Peer-reviewed veterinary case report
Pain and behavior problems in declawed cats
By Martell-Moran, Nicole K et al.·Published in Journal of feline medicine and surgery·2018·1 Feline Medical Center, United States·View original on PubMed →
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Original publication title: Pain and adverse behavior in declawed cats.
- Species:
- cat
Plain-English summary
A study found that declawed cats are more likely to experience back pain and exhibit unwanted behaviors, such as inappropriate elimination and aggression. Out of 137 declawed cats, 63% had leftover bone fragments from the surgery, which increased their chances of developing these issues. Even when the surgery was done properly, declawed cats still showed higher odds of biting and having elimination problems compared to cats that were not declawed. This suggests that declawing can lead to significant long-term pain and behavioral problems in cats.
People also search for: why is my cat biting · declawed cat back pain · unwanted behavior in declawed cats · cat aggression after declawing · declawing effects on behavior
Abstract
Objectives The aim of this study was to assess the impact of onychectomy (declawing) upon subsequent development of back pain and unwanted behavior in cohorts of treated and control cats housed in two different locations. Methods This was a retrospective cohort study. In total, there was 137 declawed and 137 non-declawed cats, of which 176 were owned cats (88 declawed, 88 non-declawed) and 98 were shelter cats (49 declawed and 49 non-declawed). All cats were physically examined for signs of pain and barbering. The previous 2 years of medical history were reviewed for documented unwanted behavior such as inappropriate elimination and biting with minimal provocation and aggression. All declawed cats were radiographed for distal limb abnormalities, including P3 (third phalanx) bone fragments. The associations of declaw surgery with the outcomes of interest were examined using χanalysis, two sample t-tests and manual, backwards, stepwise logistic regression. Results Significant increases in the odds of back pain (odds ratio [OR] 2.9), periuria/perichezia (OR 7.2), biting (OR 4.5) and barbering (OR 3.06) occurred in declawed compared with control cats. Of the 137 declawed cats, 86 (63%) showed radiographic evidence of residual P3 fragments. The odds of back pain (OR 2.66), periuria/perichezia (OR 2.52) and aggression (OR 8.9) were significantly increased in declawed cats with retained P3 fragments compared with those declawed cats without. Optimal surgical technique, with removal of P3 in its entirety, was associated with fewer adverse outcomes and lower odds of these outcomes, but operated animals remained at increased odds of biting (OR 3.0) and undesirable habits of elimination (OR 4.0) compared with non-surgical controls. Conclusions and relevance Declawing cats increases the risk of unwanted behaviors and may increase risk for developing back pain. Evidence of inadequate surgical technique was common in the study population. Among declawed cats, retained P3 fragments further increased the risk of developing back pain and adverse behaviors. The use of optimal surgical technique does not eliminate the risk of adverse behavior subsequent to onychectomy.
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Search related cases →Original publication on PubMed: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28534655/