Working in a vet's office and dealing with declawing - Page 2

And those would be legitimate reasons.

Unfortunately, too many people get them declawed out of ignorance, plain and simple. There are members of TCS that checked that "declaw my cat" box during the spay/neuter, because that's what you did to cats - you got them declawed... only later to find out what's involved.

But you can't go back.

No, the vets have a responsibility to educate people so they can make an INFORMED decision.

I honestly could not work in a vet's office and witness a declaw. I would run out. I always wanted to "work" in a vet's office and even become a veterinary assistant. I never did though, because I do know myself and know I could not handle most procedures.

I feel for you, Jo..... I think you just have to be prepared and know what you are getting into. I personally could not work for a vet if they performed declaws at all. I think it should be illegal and I would only work for a vet who was anti-declaw and not do this deforming/cruel procedure in the name of money-making. Makes me sick and as H***.

Well said

You do have a different point of view from mine when it comes to declawing and I don't think you will get much support on the subject here on this site. I wish it were illegal here in the United States. And I have no respect for someone who thinks declawing is a necessary procedure and it saddens me to hear that some people still think declawing is the easy way out instead of training the cat.

BTW - TCS IS Anti-Declaw.

Same as training your cat not to claw your furniture, you teach your cat not to claw you. Don't rip body parts off your cat because you can't train him/her properly.
And if you are going to get another cat, at least adopt one that is already declawed, don't torture a new one.

I have a bleeding disorder too, and I live with 5 cats (used to be 7, a family member moved out with his 2). None of them are declawed.. I do keep their nails trimmed well though.
My sister also does and hers is more severe than mine and she has a cat with claws who also is a bit wild (and she's planning to get another cat soon, possibly an Ocicat.)
I know it depends on what type you have though, some can be a lot more severe/dangerous.

I can't believe there are clinics out there that just have a box to check for declaw as if it is just a nail trim! This I believe is wrong, as a declaw is a major surgery that causes significant pain and possible complications. Even under the best condiitions there is a possibility of infection. Cats use there feet to scratch in the litterbox, not the most sterile place. We send home free bags of yesterday's news, but still a litterbox can harbor a lot of bad bugs.
Here is a website that show a lot of the ugliness that vets gloss over about declaw. If I didn't know better,( and I do), I would say that the website is over dramatizing. It's not the pictures and complications are accurate as to what can happen. http://http://pawsneedclaws.com/. I have a declawed cat that I rescued and she does seem sensitive when walking. Because cats that are declawed actually shift their weight off their toes on to their pads, they can get arthritis overtime from their abnormal stance. She has that. There are also sections on behavioral problems that declawed cats have with their litterbox training. This is true. A lot of the behavioral unrinating issues that don't have a root medical problem are declawed cats. I would bring this up to a landlord that tries to make you declaw your cat. Urine soaked carpet is a bigger issue in my opinion.
I actually looked at an apartment when I was moving. I told them I had two cats. She then asked if they were declawed. I said one was but the other wasn't. She said I'd have to get the other one declawed to move in. I laughed and pretty much said over my dead body was I going to mutilate my cat to live there. She said it was policy. I told her I was a vet tech and that what she was asking was for me to have my cats "fingers" chopped off at the first digit. She didn't believe that that was what declawing was. I told that is what they do to prevent the nail from growing back. I then kindly told no apartment was worth that torture for my kitty. Simply sad.

I was looking on line about the land lord requiring declawing, as I have encountered it when looking( looked elsewhere after that) but I know others can't. I found this site http://support.mspca.org/site/PageSe...ousing_Program. They say that "The MAPCA’s Pets in Housing Program
"Declawing of cats can not be required by management. As the pet owner is fully liable for all destruction of property, management should not anticipate the possibility of damage and request this very painful procedure."
Basically any damage your cat does scratching, which would most likely be just carpet damage, would be the responsibility of the tenant. That is why most apartments or rentals require a pet deposit. I think requiring declawing is drawing the line. What else are the going to require? Debarking because a dog barks too much, removing teeth because a dog has the potential to chew? That is what I don't understand. If an apartment wants to play that game, they should just say no pets and be done with it. It won't break my heart to move on in my apartment search, but it will break my heart to mutilate my cat needlessly, for some compliance issue. I just believe that an apartment that requires you to do that, is going to give you more issues in the long run.

I have read the article that you linked to and find nothing that says that landlords couldnt do that. I do know that where I live we are required to have inspections of our apts every 2 weeks, if you have a cat- no dogs allowed( it has to be oked by staff at the center and most clients cant ) you put down a $300 deposit and it has to be declawed. You also have to have proof of all vet visits, shots and declawing. Cats have to stay in your apt. and cant be allowed in the common area. No outside cats. Mia is my therapy cat. She helps with my illness (biploar 1 also known as manic deppression). She makes me keep going even when I am severely depressed because I have to get up and take care of her. She takes care of me too, she is a great comforter.

I wish I didnt have to declaw Mia but I had no choice. The majority of the furniture in my apartment came with the apt. All brand new and I had no choice as to use it or not. It is a state run facility for chronically mentally ill. There are 16 appts in the building, a common area and someone in the office at all times. I even was required to have a person lined up to take care of Mia if something happened to me such as hospitalization or whatnot (not a bad thing). It had to be documented.

My illness has been under control sence I have lived here, better than it has for several years so I'm not leaving due to their rules. As I said earlier I have a blood disorder that had to be considered too.

my post wasn't aimed at anyone. Was trying to make the point that if something is not available to you, you find other ways to solve problems. I hope you manage to get the procedure banned over there.

Please note the following rule...

3. This website considers declawing a drastic way to curb cat behavior. A painful ordeal for your kitty we would suggest that declawing never be considered for any behavioral issue. Health issues are entirely different. It is up to you as a responsible pet owner to explore all the different options available instead of declawing. Your cat is dependant on you to make wise choices for her, and not put her into any more stress or discomfort. Please be a responsible pet owner and research this subject thoroughly. Understand that if you are pro-declaw in your posts, you will encounter opposition. Please learn more about alternatives for declawing here in our forums as well as on our website itself. Declaw - More than Just a Manicure. Hopefully those of you with claw-related problems will find solutions by spending time in our Behavior Forum.


My hope is that one day the USA will follow other countries methods, which is to make declawing illegal. We don't do it and the cats are fine

I do want to make one thing clear that I dont think I have. I am NOT pro-declaw. Mia was using her posts just fine but I have to follow rules where I live. I love Mia with all my heart and I didnt like doing this to her. She brings great comfort to me and many happy moments (she is so silly). She has a better life with me though than at the shelter she was at.
She is doing well at recovering and has more spark back in her than last week. I was so sick seeing her the way she was. I held her and comforted her all week. I never went anywhere.
The vet wasnt even going to give me pain meds or antibiotics for her. I had to insist. He finally gave them to me. I was so angry!!! We will be seeing a new vet!
I really hope no one thinks any less of me as I love coming here. I have learned so much from present and past posts!

I hope no one is blaming you, I know I'm not. You have a completely legitimate reason for what you did. Others may be able to convince their landlords what to do, but I think in your circumstance you wouldn't have been able to. It's a shame she had to lose them, but it sounds like she is doing alright, and we will hope she continues to do well.
And when/if the time comes you want another cat, you can always pick one that is already declawed and give it the love it deserves.

I can't read this anymore, I just can't stand it when people say that they had no other choice but to declaw their kitty, it just sickens me. I'm disgusted, sad and I wish they had no cats. If you love your cat, his/her welfare comes first, not furniture, landlords, etc.

As much as I hate it, declawing is still legal in this country and it leads to situations where a person must make some difficult choices with a landlord like ILoveMia.

We need to continue on educating people to consider all of the alternatives and use it only as a last resort. Too many times it is done without discussion, just "something you do when you get a cat".

To the OP, in your position, understand the vet's philosophy on declawing. That will be your first point to decide if you can maybe better educate him and his clients or decide to look elsewhere for an office that aligns with your moral compass.

I've always had reservations about it in the first place. My outlook is that is you take on the responsibility of animals you deal with the annoyances as well. My cat that I adopted last Christmas eve pretty much left my leather couch in scheds. Would I get rid of her or declaw her no. It was partially my fault for not having enough scratching posts and being more deligent with her. In any case from all I've heard it's not a good thing to have your cat declawed so I would never do it. That wouldn't stop me from adopting one that was declawed. One thing too I've noticed is that declawed cats tend to bite I guess as compensation for not having claws they use their teeth....that seems more dangerous to be then putting up with a few scratches.

That poor cat... "Understand that if you are pro-declaw in your posts, you will encounter opposition." AND.......

Obviously...... I would prefer if you keep your declawing comments elsewhere, they are not wanted here.

Oh understand that you did what you had to do, but aren't pro declaw. The page I put in the link is Massachusetts SPCA. There is a PDF called best friends for life. In that document they have all sorts of info regarding tenant landlord rights regarding pets, including those that are assstive animals. There is a section under management rights, I believe it is number 5 that states that management cannot require the painful declaw procedure as any damage resulting from the pet is covered under the pet deposit. They can require vaccines, flea control, spay/neuter and things like that. They also cannot require debarking either. Now this may be just for Massachusetts, but I've heard it elsewhere too. People with disabilities and the elderly that need their pets have even more rights and HUD can't require them to get rid of their pets even in a no pet situation. In some cases they might not even be able to require a pet deposit. It was a very interesting document, you might want to check out the SPCA in you area to see if your rights are similar. Having you apartment inspected every two weeks seems like an invasion of privacy to me, atvthe very least a major annoyance. Just trying to help, but I understand where you are coming from.

Well, I don't understand getting an F2 savannah and then having it declawed because it plays a little rough. That's like getting a Burmese and asking it to be quiet. And stop being so damned friendly whilst it's at it. Or getting a Persian and then complaining that it's "a bit fluffy". Or getting a Singapura and then taking it back saying "It's a bit small, isn't it?"

In other news, apparantly cigarettes are bad for you.

Perhaps a little research into the breed might have saved the cat a lifetime of frustration and resulted in the owner getting a pet more suited to their own requirements without surgical alteration. There always seems to be an excuse for declawing which makes it seem essential, but in countries where it is illegal, we just seem to manage just fine. People in europe have blood disorders and furniture too. Cats have claws, who'd have thought

This is brilliant. I'm going to put it in my signature.

I'm sorry but I haven't read all the posts on this thread but just thought I'd add my two cents. I am against declawing and was shocked when I witnessed my first declawing in three surgery room. It is probably the first time I felt nauseous during a procedure. But I am not the vet/owner of the clinic(in Canada the owner of an animal hospital must be a vet). I am not planning to be a tech forever;I am looking for a teaching job. I'm hoping to teach my future students about having pets. In that sense, I am hoping to make a difference with respect to declawing (as well as issues as puppy and kitten mills, vaccines etc.) I quit my job at an insurance company to change my career to something with more variety. I took this job and q tutoring job to see whether I wanted to go in.to veterinary or teaching. I chose teaching because for one, I am too old to go to school forever to become a vet, and two, I cannot continue watching animals die or get their toes cut .off. I figure if I can educate people on the humane treatment of animals, I can make a difference.

I work at night and am everything from receptionist to vet tech to kennel to grief counsellor. I have seen dogs that have been chained for so long the chain was embedded in the skin. I have also seen perfectly healthy animals be put down because the owner didn't want it. I have also had a vet refuse to euthanize an animal because it was healthy (tbat was one of the good points). Honestly, there are days I just want to walk out. Mind you, it's not just the euthanasias and declawing I'd like to get away from. However, a vet clinic is a business and must make profit. Declawing may be considered a lesser evil than euthanizing a cat or giving it to a shelter and so it is offered at clinics. My clinic will not do ear or tail cropping as it is considered cosmetic and cruel. While I think declawing is cruel too, it's better than having a healthy young cat euthanized or sent to a shelter. I do think that my clinic could do a better job educating clients but the owner's main goal is money. Well not the only main goal but a clinic isn't exactly cheap to run.

It's not just declawing that I find cruel. What about one of the biggest revenue generators fof animal hospitals? Vaccines? The veterinary industry knows that the vaccines your animal gets every year can last for 7-9 years? Why do the vaccines we get as young kids last our whole lives? While I know that dogs and cats age faster than humans, these annual vaccines last longer than a year. This is known yet you still get vaccine reminders every year. Why? Money. Profit. Then when you bring your per in for vaccinesx, they sell you food, toothbrush, discuss dental work etc. People overvaccinate their animals and the vet knows it. Unwashed talking to one of the vets at my clinic and he confirmed this. Vaccines also create the environment for allergies as they make your pets bodies create antibodies which create the environment for allergies. I refuse to vaccinate my animals every year. But this is something that, as a vet tech, you have to accept.

I am not trying to hijacking this thread, just wanted to make you aware of how a vet clinic works. I understand how you feel but I also want you to know that there are many rewards too.

I am personally against declawing but there is one exception to my feelings. If it came down to me having to choose between the health of the cat and it having its claws I would declaw a cat so it stayed healthy. I dont give a hoot about myself personally so to declaw a cat for myself would never enter into the equation it would have to be something that would be for the health and safety of my cat. Thankfully Ive never had to make that decision.

One thing I despise more than anything is people who declaw cats because of furniture scratching. All of my cats have come into the house and started scratching on the furniture and with a few loud noises and scaring them when they did it they stopped. I keep tons of different types of scratching surfaces available to them so they have plenty of options for getting their scratch on. I know someone who I wish I could maim who declawed their cat because it scratched the carpet and they thought having scratchers for their cat was tacky. This poor cat has no toys, no play surfaces nothing. It has a food dish and a litter box. I wish I could rip that person nails off with pliars and see how they felt afterwards. This is the same person who had a cat put to sleep because it put toys in the water dish. I could kill I am still that lividly furious over it.

In response to Cat Person, you are correct, currently you do have a right to declaw your cat. That may change and i'm sure you will agree that it is not always the best option and that there are major consequences to weigh against any benefit. If you think the negative consequences for your cat are outweighed by the positive of you not getting scratched during play, i hope you willl reconsider. I wanted you to know i hace a Chausie rescue and he is a joy to play with. I can't imagine him without his claws. He is 23bs. I consider it my responsibility to teach him the kind of play i will allow. He got it right away, infact he is more careful in play than my other non Chausie cat. As far as scratching furniture, when i first got him, he wanted to scratch the couch, again i considered it my responsibility to teach him what was ok to scratch and what was of limmits. Anytime he scratched the couch i tlod him no and redirected him to the tall (hip high) scratching post. Took about a week but he got it. While he was learning i hung a blanket on the couch for protection. Best wishes.

This is an old thread, but I feel the need to add my two cents in after reading some of these responses.

Unless your cat has some strange bone disorder in her toes that requires amputation:

When you declaw a cat, you are maiming an animal for your own convenience. Period.

"But teaching it to scratch on the post is inconvenient!"
"But moving to a new place is inconvenient!"
"But rehoming it to someone who wouldn't maim it is inconvenient!"
"But buying or adopting an exotic breed, then finding out it plays roughly, is inconvenient!"
"But taking her to have Soft Paws put on/clipping her nails is inconvenient!"
"But teaching her to play in a way that avoids clawing me is inconvenient!"

That's basically what I've been hearing in this thread.

I'm a vet tech as well and hate the idea of declawing. Fortunately, the vet I work for does NOT condone it what so ever. He's very good at persuading people to think it over, do research, etc because so many people don't understand what it actually is. They either choose to do it because their people around them have always done it, or for convinience factors. They don't realize that it would basically be like cutting the tips of a humans fingers off. Not nice at all. At the end of the day, if it's between life or death for the cat, we'll do it, but we really don't like to. I definitely feel lucky that I work at a clinic where it's not just a checkmark on a piece of paper.