# cat self harming - please help



## Lilactango (Apr 26, 2013)

I have a 7 year old neutered silver tabby tom cat. At about the age of three he started scratching his neck near his face, when taken to the vets they thought this was because he had an abcess that had started to heal. He was given antibiotics and steriods but he wouldn't stop scratching. Over time he started to scratch both sides of his face. We bought him a cone collar to stop him getting to the area and left to fully heald and all the fur had grown back before removing unless supervised to allow grooming. Once the collar was removed full time he left his face alone for a little while before recommencing scratching again. This has continued for four years with ongoing trips to the vets. About six months ago he started scratching his back in between the shoulder blades. This coincided with the site of an injury - a cut about an inch in length which was glued back together and had fully healed with all fur grown back for weeks before he started the scracthing. I cannot get him to stop scratching and he is damaging his skin. He has dry skin. He is a nervous cat but is quite happy at home.

Things that have been considered/tried:

- allergies - he is on allergy food and has been for a year, its made no difference. 
- stress - antidepressant tablets - these made him lethergic, constipated and miserable and didn't stop him scratching 
- feliway plug in - makes no difference 
- dressings/barriers - he just scratches until they come off 
- softclaws - he scratched so much whilst wearing them he still managed to do damage

I asked if he could have his claws removed and got told this was illegal and cruel. I am at my wits end trying to stop him scratching and have spent a fortune in vets bills that have achieved nothing. please help as i do not know what else to try and am worried i will have to consider having him put to sleep as its not fair on him.


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## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

Okay - first of all exactly what food is he on? Is he regularly treated to prevent fleas?

Many cats and dogs that have allergy problems and bad skin often do exceptionally well on a raw only diet, would you be willing to try this - it is cheaper than most other foods too?


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

One of my cats had this many years ago. It was treated with steroids and was related to his poor immune system. Please don't consider pts, because mine grew out of it. There is a steroid cream you can apply to the wound that stops the itching and also immunity boosters will help. Also try Feliway


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## Lilactango (Apr 26, 2013)

his food is z/d low allergen food 

he is on monthly advantage flea treatments and has had skin scrapings for mites 

happy to try a new diet - what does this involve?


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## Lilactango (Apr 26, 2013)

that is skin scrpaings ot check for mites which were clear


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## Lilactango (Apr 26, 2013)

we've had feliway 
we've tried steriod injections and creams 
he's had it four years


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

My cat would scratch big holes in his face and neck too. Talk to your vet about immune boosters. Also bath the area with bicarbonate of soda and water. It really does help.


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## spid (Nov 4, 2008)

Starting off the easy way - it means buying ready made minces of raw food and feeding him just that - if it works then you could look into making your own. It is just meat and bone and nothing else - like the food he would eat in the wild so little for him to be allergic too.

This is the ingredients list I just found on the Hills site - _Brewers Rice, Hydrolyzed Chicken Liver, Hydrolyzed Chicken, Soybean Oil (preserved with BHA, propyl gallate and citric acid), Powdered Cellulose, Lactic Acid, Calcium Carbonate, Calcium Sulfate, Glyceryl Monostearate, Potassium Chloride, DL-Methionine, Choline Chloride, vitamins (Vitamin E Supplement, L-Ascorbyl-2-Polyphosphate (source of vitamin C), Niacin, Thiamine Mononitrate, Calcium Pantothenate, Vitamin A Supplement, Biotin, Vitamin B12 Supplement, Pyridoxine Hydrochloride, Riboflavin, Vitamin D3 Supplement, Folic Acid), Taurine, Iodized Salt, Dicalcium Phosphate, minerals (Ferrous Sulfate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Calcium Iodate, Sodium Selenite), preserved with Mixed Tocopherols & Citric Acid, Beta-Carotene, Rosemary Extract._

I would start him off on a pure chicken only raw and see how he goes from there. Just do it over a couple of weeks as pure chicken isn't complete but 2 weeks is long enough for you to see if it is helping. Chicken (Pure) - Natural Instinct or 100% Minced Chicken 700g after that you can try different flavours and work on making sure it is complete. But he will be fine for 2 weeks. He will eat around 125g a day in total.


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## denflo (Apr 29, 2011)

Is this a seasonal thing or is it constant throughout the year? My Flo gets a skin allergy every summer and it seems to be related to some kind of grass/pollen allergy. 
How long did you try the Feliway for? Sometimes they do take a while to get to work, it's worth continuing with these. Do you use any type of air freshener? Sometimes these can cause problems, especially those which spray stuff every so often. Or carpet fresheners? 
Please don't have him PTS, there will be a reason for all of this, you just have to find it and then you can start treating it. It is a process of elimination unfortunately and often these things take time to get to the bottom of.


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## Jiskefet (May 15, 2011)

It may have started off as scratching an itch and grown into a habit, and it may be stress. It may also be a habit that will only surface in times of stress.

It is often not clear to us what might cause a cat stress. It may be another cat invading his territory, which may include the garden or the street in front of the house, even if the cat is indoor. Or a neighbour drilling or taking down a wall. One of my cats got stresses out by the window cleaner, another by the dogs adopting a dog that would constantly bark when left alone.

Feliway often helps for stress, but not for all cats. Have you tried zylkene?


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## Lilactango (Apr 26, 2013)

no haven't tried zylkene
it isn't seasonal it been non-stop for four years 

what kind of immune boosters are there?


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## Charity (Apr 17, 2013)

I would try an organic food, something like Lilys Kitchen or similar, I've read lots of cases of allergies which have got better on high meat, grain free food with no additives and preservatives and would help the immune system. It's quite expensive but beats paying the vets for nothing. I believe HIlls and others like are low in meat.


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## Lilactango (Apr 26, 2013)

spid: what do i feed him after two weeks on the chicken?


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## we love bsh's (Mar 28, 2011)

Another thing to think about my mum has a cat that is allergic to chicken this makes her very itchy and gets a runny bum.She can only eat plain rabbit,beef,lamb etc which is raw.

I know the vets say if its a food allergy your best trying them on a food which they haven't had before such as venison as they wont have built up the allergy to it yet.

You can buy raw meats/minces such as these from natural instincts,however I believe their stocks are low atm due to seasonal meats I expect.

The do rabbit could be a good choice for you,venison,duck and other mixed meats.


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## Jansheff (Jan 31, 2011)

I know it sounds daft, but could it possibly be an allergy to the flea stuff? I ask because several years ago I was unfortunate enough to catch scabies. The doctor gave me stuff to paint myself (literally) everywhere, I did the whole thing once, washed towels, clothes, bedding etc, as did all the family. I still itched like mad. Repeated treatment, itched more. Eventually I went back to the doctors asking for 'stronger' stuff and it turned out that the scabies were long gone and I was having a reaction to the medication. 

Just a thought. Mine have 6 monthly injections for flea prevention.


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## jaycee05 (Sep 24, 2012)

I was thinking it might be the flea stuff too, after all its a chemical, zylkene might work as well,if its stress related, maybe miss the flea treatment for a while to see if it makes a difference


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

Firstly I would make the household as allergen free as possible...removing air fresheners, fabric softeners, change washing powder, stop flea spot on treatment (use Indorex round the house and possibly the 6 month injection for the cat )
Then I would change diet to raw, something like this
Duck (Pure) - Natural Instinct
or rabbit from Woldsway as chicken is a more common aggravant/food ingredient
You would try the food elimination for a couple of weeks as Spid says, then gradually introduce different foods or ingredients to check for reaction.
Oh, one other thing....has he been checked for earmites? hmm, I guess the spot on treats for them too.
I really do feel for you having had a cat with flea allergy in the past and an itchy scratchy rescue cat right now.


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## LDK1 (Oct 1, 2010)

> Oh, one other thing....has he been checked for earmites? hmm, I guess the spot on treats for them too.


Advantage doesn't cover earmites, it's the other one, Advocate, that does that.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Have you seen this? Not sure if it covers new stuff or not but worth a punt.

The itchy cat


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

LDK1 said:


> Advantage doesn't cover earmites, it's the other one, Advocate, that does that.


I thought Advantage did.....anyway, Woody had a long history of earmites when I got him and has had round after round of treatment. They seem to make him itchy all over (someone explained that the mites migrate out of the ears at some stages in their life) and he rips himself to shreds with the irritation. I use Otodex ear drops which do seem to help him.


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## Ang2 (Jun 15, 2012)

Paddy, you need Canaural. You also need to understand the cycle of ear mites. Nothing kills the eggs, and so you have to re treat every 5 days 3 times to catch any newly hatched eggs. Otherwise its a losing battle.


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## Sophmum (Feb 28, 2018)

Hi, I've just read your thread. I'm having very similar problems with my cat. She is five years old and we adopted her when she was just a kitten, from a family whom didn't want her, where the 12 year old girl (the previous "owner" of my cat) was constantly afraid of her which caused her to be a terrified cat and developing some serious stress and anxiety problems. Since she has entered our family, she has been a very happy and joyful cat nevertheless the trauma she suffered as a kitten persues her and she still scratches herself severely to the point of making herself bleed and scaring herself. We have tried everything to try and stop this. From feliway plug ins to antibiotics and even completely changing her dietary system. Our end solution after trying all these procedures and alternative methods during these four years was to unfortunately have to declaw her but as we live in the UK, it is illegal. I'm desperate to find a solution for this because it would really pain me to have to put her to sleep. I was wondering if you had been able to solve this problem or found an alternative solution which has actually worked?
I would be so grateful if you could help me out.

Thank you in advance!!


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

Have you tried all the suggestions in the original post? What did you do with her in terms of diet? 
The cat I mentioned in my posts is sadly no longer alive but I did eventually get on top of what I believe was a bad case of ear mites and he was blissfully itch free.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

The thread is from 2013.


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

OrientalSlave said:


> The thread is from 2013.


Has advice about itchy cats changed so much in that time? My reply was for @Sophmum who posted today and seems desperate for help.


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

OrientalSlave said:


> The thread is from 2013.


It is but the information and advice is still relevant


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

Feliway doesn't work for all cats. These all come highly recommended:

https://www.medicanimal.com/Zylkene-for-Dogs-Cats/p/I0047794

https://www.viovet.co.uk/Beaphar-Calming-Spot-On-for-Dogs-Cats/c17732/

Does your cat go out? Have you tried an elimination diet to identify an intolerance?

BTW declawing is illegal because it is barbaric.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Paddypaws said:


> Has advice about itchy cats changed so much in that time? My reply was for @Sophmum who posted today and seems desperate for help.


No, but the OP is unlikely to be back.

This link might help: https://icatcare.org/advice/cat-health/pruritic-itchy-cat---when-it-not-fleas


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

OrientalSlave said:


> No, but the OP is unlikely to be back.


I think you have missed the fact that a new member posted on the thread at 3.36 today and it was her that I was replying to.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Paddypaws said:


> I think you have missed the fact that a new member posted on the thread at 3.36 today and it was her that I was replying to.


I didn't miss it, just saying they won't be hearing from the person that started the thread.


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## lymorelynn (Oct 4, 2008)

OrientalSlave said:


> I didn't miss it, just saying they won't be hearing from the person that started the thread.


It doesn't matter if someone else gives them the answers they need


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## Sophmum (Feb 28, 2018)

Paddypaws said:


> Have you tried all the suggestions in the original post? What did you do with her in terms of diet?
> The cat I mentioned in my posts is sadly no longer alive but I did eventually get on top of what I believe was a bad case of ear mites and he was blissfully itch free.


Thank you very much for your prompt reply. I have tried all the suggestions and none seem to be working. I have changed the diet to just pure chicken bought from Natural Instinct and the occasional treat from "Dreamies". I have taken her to the vet to see if she had any infections, allergies, flees etc. and the vet said she seemed healthy. I really don't know what else to do.


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

@Sophmum you might be better starting your own thread regarding the issues you are experiencing with your cat. I am sure you will receive some helpful replies.


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## Paddypaws (May 4, 2010)

Some cats do react to chicken so the advice is often to try a novel protein which the cat won't have eaten before. @chillminx and @Forester can you advise?


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## Sophmum (Feb 28, 2018)

moggie14 said:


> Feliway doesn't work for all cats. These all come highly recommended:
> 
> Does your cat go out? Have you tried an elimination diet to identify an intolerance?
> 
> BTW declawing is illegal because it is barbaric.


I have tried all of these and none work. My cat is an indoor cat so it isn't possible that she picks up any strange things from outside. I haven't done an elimination diet because I have had her tested for any intolerances and/or allergies at the vet. I directly changed normal Purina ONE dry food to the Pure Chicken at Natural Instincts and that still didn't change anything other than it's a healthier option. I understand that it is barbaric however it is more barbaric to leave my cat strip herself of her own fur and raw skin and not do anything to help her.


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## Sophmum (Feb 28, 2018)

Paddypaws said:


> Some cats do react to chicken so the advice is often to try a novel protein which the cat won't have eaten before. @chillminx and @Forester can you advise?


Thank you for your help, I will definitely introduce that into her diet. I will definitely take your advice and make my own post to see if I can acquire any further information.


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

Sophmum said:


> I have tried all of these and none work. My cat is an indoor cat so it isn't possible that she picks up any strange things from outside. I haven't done an elimination diet because I have had her tested for any intolerances and/or allergies at the vet. I directly changed normal Purina ONE dry food to the Pure Chicken at Natural Instincts and that still didn't change anything other than it's a healthier option. I understand that it is barbaric however it is more barbaric to leave my cat strip herself of her own fur and raw skin and not do anything to help her.


I believe tests for intolerances are not necessarily helpful. Is she still on dry food?
Sorry I disagree about the declawing, your cat would be in a lifetime of pain and misery whereas you could solve the issue with other means. Perhaps you should read up on declawing. Try this for starters.


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

Paddypaws said:


> Some cats do react to chicken


Yes, I've taken mine off it, tho' turkey seems OK.


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

moggie14 said:


> I believe tests for intolerances are not necessarily helpful. Is she still on dry food?
> Sorry I disagree about the declawing, your cat would be in a lifetime of pain and misery whereas you could solve the issue with other means. Perhaps you should read up on declawing. Try this for starters.


And declawing also causes stress . . . and once done, there's nothing to stop the cat then biting himself instead.


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## Sophmum (Feb 28, 2018)

moggie14 said:


> I believe tests for intolerances are not necessarily helpful. Is she still on dry food?
> Sorry I disagree about the declawing, your cat would be in a lifetime of pain and misery whereas you could solve the issue with other means. Perhaps you should read up on declawing. Try this for starters.


I don't need a lesson on declawing. I am the first person to disagree on declawing your cat, I've actually signed petitions and donated to the cause. However many people declaw their cats due to minor circumstances such as avoiding scratching furniture instead my circumstance is much more serious than that and if done through laser declaw (a much safer and less harmful way) it can avoid her the great deal of pain that she is currently in which in my opinion, and using common sense, would be much less miserable.


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## Sophmum (Feb 28, 2018)

Calvine said:


> And declawing also causes stress . . . and once done, there's nothing to stop the cat then biting himself instead.


My suggestion of declawing isn't a first choice but as I've previously said, I have tried EVERYTHING said in the posts and advised by my vet and nothing seems to work. However if you could suggest something instead of giving me lessons on declawing that would be much more appreciated.


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

Sophmum said:


> However if you could suggest something instead of giving me lessons on declawing that would be much more appreciated.


I am not ''giving you lessons'' and I don't think anyone else is. I had a cat who would lick and bite himself sore; that's all.


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## Forester (Dec 2, 2012)

@Sophmum , Where is she scratching ? If it is around her face then I believe that there is a good chance that it could be caused by an intolerance to something that she is eating. Face = food is something I've heard said by more than one vet.

An elimination diet is the only way to find out what your cat is reacting to ( blood testing in cats is not accurate ) and it may be to more than one element of her diet. e g my cat is unable to eat grains, chicken, turkey, eggs, rabbit, beef, venison and kangaroo ( to name just a selection ).

@chillminx is our forum expert on elimination diets and I'm sure that she'll point you in the right direction.

In the meantime , you might like to read this article. It deals with GI manifestations of sensitivities rather than dermatological ones but the elimination diet process is the same

https://medium.com/@kalcevka/how-to-do-a-food-allergy-elimination-diet-for-your-cat-589c6385145e

I wish you luck. It can take a very long time to identify problem ingredients in a diet but it is always worth it.


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## moggie14 (Sep 11, 2013)

Sophmum said:


> I don't need a lesson on declawing. I am the first person to disagree on declawing your cat, I've actually signed petitions and donated to the cause. However many people declaw their cats due to minor circumstances such as avoiding scratching furniture instead my circumstance is much more serious than that and *if done through laser declaw (a much safer and less harmful way) it can avoid her the great deal of pain that she is currently in* which in my opinion, and using common sense, would be much less miserable.


Please elaborate, I've never heard of 'laser declaw'


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

Hello @Sophmum,

Unfortunately blood tests (or skin prick tests) are not very reliable at identifying food allergies in cats. The only reliable scientific method is "an elimination diet" using a protein the cat has never eaten before - what is known as "a novel protein".

As you're in the UK examples of novel meat proteins available here are : kangaroo, reindeer, goat, horse, ostrich, wood pigeon. You would choose one of these proteins and then feed it to your cat with nothing else except for water for 6 weeks. If it is going to help then you should see an improvement in a couple of weeks.

After the 6 weeks is up you then re-introduce each meat protein one at a time every 3 weeks. Start with turkey, lamb, pork, rabbit, and leave chicken, beef and fish to the last as they are the three proteins that are most likely statistically to be allergens for cats.

if your cat is on steroids then she will need to be off them for a time before you can tell if the novel protein is helping. Long acting steroid injections take about a month for the effect to wear off. Oral steroids take less time, more like a couple of weeks. You can still put her on the diet a.s.a.p. but as I say, the true effects won't be apparent until the steroids have worn off.

Hopefully the diet will help get to the bottom of the scratching problem. If it does not then you would need to talk to your vet about using a strong medicine called *Atopica*. It can have side effects and is only used as a last resort when all else has failed. But I have seen it work, in stubborn case of feline dermatitis that did not respond to the diet.

But you do need to try the elimination diet first as it often does help.

EDIT : please do not think of any kind of declawing for this problem. It will not help,. As has been mentioned the poor cat will bite her skin and do as much damage to herself as she would with her claws.

Also being without her claws will prevent her exhibiting essential cat behaviour such as scratching her scratch post or climbing. If she is without her claws she will be even more stressed than she is now.

Atopica should be the 'go-to' answer if the diet doesn't work. But try the diet first.


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## chillminx (Nov 22, 2010)

moggie14 said:


> Please elaborate, I've never heard of 'laser declaw'


Laser declawing is a relatively new procedure for removing the third knuckles and claws from cats. It apparently causes less post op bleeding and a reduced risk of infection, than traditional surgery. It is becoming popular in such places as Canada, where declawing sadly is still legal.

The knuckle is still removed just the same as the old style surgical method so there is still permanent damage to the feet, and long term chronic pain in the feet resulting in the cat throwing their weight onto their back legs as they walk, and seriously damaging the spine over the years.


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## OrientalSlave (Jan 26, 2012)

Sophmum said:


> Thank you very much for your prompt reply. I have tried all the suggestions and none seem to be working. I have changed the diet to just pure chicken bought from Natural Instinct and the occasional treat from "Dreamies". I have taken her to the vet to see if she had any infections, allergies, flees etc. and the vet said she seemed healthy. I really don't know what else to do.


How long did you keep her on chicken?


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## Calvine (Aug 20, 2012)

@moggie14: Another method is laser surgery, in which a *small*, intense beam of light cuts through tissue by heating and vaporizing it. However, it's still the amputation of the last toe bone of the cat and carries with it the *same long*-term risks of lameness and *behavioral* problems as does declawing with scalpels or clippers.12 May 2014
I'd never heard of it before either.


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