Tendonectomy is the surgical cutting of

tendon A tendon or sinew is a tough, high-tensile-strength band of dense fibrous connective tissue that connects muscle to bone. It is able to transmit the mechanical forces of muscle contraction to the skeletal system without sacrificing its ability ...

s, and is generally only practiced in veterinary medicine.

In cats

Performing a tendonectomy on a

cat The cat (''Felis catus'') is a domestic species of small carnivorous mammal. It is the only domesticated species in the family Felidae and is commonly referred to as the domestic cat or house cat to distinguish it from the wild members of ...

is an alternative to

onychectomy Onychectomy, popularly known as declawing, is an operation to remove an animal's claws surgically by means of the amputation of all or part of the distal phalanges, or end bones, of the animal's toes. Because the claw develops from germinal t ...

("declawing"), which amputates the end of each digit. Tendonectomy may be considered less painful for the cat than onychectomy; however, it is not recommended by the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) and is illegal in many countries. In a tendonectomy, a small portion of the tendon in each of a cat's toes is surgically removed to prevent the cat from extending the claws. Thus, the cat is no longer capable of scratching. Claws will continue to grow following tendonectomy, and because the cat can no longer extend the claws to scratch, the cat will not wear down the claws as before. Therefore, among other considerations, the cat owner should evaluate the ongoing maintenance required in the form of regular claw trimming thereafter when considering this procedure. In terms of studies on the impact of onychectomy versus tendonectomy, the American Veterinary Medical Association compared the outcomes of the two operations in its August 1, 1998 issue. Their report considered owner satisfaction and drawbacks such as pain and future complications. Cats who underwent tendonectomy displayed significantly lower pain immediately following the procedure versus those who underwent onychectomy. However, both procedures showed an equal frequency of other complications, such as bleeding, lameness, and infection. Cats took the same number of days to recover from both operations (as measured by normalcy in walking), and owners were equally satisfied with both options. One complication to watch out for later on in the cat's life with a tendonectomy is the nails getting brittle. Nails that are more brittle are prone to splitting and shattering when trimmed by the owner, which is quite painful for the cat.

External links

Journal for the American Veterinary Medical AssociationTendonectomy: A Surgical Alternative To Declawing CatsCatHelp-Online
* Grier, K. and Peterson, N. "Indoor Cats, Scratching, and the Debate over Declawing: When Normal Pet Behavior Becomes a Problem." Humane Society Press, 2005. http://www.hsus.org/web_file/PDF/hsp/SOA_3-2005_Chap3.pdf {{veterinary-med-stub Cruelty to animals