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I wonder.. The ones who thinks that it is inhumane to have a cats claws removed that your thinking we have front and back claws done.. MOST VETS will not remove the cats back claws.. they only remove the front. There are plenty of vets around here that will do this procedure. It really doesn't matter what you people think any ways if someone wants their cats claws removed then they will get them removed.. no different than, whether or not they want their dogs ears cropped or tail docked (in which I have heard this is inhumane also, even if it is due to injury) Which if thats the case well then I guess I am a bad person because we just had to have our dogs tailed amputated due to injury..
And Truthfully it is none of anyones business whether or not someone has their cats claws removed accept for the doctor and the owner of the pet! .. It is a choice in the home of which they live and no one out there has a right to tell anyone whether they can have this done or not. Sorry for lashing out but I can't stand for anyone to think just because they don't think something is right that they can rally and tell someone they can do or can't do.. It is BS. Now as for abusing an animal I do not think is right but this is a totally different subject!
You make some excellent points, wolfeyes. I have always only heard of having the front claws removed, never the back. My cat can do plenty of damage with his teeth and back claws if he needed to defend himself.
I look at it this way: this is MY home, that I am kind enough to share with my pets, with a few rules. We have spent alot of money to make our house look nice, and I refuse to have furniture and carpeting destroyed again due to the cats clawing at it. They are very well cared for and I certainly don't consider declawing or spaying/neutering as abuse when it is performed under a vet's care.
You make some excellent points, wolfeyes. I have always only heard of having the front claws removed, never the back. My cat can do plenty of damage with his teeth and back claws if he needed to defend himself.
I look at it this way: this is MY home, that I am kind enough to share with my pets, with a few rules. We have spent alot of money to make our house look nice, and I refuse to have furniture and carpeting destroyed again due to the cats clawing at it. They are very well cared for and I certainly don't consider declawing or spaying/neutering as abuse when it is performed under a vet's care.
I didn't do it for my furniture, I did it because I didn't want to be scratched and be afraid of my pet. I should have let them wreck the couch first-maybe my husband would have ok'd a new one then. LOL. We only had the front claws removed, and the scratches that were up and down my arms when we had to move and the kitties had to venture into a carrier prove they definately know how to effectively use their back claws. Oh-the reason they hate the carrier is because I'm such a heartless, emotionally poor person that I found them a vet who makes house calls so they don't have to go in the car which makes them sick.
Spaying and neutering of cats is not painful. Spaying entails what might be considered major surgery but I have had numerous (probably hundreds!) feral and domestic cats spayed and neutered over many years and with not an "ouch" from any of them, with recovery discomfort related only to coming out from the anesthesia.
As many posters have mentioned, declawing a cat is not recommended for many reasons and indeed many veterinarians refuse to do it. To declaw a cat because the furniture and drapes are worth more than the cat simply doesn't sit well with me. Neither does declawing a new kitten because the first cat is declawed and the "kid" takes a swipe and draws blood. So what? One little claw swipe and the older declawed cat would have quickly realized the consequences and adapted his or her attacks accordingly.
I've had a multi-cat household for donkey's years (literally!) and only once had a previously declawed cat come into the house. She melded well with the other felines, had a very benign personality but I had to take special care in order to prevent her from going outside because of her "handicap." The others would come and go during the day but were always in for the night and I always felt badly that, in all good conscience, I couldn't let her outside because she didn't have her natural defense weapons. She enjoyed being out on the enclosed porch but would have had a fuller life if she had had her basic defenses and was able to go outside with the others just to mess about.
The temptation to go out was obviously too great and, a year or so after I took her in, she managed to skip out one night after a dinner party at my house when people were coming and going. Usually on those occasions contained in the master bedroom, someone opened that door to use the master bathroom and she slipped out.
I was awakened at around 3AM by barking and yelping dogs in my driveway, ran out half-naked and found two dogs dragging this helpless kitty down the driveway. I screamed and yelled and threw rocks at them, they dropped her and ran. To no avail. She drew her last breath, covered in blood, in my arms.
These dogs weren't feral, they belonged to two different people/neighbours who just happened to let them out at night, the dogs got together in "pack" mentality to have fun and they happened to find a cat who they thought they could have simple fun with until they realized she was easy prey.
I figured the dogs might just come back so, the next day, I borrowed a BB gun from a friend and watched carefully. There were now four dogs trotting up the long driveway. I yelled, they turned tail and I blasted them in their arses with the BB gun. Who knows if a pellet actually hit any of them but there was a lot of yelping going on as they exited, and I never saw those dogs again.
In subsequent years I had two more cats attacked by dogs. As traumatic as those experiences were, the cats survived the attacks and the damages to them were relatively minimal with, yes, some surgery involved.
This thread can go on for years but my stance will never change. Declawing a cat is inhumane and is the emotionally poor person's excuse for preserving material things such as carpets, drapes and designer furniture at the expense of the animal's well-being. Some people should simply not have pets in their life.
Enough said for now. Cheers!
My vet has never had any issue with declawing (at same time as neuter/spay) The cats receive pain meds either way. How can you say that a neuter surgery is not painful? That doesn't make much sense. Neither does allowing your "pet" cats to go outside. Outdoor cats live an average of 1/4 the years that indoor only pets live. They fall prey to disease, cars, animals...these things kill whether cats have claws or not. Perhaps your cats wouldn't be attacked by dogs in they were indoors. I don't think one clawed cat could fight off four dogs.
Actually, that "little swipe" involved a minor surgery to remove a piece of claw that was stuck in the wound and SEVEN stitches.
I would never declaw a cat because of my "poor furniture, boohoo." business.
As for neutering not hurting, you're probably right. However, stitches are very uncomfortable, and it bothered him. He had to be constantly watched. His front paws (because he still has his back claws, btw) weren't a problem.
Like I said, he still thinks he has front claws.
I will add, that because many people tell horror stories about cats and kittens in undying amounts of pain from the declawing - I paid an extra $300 to get take-home "Kitty Vicodin" just in case he did appear to be in pain.
My vet has always included take home pain meds with the cost of surgery. I would have paid the $300 too, though...I guess we're not soo hearltess, even if our kitties are declawed.
My vet has always included take home pain meds with the cost of surgery. I would have paid the $300 too, though...I guess we're not soo hearltess, even if our kitties are declawed.
The take-home with surgery is equivalent to Ibuprofen. I just wanted to make sure he was not in any pain - so I paid to get some stronger stuff. Just in case.
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From an ethical and health standpoint, many veterinarians have made the choice to no longer offer the procedure - I think this speaks volumes.
I've never even met a veterinarian that did not offer the procedure. And I've been through quite a few to find the right doctor for my cats.
I am getting my kittens declawed (front) and the vet said that they bounce back pretty quick. If they are adults, that is another story. I am getting our kittens declawed for their protection, ours, and so they don't destroy thousands of dollars of furniture. I think if you allow your cats to destroy your home that is crazy. I have seen homes where the couches & carpet were shredded. I have pride in my home and that is not going to happen here.
I realize it's controversial, but I've had cats (2 at a time) for over 20 years and in that time, only 1 wasn't declawed. By the time I wanted him to get declawed, I felt that he was too old to have it done. I loved him so much but in his 22 years of life, he destroyed thousands of dollars worth of furniture and leather. He loved to scratch any furniture and leather (handbags, jackets, etc). I tried everything available to curtail this. Kitty condo, scratching posts, that clear adhesive - everything. Nothing worked. So since then, I've declawed every cat I've owned and neither of them (done this 2 times now) have had any negative mental or physical effects from it. The first several days after it's done are difficult. They are sore, but it goes away quickly. After my first cat with claws passed away, we bought all new furniture and have declawed since with much success. I think if it were considered cruel, vets wouldn't do it. They love animals as much as us pet owners.
I think if it were considered cruel, vets wouldn't do it. They love animals as much as us pet owners.
The procedure is illegal in many countries. Its considered an "American" thing to get a cat declawed and more and more vets refuse to do the procedure.
England
Scotland
Wales
Italy
France
Germany
Austria
Switzerland
Norway
Sweden
Netherlands
Northern Ireland
Ireland
Denmark
Finland
Slovenia
Portugal
Belgium
Spain
Brazil
Australia
New Zealand
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Do Not Declaw
