As much as you love your kitty, you probably don’t love it when they use their claws on your furniture, sheets, and skin. Declawing is one method to effectively deal with cat claws, though the procedure is continually debated among veterinarians and owners alike. The compassionate staff at Crescent Springs Animal Hospital in Crescent Springs, KY believes that declawing cats should be a last resort when it comes to dealing with cat claw issues. Let’s take a deeper look at what the celebrated pet hospital wants you to know about declawing and its alternatives:

• Permanence: The declawing procedure is permanent, as it removes part of the bone in addition to the claw. Failure to remove the bone means that the claw will grow back.
• Pain: There is a certain level of pain and a brief recovery period involved in declawing as with any surgery, but we take pain control seriously and have a protocol to keep pain to a minimum during and post surgery. Any surgery runs the potential for infection, but choosing the right animal hospital and taking correct care of your feline post-surgery reduces these risks considerably.
• Injury Treatment: Claws may require removal due to injury and related damage.

• Bacteria Exposure: The bacteria on cat claws can harm those with compromised immune systems or anyone taking blood-thinning medication. Declawing is necessary to protect the health of the owner in this case.
• Home Destruction: Destruction associated with kitty claws are no longer an issue when the cat is declawed. If your cat has a behavioral problem that resulted in the ruin of furniture, drapes, carpets, and more, and other alternative methods to deter clawing problems are not successful, declawing is likely your best option.
• Alternative Methods: Claw caps, claw clipping, and scratching posts are the most common declawing alternatives. Starting early in a kitten"s life by training them to use a scratching post and clipping the nails can often avoid the need to declaw.  We can discuss and encourage how to implement these alternatives to declawing during your early kitten visits.

 As long as your cat lives strictly indoors and you go through a reliable, esteemed animal clinic such as Crescent Springs Animal Hospital, your cat will enjoy a happy and pain free life without claws.

Talk to staff at this renowned pet hospital to determine if declawing is the right option for your cat. For more on their animal hospital services, please call Crescent Springs Animal Hospital at (859) 331-6608, or visit the website today.