Story published in January 2025.
(VetCor blocked City the Kitty on Facebook. Please ask them why. VetCor’s Facebook page
VetCor’s Mission is, “To enhance the health and well-being of pets” but they allow declawing in their vet clinis. Here’s our 2021 story that was updated in 2022 and 2023. Our 2021 story on VetCor and declawing
VetCor has over 800 vet practices and many of them perform declawing. Please sign our petition to VetCor. VetCor Petition
Here’s VetCor’s mission page. https://www.vetcor.com/about-us/our-story
One of the first Values that they list is, “Do the right thing.”
Why is the standard of care in VetCor practices so different when it comes to declawing?
Many VetCor practices declaw cats. Many of their practices deceive the public about declawing and say that it’s ok for a cat. Many of them perform 2 and 4 paw declaws. Some of them even recommend getting the front paws declawed. Many of them say they do declaws regularly and do lots of declaws.
Some VetCor practices do not perform declawing. They say declawing is not the standard of care, they say it is a very invasive procedure, they say it is unethical, they say it is inhumane, they say they don’t recommend it, and they say it can cause lasting injury to cats.
Vetcor’s website says, “We are motivated to help our practices find and hire passionate people by empowering them to do the right thing for their patients.”
When is declawing ever the right thing for a cat that makes their life better?
In January 2025 our researchers looked into the vet clinics associated with VetCor’s veterinary leaders. Out of the 22 VetCor clinics, we found that 9 of them declaw cats.
Our researchers made a short phone call and asked a few questions like how much they charge for a neuter/declaw, if declawing is ok long term for a cat, and what vet does their declaws.
We have withheld the names of employees for fear that they might suffer a backlash for their honest answers.
We highlighted the vet clinics that perform declawing in red. https://www.vetcor.com/about-us/our-team
1) South Bay Veterinary Hospital in Olympia, WA.
Dr. Michelle Shoemaker, Chief Medical Officer.
2025. The employee at this hospital said that they do not declaw cats because it can cause a lot of issues for cats in the future and is a very painful procedure.
2023. Researcher asked for the cost of a spay/declaw. The employee said all their vets can do a declaw but they cannot give an estimate on the phone but they are probably more than $500. The employee said they only declaw cats unless it’s deemed medically necessary.
The researcher asked if they do them if it’s medically necessary for the cat’s health and the owner. The employee said if the owner needs a declaw for a medical reason they will declaw the cat.
The employee said they typically don’t do declaws unless the cat has an injury where it requires the claws to be removed or if it is an elderly owner and the cat is being aggressive and that’s the only time they have seen it done.
2) N Carrollton Veterinary Hospital. Carrollton, TX.
Dr. John Calhoun, Vice President of Veterinary Leadership.
The employee said that a neuter/ 2 paw declaw is $800-$1000. They said that they only have one vet who does their declaws, Dr Gregory Whitaker.
Researcher asked if the cat is ok long term after a declaw. The employee said that there’s a lot of reporting that says that declaws impacts the cat so they require a surgery consult before it because declaws are a little bit old school so they want to make sure it’s the right decision and you understand what’s happening.
They repeated that declaws are an “older school surgery” so they don’t do them as often as spays and neuters but Dr Whitaker is proficient in them.
3) Scottsdale Veterinary Clinic. Scottsdale, AZ.
Dr. Jennifer R. Koenig, Vice President of Veterinary Leadership.
The employee said that they do not declaw and AAFP and AAHA have come out against declawing. They said they would rather counsel clients on the alternatives rather than amputate a cat’s claws. They said that it can cause behavioral issues, nerve pain, and other issues and they would rather trim the cat’s nails, offer nail caps, and suggest training the cat to use appropriate scratching items.
4) Bartels Pet Hospital, Brecksville, OH.
Gretchen Zarle, Chief of Staff Advisor.
2025. The employee said that a neuter is $454.42 and a declaw is $300.
December 2022.
Employee said that a neuter is $189 and a declaw is from $200-$300. They said that you need to get an exam first to set your cat up as a new patient and that Dr Zarle and Dr Akl perform the neuter/declaw procedures.
April 2021.
Employee was asked about a price of a declaw the they asked, “Just the front or all four?” A 4 paw declaw is $294.
The employee said that Dr Zarle and Dr Akl do the declaws regularly. When asked if a declaw is ok for a cat long term the employee said, “Yes, as far as I know.”
5) Devonshire Veterinary Clinic, Anderson, IN.
Aaron Smiley, Chief of Staff Advisor.
2025. The employee said you need to get an appointment before the procedures and it’s up to Dr Aaron Smiley, their declawing vet, if he will perform it. A neuter/declaw is $590.66.
December 2022. Employee said that a neuter/declaw is $522.65 and Dr Aaron Smiley does their declaws. They said you have to make an appointment for a wellness visit to see if the cat is healthy enough to have the procedures done. They said that the cats need to stay for 3 days to insure that the incisions are healed after the declaw. When asked if a declaw is ok for the cat they said that he might have residual pain because it is a serious surgery but the cats tend to be ok.
April 2021. A neuter/declaw is $452. Employee at this practice said that Dr Smiley is the one who does their declaws and you have to first have a exam with him to talk about the options and the procedure. When asked if he will do the declaws after the exam, they said it depends on the conclusion you both come to.
6) El Cerrito Veterinary Hospital. La Mesa, CA
Dr Julie Massey, Chief of Staff Advisor.
The employee said that they cannot give out a price for a declaw until after an exam and they only typically perform declaws if there is a medical necessity for the cat or for the owner.
7) Clementon Animal Hospital. Clementon, NJ.
Dr Richard Jankowski. Chief of Staff Advisor.
The employee said that they do not declaw cats and said that most places don’t declaw anymore. Researcher asked why and the employee said because declaws are not a medical necessity. They said that declawing can cause very bad arthritis in their paws and it causes the cat a lot of discomfort.
8) Elkhorn Veterinary Clinic. Elkhorn, WI.
Dr Jeffrey Korosec, Chief of Staff Advisor.
Researcher asked for the cost of a neuter/declaw and the employee asked, “Just the front paws or all four paws?”
The employee said that a neuter/2 paw declaw is $695 and a neuter/4 paw declaw is $780 and that Dr Korosec and Dr Mendralla are their vets who perform the declaws . The researcher asked if the cats are ok after a declaw and they employee said yes and that the cat has to stay 2 days after the declaw. They said that older cats can get arthritis from a declaw.
9) Veterinary Associates of Murfeesboro. Murfeesboro, TN.
Dr Whit Morgan, Chief of Staff Advisor.
The employee said that a neuter is around $500-$600 and a declaw is $350. They said that Dr Morgan is the vet who does the declaws and said, “he does a good job” on the declaws.
10) Village Veterinarian Animal Hospital. Lady Lake, FL
Dr Corina Gratton, Chief of Staff Advisor.
The employee said that they perform declaws on a case by case situation, require a consult exam first before a declaw, and said it’s up to the doctor if they will do one.
11) West Shore Animal Clinic. Warwick, RI.
Dr Michele Consiglio. Chief of Staff Advisor.
The employee said that they will only do a front paw declaw and only if there’s a medical issue in the family like if someone has a disease or blood disorder and can’t be scratched otherwise they will go over trimming nails and applying nail caps. They said that a neuter/declaw is around $1500.
12) Aspen Grove Veterinary Care. Ft Collins, CO
Dr Bobby Cawthron. Chief of Staff Advisor.
The employee said that they will not do a declaw if the cat is over 11 lbs and a neuter/declaw is from $1145 – $1575.
13) Tanneberger Veterinary Hospital. St Albans, VT
Dr John Bergeson, Chief of Staff Advisor.
The employee said that they do not declaw cats and that declawing is not legal in the state of Vermont. Researcher asked if declawing is bad for a cat and they said that it is considered inhumane because they are removing their knuckles.
14) New Fairfield Animal Hospital. New Fairfield, CT
Dr Christopher Brunner. Chief of Staff Advisor.
The employee said that they don’t declaw because it’s illegal in most states and it’s not the most humane thing to do for cats.
15) Health and Wellness Animal Hospital. Hampton Falls, NH
Dr Shawna Chag, Chief of Staff Advisor
The employee said that they don’t declaw cats and said their doctors don’t want to perform them. Researcher asked why they don’t declaw and they said that there’s a controversial discussion about it taking off the joints of the cat’s toes.
16) Mother Lode Veterinary Hospital. Grass Valley, CA
Dr Mario Dinucci. Chief of Staff Advisor.
The employee said that they do not declaw cats.
17) Lexington-Bedford Veterinary Hospital. Lexington, MA.
Dr Thea Doidge. Chief of Staff Advisor.
The employee said that they do not declaw cats. Researcher asked why and the employee said that declawing is illegal in MA and they don’t want to do that to animals and it is not a good thing to do to a cat.
18) Greenville Veterinary Clinic, Greenville, IL.
Dr Lynette Hemker. Chief of Staff Advisor.
The employee said that they do not declaw and offer other options like nail caps and trimming the cats nails and other things. They said that with more research, it shows that declawing is an amputation of the first digit of all their toes and is not as healthy for the cats and there are many other options.
19) Oly Cats Veterinary Hospital. Olympic, WA.
Dr Natalee Rosinski. Chief of Staff Advisor.
The employee said that they do not declaw cats because it is an amputation.
21) Stratford Hills Veterinary Center. Richmond, VA
Dr Charles Tucker. Chief of Staff Advisor.
The employee said that they do not declaw cats. Researcher asked why and they said that they don’t believe declaws are ethical and there are other alternatives to stop them from clawing your furniture. The employee said that they also think that declawing is illegal in VA.
22) Mt. Spokane Veterinary Hospital. Mead, WA.
Dr Jocelyn Woodd. Chief of Staff Advisor.
The employee said that they do not declaw cats. Researcher asked why and the employee said that the AVMA doesn’t recommend declawing, it causes a lifetime of pain, and is an amputation of the tips of their fingers.
Here are a couple random VetCor vet clinics that we also looked into.
Animal Medical Center of Skokie, IL.
2025. The employee said that a neuter/2 paw declaw is $1600 and a neuter/4 paw declaw is over $2000.
Researcher asked which vet does their declaws. The employee said, “We only have one doctor that will do it because we don’t really love declaws.” They said that Dr Miz is their declawing vet. They repeated that they don’t like to do declaws.
The employee said that they recommend nail caps and cutting the nails because “declaws are pretty brutal for cats.” They said sometimes the cats don’t use their claws so there is no point in doing a declaw.
They said that they don’t recommend doing a declaw on a cat that they don’t know is going to have a problem with his claws and asked if the cat is ruining items or just because you don’t want his claws.
2022. The employee said that it’s around $400 for a declaw. They said that Dr Andrew Miz, the owner, does their declaws. They said that they, “remove, not the full amount, but enough under the nail so it doesn’t grow back.” They employee said they don’t do a full declaw because it is very painful.
Our researcher asked, “They don’t take off the bone? They just remove the nail?” and the employee said, “Correct.”
When asked if declawing is ok long term for a cat and they said, “Correct.”
Abilene Veterinary Clinic. Abilene, TX
An employee said that a neuter is $94.21 and a declaw for all four paws is around $555 which includes pain medication.