Cats Declaw Poll
Wednesday September 6, 2006
Please note: If you are voting for answer #5, please read the following material, then visit the About Cats Forum, before making that decision final.
- Top Reasons Not to Declaw a Cat
- Declawing and Humane Alternatives
- The Truth About Declawing: Technical Facts
Your opinions are important also, so if you feel strongly about declawing, whether pro or con, this is your chance to voice your opinion. Simply click on the "Comments" section below and fill out the form. Try to remember that, whether you are of the pro-claw or pro-declaw position, your comments will be noticed by on-the-fence readers, so please try to avoid harsh trigger words that might actually work against the case you are trying to present. Thank you again!
Comments
I once work at a vet clinic that only treated cats. I was shock when I saw what the poor cats go thru when they are declaw. A little note if you HAVE to do this, use Yesterday News in the liter pan. The other type of liter will now hurt your cats paws and right after the surgery the other liter can get into the open wombs and cause major problems.
I had both of my male cats declawed. They are litter mates. I was told not to allow them to climb or jump after their surgery ( what a joke ). They came home with no bandages and the only visable signs that anything had been done was the BLUE skin glue ( no stitches )I’m sure they had no idea how worried I was about them. They are very happy,loving and well adjusted inside ONLY kids. I have NO regrets about my decision to have their front claws removed. They are now 11 years old and I’m not sure if they had been with someone that did not care enough to make them INSIDE only kitties ( declawed ) or the so called happier ( with claws ) kitties that are allowed to go outside and potentially be killed or be hurt. It hurts me to think that anyone would think I would do anything for any reason to harm (emotionally or physically) any animals.
The idea that indoor-only cats need to be declawed is ludicrous. I would never amputate my cats toes just because they are indoor-only. My lovely cats have scratching posts, and things to climb, and all their claws.
I voted no because I disapprove. Even if not all cats appear to suffer in the long term, enough do that it’s just not worth amputating digits and causing the pain associated with said amputation. It actually saddens me that there are vets who are willing to dismember (and no, I’m not just using that word out of emotion…I checked dictionary.com to make sure it was appropriate) a cat’s toes.
My fully clawed kitties are indoors only, and fully clawed. I have yet to see my home go down in shambles because of that. So, a declaw is not a prerequisite to keeping cats indoors.
Whoops, correction on my last comment:
“My fully clawed kitties are indoors only, and fully clawed.”
That sounds a little redundant. That should read: My kitties are indoors only and fully clawed.
A follow-up comment. Maybe it depends on the vet you use. I spent alot of time finding a vet that DOES NOT amputate digits. My kitties had only the nail bed removed. Their paws look just like they did before. They also have a scratching post and use it every day. They are also are allowed to scratch anything they want and have no restrictions. They can climb and jump because they have back claws which I trim.
I’ve never been comfortable with declawing, but we had a kitten who was a terror. Her claws and teeth were sunk into my hands and feet even in my sleep. She ignored water from the squirt bottle and we couldn’t find any way to stop her behavior. We also had a 2-year old child and were afraid he would be hurt. My vet failed to offer any suggestions, so we had the cat’s front claws removed when she was spayed. She’s now 9, has always been indoors-only, and is still an “attack tabby,” guarding our home from visitors. At the time, I felt I had no other options, but I wouldn’t do it again.
Last year I pulled a purebred 6 yr old declawed Abyssinian from a local
rural, high kill shelter. They said the reason he was relinquished was “reocurring
UTI’s”. I found out at home that he had MAJOR litterbox problems (a common behavioral problem associated with declawed paws) - huge
puddles of urine everywhere but IN the box! After months of rehabilitating
him with Arnica (pain relief), Homeopathic Rheumatoid Pain drops, Reiki Healing, Feliway,
and Rescue Remedy he finally started using the box again!
He is a very
nervous, skittish Aby. I believe his “stressed out” state is why he has urinary
tract problems. Several vets have already made the connection between declawed cats and stress related diseases like UTI’s and asthma. Poor declawed cats don’t have their healthy claws for healthy “de-stress” clawhold, scratching.
He is also quite ackward on his feet - he sits back on his
wrists and not his whole paw (since he doesn’t have them anymore.) He’s the
poster child of “declawed and dumped”. If his former owners didn’t have 5 minutes a week to trim his nails, they sure as hell didn’t have the time and energy to manage UTI’s and litterbox problems. It’s so sad to see such a beautiful creature crippled from declawing. Hence one of the many reasons I
ABHORE it. As Dr. Paul Rowen DVM said, YOU CAN’T DECLAW WITH LOVE.
I have an indoor cat that is 2 years old and will not stop scratching my couches. We have scratching posts, cat toys, a carpeted cat house, tried spray bottles and even put double sided tape on the couch corners. All this has done is made him sneakier. Trimming his nails doesn’t slow him down at all. We even bought new couches that I thought he wouldn’t like as much, but he has scratched those too. The foam is showing through and they’re only 3 months old!
So I have a question for all those against declawing - what do you suggest? If cutting his nails doesn’t work I’m sure that the plastic caps won’t work either, at least not for long. I’m getting to the point that I have even considered getting rid him of him; a first for me after several cats and dogs. It’s easy to say that it’s cruel, but then come up with a solution!
If done correctly I don’t see how it’s any less humane than having your cat spayed or neutered. If your cats an indoor cat that is solely for your convenience as well. Maybe I’m just desensitized from growing up on a farm and seeing what is done to all the animals before you purchase them at the supermarket. Some of that can make declawing look pretty humane.
Oh yeah, I tried the spray too. He smelled it, and then proceeded to scratch.
He also gets lots of attention from our other cat and two kids.
Felines come with CLAWS. Puppies come with teeth. They BOTH require training to teach them the appropriate way to use their natural tools. Amputating your cats toes is the same as extracting all of your puppies teeth. It takes effort.
I have thought very DEEPLY for over 3 weeks about getting my 2 cats declawed. I don’t want to hurt them in any way and i have even cried many tears over my decision. But everytime i look at my door frames, corners of my sofas, the BOTTOM of my BEDS, the edges of my carpet it reminds me of why i need to do it. I have an $1800 bed that now the boxspring is COMPLETELY destroyed because they have made it a home underneath the fabric. (it’s only 1 year old), i have tried the sprays THEY DON’T WORK.. i have tried the tape, tin foil, they have a carpeted kitty condo 4 stories high, all kinds of toys and NOTHING works. I WILL NOT get rid of my cats because they are tearing up things.. But one day i would like to have nice furniture without the value being deployed within a few months.
SO for all of you animal rights activists who claim it’s wrong and inhumane.. either pay for the damage the claws have done, heal the scars on the owners, or voice your opinion without downing the owners who have done it and say we don’t love our cats. Some cats just have bad “clawing” habits. Both of mine are HORRIBLE and it’s taking me 1 year to decide to do it because the damage of my house is so great. I love my cats, but i also work extremely hard for the things i have. And will baby them for all of their care needed.
So please, if you can’t take into the consideration of individual stories DON’T JUDGE!
I don’t agree with abortion at all but in the case of incest, or rape where the victims are just that… i’m pro choice. Using it as a birth control… NO I’m NOT FOR!!
same with my cats.. i had them long enough to see what kind of personalities they have to see if it’s necessary or not.. under my circumstances I believe it’s for the best interest for both me and my cats…they will again have free roam of EVERY room in the house. That to me is important. ESPECIALLY WITH A BABY ON THE WAY!
I think this is barbaric. I WOULD NEVER DECLAW MY 2 CATS!!!! If you do not want your furniture scratched or damaged by your pet(s) DON’T HAVE ANY!!!
I read once that a declawed cat who would usually stay indoors had somehow gone out. He was set upon by the local tom and was murdered by him because he had no claws to defend himself with!!!
I would like to reply to Liz who says DON’T JUDGE UNLESS YOU TAKE EACH INDIVIDUAL STORIES INTO ACCOUNT!!! She has also said that she has thought very DEEPLY for over 3 weeks about getting her 2 cats declawed and doesn’t want to hurt them and that she has even cried over her decision to do it anyway.
And yet she is still putting the welfare of her furniture before the welfare of her pets (the later incidentally being living and breathing creatures who feel pain unlike her poor $1,800 bed)!
Well my heart bleeds!!! What an hypocric and selfish person she is! If she expects any sympathy from me she is in for a long wait!
My 2 cats, whom I love dearly, have scratched expensive pieces of furniture, and whilst I was not very happy about it, I accepted that this was part of owning a pet!
I HAVE NEVER CONSIDERED DECLAWING THEM AND NEVER WILL!
Scratching is a natural thing to do for cats! She must have known that when she had them!
So please Liz, don’t tell me you love your cats, because nothing you can say to try to justify your action would make me change my opinion about you!
I agree with Laurence. Obviously material things are more important to some than having the ones they supposedly love mutilated. PATHETIC AT BEST!!!
I have had both declawed and “all natural” cats. There are pros to both and cons to both. Depending on your lifestyle one may be better than the other. Declawing at one time was risky… just like any surgery for a human - at one time it was risky. The wonderful thing about the medical field is that it constantly improves. If your cat is in doors only then I don’t think there is anything wrong with declawing. If your cat goes in and out, I think its not wise…and if your cat is out doors only PLEASE DON’T! I agree with the fact that cats need to protect them selves, but if the only thing they have to worry about is the vacuum, front claws are not needed. Like every animal that we socialize, cats adapt…and if the animal rights people want to throw a fit that’s fine, but look at what we are doing to the earth. We change it as we see fit, to make things easier on us. What’s the difference? With pets at least we are constantly improving foods, medicine, surgery, ect. We are always making things safer.
Shamby:
>>>I agree with the fact that cats need to protect them selves, but if the only thing they have to worry about is the vacuum, front claws are not needed.<<<
If you think that claws are only for protection, you've been spending too much time on pro-declaw sites.
>>>We change it as we see fit, to make things easier on us. What’s the difference? With pets at least we are constantly improving foods, medicine, surgery, ect. We are always making things safer.<<<
Perhaps then, others who follow your line of thinking will some day figure out how to create a "safer" cat without claws.
>>>>Check out this great web site if you want a fresh look on declawing. It may open your eyes. <<<
Sorry, but since you seem pride yourself on letting people make their own decisions, why would you want to send them to a site that ENCOURAGES declawing?? I read enough of it to be convinced that it’s just raving on the other side of the coin, and since this is MY site, the “raving” will be on the side of cats staying the way Mother Nature developed them, i.e. on the side of CATS, not FURNITURE. I find 99% of these pro-declawing arguments specious, self-serving, and selfishly ignorant to the extreme.
Franny Syufy
Wow all you people are full of yourselves, your no better than Hitler one sided bitch that deletes anything YOU don’t like, let people decide for themselves what they want to do with there cats, i’m sure this post will never be seen by anyone but YOU so kiss my hairy white ASS FRANNY
Indeed, Kevin, thank you for proving my point. I’m going to let your comment stand for posterity. Perhaps some day you will grow up enough to be embarrassed by it.
Oh thank you oh great one for not deleting my post this time, maybe one day when i grow up i can have my very own opinion poll and be one sided and delete what ever i like, Oh you forgot to mention to the great people here that you deleted my legit post from me earlier on my view on this,lol
Oh thank you oh great one for not deleting my post this time, maybe one day when i grow up i can have my very own opinion poll and be one sided and delete what ever i like, Oh you forgot to mention to the great people here that you deleted my legit post from me earlier on my view on this,lol
The reason why I would recommend the site is because the ONLY sites you can find about declawing are saying how evil it is. If you read a little further the site I recommended is not 100% “you should declaw” it states you should try other things first, HOWEVER, you should not feel like you’re a horrible person if you end up declawing BECAUSE the other options do not work.
And your right about the safer cat. Maybe someday we will discover a way to make a safer human…its the same concept.
And as I FIRST stated its a personal choice…for some people a cat with claws is best…for others, not so much. Oh and uh…its not about the furniture with some people. If the cat is attacking other animals, other people, then what? What if the person at that point has tryed training, and everything else…but nothing works? Do they get rid of the cat like so many others…and the poor thing ends up in a shelter? The cat looses the home because it was a bit shrewish?
This was my parent’s cat. She didn’t mellow out till her 18th birthday when she became officially blind. My parents had her declawed when she was younger because she was so violent. She was still feisty but at least she wasn’t drawing blood. To this day she is healthy and happy and my parents love her dearly.
I’m not saying all cats should be declawed, I’m not saying cats should be declawed as a first means. What I’m saying is that if you do declaw your cat that doesn’t make you a bad person. And I’m sick of people who point the finger and say how if you declaw your cat your an evil human who enjoys torturing their animals.
First of all, why do you have a link to a porn website on your page? I know you probably deleted that website Shamby posted about, however your link goes to a porn website. I’m pretty sure that’s not what I was looking for. Second, I have had two cats declawed. One recently passed away at the lovely age of 18 years old. She never once had any problems. She may have only been front declawed but never had problems regardless. I have another cat who is turning 17 years old this year who is fully declawed. Both of these cats were indoor only cats. My cats had no problems adjusting to no claws.
My cats never bit people after having their claws removed… maybe because most animals take after their owners. They never ever had any problems going to the bathroom, minus when my one cats became old and pretty much lost all of her sense of smell. Cats find the litterbox by it’s smell. They don’t look for it like most people think.
Like most other people have said I do not agree with declawing a cat if it is to be an outdoor cat. That would be just stupid, but the idea of letting a cat outdoors is stupid to me in the first place. Yes let’s let my cat go play outside and get ran over by a car. Great idea! Cats are meant to be cared for and not let run amuck.
As far as the procedure for declawing goes, my cats had no bleeding what so ever. It’s really not that hard with today’s technology to do such things as declaw a cat. If we can transplant hearts and other vital organs, we sure as heck can declaw a cat without problems. If you are going to a vet who hurts your cat, well then your just dumb. You def. picked the wrong vet to go to! Do your research… end of story.
Jessica….
i’m on your side all my cats are awsome and they are declawed and happy cats,…. This Franny what the heck is she doing linking a porno site for people to look at, kids can come on here she must of had a head injury at one time, and she tells me to grow up in a previuos message.
Kevin,
Glad I’ve got people on my side =) You rock! Yeah my cats never once had any problems with being declawed. Never missed a beat. Never walked different, nothing. I don’t see how people think it’s torture but again whatever maybe they are just seeing more than they really are.
Yeah and I’m guessing she doesn’t realize she posted to a porn site, and that’s giving the benefit of the doubt. It needs to get deleted immediately because yes children can access it easily.
Jessica, I have over 6,000 pages on my site with probably 10 X that number of links and and I have NEVER put any links to porn sites on it. However, domains do expire and are resold to the highest bidder, so it’s remotely possible that such a link can exist.
Please back up your claim of a porn link by emailing me with the URL of my page where you claim to have seen it. Otherwise, I’ll assume that you just threw that in to “support” your arguments.
Kevin, you just keep on proving my point.
Franny
That is the link that you put XXX instead of what was there….well by doing that it links to a uh…not so PG site.
Just for the record this is NOT the site I had referred!
Or just look at your comment, comment 17 on this article…if you doubt them (trust me they are right) click on it and it will take you to something I’m sure you had no intention of promoting.
Thank you Shamby for showing her that. I greatly appreciate it. Franny, I assume you were just trying to cover up this site Shamby had posted about however when you put the XXX to disguise the domain name that takes you to (deleted) which is none other than a porn site. For that matter it’s probably the biggest and most well known site lol. I’m sure it wasn’t on purpose but it’s my proof… just click the link (like Shamby mentioned in comment number 17).
Ok sorry I didn’t realize it was going to automatically link that site…. but it automatically redirects you there and ignores the declawing portion of the addy.
Okay, that was a dumb mistake by me. Thanks for clearing it up, Shamby and Jessica, and thanks for sort of giving me the benefit of the doubt. I’ve now moderated all the comments containing that link, and I need to get back to work now.
Has anybody come up with any new ideas yet? I would love to know where I’m supposed to focus my “effort” to magically get my cat to stop wrecking things and hurting people.
There are many people who have commented about how declawing is barbaric, not natural, selfish, etc, etc. It’s not even NATURAL for cats to live in houses. We have only brought them into our homes for our own SELFISH human reasons. I’m sure that my cats would much prefer to be roaming free in the wild somewhere. How is it not BARBARIC to cut out parts of a cats reproductive system? This too is done only for our own SELFISH reasons. I’m sure my cats would love to have sex and experience the joys of having kittens like they NATURALLY do. The day that you anti-declawing activists have all natural cats reproducing, spraying and bleeding all over your house is the day that you can call yourselves better than everyone else.
LOL, hey franny and what point is it that i supposobly keep proving???
Greg, those plastic caps that cover a cat’s claws might help. I have a friend who used them for her cat and they worked great. They don’t last forever — maybe 6 weeks — but it’s cheaper than replacing furniture.
I have a bit of a problem…
…and I want to hear from everybody
I had two cats for the last nine years. They were declawed before I knew how terrible declawing was.
One of them passed away eight months ago so I wanted to get my other cat a new buddy.
The people at the cat rescue place gave me the most womderfull, loving kitten, but made me sign a contract that says, if I were to get him declawed, they can take him back.
That was fine with me, I wasn’t going to get him declawed anyway.
As he has grown he has begun to use his claws like crazy. I don’t mind the scratches on me and he doesn’t attack the couches…
He is constantly attacking our other cat! It’s horrible.
She likes him but when he plays with her, he scratches her like crazy. She won’t sleep in the bed with me anymore, because she is afraid. She won’t lay on the couch with me because she is afraid.
I’ve tried everything but the my older cat keeps getting attacked, and without her claws, she can’t defend herself.
The vet said I should just get him declawed but I stuck with that contract I signed.
Can they really take my cat away?
I love both my kitties and don’t know what to do.
A little help?
Hi Frank,
Indeed, you do not need to have the younger cat declawed. However, since your particular situation is so involved, and my time is severely limited tonight, I’d like for you to post your comment to my forum. You can join at http://cats.about.com/mpboards.htm. We have many forum members with years of experience with similar situations, and I know they’d be more than happy to help you. Tell them Franny sent you!
Otherwise, you’ve managed to post your comment to a blog post that was made over 7 months ago, so it’s unlikely anyone else will see it for awhile.
I disapprove of declawing cats, but I sympathize with those who are dealing with cats that scratch. If your child is acting dstructively, you have to stop it, whether it is human or feline. The problem is, cats need to scratch. And declawing them is essentially removing their fingers. Would you remove your child’s fingers to keep him from drawing on the walls or fingerpainting the couch?
My own cat scratched at first, but I was able to train her fairly easily to only use a scratching post. It was important to find one that she liked. The first one I got her wasn’t sturdy enough. she likes to lunge at it and scratch furiously. My dad built her one that she LOVES!!!!! It is an eyesore, but it works for her, so I can live with it. The only problem I’ve had since then is when we were visitng my parents at their house. One room had carpet on the lower past of a wall. (It actually made sense, but does sounds odd, I know.) Anyway, my cat thought it was okay to scratch there. She was very confused when I stopped her. It seems she associated that wall with her scrathing post in some way that I have never understood. After I stopped her a couple of times, she finally got it. With the exception of a very few instances like that, where one surface seemed to her to BE a scratching post, she has always been an angel about avoiding inappropriate scratching. She is fifteen now, and can’t jump like she used to. Sometimes, she will jump onto furniture and miss, and the little dear tries so hard to avoid scratching things when she catches herself. She understands that scratching is destructive and she can only sratch items that belong to her alone. she even has a vertical scratching pad that she loves to sit on. She knows that she is allowed to scratch it, but she loves it so much that she only scratches it occasionally. I swear that she understands that scratching it will eventually destroy it, and she wants to keep it! (She knows that the carpet on her post wears out and has to be replaced. She was a nervous wreck the first time I pulled the old carpet off. You should have seen her relief and joy when a new carpet was put on it.
I’m thinking of adopting a kitten that was born to a feral cat in my friend’s yard. If I do this this, I may wind up with a cat that is hard to train. What would i do if I tried everything and nothing worked? I want to say say that I would NEVER declaw a cat, because I feel that is is terribly wrong. While the cat may not be in pain all its life, declawing changes the way that they move, jump, etc. Plus, a cats only job as a member of my household is to catch any mouse stupid enough to come in. While declawed cats can catch mice, it is harder for them. I believe that I can train this kitten to behave appropriately. What if I truly can’t? i would probably put items around my furniture to prevent access to them when I wasn’t home and live like that, but that would be a difficult and unpleasant way to live. I really think that almost any kitten can be trained - and I say almost because saying all includes all, and I can’t say that for sure. Adopting an adult cat that scratches would be harder because the behaviour is set. However, with discouragement of inappropriate behaviour and encouragement of positive behaviour, it should be possible.
If you asking what to do when everything you have tried doesn’t work, I want to say to try another method, but if you are truly soul-searching about this, you have probably tried every method you’ve been able to find out about. I would ask that you consider either finding a way to live with the behaviour or perhaps finding the cat a home with someone who can live with it. Would you cut off your child’s fingers to save the furniture? Woudl you cut them off if the child was using them to hurt his brother? Someone posted that their new cat was using his claws on their declawed cat. Perhaps, as hard as it might be to give up the new cat, a new home might be a better answer? It would kill me to give up a cat, but what is best for the cat? I think we need to ask that.
If you know you want a cat, but can’t live with scratching, please consider adoting a cat that has already been declawed. THese cats need to find good indoor-only homes, preferably without clawed co-cats. Why not get what you want without inflicting this change on another cat? I use that word because I can’t think of a less confrontational word that conveys my thoughts. Anyway, this might be the solution for you. my friend did this. She disapproves of declawing, but can’t afford to have her furniture ruined. This worked in everyone’s favor.
As for those who argue that spaying and neutering is just as cruel, are you prepared to give a home to every kitten born? THere are so many unwanted cats right now. My sister adopted a female that wasn’t spayed. Her cats are indoor only cats, and the other cat she has was a neutered male. This shouldn’t be a problem, right? Wrong. THe female, who normally has NO desire to leave this nice home she found, got out while she was in heat. THey caught her within fiteen minutes, but … she wasn’t alone. Keeping them indoors is not a foolproof method. I don’t feel as strongly about the need for spaying and neutering as I do about the negstive aspects of declawing, but without these surgeries, there would be even more unwanted cats. THere are stray cats everywhere already. I believe in spaying and neutering because it is the better choice. I adopted a cat from a shelter, so I had no choice. THe kitten I’m lanning to adopt will be spayed too. I’m still trying to find homes for her mother and siblings. Two cats is my limit - I’ve lived with three before (my own plus two that i was caring for while their mother was working abroad for a few moths) and I couldn’t give them all all of the attention that they needed.
My cat is getting declawed on Tuesday. My decision. Hate to do it, but doing it anyway. I have had all my cats declawed. Their personalities did not change. They still use a scratching post. We call it using the digit post. I hate when they come home. I hate having done it. But we have tried everything that is on the anti-declawing websites. Long talks with several vets. This works for us. I am happy you’ve found something that works for you. They are indoor cats. They can still climb. They can still stretch. They cannot defend themselves…hence they stay indoors.
I didn’t answer the survey because the questions do not fit my situation. I have two cats. My first cat I reluctantly declawed as she was to be an indoor cat, went balistic when I cut her claws and inadvertantly scratched me twice in the eye. Under that same circumstances, I would do it again. I have a second cat that I got as a companion later on and looked for a cat that had already been declawed because I preferred not to declaw another cat but didn’t want to put my first cat at a disadvantage when dealing with her new roomate.
Although I would not automatically declaw a cat, given the severity of the operation, I have to say that my cat suffered no ill effects. Her personality didn’t change. She does not bite, except inadvertantly in play. Although she does not go outside her house is invaded by the occasional mouse which she makes short work of. Furthermore both of my cats knead their paws when they are content so those who say that declawed cats are lacking that important tactile comfort would appear to be wrong. Lastly my cat still ocasionally uses her scratching post which she never used to do when she had claws.
Meritaten,
I never said that I don’t believe in spaying and neutering. I in fact believe that it is the right thing to do. I said that spaying and neutering isn’t “natural”. Some people are using the argument that getting a cat declawed isn’t “natural”, and therefore is wrong. I was trying to prove the point that what is “natural” isn’t always the best/only solution.
i found this site after just getting scratched deeply in my ear from my cat
because she is very skittish.
she was just laying down on the sofa with me as i was petting her like always. suddenly a noise from outside, not loud, just a bump from next door startlesher and she completely freaks out. claws came out and left deep cuts in my ear. i looked in the mirror and saw the dripping blood cascading down the inside of my ear.
this was not the first time something like this has happened to me with this particular kitty(one yr old).
she is one of two cats. her brother is the bigger of the two and he is gentle all the time.
contemplating.
if this happens again i would either declaw or seriously consider gettting rid of her which i don’t want to do.
i’m saying this maybe in anger as the my throbbing ear is still being pressed with a napkin to stop the bleeding.
Instead of declawing, many cats get abandoned and/or euthanised. Most agencies in Canada seem to have a ban on adoption into pro-declawing homes. The result, of course is predictable:
1. We snuff a lot of cats in Canada because fully half of prospective cat owners do not want cats with claws, and
2. People who want de-clawed cats end up buying from breeders, adding even more cats to the overpopulation pool.
There is nothing humane about condemning a procedure that results in preservation of lives. Declawing saves lives… the self-righteous views of agencies against declawing (and believe me they are holier than mere mortals, folks, if you don’t believe it go talk to them at your local petsmart) cost lives.
My moral arithmetic says declawing is less serious than killing.
I’ve read both sides of this debate with quite some interest. I’m taking a neutral stance at this time. One thing that strikes me about the anti-declaw sites out there is this: They are so desperate to make their point they make up all kinds of stuff that just makes my B.S. detector go off. It diminishes their credibility. Why make statements like “95% of declawed cats will never use a litter box again” and more. I’ve known people with declawed cats and that just does not match my experience in any way.
And then there are all the analogies that declawing is the “equivilant” to chopping off your finger or pulling out your teeth. I’ve looked at the procedure and it does not look equivalent to me. It is more serious than trimming a fingernail, but not the equivalent of chopping off a finger (or a paw). Chopping off a finger (or a paw) would be a MUCH more serious procedure. Again, it just diminishes credibility.
Look, there are reasons that people may want to consider not declawing. I think those reasons stand on their own. If it is unnecessary surgery, and it surely does cause some pain to the cat, then why do it?
What I get a kick out of though, are those people that say something like “I have two cats and all I did was this and they stopped scratching”. Well good for you. Unfortunately, not all cats are exactly identical to those two cats.
If a declawing stops a cat from going to a high-kill shelter, should the cat go to the high-kill shelter rather than be declawed? I realize these are serious moral questions that will not be answered in a forum discussion. Philosophers have been debating such moral questions for millennia.
Bottom line: anti-declaw advocates will actually have a stronger argument when they stop exagerating. When I read something without saying to myself “that’s not true, that’s not quite right”, then people can focus on the true arguments. Otherwise, the exagerations just get in the way.
I value my cats over my furniture. When I adopted my kittens I took on a responsibility to care for them the way they deserve to be cared for. I have trained them to use scratching posts- it took a little effort- but, like I said, that’s the responsibility I took on. I have made changes to my home to fit my cats- not changed my cats to fit my home. It’s kind of scary that, at this moment, 14% of voters said they have declawed their cat and would do it again. I just ask these people to please do some research into this procedure before you decide to do it again- for the sake of your kitties.
I’m sorry but anyone who says anything along the lines of “I love my cat, but if it doesn’t stop scratching, I’m going to have to get rid of it.” If you loved your cat you would not consider ‘getting rid of it.’ Like I said before, when you take in a cat you take on a responsibility. If you are going to declaw I would rather see you ‘get rid of the cat’ so someone else can give it the care it deserves.
I’ve been scratched on accident- I was scratched in my eye- am I going to get rid of him? Of course not. I sympathize with people who had the procedure done without knowing what it entails- but it makes me sick to know that people can be so selfish as to have the procedure done, knowing that it is the amputation of the cats ‘fingers’, simply because they deem their precious furniture more important. Get over it. If you think a stupid couch is more important than your living, breathing cat, you don’t deserve to have a cat.
And for whoever said that spay/neutering was for selfish reasons- are you serious?! Do you know how many perfectly healthy cats and kittens are put to sleep every year because there aren’t enough homes for them?! THOUSANDS. By spaying/neutering we are saving THOUSANDS of cats from that fate.
For the person wanting more info on keeping cats from scratching- try the caps over the claws- you’ll have to replace them every 6 weeks or so but they do work. It will just take a little effort on your part. But I know I would rest a lot easier knowing that I put in the effort to solve my cats scratching problems instead of taking the ‘easy’ way out by having it’s ‘fingers’ chopped off.
I have always had pedigree cats, my current being Julius Caesar, a beautiful and loving Burmese. I have had all of my cats declawed, with no infections or problems; maybe I am one of the lucky ones, but I believe if a cat is “indoors only” they should be declawed. I do not feel I am inhumane to have this procedure done, I just feel it is best for both parties.
This is a response to Lawrence #13 - First of all, cats defend themselves with their back claws, not their front claws. The cat was “set upon” because he was an indoor cat with no outside “street smarts!”
All nine of my cats are declawed. They behave exactly as if they still had claws, i.e., they continue to scratch on the furniture, carpet, etc. However, there is no need to scold or squirt water at them, they can behave as they like. Never have had litterbox issues or personality changes, either. Also, people who have immune disorders or are diabetic cannot afford to have any type of accidental scratch. With all the animals in shelters being euthanized, I am sure those cats who rather have a happy home than be put to sleep with their claws!
I’ve had declawed cats, but would never do it again!! I had a cat sit and hold it’s paw up and meow, many,many times, like it hurt. I ripped a fingernail off, that hurt!! Can you imagine taking all you fingers off to the first joint? No way!!
I have “ALOT” of cats and only a few claw the furniture, it’s not worth furniture to destroy your cats poor little paws!!
If you want furniture, don’t allow your cat in that room!! Allow them free run when you can watch them!!
This is a very hard question to answer. I would never declaw a cat. I can imagine how it makes a cat feel. (You see, I had one of my toes amputated which I liken to declawing.) However I don’t know what to tell the person who has a cat and the choice is declawing or putting the cat to sleep. I believe that owners can work with cats to train them away from damaging furniture, etc. Also another reason is that in the event that a cat escapes, he would be helpless outdoors.
I have two cats, and neither of my cats is declawed. As a pet parent, I took on the responsibility for caring and respecting my cats for what they are: cats. Cats sometimes claw furniture; occasionally they’re going to accidentally scratch their human. This is what happens when you care for cats. If someone is not prepared for this then they shouldn’t have cats.
In many other countries in the world legislation has passed making it illegal to declaw cats, such as England, Germany, Australia, and Japan, etc. Only if it is in the health interest of the cat do these countries allow declawing because it is viewed as inhumane. Perhaps the United States should follow in the same path, but I sincerely doubt it will happen anytime soon, if ever.
In addition to respond to Gracy’s comment #47, cats use both their front and back claws in defense. First a cat will swat an opponent with its front claws, and then lie on its back and use its back claws. There are defensive purposes for front claws.
Declawing cats is extreme barbaric mutilation and has absolutely no place in a civilised society. It is born through veterinary greed and from cat owners showing more concern for their personal belongings than an animal’s life.
No veterinary practitioner in the UK or parts of the European mainland would be allowed by their respective professional bodies to perform such an act and a discerning public would ensure that anybody conducting this would no longer be allowed to practice. The profession here would never contemplate such a prcatice.
There are many South African vets in the UK and I approached my own local practice to ask their view from a South African viewpoint. They were visibly horrified and one added that he had ‘thought that the USA was a civilised society’.
I had my two indoor cats declawed. We tried several scratching posts, scratch pads, everything, but they continued to rip the curtains, sheets, furniture, etc. They seem fine. Don’t buy into the “don’t declaw” scare.
I wanted to find out what is meant by
‘nail beds’ removed rather than ‘digits’. No one responded to that letter and I wonder if that is possible to do. Is is a less invasive way to do de-clawing? Does anyone else have personal experience with a vet performing this on their cat? Thanks.
Kathie,
Removing the nail bed IS removing the first digit. In order to ensure that the claw does not grow back again, the ENTIRE nail bed must be removed, which means amputating the first digit in its entirety.
Franny Syufy
I currently work at a vet clinic right now. Declawing is a very practical procedure that allows more people to adopt these beautiful animals. It’s amusing to see this article state that ‘if you don’t know where you stand, please read all this anti-declawing propoganda before coming to an “informed” decision.’ I have seen first-hand what declawed cats go through, and it’s really not that different from spaying/neutering, which is actually much more invasive. To call declawing mutilation makes me laugh - it’s no more mutilation then fixing is. Multilation literally means “removal of a body part.” Don’t be a hypocrite and blantantly show a double-standard.
I couldn’t bear the thought of declawing my beloved fur baby. If our situations were reversed, I sure wouldn’t want her, as my Mama, to have the first digits on my hands amputated.
I’m posting a comment to this discussion because I am appalled by the outrageous statements made by both sides of the arguement.
I can only comment on my own personal experience(s) with the many cats who have come through my home. When my husband and I first moved in together he had a 10 year old brown tabby (with claws) and I had a 2 year old orange tabby (declawed). We did not experience many issues integrating the 2 cats into one household and the orange guy was able to hold his own against his clawed “brother” as cats use their back feet for defending themselves. Even though my husband’s only contribution to furnishing the new home was a TV cabinet and a bed frame we never considered getting the old guy declawed. For 7 years (until his death due to kidney failure) we used SoftPaws on him. We ordered them in funky colours to amuse ourselves although I’m sure he had a hard time explaining the pink ones to the rest of the neighbourhood kitties.
In the mean time 4 other cats have been rescued by us. One adopted our nephew and has since left us for the love of an 8 yr old boy, with her claws. We had the other 3 all declawed after much consideration. Each time a new kitten came home we would watch and try to teach/discipline. We tried what we thought was reasonable - the sprays, scratching posts, squirt bottles etc but when the time came for spay/neutering we made the decision to have them declawed (front paws only) and microchiped all at the same time.
We currently have 4 lovely kitties with us and they are indoors with some outside time but only in the backyard (1 at a time) when we can give them undivided attention.
We never went back to the SoftPaws but if we ever ended up with another cat with claws and they were older than 18 months I would definitely use the nail caps again. I would highly recommend them to any clawed cat owner. If you can’t find them in your local petstore you can order them online. Just be aware that they come in various sizes.
Each time we brought our new kitty to the vet we would ask her what the latest info was (since there were sometimes several years in between). The last time (which was Sept 2007) she gave me an article written by a gentleman from Toronto who is apparently a famous animal researcher/writter (his name eludes me at this moment but I will ask her for the name again and post it later). The article was about how IF a cat ends up at a shelter there is a greater likelihood of a declawed cat getting adopted than a clawed cat. I’m not judging the validity of his work/research and Franny if you like I can probably get a copy of this article and scan it to you for your review. In any case what he said made sense to us and so we made the decision to have the procedure done.
I’m sure that many of you have already judged me. Would your judgement of me be less harsh if you knew that: the orange tabby was my mother’s cat first and it was she who had him declawed; for almost a year we gave that sweet old brown tabby sub-Q fluids, meds and special diet to extend the quality of his life; nurtured 3 cats through the calici virus; managed to get the orange tabby into diabetic remission and have maintained his remission for almost 2 years now.
As someone who has lived both sides of the argument I try to appreciate what each side brings to the table but no matter what side you are on I am most in favour of doing what is right for you and your household - just be aware of what your motivation is in what you choose to do.
I did it to my cats 13 years ago when I didn’t know better. Never again. One my male cat, 8 years after the declaw, his paw started to bleed. So we took him to the vet and she said his body was rejecting a big chunk of glue from the declaw. So sad and needless. I feel guilty whenever I think about it.
The way I look at it, if you don’t want a cat with claws, get a stuffed one (it will last much longer anyway). All four of my cats still have their claws and are just fine the way they are.
Changing Views of Declawing over 30+ Years of Cat Ownership
O.M.G. I have learned over the years why declawing should not be the first option, and overall I agree. When I got my first kitten in 1977, the vet would not spay until she’d passed her first heat. She went in to heat at about 6 months and did NOT come out! For weeks and weeks I had male cats gathering at my front and back doors yowling to my poor frightened baby who climbed the drapes out of fear and frustration. I’d gently disentangle her claws because she couldn’t get down on her own. The young husband screamed plenty about the holes in the new drapes, but I ignored that handily. I was more concerned for my little girl! One day I returned from working a 6 hour shift to find her hanging from the drapes, screaming. She’d obviously been there for some time, and freed one paw, but a claw on the other paw had gotten twisted in the fabric and was bleeding. I took her right to the vet after snipping the drapes to free her without inflicting further injury. The vet finally agreed to spay her (she’d been in heat for 8 weeks!), even though he’d sworn to me before that he could NOT spay her during or before her first heat without dire consequences to her health. Considering the injury she’d done to herself with the drapery, we agreed that it would be best to declaw her at the same time.
After her surgery, he said that her ovaries were loaded with cysts, and it was good that I’d pushed to have her spayed when I did. (eyeroll)
After her recovery she became much more affectionate and loving, but she was always something of a fighter. If she got the hint that an idea was afoot to take her out to the car, she’d hide.in the 6″ wide and 6′ long opening between our king sized waterbed and the wall. When I’d dip her at home, she’d bite me, and determinedly claw at me with her back feet. She never trusted strangers, but immediately accepted each of my babies when I brought them home. She would make friends with our human friends only after many, many carefully supervised visits.
She was a loving kitty who was very happy because I made sure she always got her way. Alas, at 13 she had a severe systemic allergic reaction to a new flea dip, and I held her in my arms while the vet (not that first one!) helped her over the rainbow bridge. The dip, or her reaction to it, had blinded her and damaged her heart.
A few months after losing The Beems in 1990, we visited the county pound to look for a new kitty or two. (I’d always wanted two, but Beems had tried very hard to kill the one kitten I’d tried to introduce to our home.) My then 8 yr old youngest son walked up to the first cat he saw at his eyelevel, and stuck his finger in the cage. Mitzi went right up to his finger and rubbed her cheek on it. She was listed as 4 months old, picked up from the street the day before (not ready to adopt until further examination/observation), and someone had already offered to adopt her as soon as she was ready. My little boy stood by that cage all afternoon, clearly in love. We could only tear him away as they were closing. We signed up for Mitzi “just in case” the first offered home fell through. I’d signed up for another 4-5 month kitten also still under observation. Three days later I got a call at work to come down and pay Mitzi’s adoption fee before the spaying vet got there that day, or they would release her for adoption to the next person on her list. I left work with a rushed explanation and made the 40 minute drive without incident in the half hour time frame I’d been given. I wrote a check and went to visit “my” little Ginger Snap, to find someone else in her cage! She’d been put to sleep that morning. Why? She’d yorked up a hairball, and they decided that meant she wasn’t healthy enough to adopt out. I selected another cat that was “ready to go.” Mookie was listed as 11 mos old, already fixed by a previous owner who surrendered him for reason “couldn’t keep” ??? He was scheduled to be put down that evening if not adopted. He’d been there for months and no one had ever signed his card with an adoption offer. I waited for Mitzi’s spay procedure to finish, boxed them both up and took them straight to my new neighborhood vet for tests, shots, examinations, flea baths and yes, declawing. After leaving my new kittehs, my orders and my check at the front desk I turned toward the door to return to work, the vet came out and saw me stopping to greet his resident office cat, Mickey. He asked if I was afraid of Mickey because he had claws. I said no, I’d never approached him without his permission and he’d never threatened me. He told me that cats didn’t need declawing to be good pets and that he really didn’t like to do that to cats. Then he got called away, and said he would be careful not to “botch” the procedure as he’d often seen and treated such results, and after asking me to reconsider on any future cats I might adopt, he ran in back to handle whatever was needed of him and I returned to work.
It was only when I returned to the vet that evening to pick up my new kittehs, all vaccinated, tested, wormed, dipped and groomed, declawed and medicated (for their kennel cough) that they told me Mookie was probably closer to 5 years than 11 months old. Even then, I’d already known it was cruel to declaw an adult cat that was used to relying on his claws. The deed was already done and there was nothing I could do. I brought them home. Mitzi was kept in my son’s room and Mookie in mine for that first week to adapt and recover. Both seemed very content, though it was reported by my son that Mitzi was quite playful and affectionate, while Mookie was just content to cuddle and eat. They each had their own litterbox (paper only), food, water and human slave. During the second week, each got the run of the rest of the house for an hour or two while the other stayed in their own room. On Saturday of week three when Mitzi was having her turn at run of the house, she came sniffing at my door (I was inside with Mookie). Mookie’s ears and nose perked up, and he sniffed back at her from the inside.
Bracing for anything, I opened the door a crack. They sniffed each other’s noses, and Mitzi nonchalantly slithered in and walked right past him to explore. He turned around to take a swat at her and I saw the shock on his face when he spread his hand and no claws popped out. He looked at his paw in horror, he looked at me and he KNEW I’d done it to him!! He swatted Mitzi anyway, but he ducked fast and far when she swatted him right back. He was more than twice her size, but it was a good a few weeks before he fully realized she was clawless too. Until then, he respected her distances and they seemed to get along without fighting, so they both had run of the house. As he slowly lost his fear of the claws she didn’t have, little wars broke out. War over the food bowls, the litter boxes, the favored perches, war over nothing at all. He was bigger, faster and meaner, but she was smarter and more patient, also damned impertinent. She’d piss him off just for the fun of it. He’d look out the window, she’d capture his magnificent tail. He’d pin her down, she’d bunny kick him in his face and throat. He’d beat her for using a litter box, then lie across the hallway to block her access to all the bedrooms and litter boxes. She shrugged and sat behind the kitchen wall, knowing that sooner or later he’d walk away from his post and look for some food. She sat there in pounce position all afternoon while he fell asleep, got up from his nap and stretched, having forgotten just why he’d napped right there, and strolled toward the kitchen and some food. She jumped out from behind that wall with one paw curled in to a fist and bopped him a roundhouse right upside the head.
I fell off the couch howling with laughter, he just stood there for like five minutes shaking his head hard until it cleared. He was clearly humiliated, a big black longhaired 12 lb.hulk like him, beaten by that little shorthaired 5 lb. tuxedo vixen. Just about that time, we got a call from my older son’s best friend whose long haired calico unexpectedly threw 5 kittens, including another cally like a mini-me of Momma (whom I’d wanted to cat-nap for her resemblance to my newly lost little Beems.) Needless to say, we soon brought home a tiny 1 lb kitten. With the wars between 5-6 lb Mitzi and 12 lb Mookie, I hoped little Dougan would bring out some nurturing instincts, but decided this little one may need her claws to hold her own as she grew. She lived in oldest son’s room for adjustment & protection. She turned out to be such a submissive little lover that the other two ignored her and went on fighting each other for the Top Cat spot. We had no trouble training Dougan to scratch only on the post, using only gentle taps and firm words. She soon forgot she had claws at all. One day they came out instinctively when Mookie tripped over her as he ran by, chasing Mitzi. The sight of her claws scared her more than they scared him or Mitzi. I never saw them come out again, except to be trimmed.
Mookie could not live with the humiliation of being firmly put in 2nd place by Mitzi. He developed some horrid PTSD behaviors which included pulling out all his fur and bad bad litter box strikes. He went on a hunger strike, and starved himself to death. I had a horrible time with the guilt. If I’d known his true age, I would probably have left him at the pound where he’d have been gassed without first having to live the 2-3 years of torture I’d put him through. It would have been kinder to the poor guy. No one set out to torture this poor cat, except perhaps whomever originally dumped him at the shelter for whatever reason (perhaps he was a bully in his first home too?). I blame the well meant lie about his age, which was surely only meant to give him a chance at a home, but got him traumatically declawed and shut in with a tiny cat he could. NOT. dominate. He’d obviously been used to going in and out, which I could not allow as I had a very busy crossroad four houses down from me, plus he was now clawless and defenseless. Even if I’d left his paws alone, he’d surely have gotten away with getting out now and then and soon been road pizza or alligator food. Yes, we lived in South Florida near a lake. It happens to cats and dogs from time to time.
The girls settled in well together after Mookie was “out of their way.” Dougan was only too happy to let Mitzi be the QUEEN. Dougan died suddenly of a pulmonary embolism at the age of four and a half. She ran in to younger son’s room, made a horrid noise and collapsed. I ran home, scooped her up, tried a Heimlich (she was a random chewer) tried to clear her throat which was shut tight and bleeding; I tried rushing her immediately to the vet. Too late, she was gone.
Her mom had been “gifted” to our friends by a licensed breeder of champion Persians. I learned that Persians are given to the malady she died of at about 4 yrs old, especially where there is inbreeding. The breeder that dumped Dougan’s mom on my unsuspecting friend surely knew she was already preggers, but could not be sure which of their studs did the deed. One possibility was her own father, one was an uncle. Yeah, private breeders are always careful and ethical, sure they are. I missed that sweet little girl for a long, long time.
Mitzi dug up all the litter boxes the next day, and finding nothing fresh, realized she was now the ONLY KITTEH IN THE HOUSE, and quickly settled in to happily rule the roost full of only us lowly humans. The kids grew up and out. Mitzi and I became constant companions. (Okay, I was her happy, willing slave.)
Two years ago I had a disabling stroke. During my extended hospital stay, Mitzi was fostered by a real live human angel with two large fully clawed cats of her own. She quickly terrorized the home cats with the force of her personality and voice. She lived with them for 8 months, and they never dared try to put her little old 6 lb self in her place long enough to find out how defenseless she really was. She got to visit me a few times near the end, and was not allowed to suffer long when her final illness (a rapidly growing pancreatic cancer) became painful. My only regret for Mitzi is that I couldn’t be there to hold her myself as she went gently over the rainbow bridge with the vet’s help. She was a cat of infinite resource and sagacity. Two months after that, I was finally released and went to live with my daughter and her family of husband, 3 little girls, one lover of a big dog and one little hide-all-the-time, unfriendly, fully clawed scaredy-cat.
Last September, we moved to North Carolina, following DSIL’s job opportunity. The local culture is very harsh on cats and dogs. They don’t fix or vaccinate their pets here, and they let them run free all over the place breeding at will. Wanna talk about IN-HUMANE?? Drive down a few roads here in Fayetteville. If you love cats or dogs, it will surely make you cry.
I decided I’m ready to live on my own again, and spent a few weeks searching for a suitable apartment that would allow me to rescue a new kitteh of my own. I knew I’d never find another Mitzi, but my lap was empty and lonely long enough. Every single complex that allowed cats REQUIRED they be declawed! Sheesh, people abandon cats and dogs all over the place here just to avoid the vet bills associated with normal care like shots and sterilization. Plus, military families get transferred here all the time, only to find out too late that the standard rental rule is “one pet, under 30 lbs., fixed, vaccinated and DECLAWED IF FELINE” yikes.
A tiny black and white kitten followed my daughter home from walking the kiddos to the school bus at the beginning of October. She was clearly starving, abandoned, and had one eye swollen shut. We fed her, cleaned her up a bit, and she happily let us love on her. I took her to the vet. Had her wormed, vaccinated, her eye was scarred not punctured and cleared up quickly on antibiotics. The next day I found a handicap accessible apartment with kitteh allowed and NO requirement to declaw. We moved right in, me, my Baby and all her new toys. The only thing she ever clawed was my jeans as she’d climb up to my lap. Good thing, because while I can hobble around my apartment, catching a running cat is out of the question. Now she’s big, I can’t even pick her up as only one hand works; she scootches away from me with no trouble. She comes if she wants to when called. Okay, MOST of the time she runs to me when I call her, and follows me around like a puppy. When she was 4 months old and DD came to drive her to the vet for her spay appointment, I showed my daughter my arms and legs. We agreed, the claws had to come out, as I take blood thinners and will for the rest of my life to prevent further strokes.
Capturing and holding a squirming kitteh for a nail trim or to put caps on is out of the question for me. The vet was consulted regarding the procedure, and agreed to make sure her pain was adequately managed. The vet is across town, near my daughter’s house. Gas costing what it does, DD took kitteh and I stayed home. Two days later, she brought her back from the vets with her antibiotics and pain meds pre-measured in little needle-less syringes. I felt a little guilty when my BabyGirl ran to ME for protection from all she’d been through, but I made a big fuss over comforting her and caring for her boo boos. Baby would sit in my lap, where I could pin her butt under my good elbow, pull her lip down with my pinky and squirt the meds in her mouth at the same time, all with the same hand. I made her a clean litter box, filled with lots of soft clean toilet paper (easier for me than cutting up newsprint with one working hand). She healed better and faster from her surgeries than I did from her remaining unintentional scratches. She is sweet, happy and very loving and playful. She runs and hides from my exuberant granddaughters when they visit, because she is NOT used to being unceremoniously picked up for a cuddle. She’s used to walking over for a cuddle when she feels like it. It’s all a matter of respecting what the kitteh wants! The kiddos are learning. DD took in another abandoned stray kitten, who soon threw a litter of her own. Two of the four now weaned kittens have been fixed, vaccinated and re-homed. One to go and the last will be fixed and kept, along with her now fixed momma. Sometimes I feel like we’re the only real human beings in this crazy town.
My Baby Girl still uses her front paws to pull herself up to the narrow windowsill in my living room. Or she did when her boyfriend used to visit every evening. I found him looking like a pizza at the side of the road 3 weeks ago, only recognizable by his front paw. Now she only sits in the window if she hears something and has to investigate. She used to sit there all day long waiting for him. He was not a stray, he lived here in my complex. I’d seen him sitting inside his own window during the daytime. Evenings, he was allowed to roam.
Declawing? Not always necessary, but sometimes needed. When done, great care must be taken; from decision, through surgery and after care. Me? If I couldn’t have it properly done, I’d have kept my Baby Girl and born the constant bleeding. Before you unilaterally condemn the procedure, please think how many more poor kitties would die abandoned on our streets and roads or ‘humanely’ put down in shelters for lack of willing homes.
So, please, please, please! If you must pass laws, pass laws to keep fully sexed cats only in the hands of licensed breeders, and govern the breeders! From what I see, more pet cats are maimed and killed by cars than hurt by being declawed.
I’m so sick and tired of the preaching that fills every online cat community I visit! Yeah, let your cats out because NO car EVER comes within 2-3 miles of YOUR home, right? Then subject ME to your preaching about how cruel I am to my pampered, loved and happy baby because I declawed her rather than bleed all the freakin time or abandon her under pressure from my own doctors and family.
Try education, not unilateral condemnation. Save you preaching for those who choose to attend your church. You are NOT promoting more humane treatment of the cat population in general. Don’t take my word for it, visit a few ‘shelters.’ Even the so-called no-kill shelters here in the southern US have all become Auchwitz for cats and dogs alike.
My BabyGirl would surely have lived a short, miserable street life before dying alone, hungry, cold and unloved. She sure wouldn’t be pudgy, shiney and happily purring in her sleep, stretched out in my lap with her face tucked under my arm.
I’ve rarely ever known of an inside/outside cat who died of old age. I’ve known a few who’ve reached a respectable age, but still met their maker under the wheels of a speeding car. Oh, my cousins’ cat was eaten by a coyote at 15-16 years old; she lives out in the country where it’s ‘safe’ for kittehs to run free. Her new cat is kept inside and pampered along with her dogs.