Any general anaesthetic puts a living organism at risk. If the bandages are put on too tightly the foot can become gangrenous and necessitate amputation of the leg. In many instances one or more claws will begin to regrow causing extreme pain, or if either the trimmer is dull or the cat's nail is brittle, the bone may shatter. This can only be corrected by another surgical procedure. Some chronic, physical ailments including cystitis and skin disorders have been traced to the period immediately following this surgery.
Theories also suggest possible effects to the cat's weight bearing and movement kinetics.
There is no evidence either way as to the long term behavioural effects a declawed cat may or may not experience, and much anecdotal evidence exists to support both viewpoints. However, as they have been deprived of their primary source of defence - their claws, declawed cats often resort to biting when they feel threatened. Many groomers and veterinarians agree that they are far more difficult to handle, both because of the increased incidence of biting and due to a lack of self confidence resulting for the loss of their favoured defence mechanism. Shelters are also often forced to euthanize declawed cats that have been surrendered because of this type of behaviour. With all these risks, one would like to compare them to the benefit that the cat experiences - unfortunately there are none.