It is a serious shame when you can't call inhumane treatment of a cat inhumane because... um.. because..
Wait, why do people defend this practice? I know that there are people out there who have declawed cats who had no real idea what the procedure was before they had it done. I don't blame them at all. Vets who declaw cats do not tell you what the procedure actually entails. If you currently have a declawed cat, I do not think less of you, but I would like to warn you of possible complications of the declaw surgery and to be aware that even if your cat is 'just fine' now in time it can lead to some pretty severe complications. Being aware and being proactive are two very important steps to keeping your kitty happy and healthy for life.
If you don't know what declawing entails, there are a lot of very graphic explanations out there. I have a fairly high tolerance for this kind of discussion, and I've run across a few things that turn my stomach so I am not going to share them here. A simple google or youtube search will show you more than you might want to know.
Vets who declaw defend their practice saying that cats are just fine after they heal. They discount the long-term complications and the behavioral changes that occur, simply because they don't happen in every single cat. When I worked at a vet office, I spent some time marking files of the cats that were declawed so we didn't offer them a nail trim. I also marked the charts when a cat or dog was a 'caution' and needed a bit more care from the vet. Not every declawed cat was a caution cat, but every caution cat was a declawed cat. The prevailing belief as to why is that cats know that their first line of defense is missing, so they are quicker to bite to warn you when you upset them. Bites are far more dangerous for us humans than a scratch.
The argument that we need to declaw cats for people who are immunocompromised does not hold water. Adult cats in a safe and loving home do not randomly scratch their owners. If you know your cat, you know how to treat them so they are comfortable and do not scratch. General nail trims from time to time will keep accidental scratches in check. Nail caps, such as soft paws, can keep claws from doing any damage at all.
The argument that you need to declaw additional cats to a home with a declawed cat also does not hold water. If you have two cats who would claw one another, you have far bigger problem than the fact that one has claws and one doesn't and you need a feline behaviorist to help you restore peace..
What can you do to help prevent declawing? If you live in New York, please visit the Paw Project and learn how you can support anti-declaw legislation. There are several municipalities in the US that already ban declawing, but getting New York to do it would be a huge win for Team Cat.
If you can, change vets to one who has pledged to not declaw. If you can't, have a conversation with your vet and let them know you are against declawing. It might not make them stop, but if enough people tell them it might make them consider it. You can visit the Paw Project website for additional steps you can take, and most of them don't take much time at all.
Finally, watch the movie The Paw Project. It is available in many different formats from Amazon to Netflix. It is also on YouTube. Or you can get it on YouTube directly from the Paw Project for $1.99 and support them financially. It will really help you understand the argument that the time for declawing cats has got to come to an end.
Fantastic article my friend!!! Thank you for bringing awareness to this difficult, painful subject. You approached it with grace and tact for those who don't know just how bad it is. I have to approach tail docking in the same manner at times with my No Tail Left Behind campaign. Tail docking, dew claw removal, ear cropping...I can't wait for all of it to be fully banned in the U.S. and the world. Sending love & hugs to you and the kitties!
ReplyDeleteLove, Pixel & Mommy Jenny Lewis
I signed the New York petition even though I live in Mass. I wonder if it still counts? Declawing should be banned everywhere. I adopted a cat years ago that had been declawed and lost a front leg from complications.
ReplyDeleteThank you for helping spread the word! My human doesn't even remember when she found out how barbaric declawing was because it was so long ago. She does know that she grew up with cats that had all their claws, and doing this horrific procedure to them was never even an option. She has lived with a couple swatty cats (one being Binga and the other being her soul cat, Harlot), and they've never pulled their claws out without being provoked - and she has always known the limits.
ReplyDeleteGreat article, thank you! We need to keep educating people so they know what is involved in this horrific procedure!
ReplyDeleteEighteen years ago, I declawed Tucker, not knowing what the surgery really was. After seeing him in pain and learning what I did, I vowed to NEVER declaw another cat. I have to say that getting cats a scratching post/pad they like is easier than ever these days. And when you have multiple cats, they sort of "train" each other.
ReplyDeleteYou said it much better than I did! Yay!
ReplyDeleteTotally agree - if you want a cat, it comes with claws. I wish they didn't do declawing where I live.
ReplyDeleteWhen we got Faith, our first cat, we knew squat about caring for cats. We took other’s advice and they all said to get her declawed at the same time she was spayed so we did that. When she came home, Gramma took one look at those bandaged paws—all 4— and declared she’d never do that to another cat and she didn’t. Years later, we learned what was really involved from a friend who was a vet tech and had to assist in those surgeries until her vet stopped performing them. BTW, we never had a behavioural problem with Faith. She was the sweetest cat.
ReplyDeleteour current vet (also the vet for the rescue) is anti-declaw. our angel cat Maestro was declawed (many many years ago) and it will NEVER be done again. mom has seen too many cats surrendered or returned to rescues for "litter box issues" only to discover the cats were declawed.
ReplyDeleteWonderful post ! Declawing is strictly forbidden in Switzerland, and we wish it could be like this everywhere. Purrs
ReplyDeleteI didn't know you could get it on Youtube and support them directly! I'm so going to promote this!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing your experience about declawing. Can we use this article as part of our declaw education? See our FB page at wwww.facebook.com/copcats
ReplyDeletePlease reply to contact@copcats.org Thanks