A peer-reviewed study published on 17 August 2025 in Scientific Reports looked into the negative effects of elective feline declawing. The researchers, led by Eric Troncy, a veterinary professor at the University of Montreal, compared healthy cats, non-declawed osteoarthritic cats, and declawed osteoarthritic cats to uncover persistent sensory, biomechanical, and neurological changes hidden behind an apparent simple behavioral control procedure.
Researchers Conclude that Declawing in Cats is Associated with Neuroplastic Sensitization and Long-term Painful Afflictions
A study uncovered consistent signs of increased discomfort and biomechanical strain in cats that underwent elective declawing earlier in life through a comparison of sensory responses, gait patterns, and radiographic indicators with non-declawed cats.
Investigating the Story Beneath the Paws
Osteoarthritis is common in older cats, yet the relationship between chronic joint disease and prior declawing has been difficult to define.
Elective onychectomy or declawing involves amputation of the distal phalanx of each affected digit. It is frequently performed for furniture protection or human safety. But scientific evidence regarding long-term biological consequences remains limited. Troncy and his colleagues analyzed data collected between 2010 and 2023 across 8 separate feline pain studies.
The team placed 24 healthy cats, 125 non-declawed osteoarthritic cats, and 39 declawed cats with osteoarthritis into a structured assessment in which they completed quantitative sensory testing, radiographic scoring, and force plate analysis that measured withdrawal thresholds, mechanical temporal summation, osteoarthritic severity, and weight-bearing patterns.
A dedicated subgroup consisting of 5 declawed cats and 5 matched non-declawed cats completed nerve conduction studies targeting tibial and sciatic pathways. Compound muscle action potential amplitude and conduction velocity were measured to find out whether amputation trauma resulted in axonal loss or altered nerve behavior beyond osteoarthritic influence.
Neurophysiological Harm From Declawing
Tests revealed clear differences in pain sensitivity, gait stability, and joint imaging between declawed and non-declawed osteoarthritic cats
The research identified striking disparities between declawed osteoarthritic cats and all comparison cat groups. Declawed cats displayed heightened sensory abnormalities, reduced-weight bearing capability, amplified spinal cord sensitization, increased mobility impairment, and measurable nerve dysfunction. The following are further details of the findings:
• Mechanical Hyperalgesia
Declawed osteoarthritic cats showed significantly more mechanical pain sensitivity than the other cat groups. They specifically had a withdrawal threshold of about 101 g compared with about 130 g in non-declawed osteoarthritic cats and about 166 g in healthy cats. This indicates significantly increased mechanical pain sensitivity.
• Frequency of Allodynia
Allodynia or pain from a non-pain-causing stimulus was found in 57.9 percent of declawed osteoarthritic cats, compared with 28.8 percent of non-declawed osteoarthritic cats and 4.3 percent of healthy cats. This indicates heightened abnormal sensory processing and central sensitization or neuropathic pain due to declawing.
• Temporal Summation Sensitivity
Declawed cats showed exaggerated spinal cord pain amplification that is consistent with neuroplastic sensitization. Repeated light-touch stimuli or temporal summation caused them to respond sooner than non-declawed osteoarthritic cats. This amplified spinal cord sensitization mechanism is linked to chronic neuropathic pain.
• Functional Mobile Deficits
Mobility impairment scores were 33.3 percent in declawed osteoarthritic cats versus 27.2 percent in non-declawed osteoarthritic cats and approximately 9.7 percent in healthy cats. This means that declawed cats showed greater difficulty with climbing, jumping, and routine movement tasks over extended observational periods.
• Gait and Weight-Bearing Impairment
Peak vertical force analysis indicated lower limb loading in both osteoarthritic groups, but the declawed group displayed a stronger negative interaction between body weight and gait performance, thus suggesting they struggle more with weight-bearing due to altered paw structure, especially as their body weight increases.
• Peripheral Nerve Injury
Declawed cats demonstrated 45 percent reductions in compound muscle action potential amplitude across tested nerve segments relative to matched non-declawed cats. This indicates nerve damage and specific axonal loss consistent with neuropathic alterations produced by undergoing earlier or historical declawing procedures.
• Lack of Structural Difference
Radiographic comparisons showed similar osteoarthritic severity between declawed and non-declawed osteoarthritic cats. This confirms that sensory and functional impairments observed in declawed cats were unrelated to differences in joint degeneration severity but stem from neuropathic pain from the declawing procedure.
A Note For Pet Owners and Veterinarians
Declawed cats may face greater lifetime risks of discomfort and mobility limitations. This is especially true because osteoarthritis develops with age.
The findings indicate that elective declawing introduces durable neurophysiological harm that persists for years after surgery. The combination of hyperalgesia, allodynia, gait abnormalities, and electrophysiological nerve deficits strongly suggests that declawing initiates neuropathic pain pathways similar to those documented in human digit amputation studies.
Veterinarians and cat owners may therefore need to reconsider the assumption that declawing is merely a routine behavioral accommodation procedure. The research provides robust quantitative evidence demonstrating that the long-term burden of pain and dysfunction extends beyond ordinary osteoarthritic progression that affects multiple biological systems.
However, although the researchers used rigorous validated methods, it is a secondary analysis of data collected originally for osteoarthritis studies, and declawing history was not available for all animals. Some potential confounders, like pre-existing neuropathy, differences in lifetime activity, individual variability in pain sensitivity, or other undetected comorbidities, remain.
The researchers still underscore the need for greater public education, promotion of non-surgical scratch management tools, and policy reevaluation supporting international restrictions on elective declawing. Their findings reinforce the importance of evidence-based strategies that prioritize feline welfare and encourage humane alternatives based on pain biology.
FURTHER READING AND REFERENCE
- LaChance, M., Otis, C., Juette, T., del Castillo, J. R. E., Delsart, A., Moreau, M., Monteiro, B. P., Castel, A., Lussier, B., Martel-Pelletier, J., Pelletier, J.-P., & Troncy, E. 2025. “Declawing in Cats is Associated with Neuroplastic Sensitization and Long-term Painful Afflictions.” Scientific Reports. 15(1). DOI: 1038/s41598-025-16288-8