Cat claw removal has been considered as a way to prevent wild behavior by scratching and damaging furniture or attacking people.
Recently, the Denver City Council of Colorado, USA, decided to ban claw removal. The claw removal practice was not only unnecessary but also cruel. In addition, California, New Jersey and New York City joined the same decision. Many countries in Australia, Brazil, Israel, the UK and Europe also oppose the removal of cat claws.
Cat 'claw removal' is actually an inappropriate name. Strictly speaking, it is removing the bone attached to the tip of the claw. Incomplete and improperly performed onychhectomy leaves unnecessary pain in cats by leaving bone fragments. If it is not performed properly or if the pain management is not done properly, it may cause so-called 'fantasy pain'.
"It is absolutely unnecessary, even from a medical point of view, and it does not cause any pain," said Judith Weissman, a veterinarian in Montreal, Canada.
Some animal rights advocates have criticized claw removal as "barbaric."
