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My cat has her claws. I would not have her declawed.
But I voted YES anyway.
Some people want their cats declawed. I know several people like that. They might not have a cat otherwise. It is better that a cat is declawed and has a nice safe home then not have a home - and possible not even a life if it was not adopted.
To me that's like saying, "It's okay to mutilate that child's hands because some people don't want kids because of the mess that they leave behind, all the pulling that they do, and their hands are always sticky. It's better that the child be mutilated and given a nice, safe home than no adoption at all."
Yes, I am one of those people who puts animals and people on even playing fields when it comes to the abuse that we put them through because of excuses.
To me that's like saying, "It's okay to mutilate that child's hands because some people don't want kids because of the mess that they leave behind, all the pulling that they do, and their hands are always sticky. It's better that the child be mutilated and given a nice, safe home than no adoption at all."
Yes, I am one of those people who puts animals and people on even playing fields when it comes to the abuse that we put them through because of excuses.
Great analogy.
When my wife and I had our previous cats declawed we were completely ignorant. It didn't take long after they were declawed for us to realize our mistake. The kitties we rescued last year are happy we changed our ways. They just look funny with the caps on.
A lot of vets won't do it anymore. They have also realized how bad it affect the cats.
I voted it should be outlawed. I haven't had a cat in a while but I certainly wouldn't have one declawed. Those that are, can never have a breath of fresh air because their owners can't let them outside - EVER. They are defenseless.
Thankfully this practice is frowned upon by most animal experts, but in this country, it is not illegal. In fact, over 20% of cats in the USA have been declawed.
Would we all like to have our fingernails removed? Might need some painkillers for that. Claws mean more to cats than fingernails do to us. They make some kind of caps you can attach to the claws so they aren't sharp. Or trim them.
Also, docking dogs tails and ears, I can't believe they still do it.
How about cutting off their balls and uterus? That's OK right?
I voted it should be outlawed. I haven't had a cat in a while but I certainly wouldn't have one declawed. Those that are, can never have a breath of fresh air because their owners can't let them outside - EVER. They are defenseless.
Plus, it seems terribly painful.
I used to live in a pretty rural area. Cats that got outside tended to get eaten by coyotes or foxes, regardless of whether or not they had claws. So what's your point?
My cats will live happier, healthier, longer lives indoors than they would have outside. Their littermates have all died by now--with the exception of one that is also an indoor cat.
You can clip their claws, just like cutting your own fingernails. My daughter clips her cats claws regularly (of course these cats are "indoor" pets). They don't mind, and it takes care of the problem.
She cleans their ears, eyes, and washes their faces too.
I've owned a number of cats during my adult life and I've not declawed any of them. I've also not had nice furniture when I had them. I personally know many people who have declawed their cats and I've house sat for these people with declawed cats. After the procedure, the cat does take some time to heal but apparently once they are healed, they have no problems or issues what so ever with no longer having claws. Only drawback is if the cat gets out, it basically doesn't have much of a defense system against threats from other animals. For that reason the people I know who have declawed their cat only do so with cats that are strictly indoor cats and go to great efforts to ensure that the cat never gets out.
For this reason, I don't think it's bad or should be illegal to declaw their cat. But if someone declaws their cat and then allows that cat to go outside, that's where it should be made illegal, for the safety of the cat.
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