Everybody who knows me knows I am cat crazy, and also knows I am pretty passionate about animal rights.
One of the girls who I work with, who is a good friend of mine has a father who is a vet, her father also happened to have saved my cats life, nurtured her back to health over a period of 3 weeks and didn't charge me a penny.
Recently my girlfriend took in two kittens that were abandoned at her dads office. I have gone over and played with them a couple times and they are great. However recently I know they had their spay and neuter procedure. Somehow when we were talking declawing came up (unrelated to her cats) and obviously I stated my views on the subject.
After a couple minutes of awkward silence she said to me, pretty much to warn me for the next time i came over, that her cats were declawed. I almost died in my shoes. She said it wasn't a big deal, and if it hurt them at all her dad wouldn't do it. Also that her cats were scratching everything and it would never stop. I find it really hard when people have cats but don't HAVE cats like I do. She wouldn't have even thought to try a scratching post, soft claws or double sided tape or anything. This is how you 'fix' scratching to most people. ( we don't have to get into this, I know how we all feel)
I honestly didn't know what to say. How can I argue with that? Her dad obviously cares about animals, he literally nursed Kismet back to health when she was at deaths door, took her home from the clinic everynight so he could feed her througout the night. He is obviously an 'old school' vet and clearly hasn't seen enough of the consequences of declawing?! Also, he is a vet and I'm not.
I didn't argue with her at all because a) the deed had already been done and b) I can't say anything bad about her father after what he did for me.
I just don't understand how vets these days support this and are ignorant to what it does and the behavioural options available, I mean it's not like he was even making an money off the surgery or anything. It just breaks my heart that this happens and I wish it was outlawed in Canada
One of the girls who I work with, who is a good friend of mine has a father who is a vet, her father also happened to have saved my cats life, nurtured her back to health over a period of 3 weeks and didn't charge me a penny.
Recently my girlfriend took in two kittens that were abandoned at her dads office. I have gone over and played with them a couple times and they are great. However recently I know they had their spay and neuter procedure. Somehow when we were talking declawing came up (unrelated to her cats) and obviously I stated my views on the subject.
After a couple minutes of awkward silence she said to me, pretty much to warn me for the next time i came over, that her cats were declawed. I almost died in my shoes. She said it wasn't a big deal, and if it hurt them at all her dad wouldn't do it. Also that her cats were scratching everything and it would never stop. I find it really hard when people have cats but don't HAVE cats like I do. She wouldn't have even thought to try a scratching post, soft claws or double sided tape or anything. This is how you 'fix' scratching to most people. ( we don't have to get into this, I know how we all feel)
I honestly didn't know what to say. How can I argue with that? Her dad obviously cares about animals, he literally nursed Kismet back to health when she was at deaths door, took her home from the clinic everynight so he could feed her througout the night. He is obviously an 'old school' vet and clearly hasn't seen enough of the consequences of declawing?! Also, he is a vet and I'm not.
I didn't argue with her at all because a) the deed had already been done and b) I can't say anything bad about her father after what he did for me.
I just don't understand how vets these days support this and are ignorant to what it does and the behavioural options available, I mean it's not like he was even making an money off the surgery or anything. It just breaks my heart that this happens and I wish it was outlawed in Canada