In March of 2017 our governing body, the College of Veterinarians of Ontario (CVO), released a statement that it opposes the elective and non-therapeutic Partial Digital Amputation (declawing) of cats. The reasoning behind this position is that scratching is considered a normal behavior in cats, the surgery can lead to longterm complications such as lameness and pain, and the procedure can potentially result in behavioral problems such as redirected aggressive and inappropriate elimination.
The CVO recommends that veterinarians provide clients with information on how to train cats where it is appropriate to carry out this natural behaviour and to discuss alternatives like rubber nail caps and more frequent nail trimming.
The veterinarians at Davis Drive Animal Clinic support the CVO’s position and do not offer this surgical procedure.
Please visit https://indoorpet.osu.edu//cats/basicneeds/scratch… for more information or call us if you have any questions.
