De-claw what is the big deal?

newcat19

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OK, let me just say I've had my new kitten for about 8 days.
I've never owned a cat before.

This was a wild cat, and his claws are razor's at the moment.
His paws get stuck in my shirt when he's on my lap.

I've read some posts on here where people feel passionately against
de-clawing cats. In the wild, cats would need sharp claws to catch prey,
and climb trees to escape predators. In my house he has no use for them.

I'm not sure of the procedure for de-clawing or getting a cat spayed or
neutered. But why is de-clawing so terrible and a sex operation is not?
Is de-clawing extremely painful for the cats, while get a cat spayed is not?

Is there anything I can do to help him dull his claws a bit? He has a scratch
post which he uses, but he still scratches everything else.

Let me say I haven't done anything to my kitten yet & will only do so when
I'm informed properly about his & my best interest.

Thanks for any advice
 

jack31

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First off this is an anti-declaw site it's in the TCS rules.

Second, declawing is cutting off part of the toes (the bone)--its not just clipping their nails. I'll let someone else give you more details.

Leslie
 

catmom2wires

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You can carefully clip just the tips off the sharp little claws with a fingernail trimmer. That will help a lot for now. It you're not TOTALLY sure what to do, take the kitty to the vet and speak with a tech or the groomer and have them show you what to do. There is no need to declaw the kitty!

Thank you for asking!!!!!!
 

catkiki

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There is a big difference between spaying or neutering a cat and declawing. Neutering a cat can prevent several diseases and have the cat live a long, healthy and happy life. Declawing is an extremely cruel act. Image having all your fingers amputated to the first knuckle. That is what declawing does. It also makes the cat defenseless if they should happen to get out. It is easy to botch the surgery causing even more pain and trauma to the cat. It can cause behavior and litterbox problems. Please don't declaw. Use alternate methods to control scratching. Get a cat tree, clip the claws or use softpaws. But the final word is please please PLEASE do not declaw your cat!!!
 

kittyl0ve4

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Yes there is a huge difference between spay/neuter procedures compared to declawing. Spaying & neutering your cat can prevent diseases. Keeping your cat intact could lead to certain cancers, say, if your cat was female and kept going in & out of heat cycles without breeding. also, if your cat is repeatedly bred, can lead to the same problem. They get frustrated because they want to breed but cant. Its hormones that drive them to breed, which can be fixed with spay/neuter. Plus, there is an over population problem that responsible owners can help with if they spay/neuter. Declawing is mutilation, period. It does nothing to benefit the cat, only owners who dont want their furniture or carpet ruined. What those people dont understand is, that declawing can cause more problems than it would fix. There are ways to teach a cat the proper places to scratch(scratching post). You can clip the claws, its really not that hard to do, or you can get soft paws, which are caps that go over the claws and have a rounded point, so the cat cant scratch at all. Just think about it like this, cats walk on their toes. How would you like it if someone cut off your toes at the first knuckle, and you had to walk around your whole life like that? it wouldnt be easy. Declawing makes alot of cats feel helpless, since the claws are their first line of defense. Biting is the second, and if you take away their claws, they will resort to biting. My mom has had 2 cats, both declawed, and both were VERY mean, to the point where you couldnt go near either. The one she has now will hiss at any body who does not live in my moms house if you go near her.
 

mimosa

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Spaying/neutering is in the best interest of the society as a whole (too much cats without a home already), of the owner (less likely to get lost, less peeing and other problem behaviour) and the pet itself (less likely to be rehomed or even euthanized because of aforementioned problem behaviour, prevention of certain health problems like pyometra).
Neutered pets definitely make better pets.

Declawing is only in the interest of the owner, or so the owner might think.
But does declawing really make your pet a better pet than clawed cats ? I don't think so. From what I've read you run a pretty big risk of messing your cat up and ending up with a cat who urinates outside the box and who bites. (I'd prefer a couple of nails in my clothes to biting
)
 

mschauer

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Most of the responses you will get to this question will involve the possibility of an adverse outcome of the surgery. These outcomes can result in the cat being in great pain either temporarily or permanently unless further surgery is performed or can result in behavior changes that are less obviously tied to the surgery like litter box avoidance. I'll let others elaborate on these issues.

*My* reasons for being opposed to declawing have nothing to do with the possibility of an adverse outcome. My family has always had cats and I distinctly remember when I was a child hearing my mother say that she was opposed to declawing because cats just have too much fun with their claws. I now realize that that would have been about the time that declawing was introduced in the US. And, being the obedient child I was, I carried that attitude with me into adulthood and have never considered for an instant declawing any of my cats. As a result I have a lifetime (I'm 50 now) of observing cats and I can tell you I totally agree with my mother. Cats just have too dang much fun with their claws. That is reason enough for me to be opposed to it. My cats have done some damage to my property (and to me) over the years but I just consider that part of living with a cat. If I couldn't put up with it, rather than surgically altering the cat to fit my needs, I just wouldn't have cats.
 

alleygirl

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Here is some great info on declawing http://www.declawing.com/

I recommend clipping kitty's claws. If you start now when he is young, you should have no problem doing it in the future, once a week or so. It helps a lot to prevent him snagging his claws on things, as well as scratches on you!

This is a great article with pictures explaining how to do it http://www.catscratching.com/htmls/article.htm

Please don't declaw your little one
 

yosemite

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Well, as you have probably guessed by now, we are very much against de-clawing.


Bijou was a little devil as a kitten and would often chase my feet and ankles and grab on with those little needle-like claws. My legs and ankles always had scratches on any given day. It took time and patience to teach him not to chase my feet and ankles but it was worth the effort. I started playing with his feet and toes, i.e., handling and fondling them, from the time we got him in order to get him accustomed to having them touched since cats don't usually like to have their paws held or touched. I clipped his nails every week to protect me and to prevent him getting his claws caught in something while I was at work and not being able to escape. One night when we were home he got his claw caught in the metal mesh of my hubby's speaker cabinet and he couldn't get it free so that was pretty scary for all of us.

Because of the conditioning and clipping, I can now clip Bijou's claws without even holding him. He will be laying on the table and I just approach him from the front, lift his paws and snip.

You could also have treats handy so that each time your cat allows you to clip a nail they get a treat - can't hurt.

I tell folks that as soon as they are willing to have all their fingers cut off at the first joint then I would be OK with them doing the same to their cat.
 

jalindal

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Everyone else has already made good points and pretty thoroughly explored the reasons why declawing is bad.

And just to give you an idea of how serious this declawing thing is: it's actually illegal in a lot of places, including Australia (where I live) because of the pain and suffering it inflicts on the cat. For people to actually outlaw something it must be bad, eh?

I'd like to say, though, that it's really really good that you asked about it and came online to research it before you just had him declawed. It shows responsible pet ownership.
 

mobius

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Imagine someone clipping off your fingertips at the first knuckle, then
going through life like that. That is essentially what de-clawing involves.

It was very easy for me to teach my cats how to use their claws
appropriately, but it helps if you start when they are very young.

Take kitty and rub her paws over the scratching post or whatever you are
letting the cat use to sharpen her claws, (limit it to one or two things though)
then give her a treat. Repeat several times a day, build it into your daily
routine if possible. I did it in the morning before I left for work and the
evening as soon as I came home.

Keep a squirt bottlehandy for when she scratches an inappropriate object.
Kitty will soon learn where she can scratch and where she can't
 

the_food_lady

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I once read the most heart-breaking post by a Vet Tech. In the clinic she'd previously worked at, declawing was common and she'd assist in the procedure. She began to notice that cats, even while they were under general anesthetic, were obviously feeling the pain of the surgery as they'd move and whimper. That was it for her, she then made the choice to never work for a clinic that did this procedure. She was amazed at how painful the surgery was, even while the cat was under.

Cats that are declawed will often resort to 'biting' and God help you if you have a visitor or child who is bit by your cat - depending where you live you could be sued or face having the cat put down

A lot of times, declaw surgeries are botched badly and they result in permanent negative effects; sometimes a tendon is actually cut and the cat loses proper use of their paws, they live their lives in a tremendous amount of pain........and sometimes it's botched to the extent that the claws WILL actually grow back, but they'll grow back wrong and they'll start growing INTO the pads of the paw (like a bad ingrown toe or fingernail in a human).....and this is an ongoing and painful (not to mention costly!) problem to deal with

Many cats who are declawed will be left with pain and they'll avoid using the litterbox because walking on the litter is painful; so in turn, they start pooping and peeing all over the house - then what are you going to do? Then you've got a WHOLE other problem to deal with and one that's definitely not easy to fix.

Take your kitten to your local Vet clinic and have them clip her claws, and show you how it's done. This might be something that you'll have trouble doing by yourself because kittens are so wiggly but if you have someone who can hold her while you do it, it's easy. If that's not possible, take her in a safe carrier to the Vet every 4-6 weeks and have them take 3 minutes to clip the tips, they likely won't even charge you anything. Once she's older it will be easier to do this on your own.

Cats come with claws. I think it's really morally and ethically wrong to try and "modify" a pet to suit us humans; to me it's very selfish.

I have 5 indoor cats and a year ago I decided to get very expensive leather couch and loveseat. I'd wanted it for years but always feared my cats would ruin them........but I decided it's their home, too. Only one scratches it and that's only because she's not the greatest at jumping (never has been, for some reason) and she sort of uses her claws to 'dig in and help her climb'.........I love her to pieces and it's just a fact of life.

I also have 3 carpeted scratching posts and believe me, they're well used.....one I have to replace because the it's right down to the wood on one part of it!

Declawing is truly inhumane. It's outlawed in many countries so what does that tell you? (the UK being one of them) It really is like amputating a human finger at the knuckle....through the bone.

sadly, many Vets encourage owners to have this procedure done at the time they have the pet spayed/neutered........and they miserably fail to really inform the owner of the risks and very possible lasting effects. Many people are lead to believe that declawing is basically just like clipping the claws but much shorter...........not the case at all. It's a very unnecessary and painful amputation.

Spaying and neutering can't even be compared. I know in females, spaying greatly helps to reduce the risk of mammary (breast) cancer and other potentially conditions like pyometra (severe and life threatening infection inside the uterus). Neutering in males helps to reduce health issues as well.

I''m glad that you've taken the time to educate yourself about declawing before just going ahead (like so many) and doing it, good for you!
 

shanynne

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Originally Posted by newcat19

OK, let me just say I've had my new kitten for about 8 days.
I've never owned a cat before.

This was a wild cat, and his claws are razor's at the moment.
His paws get stuck in my shirt when he's on my lap.

I've read some posts on here where people feel passionately against
de-clawing cats. In the wild, cats would need sharp claws to catch prey,
and climb trees to escape predators. In my house he has no use for them.

I'm not sure of the procedure for de-clawing or getting a cat spayed or
neutered. But why is de-clawing so terrible and a sex operation is not?
Is de-clawing extremely painful for the cats, while get a cat spayed is not?

Is there anything I can do to help him dull his claws a bit? He has a scratch
post which he uses, but he still scratches everything else.

Let me say I haven't done anything to my kitten yet & will only do so when
I'm informed properly about his & my best interest.

Thanks for any advice
Hi Newcat and congratulations on your new kitten


Thank you for your decision to not do anything to your kitten until you are properly informed. Your kitten will love you forever for that decision


Declawing is a huge misconception. Declawing does not consist of removing just the claw or nail of the cat, it actually amputates the cats fingertips. You see Newcat, cat's claws are not only their feet, but their hands too! Imagine if your fingertips were cut off at the first joint. Sure you could still survive and manage on your own, but you wouldn't be able to grab objects like you used to and you wouldn't be able to scratch yourself. And chances are you would be in a lot of pain most of the time. It is the same thing with cats.

Claws are a natural part of a cat's anatomy and they actually walk on their toes and their back, shoulder, paw and leg joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves are naturally designed to support and distribute the cat's weight across its toes as it walks, runs and climbs.

A cat's claws are used for balance, for exercising, and for stretching the muscles in their legs, back, shoulders, and paws. They stretch these muscles by digging their claws into a surface and pulling back against their own clawhold - similar to isometric exercising for humans. This is the only way a cat can exercise, stretch and tone the muscles of its back and shoulders.

The toes help the foot meet the ground at a precise angle to keep the leg, shoulder and back muscles and joints in proper alignment. So when their toes are removed, this drastically alters the conformation of their feet and causes the feet to meet the ground at an unnatural angle that can cause back pain similar to that in humans caused by wearing improper shoes. It can also cause their muscles to become atrophied because they just can't do what they are supposed to be able to do naturally anymore without their toes, you know, their whole body balance is off also because they are in pain most of the time.

Also, cats who have been declawed develop all kinda of behavorial problems. They have been mutilated, so, naturally they become depressed, fearful, anxious. After the surgery their feet hurt so much that they don't want to use the litter box. Walking around digging around in there is just too painful so they begin to develop litter box aversion and will eliminate in other areas of the house, not a good thing!

Here's a link that you should read: And declawing actually amputates the cats fingertips.

There are many ways to encourage a cat not to scratch on your favorite chair or couch
, scratching posts, double sided sticky tape, heavy plastic wrap, softclaws.

If you could take your kitten to the vet, it will need a check up anyhow to make sure everything is alright with it health wise and to get it's shots, ask the vet to show you how to trim it's nails properly. It's easy and painless to the cat, just like cutting our own nails. But you need the vet to show you how the first time so that you don't accidentally cut too close to, or cut the cats vein, called the quick. That would be like us cutting our nails past our white nail tips and into the pink flesh ouch!

So if you get your kitten used to getting it's nails trimmed while it is still a baby, you will never have a problem doing this in the future.

Getting your cat spayed or neutered is a not a body changing operation. It just means that they can't make babies, which is a good thing considering all of the unwanted animals that are in shelters all over the country.

Yes they will be in pain for a day or two following the surgery but after that they will be completely ok and will have no lingering or lasting pain or damage from the surgery.

Read the link provided above carefully and please be sure to look carefully at the pictures of the X-Rays.

I hope this will help you to make the right decision for you kitten!


By the way, what are you feeding it and what is his name?

I'm so glad you found this forum!
 

plar

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Originally Posted by the_food_lady

In the clinic she'd previously worked at, declawing was common and she'd assist in the procedure. She began to notice that cats, even while they were under general anesthetic, were obviously feeling the pain of the surgery as they'd move and whimper.
It is impossible to feel pain under general anesthetic. The cat's response is most likely reflex which she mistakenly think is related to the feeling of pain.

Cats that are declawed will often resort to 'biting' and God help you if you have a visitor or child who is bit by your cat - depending where you live you could be sued or face having the cat put down
A properly raised cat will not bite, whether or not it is declawed. You have to push the cat pretty hard for it to resort to biting.

A lot of times, declaw surgeries are botched badly and they result in permanent negative effects; sometimes a tendon is actually cut and the cat loses proper use of their paws, they live their lives in a tremendous amount of pain........and sometimes it's botched to the extent that the claws WILL actually grow back, but they'll grow back wrong and they'll start growing INTO the pads of the paw (like a bad ingrown toe or fingernail in a human).....and this is an ongoing and painful (not to mention costly!) problem to deal with
Contrary to what you said, this happens extremely rarely, although it does happen. "Cat rights" persons love to turn a freak accident into "everyday occurrence".

Many cats who are declawed will be left with pain and they'll avoid using the litterbox because walking on the litter is painful; so in turn, they start pooping and peeing all over the house - then what are you going to do? Then you've got a WHOLE other problem to deal with and one that's definitely not easy to fix.
Again this happens very rarely, and very few cats will exhibit this problem, (definitely not "many"). It is also be eliminated by using the right litter while the cat is recovering.

Cats come with claws. I think it's really morally and ethically wrong to try and "modify" a pet to suit us humans; to me it's very selfish.
The very phenomenon of pet ownership is essentially modifying animals to suit humans, and is selfish. Cats naturally live in the wild and hunts small animals for food. Why don't you feel morally and ethically wrong about taking a beautiful animal that God has created and has placed in the wild away from its natural home and subject it to lifelong enslavement and imprisonment?

Declawing is truly inhumane. It's outlawed in many countries so what does that tell you? (the UK being one of them) It really is like amputating a human finger at the knuckle....through the bone.
Declawing is perfectly legal in vast majority of countries, what does that tell you?

Spaying and neutering can't even be compared. I know in females, spaying greatly helps to reduce the risk of mammary (breast) cancer and other potentially conditions like pyometra (severe and life threatening infection inside the uterus). Neutering in males helps to reduce health issues as well.
If spaying and neutering is so great, why don't you spay/neuter yourself? After all it comes with great health benefit and solve the over population problem! You would probably not do that to yourself because you consider having the ability to reproduce is an essential part of being alive. Your cats probably think the same.
 

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De-clawing is done solely for the owner's convenience and is unnecessary. Spaying/Neutering is done for the pet's well-being and because of a huge pet over-population program. Honestly, the health benefits of spaying/neutering might be overplayed (this is true for large breed dogs). It's just something people use to encourage spaying/neutering....and ends justify the means kind of thing. Spaying/neutering is very important. Cats and dogs are domesticated animals and with that comes over-population...you have to control that as a society. Spaying/Neutering is much more humane than euthanizing everything to keep #'s down.

I'm still against de-clawing, only because it's an unnecessary procedure with unknown and possibly negative implications. It's like de-barking a dog or having a tail docked or something of that nature. The procedure is disgusting...chopping off bone? If you do it, please look into laser de-clawing.

Anti-declaw studies are a little inconclusive. People feel very passionate about it but I've had a hard time finding vet journals about why it's so bad...someone e-mailed me a few on this site when I asked but I don't feel like going and finding them.

Cats that are de-clawed might change their behavior for their worse and they also are prone to litter box avoidance issues, but they might not. It's really hard to prove that.

I highly recommend Soft Paws, but you'll find that if you train the cat and learn how to trim its claws, you won't even need them.

My cat Matilda is de-clawed. I didn't do it, she was like that when I adopted her. I've had my cat, Chloe, since she was a kitten and she isn't. When I saw her trying to scratch something, I blew air in her face and lifted her up and put her right on her tall scratching post. That's all she uses now. You can put catnip on the scratching post too. Cats need to scratch.

Kittens try to climb up your legs a lot and it really hurts
Keeping the claws short/blunt will help so much.

Frankly, you should have thought about this before getting a cat. If you are so set on having a de-clawed cat, you should have adopted one that was already de-clawed instead of causing another cat to go through it.
 

arlyn

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Originally Posted by plar

It is impossible to feel pain under general anesthetic. The cat's response is most likely reflex which she mistakenly think is related to the feeling of pain.


A properly raised cat will not bite, whether or not it is declawed. You have to push the cat pretty hard for it to resort to biting.


Contrary to what you said, this happens extremely rarely, although it does happen. "Cat rights" persons love to turn a freak accident into "everyday occurrence".


Again this happens very rarely, and very few cats will exhibit this problem, (definitely not "many"). It is also be eliminated by using the right litter while the cat is recovering.


The very phenomenon of pet ownership is essentially modifying animals to suit humans, and is selfish. Cats naturally live in the wild and hunts small animals for food. Why don't you feel morally and ethically wrong about taking a beautiful animal that God has created and has placed in the wild away from its natural home and subject it to lifelong enslavement and imprisonment?


Declawing is perfectly legal in vast majority of countries, what does that tell you?


If spaying and neutering is so great, why don't you spay/neuter yourself? After all it comes with great health benefit and solve the over population problem! You would probably not do that to yourself because you consider having the ability to reproduce is an essential part of being alive. Your cats probably think the same.
It actually is possible to feel pain under a general, I know, I've felt it myself.
If the pain is great, some part will still reach the brain.

A properly raised cat will not bite, unless it feels the need to.
Once a cat's claws are gone, it simply cannot get the message across with a quick swat anymore, and will bite instead.

Cats were never modified to fit the human lifestyle the way dogs were, the cats joined humans because humans attracted rodents, the rodents attracted the cats.
Both the cats and the humans found this existence mutually beneficial.

In the many years I've spent in rescue, the vast majority of owner surrenders I've known were surrendered due to aggression, or litterbox avoidance, of that majority, most were declawed.

Declawing is actually illegal almost everywhere outside of North America.

As far as I know, intact human females that go in and out of estrus are not at risk of pyometra, which can become fatal in a very, very short time.

Lastly, you are anthropomorphizing, cats do not breed because they want to, they breed because they have an instinctual imperative, and suffer very high levels of stress when they are in estrus and cannot breed. Stress in cats causes illness very quickly.
Uncontrolled breeding spreads other fatal illnesses as well.
 

rapunzel47

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Originally Posted by Sakura

Frankly, you should have thought about this before getting a cat. If you are so set on having a de-clawed cat, you should have adopted one that was already de-clawed instead of causing another cat to go through it.
Please don't scold the poster like that. The OP was full of questions, and ended thus...
Is there anything I can do to help him dull his claws a bit? He has a scratch
post which he uses, but he still scratches everything else.

Let me say I haven't done anything to my kitten yet & will only do so when
I'm informed properly about his & my best interest.

Thanks for any advice
Emphasis mine.

That doesn't sound to me like being "set on having a de-clawed cat". Rather, it's a search for knowledge before making a decision. We're here to help people get that knowledge and they are more likely to hear our message when treated kindly.
 

mschauer

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The frequency at which complications from the surgery occurs is debatable. I have no idea how likely or unlikely the complications are but there are a couple of other things I would like to comment on:

Originally Posted by plar

It is impossible to feel pain under general anesthetic. The cat's response is most likely reflex which she mistakenly think is related to the feeling of pain.
I think this is likely true. Why would the cat feel pain during a declaw and not during other sugeries? If the anesthesia is administered properly the cat shouldn't feel anything during the procedure.

A properly raised cat will not bite, whether or not it is declawed. You have to push the cat pretty hard for it to resort to biting.
This simply isn't true. Some cats will bite (not "play bite") for little or no obvious reason. Some claim that cats that have been declawed are more likely to do so. I can't say I know this for a fact.

The very phenomenon of pet ownership is essentially modifying animals to suit humans, and is selfish. Cats naturally live in the wild and hunts small animals for food. Why don't you feel morally and ethically wrong about taking a beautiful animal that God has created and has placed in the wild away from its natural home and subject it to lifelong enslavement and imprisonment?
Todays domesticated cat is descended from a wild cat but is hundreds (thousands ?) of generations removed from that wild cat. They fair very poorly when forced to fend for themselves in the wild. Maybe it was wrong to have made them dependent on humans those hundreds of years ago but none the less that is where we are.

If spaying and neutering is so great, why don't you spay/neuter yourself? After all it comes with great health benefit and solve the over population problem! You would probably not do that to yourself because you consider having the ability to reproduce is an essential part of being alive. Your cats probably think the same.
Many people do, both for health reasons and because they have decided they no want to reproduce. Cats do not have the ability to make this decision for themselves. Their need to reproduce is a biological drive based on the need to ensure the continuation of the species. They have no way of knowing that they are essentially a protected species with no need to reproduce at every opportunity.
 

mimosa

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Originally Posted by plar

A properly raised cat will not bite, whether or not it is declawed. You have to push the cat pretty hard for it to resort to biting.
You cannot imagine a situation where a cat does not have all the benefits of a proper socialization ? Or that a cat feels defenseless without its claws and will show agression out of fear which results in biting ? It does not seem fair to me to just dismiss those cats as being improperly raised.
Also sometimes it is unavoidable to "push a cat pretty hard" for its own good, ever tried to give an unwilling cat medication or to groom a neglected longhair ?



Contrary to what you said, this happens extremely rarely, although it does happen. "Cat rights" persons love to turn a freak accident into "everyday occurrence".



Again this happens very rarely, and very few cats will exhibit this problem, (definitely not "many"). It is also be eliminated by using the right litter while the cat is recovering.
Pain and resulting avoidance of the litterbox are "freak accidents" after amputating part of their toes ? You make it seem so unexpected...



The very phenomenon of pet ownership is essentially modifying animals to suit humans, and is selfish. Cats naturally live in the wild and hunts small animals for food. Why don't you feel morally and ethically wrong about taking a beautiful animal that God has created and has placed in the wild away from its natural home and subject it to lifelong enslavement and imprisonment?
You are changing the subject, but we are still talking about amputation.

Anyway, you don´t seem to know cats judging by what you wrote here, my cats are not domesticated little slaves, they are a bunch of clever opportunists




Declawing is perfectly legal in vast majority of countries, what does that tell you?
It tells me that those countries are a bit slow on the uptake when it comes to animal rights, in my country it is considered cruelty to animals and therefore illegal. We seem to get well just fine without declawing.



If spaying and neutering is so great, why don't you spay/neuter yourself? After all it comes with great health benefit and solve the over population problem! You would probably not do that to yourself because you consider having the ability to reproduce is an essential part of being alive. Your cats probably think the same.
I can keep my reproductive urges in check just fine, thank you.
Plus I don't come in to heat repeatedly, leaving me at risk to all kinds of nasty things. Because I am not a cat but a human and in case you don't know, we are different species.

In the same vein; I bet you would declaw yourself and any cat would probably ask for it if it could ?
 
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