Declawing

A good friend of mine told me yesterday that she will soon be declawing her cat. I need some info (to show her) against this as I think it is cruel. I heard that declawing a cat sometimes turns them into biters. Is this true? I don't want to sound like a know it all, so how do I approach my friend on this?

You just need to explain the procedure and the con's to having this done. Yes, there are some cats who come out just fine, but if this friend can train the cat, it's MUCH better than having the surgery. There are several possible outcomes to the procedure. They stop using the litter box because it's painful, they can get severe arthritis when they grow older, they can start biting, they can also become very afraid of just about anything. I have a cat that comes to our vet clinic that you can't touch without it being put under. This cat became so very aggressive after the surgery, the owners almost put her to sleep. I would go to this site for more info and pictures. You can either gather more info there or direct your friend to the site.
www.stopdeclaw.com

And also keep in mind that even though declawing is really inhumane for an animal, the owner may have already made up her mind about having it done. If that is the case, suggest to her that instead of using clumping kitty litter, or kitty litter at all, she should either use shredded newspaper, or (don't laugh) rabbit food. Because the litter gets into the areas where the cat's knuckles have been removed and it gets really painful. Suggest to her that getting a natural wood scratching post will blunt nails, that cats can be trained NOT to scratch and you can provide her with how to do this. I have 9 cats and fine furniture, and the only piece of furniture my cats will claw is an old sleeper couch in the cat room. Cats are very intelligent and if you can communicate with them in ways they understand they can be trained. Good luck. I just lost this fight with my stepson. No matter what I said his wife was adamant, their calico was going to be declawed. So know going in, that the mind may already be made up, and good luck this is a volatile issue no matter what!

You know I wish my scanner worked I'd take some pictures from work of declawing and the after product. Some of the things I've seen, if the owners knew they'd think twice......

But WARNING! it is not for the squeamish......


(Educate, don't amputate!

You people are a fountain of info!