How Much Money Does Declawing Cats Cost?
March 28, 2011 at 12:20 pm | Cat Care Tips | 24 comments
Cats scratch stuff. Declawing could be a way to save your stuff. How much does declawing cats cost, both in terms of money and potential problems with the procedure?
Cat declawing (also known as onychectomy) has caused quite a bit of controversy. It’s illegal in many countries and condemned by the Humane Society and the ASPCA. The cost of declawing a cat is not purely monetary. Cat lovers must consider the feelings of their cats before making a decision.
This article explores the costs, benefits, and ethics of cat declawing, along with a few viable alternatives.
Monetary Cost of Declawing Cats
Declawing is beneficial to the cat owner because it protects the furniture and the family. If your cat has a nasty habit of scratching everything, it may seem like declawing is the only option.
But how much does declawing cats cost? It depends on the procedure.
The Resco Clipper Method
The most common type of declawing is nail clipper onychectomy. It’s commonly called the “Resco clipper method.” This is the quick, cheap, and dirty way to remove a cat’s claws.
Basically, vets use a nail clipper (which is branded as a “guillotine” for a reason) to remove the nail bed and the toe joint containing it. This requires anesthesia, which could be harmful or even fatal to your cat. There is also a risk of complications, including infections and bleeding, and a possibility that the nail will grow back.
When using the Resco clipper method, declawing cats costs anywhere from $40 to $300. The surgery is fast and easy, so it typically tends towards the low end of the spectrum.
Scalpel Disarticulation
The second method, disarticulation, eliminates the risk of nails growing back by removing the entire bone and the ligaments connected to it. This is more dangerous than the Resco clipper method because it requires a lot more anesthesia.
Like the Resco clipper method, disarticulation also costs somewhere between $40 and $300, but it’s usually a bit more expensive because it’s more complex and time-consuming. Don’t be surprised if your vet charges as much as $250.
Laser Onychectomy
Laser onychectomy is a fairly new declawing method that uses a laser to remove the toe bone and the nail bed. This method has some notable advantages:
- It’s less traumatic and painful to your cat
- There’s very little (if any) bleeding
- There’s usually no need for bandages
- The recovery time is faster
If you must declaw, laser surgery is much better for your cat. However, it is more expensive than disarticulation and the Resco clipper method. The equipment is very expensive, so don’t be surprised if declawing cats costs $100 or so more using laser declawing than the other methods.
Also, the laser technology has a large learning curve associated with it, so make sure that your vet has plenty of experience before committing to laser onychectomy.
Click here to move on to the issues and ethics of cat declawing.
Issues & Ethics of Declawing Cats
Declawing is very controversial. In many countries, declawing is either illegal or only allowed under extreme circumstances. These countries include France, Italy, England, Scotland, Wales, Sweden, Norway, Austria, Germany, and many more.
Some cities in the United States have banned declawing. California has outlawed the declawing of exotic cats. The practice has been banned in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and a few more cities in California. In Norfolk, VA, it is illegal for anyone that is not a veterinarian to declaw a cat.
Clearly, declawing cats costs more than just money. Governments aren’t the only organizations that oppose declawing. Take a look at what Jean Hofve, DVM had to say in Declawing: A Rational Look:
Against declawing are the ASPCA, Humane Society of the United States, Massachusetts SPCA, Denver Dumb Friends League, San Francisco SPCA, SPCA of Texas, and the Animal Welfare League (the Midwest’s largest humane society, located in Chicago).
The SPCA of Los Angeles puts it in no uncertain terms: “We do NOT support, nor condone, the act of declawing cats. It is cruel, unnecessary, and inhumane.”
So What’s All the Controversy?
A lot of mythology and pseudo-science surrounds the issue of cat declawing. Some people claim that declawing causes drastic personality and behavior changes in cats.
This claim has very little supporting evidence, and some observations directly contradict the assertion. In Cat Owners’ Attitudes Toward Declawing, Gary Landsberg presents research in which roughly 70% of respondents reported an improved relationship with their cats after declawing.
Others claim that declawed cats stop using the litter box. This point is a bit more contested. After surgery, cat owners often replace the litter with shredded paper to help the cat heal. If Felix stops using the litter box, it’s not necessarily because he doesn’t want to use a litter box. Maybe he just doesn’t want to use his new litter box.
However, one survey demonstrated that 95% of calls about declawed cats concerned litter box issues. This is over twice the number of calls about their clawed counterparts.
In To Declaw or Not to Declaw, Veterinary Behaviorist Amy Marder dismissed those claims, stating, “Several studies have shown that declawed cats are no more likely to bite or develop house soiling problems.”
When you look beyond the money, many experts disagree and argue about the true nature of declawing cats costs, benefits, and ethics.
So What Are the Facts?
Although some of the claims against declawing are mythical or debatable, there are some compelling reasons to avoid declawing when possible:
- The pain caused by removing a piece of bone is incalculable. Even if you pay a premium for laser onychectomy from a great veterinarian, your cat is still likely to endure pain and suffer long-term consequences
- Surgeries carry risk. The vet could make a mistake. The anesthesia could be harmful or even fatal
- According to a study conducted at Washington State University College of Veterinary Medicine in 1994, 50% of the 163 cats sampled had immediate complications after surgery
- Around 20% developed additional complications after leaving the vet, including lameness, infection, and the nail growing back
- Cats may damage joints or develop arthritis after surgery because of the way they shift their body weight off of their toes
- Declawed cats are far less capable of defending themselves, so they should stay indoors at all times
The data speaks for itself. Declawing cats cost way more than just money. It’s risky. It’s cruel. It’s mutilation. And it can cause some serious problems.
Sadly, there are some instances where it may be necessary. If the cat’s owner has a compromised immune system, declawing could be the only option.
If the cat is simply too much for the owner to deal with, declawing is better (or less bad) than euthanizing the kitty, taking him to the animal shelter, or releasing him to the wild. It’s the lesser of two evils.
Click here to learn about the alternatives to cat declawing.
Cat Declaw Alternatives
Declawing alternatives include providing a better place to scratch, nail trimming, paw padding, and tendonectomy.
Providing a Better Place to Scratch
Cat scratching is natural and instinctual. Cats need to scratch. The best way to stop your cat from scratching your stuff is to give her something cooler to scratch.
Get creative. Make your own cat scratcher or invest in cat trees that look like trees. Give your feline something ultra-scratchable. There is no need to worry about what declawing cats cost when Felix only scratches his own furniture.
How do you train cats to use the cat scratcher? It’s all about positive reinforcement. When kitty needs to scratch, move him to the scratching post. Reward him when he scratches on his own furniture, and never, ever punish him. A cat training clicker could be particularly effective.
Trim the Nails
Keeping your cat’s nails short might be enough to keep your home unscratched.
This video provides an excellent overview of how to do it:
Padding the Paws
Soft Paws™ are replaceable, vinyl caps that glue to your cat’s claws, protecting against scratching. They are affordable and comfortable, but you will have to continually replace them as your cat’s nails grow and they develop wear and tear.
Tendonectomy
Tendonectomy is a surgical procedure that prevents cats from extending their claws. It’s much kinder to cats than declawing. The procedure is almost painless. Recovery is quick and easy. The notable downside is that you will have to regularly clip your cat’s nails to prevent pain from improper growing.
Conclusion
Typically, declawing cats cost anywhere from $40 to $300, although it may cost $100 or so more if you use laser declawing. Although declawing can help protect your home and family, it ought to be avoided whenever possible. The procedure is cruel and can result in some serious complications.
We highly recommend the alternatives above to keep your cat happy and your furniture intact. All of these methods have their own pros and cons, and we believe the cost of declawing cats is far greater than the benefits.
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I think the best attitude would be, if your worried of your cat scratching things in your home then don’t get a cat in the first place.
lol that’s funny but true Caroline. i don’t have against cats but i prefer dogs.
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I did not intend to get a cat, however, she was a stray kitten a neighboor found in the yard. She would not have survivied had I left her outside. There are more cats in this world than people willing to take care of them. Too many are already in the various shelters. Sometimes a home, even if it means getting declawed is better than the alternative.
I also didn’t expect to get a cat, her mom had left her as a kitten and i had no choice. Anyways she bites and scratches everyone in the house. With a new born soon coming i think declawing would be the only way.
I love my cat to death, but she has gone from occasionally using the couch as a scratching post to using the couch, curtains, rug, bed, tables, 96 rolls of paper towels and toilet paper (routinely put as high as I can get them, but she’ll climb up there and knock it down, and has recently discovered how to get cabinet doors open just to get to them), paper-anything, carpet, doors, my amp, my clothes, etc. If she can sink her nails into it, she’s destroying it. As I walk around my house, she’ll attack my legs again and again. If you scare her off from one thing, she’ll just run to the next. I’ve even given her a box of fun stuff to shred and slathered it in catnip. Since then she’s become more active in shredding in general. If she isn’t sleeping, eating or pooping…. she’s shredding something!!! I’ve tried the nail caps, I’ve routinely trimmed her claws back. I’m running out of options.
MIKE! That’s crazy.. your cat loves to shred things huh?
If you haven’t tried this yet, give it a whirl… just grab a spray bottle and fill it with water. When your cat is attacking your legs or something that you don’t want him shredding to pieces – give it a spray or two.
That should teach her!
Also, get her something that you don’t mind her ripping to shreds, and encourage her to attack that (via giving her a treat when she does and/or putting catnip on it).
Try combining those two ideas and let me know how it goes… Good Luck!!
Mike,
If you haven’t already, you might try to give her some actual scratching posts. If you have, it could be that she just doesn’t like the material on the ones you got her. There are lots of different kinds – wood, cardboard, carpet (which I don’t recommend since it’s too similar to real carpet). Also, make sure she has enough posts scattered throughout your home so that when she gets the urge to scratch, something she’s allowed to scratch on is right there. The cardboard posts are great because you can sprinkle catnip in them which will attract her to the post. Try covering your couches with slipcovers and making the things she’s scratching on unpleasant to touch (such as w/Sticky Paws double-sided tape). Then when she gravitates to the things she’s allowed to scratch, praise and treat her like crazy. She’ll get the idea and she’ll calm down eventually as she ages.
Thanks for the great advice Jenn!
I feel your pain Mike. My cat gets sprayed roughly four to five times per day by the water bottle for scratching the furniture(sofas and beds). It DOES NOT HELP. I have multiple scratch pads all over the house. It DOES NOT HELP. I think the only option is declawing or giving it up to a shelter which will most likely put him down…
It’s either the cat gets declawed has a home or it gets put in the shelter and put down because that’s how most people are. People can be evicted over their cat scratching property. My cat scratched the walls while climbing this railing near the stairs and my landlord freaked out and I had to pay the damages. My cat does NOT listen to me so I want to declaw him as to not mark up the walls, wooden stair railing etc so I don’t piss off my new landlord in my new place. I prefer dogs but this cat needed a home so I was nice enough to bring him in but he’s bad and does everything I tell him not to do, including scratching walls. You know what would be worse than declawing a cat? Euthanizing it.
Turns out, Cats are stupid animals that aren’t really suited as pets. That’s why many countries treat them as vermin.
My advice Mike: Get a proper animal, that actually has the capability to learn socially acceptable behaviour.
i love my cat to death. he is my companion. however i have massive scabs and scars from him attacking me for no reason. i will going to bed and out of no where he leaps and digs his nails in leaving me in pain and in tears. i dont want to give him up but i dont want to end up scarred all over because of his temper. i think declawing might be the only way i can keep him.
There are so many negative posts about declawing, and granted, it might have risks, but any medical procedure- human or animal- has risks. Any cat that I’ve had declawed or that I’ve known that has been declawed, has turned out fine. This is not animal cruelty, people. Now, what some people do to their cats out of frustration- that is animal cruelty. You don’t like it? Don’t get your cat declawed. But lay off the “ethics” lecture.
I still don’t see the “cruel” nature of declawing. It allows for people to keep a cat that they obviously love without having to worry about any of the issues that cat claws and their need to keep them sharpened for hygene purposes create.
The statistics especially don’t pan out when you realize that this study was done in ’94, 7-8 years before Laser Onyochtemys were being used, and they don’t tell you what method was being used for the declawing.
Also, statistically speaking, 97.6% of the personality change complants were surgeries in which spaying/neuturing happened within two weeks before or after the surgery.
Know the real facts people. I have two cats, my parents have 3, my brother has two, and one of my friends runs a rescue. Declawing is never done anywhere near the same time as a spay/neutur, and no issues have ever arisen (We use the laser surgery.)
The SPCA is so up in arms about declawing, and yet, there is no real solid evidence that this new technology of Laser Declawing is either cruel or inhumane. In fact, spaying/neuturing is more likely to cause personality changes (You are dealing with organs that produce personality controling hormones), its surgeries are far more invasive and have greater risks, and does in fact have more dangers associated with it than Laser declawing. Would I support a ban on spaying and neuturing? No, but if you outlaw declawing, less people are likely to want to own cats, and how will that be good? More strays, more in shelters . . . more euthenisations?
I had four cats and they all were declawed, two had past do to age and let me just say they all still climbed and their behavior never changed. Now we have two 4 month old that were spayed and declawed (laser was done on these two) They are playing jumping around like nothing happened. So I don’t get why ppl complain about it. Why dont they complain about dogs getting ears cut and tails cut off? Also to Andy cats are not stupid I have taught my two kittens to sit, give kisses and one to give hi five. Cats will greet you when you come home just like a dog. My cats also come when I call their names. actually I think cats are better then dogs in some ways. Don’t need to let them out every half hour, their fur don’t smell, don’t need to walk them and best part don’t need to hunt for poop in yard lol.
Oh and for the laser declawing it was $170 each. At a woman’s human society. Other places I called wanted $300-$400 and three vets did it the old fashion way and was still high. So call ASPCA or human society if you have one near. I do like the laser better compared to old fashion way. But either way your cat will be fine. One more thing one of my cats was actually more lovable afterwards ppl would ask is he in heat lol but he was fixed.
My husband’s cat claws everything and claws to excess. She just clawed a hole through the sheetrock on the wall in an area about 6 inches square. She claws the door facings till they are spliters, has ruined all the furnature. I have tried spray bottles, time outs, spankings, two sided tape, everything that I could find. She has to be declawed to save the house, furnature and my sanity.
My husband has built all kinds of scratching posts for her and even an activity house that goes to the ceiling and she has no interest in anything that is hers….
I have 5 cats and 4 out of my 5 have been declawed. There is nothing wrong with it and they are all happy go lucky. The only reason my 5th was not declawed was how he reacted to the meds when we had him fixed. I just couldn’t put him through it again. If you feel you want to keep your cat and declawing is the only way then do so. Don’t let anyone tell you different. And if you are more a dog lover as the gal who posted in the beginning then you shouldn’t be leaving comments for a cat forum.
All your posts have really helped me. I have 2 siamese/calico mixes. (sisters) One is just like a dog – comes when I call her, greets me at the door, I can get her to do a couple of things.. the other one is typical “high and mighty” attitude. We’ve sprayed them with water, clipped nails, sprayed no-scratch stuff, sprayed orange-scented cleaning stuff, have 2 kinds of scratch posts… after 3 years they still won’t stay off the kitchen table. They’ve clawed and teared 5 vinyl tablecloths, and they will pee on ANYTHING that resembles a plastic bag, or towel or blanket. I had a bag with warm apple pies on the kitchen table and (one of them) peed on it! I demoted my own comforter and gave it to them and they won’t lay on it now. They got a bed and a cat condo and couldn’t be bothered with them. They use the scratch posts but they love the new couch too! Someone said earlier there’s risk with human surgeries too! Just going to the dentist you have to sign your life away. I love my rotten cats – therefore, I declaw!
Good info here. We had decided not to declaw our kitty … until she started tearing us to shreds. We can be just petting her and all of sudden SWIPE! or walking thru the house and we’re ambushed. Not sure if I have much of a choice.
I was going to get my kitty declawed but once i did some research i couldnt do it. Its cruel. So at a young age i would clip my cats nails every week or so. Once i was done i would comb her and rub her. She sees getting her nails trimmed relaxing. Ive had her for two years now and she is the best cat in the world. Very smart and understands me and listens very well.<3
I have 4cats. The most recent was a 4month old male. Ive always worked in a cat shelter and behavior issuses were never a problem, This cat who is now a little over a year is a terror. He attacks you, your furniture, your children, your other animals. Ive tryed water bottles, the crate, the basement, treats, scratching posts, and anything else you can imagine. Ive worked with my vet and got no where. I cant bring myself to declaw him because my 9year old rescue cat has pain in his paws from declawing before I got him. I broke down and have a appointment to surrender him tomarrow. I feel awful though. But I still cant put him threw pain like that.
Why thanks Michelle, glad we could help.. I REALLY wish my cat was like a dog (comes when I call him).. but I love that I don’t have to walk him