| By :
Kate Rieger
Could it be that your decision to declaw your cat years ago now is causing her pain in her old age. Cat declawing often changes the way your cat walks. Her unnatural gait leads to unnatural pressure on her joints throughout her life. This can lead to arthritis related pain. If you ever had a plantar wart on the sole of your foot you can relate to the situation. Plantar warts are thickened calluses that grow usually on the foot and can be quite tender when pressure is applied. That tenderness causes you to plant your foot differently when you walk. Perhaps you put your weight on the side of your foot so you don't apply pressure to the sensitive plantar wart area. The same thing can happen in cats that have been declawed. Pain in your cat's toes causes her to change to their normal gait. That difference in weight distribution eventually leads to new pressure points and strain in her hips, spine and legs. Anyone who has ever experienced prolonged foot pain will understand exactly what I'm describing. Cat declawing is one of the more controversial issues in feline medicine. Some owners and vets consider declawing and acceptable procedure, while others consider it an abomination. In fact in some countries, such as the United Kingdom, declawing for anything besides a medical condition is not permitted. Declawing is an irreversible procedure that is an amputation of the claw including the cells that cause the claw to grown. Part of your cat's terminal toe bone is removed as that hosts the cells that cause the claw to grow. Unquestionably, most concerns about cat's claws are only human concerns. Shredding wrapping paper on packages, plucking furniture and carpet are only a few reasons people give for declawing a cat. The one reason that really poses a human health problem is that when a kitty inadvertently shreds the thin skin of their aging caregiver. There are, however, options to try to help out in all these situations. Cat's quickly adapt to a scratching post made of help wrapped around a pole and secured to the floor or wall. There are soft vinyl nail caps that where designed by a vet. They are literally glued onto your cat's claws. These "soft claws" are much gentler to Granny's thin skin when kitty jumps off her lap. Considering the pain your cat may endure from feline arthritis when she gets older that is just one more darn good argument not to have your cat declawed. For temporary pain relief anti-inflammatory drugs can be administered that will help it to endure more pain. Here's another idea for treating arthritis in cats naturally. You can also treat her daily without worry of long term side effects.
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