Your chairs and wardrobes can hardly bear when the cat begins to sharpen claws. With time the upholstery of sofa turns in to something hairy and torn, and wallpaper in the favorite corner of your cat simply cease to exist...
What to do? Some owners put up with natural instincts of their cats, others - prefer to cut claws. But one should know how to do this right, plus the animal should allow his owner to conduct such experiments.
This is what the veterinary science proposes...
There are two kinds of procedure to cope with the claw problem.
1. The whole claw together with the growing area is ablated under general anesthetic. After 10 days of treatment the stitches are removed and your animal is healthy.
2. Tendons responsible for pushing of claws are removed under general anesthetic. During 10 days stitches are removed. In this case one has to cut claws weekly because claws grow, but a cat no longer is able to grind them off.
Only claws on fore limbs are treated, because cat doesn't sharpen claws on hind limbs the more so as it needs them for stable jerks during jumping.
The following question may emerge: "Does a cat lose steadiness without claws?" Yes, if claws were removed after the cat became adult, it will take long time for it to learn again and it may fall during jumps. But if claws were removed before it is one year old, it will quickly get used to this, and absence of claws will not cause any troubles.
Translated by Tatiana Karpova (Moscow)
(MSU, Biology faculture, Dep. zoology and ecology).