alter the cat's scratching behavior away from furniture and other undesirable objects. In addition to the substitution of an acceptable scratching post, the use of nail caps (e.g. Soft Paws®), repellant material on target areas (Sticky Paws®) and regular trimming of cats' nails frequently resolve the issue.

http://www.hsvma.org/about_us/position_statements/cosmetic_and_convenience_surgeries.html