What are the short- and long-term effects of declawing on a cat ?
Dr. Serpell: The short-term effect of declawing is moderate to severe postoperative pain that may continue for anything from one to three days after surgery. There appear to be few adverse long-term effects, although post surgical complications may result in prolonged or chronic tenderness or lameness in a small proportion of cases, depending on the experience and skill of the veterinary surgeon and the surgical technique used. Dr. Houpt: Some cats are incompletely declawed or the site becomes infected. There may also be neuroma (nerve cell tumor) formation. There are no long-term behavioral effects. There have been three surveys comparing clawed and declawed cats, which is why I can say that with some authority. The declawed cats may be slower to climb trees and less able to defend themselves.
