Around 45.3 million American households have cats, attesting to the deep love that Americans have for our feline companions. Yet bringing cats into our homes often means compromises and frustrations, such as scratched-up furniture — or even, for particularly feisty cats, scratches on their humans' bodies, which can cause disease. In searching for a solution to scratching, some cat owners seek out a surgical procedure known as an onychectomy — or declawing their cat.
While declawing a cat might seem like a routine procedure for a veterinarian, it is not a routine experience for a cat. Unlike trimming one's nails, a cat's claws are embedded deep in the skin; when a cat is declawed, that cat is crippled for life. As one expert put it, the cat is as mangled as a human being would be if someone sadistically chopped off the tops of all their fingers.
