In order to perform the surgery, your veterinarian will anesthetized your cat as well as give him pain medication. He will literally cut the first section of your cat's paw off, since the claws are intricately intertwined in the first "knuckle."

Following the surgery, your cat's paws are carefully bandaged. Your cat will undoubtedly spend the night at the animal hospital. The following day you'll be able to bring her home.

Be prepared! Your cat - understandably - will be distinctly uncomfortable for several days following the surgery. (Actually, she'll probably be in great pain. But felines are wonderful actors. Cats hate to show that they're in any type of pain.)

Considering, though, the extent of the surgery, your cat heals quite quickly. You'll notice that your pet walks around the house rather gingerly. That'll last for about a week. After that she'll back to her old self.

To help prevent infection, you should replace her litter with some shredded paper. This avoids getting granules of litter in his already very tender paws.

Declawing your cat does more than just eliminate the problem of scratching. Her claws -and that portion of the toes that are removed, are valuable to her in another vital way. Removing her claws may throw her entire system of natural balance off.

A cat, you see, is classified as a "digitigrade." It's a strange label, but essentially it means that she walks on her toes. But, these toes are used for so much more! Her entire balance and form are based on the length of her digits. Nature, it seems, designed the cat's body - including her back, shoulders, paws, leg joints, ligaments, muscles, tendons and even her nerves! - based on walking on her toes. Because of this, her weight is distributed across its toes as it walks, runs and climbs.

That means a cat's claws are absolutely essential for her balance as well as for her ability to exercise effectively. Not only that, her toes - and especially her claws are vital aspects of her stretching. Notice when your cat scratches at a post (or, yes, your furniture!). We all assume she's just sharpening her claws. Not so! She is really stretching her entire body. When you declaw your kitten, it throws her entire body alignment off.

Hairballs and declawing. Not usually subjects that come up in everyday conversations, now are they? But these are only two of the important bits of information that every cat owner needs to know in order to give Fluffy the best of care. That, and your love, will help your kitten live a long and healthy life.

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