End the cruel practice of feline declawing
Declawing is inhumane, unnecessary and already illegal in many places around the world. Nevada Humane Society has been working with lawmakers as well as local and national animal welfare groups to help make this cruel practice illegal in our state and we need your help.
If you aren’t already convinced that declawing is inhumane, please read the story of our beloved shelter cat Aster (pictured here). Once you hear what he went through, and the steps that had to be taken to ensure he can live a healthy, pain-free life after his initial declawing surgery, you will understand how dangerous declawing can be to cats.
Why is declawing so harmful to cats?
Declawing a cat is the surgical amputation of the first toe bone on every toe of a cat’s front paws. The surgery is incredibly painful, and many cats develop long-term physical and behavioral problems after the trauma of this procedure. Some of the most common issues declawed cats have are biting and not using the litter box.
Aster’s story
Aster Arrives at our Reno Shelter in dire need of medical care. We have seen firsthand the negative effects of declawing on cats as many of these cats end up getting surrendered to local shelters like us. We currently have a cat in our care, Aster, who was surrendered due to behavior issues. Upon an exam by our clinic, our vet discovered his declaw procedure had been botched leaving him with painful bone fragments in his paws and his nails re-growing through his skin. He required another painful and complicated surgery to fix his paws and rehabilitation to help give him a chance at a normal quality of life in his new home.
Aster shows us firsthand how painful botched declawing surgeries are for cats. While Aster waited to get his much-needed surgery to remove the bone fragments that were left in his paws after his first, botched declawing he was sent to the home of one of our loving foster volunteers. Despite the extreme pain he was in, Aster’s foster told us this sweet cat was an absolute love.
Recovered and in a happy home of his own. Aster underwent surgery at the Reno Animal Emergency & Specialty Center where our partners there removed the bone fragments that caused this poor, sweet cat pain every time he took a step, and he is on the road to recovery.
We were so relieved that when we went to pick him up from surgery, he was still his same talkative self, now with less pain. The recovery for this surgery is not an easy one, as he needed to be under close watch so he wasn’t covering too much ground, and only using a specific litter.
Just look how sweet, loving and grateful to be out of pain this amazingly resilient cat is!
Aster, adopted. After starting his recovery under the close eye of his foster, he was ready to come back to the shelter to find his family.
Aster was adopted on June 25, 2021. This was a happy day for him and his new family. He was renamed Doc and now spends his time relaxing in the comfort of a home. He is showered in love.
He fits in perfectly in his new small family, and has made himself right at home!
This amazing painting was created by local artist Kendel Leslie to help our boy Aster get adopted!
Thank you for your help and for giving a voice to all the voiceless cats like Aster in our state! If you are interested in adopting Aster, visit our website and apply to adopt him today: http://httpsnevadahumanesociety.org/Aster
Resources to humanely address unwanted scratching
There are an abundance of resources available to provide cat owners with alternatives to the inhumane practice of declawing. Our friends and partners at Alley Cat Allies have compiled a list of methods for addressing unwanted scratching. We highly recommend this resource for anyone experiencing this issue with their cat, as there are plenty of ways to redirect scratching behaviors in felines without declawing our furry friends.
