Why you shouldn’t declaw tigers or other big cats

Declawing house cats to prevent them from scratching people and furniture is a controversial practice that is even banned in some countries and regions of the U.S. However, this practice is not limited to house cats. In a recently conducted study, researchers examined the effects of declawing on larger species of cats and discovered that declawing has a proportionally greater impact on their muscular capabilities compared to smaller cats.

The findings of this study have been published in the journal Animals.

While it is illegal to surgically modify exotic animals in the U.S., declawing is still performed on large cats like lions and tigers, often to make it safer to handle their cubs during photo opportunities or for entertainment purposes.

“What many people may not realize is that declawing a cat involves removing part or all of the last bone of each digit, rather than simply trimming their nails,” explains Adam Hartstone-Rose, a professor of biological sciences at North Carolina State University and the corresponding author of the research. “Just like us, each cat finger has three bones, and declawing effectively cuts off the third bone at the joint.”

In this study, researchers studied the muscular anatomy of more than a dozen exotic cats, ranging from smaller species like bobcats, servals, and ocelots, to lions and tigers, in order to assess the impact of declawing on their forelimb muscles.

They measured muscle density and mass, and also examined muscle fibers from both clawed and declawed exotic cats. The findings showed that declawing resulted in a 73% decrease in musculature in the forearm’s digital flexors in larger species. These muscles are responsible for unsheathing the claws. Additionally, the study revealed that overall forelimb strength decreased by 46% to 66% depending on the size of the animal, and other muscles in the forelimb did not compensate for these reductions.

“When we consider the functional effects of declawing on housecats, we often hear about changes in scratching, walking, or using the litter box,” says Lara Martens, the lead author of the research and an undergraduate student at NC State. “However, with big cats, there is more force being exerted through their paws. Therefore, if their paws are altered, the effects are likely to be more extreme.”

This is because the size of the paws does not scale up in direct proportion to body mass. Paw area increases at a slower rate compared to body mass, which is proportional to volume. As a result, larger cats have relatively smaller feet in relation to their body size, and their paws have to withstand greater pressure.

“Furthermore, big cats rely more heavily on their forelimbs as they bear most of their weight and use their forelimbs to grapple with much larger prey,” Martens explains. “From a biomechanical perspective, declawing has a more devastating anatomical effect on larger species.”

“As scientists, our duty is to objectively document the effects of this surgery on animals; however, it is difficult to ignore the cruelty of this practice. These are incredible animals, and we should not be allowed to permanently handicap them, or any other animals, in this manner,” concludes Hartstone-Rose.

Contributors to this research include NC State undergraduates Sarah Piersanti, Arin Berger, and Nicole Kida, as well as Ph.D. student Ashley Deutsch. The study was conducted in collaboration with colleagues from Carolina Tiger Rescue, a sanctuary dedicated to rescuing exotic carnivores, especially big cats, that have often been neglected or mistreated.

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