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She declawed a cat, which is controversial and not something I would do, but it's not like she murdered somebody.
I think it's unfair to say she has a hard heart when you have never met the woman. Sure, declawing may be a mistake, but are you going to hang her in the town square? That seems to be the way you are reacting to this (other people, too).
I guess living in a rural area I just have to learn to live with the things people do. I have known people who have done away with animals themselves (of course, we don't have a pound or shelter to take them to and the pound would do the same thing, not that I approve of it but I have no alternatives to offer them). Few people here spay or neuter their pets. People here do a lot of things wrong, or don't do the things they should do. If somebody asks my advice on an animal problem I still try to help them. I can't change what has already been done but maybe I can help somebody with a current problem. I guess since I know what goes on here declawing doesn't seem like such an egregious wrong. The cat will survive and probably not have long term negative effects. Rather than verbally cutting the woman down we could instead try to help her with her current problem. It's not like she can have the claws put back on.
Of course, the OP is probably long gone. She came here asking for help and got jumped all over.
I realize we all deal with bad animal decisions people make, but the outrage should fit the "crime." If you want to get that angry get angry people who really do abuse their animals, not somebody who had a medical procedure done that most feel is wrong. Bad decision on her part? Probably. I doubt she meant to harm the cat, and, I would venture to guess, in the long run the cat will be fine. I think this whole thread has been an overreaction, people releasing all this anger that builds up when you see what people do to animals. It's still not right to release all this anger on this woman who probably did not mean any harm to her cat. If she had meant to harm him she wouldn't be asking what to do about this problem.
Repped for an awesome post. I could not agree more. I'm not a big fan of declawing myself and would not do it to my own cat however sure as hell won't burn a person at the stake if they did so.
She sounds as though, before getting the cat, she did no investigation or prep work into the responsibilities of having one.
Did she declaw the cat herself? Did she go to an illegal person in an alley somewhere to have somebody declaw her cat?
Don't know what else to type to bring this point home -- People trust and listen to the trusted licensed professional.
And just who performed the procedure for this client - as well as millions of others each & every day/month/year?
Where are the boycotts and viral posts over this procedure even being legally allowed? Ethics, anyone?
I didn't second-guess and get on the Internet because, due to having an Angel vet for so many decades, was conditioned to trust wholeheartedly after moving away from him. Trust me when I say that 4 pets suffered MUCH more than being declawed because I wasn't aware of how "influenced" by conflicts of interest which the sordid, *Mainstream* UNREGULATED mess really is $$$$$$$$$. Look on the stock exchange and see where the largest pet "care" chains in the country are -- also who owns the largest one. (May want to look into who owns a good chunk of the largest pet "insurance" rackets as well!!!!)
No problem with that but just keep on blaming the victims -- trusting pet owners who don't have degrees, licenses and advanced education on these species.
ETA: This is not "vet bashing" for it is only due to the honest, wonderful Veterinarians who have been speaking up that I even have a clue about anything now. I'm bashing corruption within a profession, which should be illegal by now.
Last edited by Pamina333; 10-01-2012 at 10:08 AM..
Did she declaw the cat herself? Did she go to an illegal person in an alley somewhere to have somebody declaw her cat?
Don't know what else to type to bring this point home -- People trust and listen to the trusted licensed professional.
I agree that the procedure should be banned. But at the end of the day, responsibility is all or nothing. YOU are responsible for YOUR cat. You don't get to give ANY of that responsibility away and put it on someone else.
Things were different before we had the internet. You basically had to trust your vet because there was no way to research what they told you. But almost (not all) people have access to a computer now, even if they have to visit the library to use it. We're no longer in the dark and at the mercy of the unethical.
Supply and demand. Vets wouldn't offer the procedure if their clients didn't choose it. Clients wouldn't choose it if vets didn't offer it. BOTH sides are doing wrong and the ony victims are the cats.
Trusting pet owners who don't have degrees, licenses and advanced education on these species.
How would they know that it entails more than "clipping claws" -- especially when it's offered in kitten "packages" by said licensed, trusted professionals?
*And even if somebody IS aware of the facts, then where are the protests and boycotts of these practices??
I didn't know carnivores were incapable of chewing & processing the carb-laden junkfoods. Had to learn the hard way & stumble on Internet information. Was I giving repsonsibilty away and "putting it on someone else"?
No.
I was conditioned to listen to the legal, licensed professionals, which I was not.
Are the people who keep seeing the heart-warming, convincing Beneful & Chow commercials while having vets who "OK" and even endorse such food giving responsibility away and "putting it on someone else"?
Just what percentage of these people finally get on the Internet when another pet has a "bloody intestinal" growth and/or renal failure, Diabetes, etc.??
And please don't anyone compare to human MDs and the second guessing. They face regulation and must answer to somebody. They can actually lose their licenses over being unethical & malpractice, and in fact get sued and shamed publicly every day over it.
Last edited by Pamina333; 10-01-2012 at 10:52 AM..
Trusting pet owners who don't have degrees, licenses and advanced education on these species.
How would they know that it entails more than "clipping claws" -- especially when it's offered in kitten "packages" by said licensed, trusted professionals?
They have the ability to go home and research.
In the fish world, LFS (local fish stores) almost always offer bad advice. They'll tell that you that cycling takes twenty four hours (more like 1-3 months) and it's safe to add fish after the first day of setting up the tank (fish shouldn't be added until cycling is done.) They tell you to add chemicals to adjust ammonia levels with chemicals instead of water changes. They tell you a common pleco is great for small tank when the fish will reach a huge size as it grows.
Point being, hundreds of thousands of fish DIE every year because of this bad advice. The LFS employees often don't even know better...they've never been trained, or their bosses have put profit over the lives of the fish.
But the fish keepers are the ones following that advice instead of using the many resources out there. They are equally responsible for the bad outcome. It doesn't matter how much you trust someone...you still hold that animal's life and health in your hands. It's still YOUR job to make sure what you are doing is the right choice.
When I got into fish, I researched fish. When I got Jonas, I researched the best food for his medical issues. When he got asthma, I researched asthma and found questions to ask my vet.
The question has been answered sufficiently, and the OP may consider taking her cat to the vet for additional information.
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