Supporting Feline Welfare, Championing Compassionate Veterinary Care
March 19, 2026
At Vetcor, our mission is to enhance the health and well-being of pets and the people who care for them. Every day, the veterinary teams in our hospitals work to strengthen the bond between pets and their families through compassionate care, thoughtful medical guidance, and education.
Vetcor is a veterinary support organization to a network of veterinary hospitals across North America. We provide behind-the-scenes support, including accounting, human resources, marketing, and other business services, to allow veterinary teams to focus on what matters most: delivering high-quality care to their patients.
Clinical care and medical decisions are made by licensed veterinarians working directly with pets and their owners. Our clinical guidance, led by our veterinary leadership team, will always champion the gold standard of care and stay ahead of industry best practices. As a support organization, we remain deeply committed to advocating for the health, safety, and well-being of cats and all animals.
Understanding Feline Scratching Behavior
Scratching is a natural and important behavior for cats. It helps maintain healthy claws, provides exercise, and allows cats to express normal behaviors that support their overall well-being.
Veterinary teams regularly work with pet owners to better understand scratching behavior and identify practical ways to manage it in the home. These conversations often include guidance around behavioral management strategies, environmental enrichment, and other alternatives that address scratching concerns while supporting normal feline behavior.
Vetcor’s Perspective on Elective Declawing
Vetcor is opposed to elective feline declawing (onychectomy), or any non-medically necessary surgical procedure meant to prevent a cat’s natural scratching behavior.
Our perspective aligns with guidance from leading veterinary organizations, including the Feline Veterinary Medical Association (FelineVMA), the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), and the American Animal Hospital Association (AAHA).
Across our network of hospitals, we equip our clinicians and the clients they serve with education and behavioral guidance to help address scratching concerns and counsel pet owners toward alternatives. Veterinary teams are encouraged to prioritize education, behavioral management, and environmental solutions that support long-term feline welfare.
We also work collaboratively with our veterinarians to adopt evolving approaches and alternatives that reduce and ultimately eliminate the need for elective declaw procedures.
“Veterinary medicine continues to evolve as we deepen our understanding of feline health and behavior,” said Dr. Michelle Shoemaker, Chief Veterinary Officer at Vetcor. “Our focus is helping pet owners understand their cats’ natural behaviors and supporting veterinary teams as they guide clients toward solutions that protect feline welfare while strengthening the bond between pets and the families who love them.”
Respecting Veterinary Medical Autonomy
Central to Vetcor’s purpose as a veterinary support organization is our unwavering respect for the veterinarian-client-patient relationship (VCPR).
Medical decisions ultimately rest with the licensed veterinarian and the pet owner. These decisions are guided by professional judgment, the needs of the individual patient, and all applicable state, provincial, and federal veterinary regulations. Overruling legal medical decisions made by the veterinarians we support would be inconsistent with the principles that guide Vetcor. At the same time, we closely monitor evolving regulations and industry best practices to ensure we remain strong advocates for pets, pet owners, and the veterinarians who care for them.
We trust the veterinarians practicing in our hospitals to exercise sound clinical judgment in the best interest of their patients. Veterinarians should never feel pressured to perform procedures that conflict with their professional judgment, skill level, or ethical beliefs.
A Proactive and Collaborative Approach
Veterinary medicine continues to advance as research evolves, and the industry’s understanding of animal welfare grows. Vetcor remains committed to working collaboratively with the veterinarians in our network to support client education, advance feline welfare, and promote thoughtful, patient-centered care.
Through ongoing education and guidance, we partner with our veterinary leaders to ultimately eliminate elective feline declawing while respecting the clinical autonomy that is foundational to veterinary medicine.
