Some P.E.I. vets no longer want to declaw cats

Some veterinarians on P.E.I. are calling for an end to the practice of declawing cats on the Island.

Dr. Claudia Lister, both a pet owner and veterinarian at the New Perth Animal Hospital is, said she will no longer declaw felines.

If you were relating it to your own finger you would actually be removing your finger at this first knuckle.- Dr. Claudia Lister

"If you were relating it to your own finger you would actually be removing your finger at this first knuckle," Lister described. "And then expected to walk on those toes. So it definitely is a more involved surgery."

Lister was involved in a move to stop declawing on the Island over the weekend.

She brought forward a resolution to add declawing to the list of unethical practices at the Veterinary Medical Association's annual general meeting.

The veterinarians debated the practice, and while the practice will continue for now, the association will write new guidelines for the surgery.

Dr. David Lister, secretary treasurer of the association, said he has some ideas of what the guidelines should be.

"Outline that before declawing is done that the owner is counselled and that it be documented in medical records that the owner has been counselled on the procedure and what's done and that there are alternatives."

Alternatives to declawing

Claw covers are one of the alternatives on the market.

Some Island vets have expressed concerns that people would euthanize or choose not to own cats at all if they couldn't declaw them.

The Sir James Dunn Animal Welfare Centre at the Atlantic Veterinary College recommends other options before declawing, like sprays that keep cats away from scratching furniture, or simply clipping the cat's nails.

"Trying to modify the behaviour of the cat," advised Dr. Alice Crook, coordinator at the centre. "So getting kittens used right from birth to using scratching posts. If there's some areas that you don't want them to scratch you can put things like double sided tape on a couch."

Even though Claudia Lister would still like to see declawing stopped, she's happy that veterinarians and cat owners are talking about it more and more, before resorting to what she sees as a harmful, unnecessary surgery.