Dr. Becker Interviews Dr. Hofve About Declawing Cats

Today, I have a very special guest I'm interviewing by phone, Dr. Jean Hofve, and we're going to discuss the distressing topic of declawing.

An author and consultant, who writes for several online and print publications and has co-authored two books, The Complete Guide to Holistic Cat Care, and Paleo Dog: How to Give Your Best Friend Long Life, Healthy Weight, and Freedom from Illness by Nurturing his Inner Wolf. Dr. Jean also runs the award-winning Little Big Cat website along with Jackson Galaxy. The subject of today’s discussion between Dr. Becker and Dr. Hofve is declawing of cats.

Dr. Becker and Dr. Jean agree that veterinary students aren’t adequately trained in the consequences of declawing procedures, including complications, side effects, and aftercare. Both also agree the procedure is barbaric, and in fact, the first time Dr. Jean viewed an instructional video on declawing, she had to leave abruptly to run to the restroom to be sick.

Dr. Jean explains in graphic detail what a declawing procedure actually is — how it’s done, the methods used, and the fact that the procedure changes everything about the way a cat walks. And she discusses the complications that can arise from bandaging the paws after the procedure, the extreme pain declawing causes, and the fact that adequate pain management is not the standard of care in most cases. The doctors also talk about the behavioral and emotional changes that occur in many declawed cats. These changes are usually pain-related — a fact that many veterinarians and most pet owners aren’t aware of.

Dr. Jean discusses many alternatives to declawing, and the fact that cats can be trained to use appropriate scratching surfaces by creating barriers to the use of inappropriate surfaces. She and Dr. Becker discuss the importance of helping new kitten owners learn to perform routine grooming tasks, like nail clips. Cats — especially kittens — can be conditioned to accept nail trims as no big deal.

Finally, Dr. Becker and Dr. Jean discuss how cat owners react when they learn the real deal about declawing — that it’s not a harmless permanent nail trim, but rather at least 10 unbelievably painful amputations of a portion of a cat’s toes. They discuss the fact that while much of the civilized world no longer declaws, the procedure is still done routinely in the U.S. and Canada. And they agree that we all need to keep spreading the word about the realities of declawing, with the hope that in the future, fewer and fewer cat owners will request it, and fewer and fewer veterinarians will perform the procedure.

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