Regina animal hospital stops declawing cats

A veterinary clinic in Regina says it will no longer be declawing cats.

The Lakewood Animal Hospital did the procedure for many years but has decided to stop, according to veterinarian Tara Hudye.

She's among the growing number of vets who believe the practice is not healthy for cats and can lead to arthritis and behavioural problems in the long term.

Hudye said she and the other vets noticed that some declawed cats seemed unusually sensitive to people touching their toes or were walking funny.

 "I kept thinking to myself, Well what about later on down the road? How does this affect them and the way that they can move and the way that they jump, later — months, years down the road?" she said.

"We decided collectively that we would stop doing the procedure."

Hudye says as a cat owner, she's aware of the problems cats can create scratching the furniture.

There are alternatives to declawing, however.

First, it's important to have a clawing station that the cat likes and will use. Second, keep the cat's nails trimmed. Third, people should consider caps or covers that fit over the individual claws.

On mobile? Check out our photo gallery of cats with claw covers.