Why does everyone want to declaw their cats!!!

fifi1puss · Nov 16, 2008

Like with anything that has been the "accepted" thing to do, there needs to be years of educating done to change the tide. Making it illegal in the states like it is in many other countries would be a start in the right direction of getting people to earnestly look for and put the time into implementing alternatives.

I think we need to start with young people and families of young people. Get them to learn from an early age that this is not the norm. It was something done "in the olden days when people did not know better"

there is a girl at one of the local shelters here that speaks at schools and puts her efforts into getting kids to volunteer at the shelters. She knows that this is the next generation to take care of these animals and if we want them to have a better life we need to get the young kids involved and educated. The younger the better.

Spay and neutering campaigns have done wonders. We need to not only keep that going but start anti-declawing campaigns to get people educated.

lmunsie · Nov 16, 2008

Originally Posted by fifi1puss

there is a girl at one of the local shelters here that speaks at schools and puts her efforts into getting kids to volunteer at the shelters. She knows that this is the next generation to take care of these animals and if we want them to have a better life we need to get the young kids involved and educated. The younger the better.

Spay and neutering campaigns have done wonders. We need to not only keep that going but start anti-declawing campaigns to get people educated.

That's a great idea!!

Very impressive....

judi · Nov 16, 2008

Everyone doesn't want to declaw their cats. I clip their nails.

yarra · Nov 16, 2008

Originally Posted by Judi

Everyone doesn't want to declaw their cats. I clip their nails.

It was a rhetorical question Judi. Did you read the first post? Just wondering.

icklemiss21 · Nov 16, 2008

Originally Posted by lmunsie

as whitecat said, many people are INFORMED. THey use the excuse that most cats are perfectly fine and they don't want their furniture ruined, that is clearly the #1 reason for declawing. Hence they are too lazy to train their cat, know the potential consequences, and do it anyways. Any unecessary surgery is a risk that shouldn't be taken

It's sad when people don't know better, but far worse when they've been told.

But being informed by a shelter volunteer and then a different view from your vet, which does an uninformed person listen to?

We do not have a no declaw policy at the shelter, partly because people just do it anyway, but we tell them what it is (and do have a policy for heavier/older cats) and they seem surprised and have that OMG moment, but then their spay rebate form comes back with the receipt from the vet showing the declawed anyway.

The information they get elsewhere doesn't rate when their vet is telling them something else, and even here we always say 'ask your vet they know best' in health issues - so who would you listen to if you were an uninformed pet owner.

momofmany · Nov 16, 2008

I've moved a number of times and have had to find new vets each time. I will interview prospective vets, and one of the questions I ask is their policy on declawing. If they support it, I tell them kindly that that is out of date practice and thanks, but I'll take my money elsewhere. If the vet tells me that only declaw as a last resort medical reason, they go on my short list.

My point is this: don't financially support a vet who declaws. If your vet does this, find another vet who won't do it. If they loose income because of their outdated policy, they might just change their minds about offering that declaw discount with the speuter.

Money talks.

sharky · Nov 16, 2008

many are misinformed including some vets .... I personally have a legit reason to declaw, I have a immune disorder that makes a cat scratch a possibley lethal issue... Are my four declawed >?? NO NO .... For nearly 19 yrs I lived with a declawed cat , her bites drew far more blood than any of my clawed ones scratches ... I teach my cats NOT to scratch me or the furniture and well keep a first aid kit in every room

..///

carla1183 · Nov 17, 2008

My husband and I just adopted our first two cats last week. Almost every person I've talked to has been shocked that we AREN'T declawing them. Sadly I think it's just accepted processes, and people are all reallly surprised when I tell them how much it hurts the cat and the negative behaviors it can cause.
So far we've had no trouble directing our playfull kittens' claws to scratching posts. I can't imagine hurting them on purpose because we were too lazy to take the time teach them the right way to use their claws.

Plus like someone else said, they have SO MUCH FUN with their claws, I could never take them away!

yarra · Nov 17, 2008

I have been emailing a potential adopter, and have made it clear that I think declawing is inhumane. But am on the fence about finding them a good home that declaws, or a crappy home that doesn't.

Here is an email I sent to her, in response to her wanting to get the neuter done at her vet, because he gives "Package" deals.

Me: So your dr charges 550 for all that?? HOLY COW!!

Well, with my dr. the neuter and microchip is $75, and she is going to do a litter discount on the vaccines as well

Are you planing on declawing? I am really on the fence about placing these babies in homes that want to declaw. It is extremely painful for the cats, and can alter their personalities making them aggressive and biters. But, I also want them to go to good loving homes. Just because someone chooses to declaw, doesn't mean they don't love their kitties.

I would like to talk to you more in detail. The kittens will be ready to go home next weekend, if i can get them in on Thursday for surgery.

Her: I love my kitties very much and my doctor makes the declaw as painless as possible. He sedates them during the surgery and gives them a pain medicine for 3 weeks after so they don't feel a thing. My mom does declaw always because we once had a cat that seemed really sweet and then one day just clawed me in the face. He made my ear bleed and but little cuts all over my face and neck. Not to mention she has Japanese leather furniture. It cost her a lot and she doesn't want to pay for another sofa.

SIGH...I don't know what to do.

carla1183 · Nov 17, 2008

The humane society we adopted ours from required us to sign paperwork saying if they ever find out we declawed the kitties they can come take them away! They make a big effort to give rescues who have already been declawed to people who are adamant about wanting to declaw.

white cat lover · Nov 17, 2008

Pain meds doesn't knock all the pain out. So "pain meds for 3 weeks" means nothing to me. I don't know what to tell you to do - will you be able to find them homes where they won't be declawed?

epona · Nov 17, 2008

Declawing simply doesn't happen here. The law is not straightforward, but no-one who isn't a vet is allowed to do surgical procedure on an animal by law, and the accreditation body for vets (the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons) does not allow declawing which is a surgical procedure (except on strictly clinical grounds, ie if a cat had a tumour on its toe a vet would be allowed to amputate the toe for medical reasons)- so any vet performing cosmetic declawing surgery on a cat is doing something illegal and would be likely to be prosecuted and disbarred from veterinary practice.

See the UK public have never had to be educated about declawing - because it's not available as an option, thanks to the veterinary accreditation body who licence all vets. We never hear of it, because our vets are not allowed to do it by the people who grant them their licences, and by the law, which states that vets must be registered members of the aforementioned body.

Is there much going on in the US to take this issue to vets themselves and their governing bodies - who gives them a licence to practice veterinary medicine? Is it done on a state-wide basis, or is there a federal governing body? Surely there must be some organisation that sets the rules and regulations across the US, or at least bodies that award qualifications?

I honestly believe that it is VETS that you need to convince - and the people who give them the right to do it. I am sure for most people, if a vet says it is OK then it is hard to sway them against that, and we say to trust the vet on other things - I think the key to this is tackling the vets themselves, and whoever gives them their licences.

faith's_mom · Nov 19, 2008

Originally Posted by butzie

Our daughter was an after school and summer nanny for friends of ours who have a son Ben's age. The daughter is 5 years younger than Jen but they are good friends.

Jen always watched the house for them and fed the cat when they were away. Their cat died and they got another one from the shelter. The had her declawed so she wouldn't claw the furniture. She still tried to and they brought her back to the shelter and told them that she should be PTS. .

That is sad...declaw, and then destroy the cat, just because he still tries to 'sharpen' his claws on the furniture? How low can humanity go...they already took the tools that would rip the furniture, so why couldn't they just leave it at that?

faith's_mom · Nov 19, 2008

Originally Posted by white cat lover

I will disagree. I often get the "honor" of telling people how they are mutilating their pets. I get told "my last cat was fine"....they go ahead & declaw anyways. I even had one lady go so far as to tell me I jinxed her kitty being declawed. They had adopted an 8 month old kitten & declawed him. Less than a year later he was peeing all over the house. They brought him back to the shelter, we killed him. That lady was sure I did something to "ruin" her kitty, that I somehow did this to him.

We explain to adopters what they are doing - and they do it anyways. Words fall upon deaf ears.

Sometimes you just have to let them figure it out for themselves; you have done your work...and if the animal has a forever home, when otherwise he might not??? It all comes down to a choice, and often that choice isn't yours; continue telling people they can't declaw, and they are horrible people because they want to (due to varying reasons) and they will continue supporting puppy\\kitty mills, and petstores...which is a larger problem, imo. We advocate adoption, but on the other hand, there are often so many stipulations put on the adoption (not that all are bad), that people feel it's easier to go out and purchase one from a pet shop. Yes, declawing is horrible, but until the clinics stop doing it all together, it won't stop, because like every one knows "the doctors know best"...

I've worked in shelters and vet clinics, and the amount of kitties who get declawed, while high sometimes, was much, much lower than the amount of kitties that had to be put to sleep because they couldn't find homes; and if every shelter adopted a 'no declaw' policy, those numbers may even increase. I'm not saying this is a justification for the procedure (my cats will always be clawed, just to be clear), but even with tons of education, many people DO tend to listen to their pet's doctor...many of which who do not have a 'no declaw' policy. Make getting veterinarians into the no declaw policy into an agenda, and then we would be getting somewhere... Unfortunately I don't foresee that happening soon, so cats being declawed will likely remain a 'common procedure' for some time. It's our poor cat's equivalant to dogs being docked and cropped...

white cat lover · Nov 19, 2008

I can't argue with the logic of euthanize vs. adopt/declaw. But the people who want to adopt a huge tom-cat or large adult cat & declaw it irritate me. Had to tell some people they couldn't adopt my Squishy - hard to pass up someone who wants a senior cat - but at the same time they intended to declaw a 13 lb 13+ y/o cat!

laureen227 · Nov 20, 2008

Originally Posted by faith's_mom

That is sad...declaw, and then destroy the cat, just because he still tries to 'sharpen' his claws on the furniture? How low can humanity go...they already took the tools that would rip the furniture, so why couldn't they just leave it at that?

i find that really odd - both of my declaws 'sharpen' their front claws [i know they're really just marking] & it does absolutely nothing to the item they're marking.

booktigger · Nov 20, 2008

Originally Posted by megra

Vets here are against clipping unless it's for the cat's own welfare and declawing just doesn't come into their vocabulary. I'm afraid my attitude is that if you can't respect an animal for what it is, you shouldn't have anything to do with it. My cat has never been clipped. I've never seen fit to put anything on her claws to shield them but, in spite of the fact that she can't fully retract her claws because she is very old, I've never had any trouble with her either using her claws in anger or clawing the furniture. Even if she did start doing either of those things, I still wouldn't have her clipped and I'd never even countenance having her declawed. I'd find a way, somehow, to cope with the behavioural problem that didn't involve mutilation.

The only case I can see for even clipping a cat is if it is purely a house cat that never goes out and never has the opportunity, therefore, to work its claws down through use. I'm lucky in that the complex in which I live has extensive gardens which my cat makes full use of for much of the day and whilst her claws are long, they are not a hindrance to her. I have discussed clipping with my vet and I trust him to tell me if the day comes when Thingy ever needs clipping but, knowing his attitude, I'm pleased to say that I think that is unlikely to happen.

Actually, vets in the UK aren't against clipping claws, as there is nothing wrong with it, and can actually be a good thing, as if claws are too long and sharp, they can get stuck and the cat can hurt themselves getting free. It is more important for older cats who cant retract their claws, as they are at more risk of their claws digging into their paw pads, and tehy can't always shed the sheath of the nail, so clipping helps with this.

I am glad that declawing isn't an issue in the UK, and I hope that the US can follow suit, but I agree it has to be done by the vets, as they are the ones 'persuading' clients to do it.

littleraven7726 · Nov 20, 2008

The local shelter here has a note on most of the cats cage tag that says "not a candidate for declaw". Usually because they are well over a year old, and sometimes very large cats. And I still walk by the display at Petsmart hearing people say "I don't understand why he/she's not a candidate for declawing."

Goodness.

I don't know what the rates for declawing are around here, but I do know that in the last few months I haven't seen many already declawed cats available for adoption. (I've been checking the website regularly because we are interested in adopting a dog) 3 of my cats were declawed by previous owners, but Lola came with her claws so she keeps them. I didn't go out of my way to adopt already declawed cats in the past. It just kind of happened and at some apartments that required it, it got us a nice place to live. The only issues my 2 remaining declawed cats have is Nabu will bite when annoyed, and they both want soft sandy litter. I have specific brands/store brands I buy based on texture.

I've known people who require declaws for any cat they adopt and are GREAT pet owners otherwise. But I've also known people who declaw then dump them when the cat is incovenient. So I don't think declawing guarantees a good home or forever home.

Over on the Dolittler blog there is a great piece on declawing complications and what age/weight they start seeing them at. It is quite interesting because it's from the vet's point of view, and that they do in fact see a rise in complications after a certain age/weight. I had the vet records for 2 of my cats, and they both were declawed at 1 yr old and had infections afterwards.

laureen227 · Nov 20, 2008

Originally Posted by littleraven7726

Over on the Dolittler blog there is a great piece on declawing complications and what age/weight they start seeing them at. It is quite interesting because it's from the vet's point of view, and that they do in fact see a rise in complications after a certain age/weight. I had the vet records for 2 of my cats, and they both were declawed at 1 yr old and had infections afterwards.

that makes sense. now, since i adopted Chip as an adult, & he came declawed, i don't know what age/weight he was... but i'm willing to bet that he was in a household w/someone who handled him roughly & was probably declawed due to using them in defense. he's now a defense biter

& i was unable to touch him back of the shoulders for over a year w/o triggering him. after 2.5 years, i can touch him anywhere, altho he'll protest vocally & will attempt to bite if i choose to ignore the protest [usually it's during necessary grooming].

Pixel, otoh, was declawed @ 4 months while she was still quite small. she's had no complications [1 regrown, but it's quite small] & doesn't ever try to bite me. but i raised her from kittenhood [declawed her, too] & she's always been treated kindly.

my other 3 girls kept their claws, since i'd learned since Pixel & her littermate

Mouse [who also never, ever bit].

punkygirl0101 · Nov 21, 2008

I am so sickened by people who declaw to "save their furniture". Teach your cat to use a scratcher, or don't have a cat at all. I have 23 cats, and not ONE is declawed. And guess what? I have perfectly intact furniture!!

Why does everyone want to declaw their cats!!!

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