Because of the coyote and cougar population here on Cougar Mountain, most of our clients with cats choose (wisely) to keep their cats indoors exclusively.  Some cats (not all) will scratch furniture and carpeting, which can adversely affect the relationship between cat and human caregiver.  Our opinion is that declawing is appropriate to preserve the status of the cat as an indoor pet.

All declaw surgeries at Lakemont Village Veterinary Hospital are performed using a carbon dioxide laser.  With the laser, the cats are less painful after surgery, they do not require bandages, risk of infection is minimized, and cosmetic appearance is superior when compared to non-laser surgical techniques.  In fact, many of our patients will play only hours after surgery.  We are so impressed with the laser's superiority that we no longer offer any non-laser declawing techniques.