TRURO, N.S. – Vets across the province have made quite a few happy cats after a provincial ban on declawing was set in place.
On Thursday, Nova Scotia became the first province in Canada to ban cat declawing after a provincial association of vets deemed the procedure was unnecessary and painful for cats, and could lead to long-term health issues.
“The thought is that even if it’s done well and correct at the time, they can have long-term pain that stays forever,” said Dr. Melissa Aucoin, a veterinarian with the Truro Veterinary Hospital.
“It used to be thought that as long as you covered them for pain during the procedure, there were no long-term effects. Now we know cats, even five to 10 years down the road, will be hesitant to jump down on those front feet and won’t use them properly.”
The decision was made by the Nova Scotia Veterinary Medical Association back in December, and bans any vet within the province from performing cosmetic declawing from March 15 and onward.
The procedure, which amputates the third bone in each of the cat’s front toes, was seen as a popular way in the past to prevent a cat from damaging walls, floors and furniture. Now, it’s known the procedure can leave them with long-lasting pain and possible issues with arthritis.
“There are lots of alternatives to declawing, such as learning to trim the cat’s nails,” said Aucoin about the procedure.
“It’s easiest to train them to accept trimmings as kittens, and keeping their nails dull will reduce the damage they can do from scratching. There are also soft claws, which is a little cap that goes over the nail and allows them to still exhibit the behaviour but not do damage.”
Another alternative is to place a scratching post near the area a cat tends to scratch, she said, and recommends rubbing the post with catnip to grab their attention.
While the new ban prohibits the procedure from being done within the province for cosmetic reasons, there are a few exceptions that would allow it such as if it was medically necessary, such as a tumoir growing or a deep infection in the nailbed.
“I don’t think people realize how invasive it is,” said Aucoin about the procedure.
“We seldom declawed beforehand anyway, as we often talked people out of it. Once we explain the procedure, most people decide not to do it.
“I think since we made this decision, it will become the norm and people will just accept the way it is now.”
