Do you believe in De-clawing?

[cheshirecat]

I keep hearing the argument "I would rather see a cat declawed rather have it be homeless".

Does anyone have any data on the number of declawed cats that are surrendered to shelters because of behavioral problems that then end up being PTS because they are unadaptable?

Meaning no one wants to adopt a cat that has problems. That cat then spends too much time at the shelter and is PTS to make room for other's that have a better chance of being adopted.

 

[dina]

I have never declawed my kitties. I see it as they need their primary weapons. I clip em!

 

[littleraven7726]

Originally Posted by CheshireCat

I keep hearing the argument "I would rather see a cat declawed rather have it be homeless".

Does anyone have any data on the number of declawed cats that are surrendered to shelters because of behavioral problems that then end up being PTS because they are unadaptable?

I don't have numbers but personal experience working at a shelter for 2 years. Most declawed cats came in for "moving" and the other usual reasons. I honestly didn't notice a difference in the number of inappropriate pee-ers with declawed vs clawed cats. And most who did have issues were the results of UTIs or unclean litter boxes (the state people will let the litter box go to is pretty darn bad).

I *did* see more Persians who did not use the litter box.

I thought that was quite strange.

The shelter I worked at did not take cats who did not use the box, because no one wants to adopt a cat who doesn't use the box. I'm sure some people lied, but we also did our best to make a cat adoptable.

So we did our best to solve the problem if it cropped up (sometimes something as simple as using different litter worked).

I'm not arguing "for" declawing, but I don't think cats that are already declawed and in shelters should be written off automatically as "unadoptable." My experience is many are still adoptable, as all 3 of my cats were already declawed when I adopted them.

 

[ldg]

Originally Posted by Misskiwi67

I perform declaws because veterinary medicine is first and foremost a service industry. I will set a limit on the age of cats I declaw, but will not refuse to declaw kittens. None of my cats are declawed because I'm a pro-active and educated owner, and all of my pets arrived in my home already spayed and neutered. Not everyone has this luxury, and not everyone is as wonderful an owner as the majority of persons on this website. If I could have a clinic made up solely with educated and compliant clients such as those found here, I would be in heaven.

Why not help educate them before they make the decision? At our vet, it turned out that on the forms people fill out for boarding or spay/neutering their animals there was a box to check if you also wanted your cat declawed. We had a big problem with this, because so many people don't know what it means to have a cat declawed. We discussed it with the owner of the practice, and they changed their policies. They still perform declaws, but they don't offer them on the forms anymore, and when people request it, they give them a brochure (with information such as this: http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/html...ernatives.html) They also have a more-in-depth brochure detailing scratching solutions which they also hand out with the package of info. If after reading these, the people still want a declaw, they make them sign a form that they've read the materials. No discussing or debating until you're blue in the face - but you would be offering someone the chance to make an informed decision.

Originally Posted by Misskiwi67

My experience tells me something different than your experience... so lets see some hard core FACTS to settle this.

I provided quite a few here: http://www.thecatsite.com/forums/sho...6&postcount=82 and are summarized below.

Originally Posted by Misskiwi67

Inappropriate urination and biting secondary to declaw are myths, and unsupported by peer reviewed research.

Actually, that's not true. There is peer reviewed research available.

Patronek, GJ, Glickman LT, Beck AM, et al. Risk factors for relinquishment of cats to an animal shelter. J Am Vet Med Assoc 1996;209:582–588

Summary: Case-control study of owned and relinquished cats involving a random digit dial survey of cat owners. Prevalence of declawing was 45%(476/1056) in the owned cat population. In the univariate analysis, declawed cats were at decreased risk of relinquishment compared to non-declawed cats (OR=0.63; 95% CI 0.45-0.87). After adjustment in a multivariate model, declawed cats were at an increased risk of relinquishment (OR=1.89;1.00-3.58); this reversal made the effect of declawing difficult to interpret. Among 218 cats relinquished to a shelter, more (44/84; 52.4%) declawed cats than non-declawed cats (39/134; 29.1%) were reported by owners to have inappropriate elimination (p=0.022). emphasis added

...and this: A recent national survey of shelters from the Caddo Parrish Forgotten Felines and Friends indicates that approximately 70% of cats turned in to shelters for behavioral problems are declawed.
# From the Summer 2002 issue of PETA’s Animal Times: “A survey by a Delaware animal shelter showed that more than 75% of the cats turned in for avoiding their litter boxes had been declawed.”

So while there may not be enough of the rigourous study work done out there to support the idea that there is a relationship between problems with cats, their behavior and declawing, the "anecdotal" evidence - shelter experience - would seem to tip the scales indicating that there is a problem.

Combined with this

Yeon SC, Flanders JA, Scarlett JM, et al. Attitudes of owners regarding tendonectomy and onychectomy in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2001;218:43-47.

Summary: Retrospective phone follow-up of teaching hospital clients, DVM student surgeons. 39/98 owners whose cats underwent elective onychectomy or tendonectomy were contacted two months to five years (median 11.5 months) after surgery. 17 (44%) of declawed cats returned to normal within three days, 35 (90%) within two weeks. 31 (80%) had more than one medical complication. 13 (33%) developed at least one behavior problem. 6(15.4%) would not use the litter box and 7 (17.9%) had an increase in biting habits or intensity. 34(87%) owners had a positive attitude and 2 (5.1%) had a negative attitude towards declawing. again, emphasis added

Personally, I don't find the fact that 87% of owners had a positive attitude about it relevant when 33% of the declawed cats developed at least one behavior problem - where 15.4% would not use the litter box and 17.9% had an increase in biting habits or intensity - with the median follow-up having been almost a year after the surgery.

While the not declawed cat population may also have a problem with inappropriate elimination and biting - the statistics above refer to changes in the cats' behavior after declawing. And the numbers involved are not 2% or 3%, so it would seem there is empirical evidence of problems associated with declawing and behavior published in a peer review journal.

Laurie

 

[kittkatt]

After reading through this entire thread (I just skimmed through it the first time), I am even more against de-clawing then I was before.

I never knew that de-clawing consisted of cutting away at the toe to the first knuckle.

I always thought that the claw was just pulled out somehow, which is bad enough in itself. But to actually cut away a part of the foot - well, this just infuriates me

and makes me sick to my stomach.

I don't even know what to say to this..

Thanks to those who posted their experiences & shared their horrifying stories, and also to those who provided the info regarding de-clawing.

~KK~

 

[jenniferd]

Originally Posted by littleraven7726

I don't have numbers but personal experience working at a shelter for 2 years. Most declawed cats came in for "moving" and the other usual reasons. I honestly didn't notice a difference in the number of inappropriate pee-ers with declawed vs clawed cats. And most who did have issues were the results of UTIs or unclean litter boxes (the state people will let the litter box go to is pretty darn bad).

I *did* see more Persians who did not use the litter box.

I thought that was quite strange.

The shelter I worked at did not take cats who did not use the box, because no one wants to adopt a cat who doesn't use the box. I'm sure some people lied, but we also did our best to make a cat adoptable.

So we did our best to solve the problem if it cropped up (sometimes something as simple as using different litter worked).

I'm not arguing "for" declawing, but I don't think cats that are already declawed and in shelters should be written off automatically as "unadoptable." My experience is many are still adoptable, as all 3 of my cats were already declawed when I adopted them.

I have two persians, they are really good about using the litter box.
One I got at 10 weeks and he knew to use the litter box right away.

 

[siamesestacey]

Never. I have never and would never do it.

 

[littleraven7726]

Originally Posted by jenniferd

I have two persians, they are really good about using the litter box.
One I got at 10 weeks and he knew to use the litter box right away.

I'm glad yours are good about the box. It was rather strange how many adult Persians our shelter got, and how many of those were not good about the litter box. I'd say 50% of the Persians were declawed, but it wasn't only the declawed ones who didn't use the box.

As I mentioned, for some it was as simple as using a different litter.

For some they had bladder infections. I would really say it was a minority that it was a true behavioral problem.

 

[lunasmom]

Pippen - thank you for sharing your story

I hope your boy is OK.

Luna is my first cat. I considered declawing her, but luckily my dad stopped me. He basically said that its the same idea as medival torture and pulling your fingernails out.

I'm even more against it after coming on to this site. I find that its an unnecessary evil.

 

[jcat]

Originally Posted by sharky

slightly off topic .. but this is for those in countrys it is banned.... CAN it be done for medically nessesary reasons??

Yes, but only the affected toes/paw. Someone I know had a kitten born with a clubfoot, and that paw was declawed.

 

[taterbug]

Originally Posted by KittKatt

After reading through this entire thread (I just skimmed through it the first time), I am even more against de-clawing then I was before.

I never knew that de-clawing consisted of cutting away at the toe to the first knuckle.

I always thought that the claw was just pulled out somehow, which is bad enough in itself. But to actually cut away a part of the foot - well, this just infuriates me

and makes me sick to my stomach.

I don't even know what to say to this..

Thanks to those who posted their experiences & shared their horrifying stories, and also to those who provided the info regarding de-clawing.

~KK~

You know, that's what many cat owners think. A declaw is only pulling out the nail and that will heal quickly. That's what my brother and his wife thought when they adopted their little boy kitty. They were horrified when they realized exactly what a declaw was,but alas...it was too late!

Of course, they had one of thse vets that encouraged them to have a declaw while he was being neutured and they assumed it was a minor procedure.

 

[jen]

My Himalayan is rather picky with his box. He also likes to pee on plastic bags and in laundry baskets too.

 

[misskiwi67]

Originally Posted by Jen

My Himalayan is rather picky with his box. He also likes to pee on plastic bags and in laundry baskets too.

So is my female cat who still has her claws

 

[misskiwi67]

This is the kind of factual information I was referring to... 100 people saying declawing causes behavior problems does not mean its factual. I can think of several urban myths that would produce the same statistical results when asking lay persons off the street.

A Behaviorist’s View of Feline Declawing
Western Veterinary Conference 2002

OBJECTIVES

Although the issues of pain, discomfort and physical alteration of the cat may be compelling reasons to avoid declawing, studies seem to indicate that there is higher owner satisfaction with declawing than with tendenotomy and that many owners might otherwise relinquish their cats if they were not declawed. In addition, to date there have been no studies to show an increase in behavior problems in declawed cats..

KEY POINTS

Scratching is a normal behavior that conditions the claws, serves as a visual and scent mark, and is a means of stretching. When scratching is directed at owners or their possessions, it is unacceptable

There are numerous effective ways of preventing inappropriate scratching and these should be addressed and discussed before any procedure that might inflict pain or discomfort can be considered.

Pain management is an important issue for all surgery, but especially those that are elective and otherwise avoidable.

Not all undesirable scratching can be avoided or corrected in every household. In these homes, the owners may be faced with the option of declawing or relinquishment.

Declawing has not been shown to lead to any increase in behavior problems when compared with control groups and in fact, may lead to a reduction in problem behaviors and increased owner satisfaction.

OVERVIEW

With a surgery such as declawing, that is intended to correct a normal behavior that is undesirable to the pet owner, there is a great deal of controversy as to whether the needs and wishes of the owner are sufficient to justify the discomfort. In some countries, declawing as well as behavior modification products that use shock are illegal. However, when household scratching cannot be managed or resolved with behavioral management (see VET 269 presentation for details), it can be a major source of owner anxiety and one of the primary reasons for relinquishment.1 In a study in Germany (where declawing is illegal) of 1177 cats, the second most common owner behavioral complaint, second only to states of anxiety was scratching (15.2% of cats). For 125 cats the owners had attempted to correct the problem, 60% had partial success with environmental management or aversion conditioning, but only 10% were able to completely resolve the problem.2 Similarly, in a study of U.S. veterinarians it has been estimated that in about one of every 20 office visits, owners of both kittens and adult cats indicate problems with destructive behavior.3

As a last resort for these cats, either tendonectomy or declawing are surgical options to permanently correct the problem. Property damage and the risk of injury to people or other pets are the primary reasons for these surgeries.4,5 In one study veterinarians estimated that over 50% of owners of declawed cats would not have owned or kept their cats, had they not been declawed.5 Major concerns with respect to declawing are the postoperative pain associated with the procedure and the potential for postoperative problems. Most cats are reported to be recovered within 3 days, although cats declawed at a year of age took longer to recover. 96% of owners report the cats fully recovered within 2 weeks. By comparison, tendonectomy lead to less short term pain than declawing (for the first 24 hours)6 while cats that were declawed had a greater decrease in activity for the first two weeks than those undergoing tendonectomy.7 However owner satisfaction with declawing ranged from 89% to 96% in a previous study, while satisfaction with tendonectomy ranged from 70%vi to 87% and 30% of owners had difficulty trimming nails and 55% of owners reported that cats could still scratch. The increased pain associated with declawing for the first 24 hours can be addressed with pain management. Butorphinol injections for the day of surgery and the first full day after,8 or a transdermal fentanyl patch applied 8 hours prior to surgery (and for two days after), led to significant improvement in appetite and pain scores over controls.6

In numerous studies to date, declawing has been shown to cause no increase in behavior problems. Declawed cats were no more likely to bite, than clawed cats9 and no more likely to show any other behavior problems including housesoiling10,11,12 In a study of 276 cat owners, declawing successfully met or surpassed the owner’s expectations in all cases.4 There was 96% owner satisfaction and over 70% of cat owners indicated that there was an improvement in the cat-owner relationship.4 This is consistent with studies that showed that behavior problems (including scratching) were a major reason for surrender13, while being declawed decreased the risk of relinquishment.1

Summary

Scratching may be a serious enough problem for some cat owners that relinquishment or declawing become the only two options. Veterinarians faced with this situation should review whether all alternatives have been considered, and thoroughly explain the procedure and potential complications. If declawing is performed adequate pain management should be addressed, and cases should be followed postsurgically for any medical or behavioral problems that might arise so that they can be immediately addressed.

REFERENCES

1. Patronek GJ, Glickman LT, Beck AM, et al. Risk factors for relinquishment of cats to an animal shelter. J Am Vet Med Assoc, vol. 209, 3, 572-581, 1996

2. Heidenberger E. Housing conditions and behavioural problems of indoor cats as assessed by their owners. App Anim Behav Sci, 52, 345, 1997

3. Patronek GJ, Dodman NH. Attitudes, procedures, and delivery of behavior services by veterinarians in small animal practice. Can Vet J. 215, 11, 1606-1611, 1999

4. Landsberg G. Cat owners’ attitudes toward declawing. Anthrozoos, 4:3, p. 192, 1991

5. Landsberg G. Declawing is controversial but still saves pets, a veterinarian survey. Veterinary Forum, September 1991

6. Franks JN, Boothe HW, Taylor L, Geller S et al. Evaluation of transdermal fentanyl patches for analgesia in cat undergoing onychectomy. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 217 (7), 1013-1019, 2000

7. Jankowski AJ, Brown DC, Duval J, Gregor TP, Comparison of effects of elective tenectomy or onychectomy in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 213 (3), 370-373, 1998

8. Yeon SC, Flanders JA, Scarlett JM, Ayers S, Houpt KA. Attitudes of owners regarding tendonectomy and onychectomy in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 218 (1), 43-47, 2001

9. Carroll GL, Howe LB, Slater MR, Haughn L et al. Evaluation of analgesia provided by postoperative administration of butorphinol to cats undergoing onychectomy. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 213 (2), 246-250, 1998

10. Borchelt PL, Voith VL. Aggressive behavior in cats. Compend Contin Educ Vet Pract 1;9, p. 49, 1987

11. Halip JW, Vaillancourt JP, Luescher UA. A descriptive study of 189 cats engaging in inappropriate elimination behaviors. Fel Pract, 26 (4), 18-21, 1998.

12. Bennett M, Houpt KA, Erb HN: Effects of declawing on feline behavior. Comp Animal Pract 2:7, 1988

13. Morgan M, Houpt KA. Feline behavior problems. The influence of declawing. Anthrozoos, 3:1, p. 50, 1989

14. Miller DD, Staats SR, Partlo C, Rada K. Factors associated with the decision to surrender a pet to an surrender a pet to an animal shelter. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 209, 4, 738-742, 1996

Aggressive behavior
\tBorchelt and Voith, 1987

Retrospective survey of 887 cat owners from private practices. Clients were asked to fill out a survey on the incidence of aggressive behaviors in their cats. Similar proportions (60/252, 23.8%) of declawed vs. (168/613, 27.4%) intact cats bit family members; 2.3% of each seriously enough for medical attention

Patronek et al., 1996
\t
Behavior problems, risk of relinquishment
\t
Case-control study of owned and relinquished cats involving a random digit dial survey of cat owners. Prevalence of declawing was 45%(476/1056) in the owned cat population. In the univariate analysis, declawed cats were at decreased risk of relinquishment compared to non-declawed cats (OR=0.63; 95% CI 0.45-0.87). After adjustment in a multivariate model, declawed cats were at an increased risk of relinquishment (OR=1.89;1.00-3.58); this reversal made the effect of declawing difficult to interpret. Among 218 cats relinquished to a shelter, more (44/84; 52.4%) declawed cats than non-declawed cats (39/134; 29.1%) were reported by owners to have inappropriate elimination (p=0.022).

Selections from: Declawing and Debarking: What are the Alternatives?
World Small Animal Veterinary Association World Congress Proceedings, 2001

When household scratching cannot be managed or resolved, it can be a major source of owner anxiety and one of the primary reasons for relinquishment.(1) In a German study (where declawing is illegal) of 1177 cats, the second most common owner behavioral complaint, second only to states of anxiety, was scratching (15.2% of cats). For 125 cats, the owners had attempted to correct the problem; 60% had partial success with environmental management or aversion conditioning, but only 10% were able to completely resolve the problem.(2) Similarly, in a study of U.S. veterinarians, it has been estimated that in about one of every 20 office visits, owners of both kittens and adult cats indicate problems with destructive behavior.(3)

In numerous studies to date, declawing has been shown to cause no increase in behavior problems. Declawed cats were no more likely to bite than clawed cats (12) and no more likely to soil (10,11,14). In a study of 276 cat owners, declawing successfully met or surpassed the owner’s expectations in all cases.(4) There was 96% owner satisfaction and over 70% of cat owners indicated that there was an improvement in the cat-owner relationship.(4) This is consistent with studies that showed that behavior problems (including scratching) were a major reason for surrender (10), while being declawed decreased the risk of relinquishment.

1. Patronek GJ, Glickman LT, Beck AM, et al. Risk factors for relinquishment of cats to an animal shelter. J Am Vet Med Assoc, vol. 209, 3, 572-581, 1996

2. Heidenberger E. Housing conditions and behavioural problems of indoor cats as assessed by their owners. App Anim Behav Sci, 52, 345, 1997

3. Patronek GJ, Dodman NH. Attitudes, procedures, and delivery of behavior services by veterinarians in small animal practice. Can Vet J. 215, 11, 1606-1611, 1999

4. Landsberg G. Cat owners’ attitudes toward declawing. Anthrozoos, 4:3, p. 192, 1991

5. Landsberg G. Declawing is controversial but still saves pets, a veterinarian survey. Veterinary Forum, September 1991 JN, Boothe HW, Taylor L, Geller S et al. Evaluation of transdermal fentanyl patches for analgesia in cat undergoing onychectomy. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 217 (7), 1013-1019, 2000

6. Jankowski AJ, Brown DC, Duval J, Gregor TP, Comparison of effects of elective tenectomy or onychectomy in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 213 (3), 370-373, 1998

7. Yeon SC, Flanders JA, Scarlett JM, Ayers S, Houpt KA. Attitudes of owners regarding tendonectomy and onychectomy in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 218 (1), 43-47, 2001

8. Carroll GL, Howe LB, Slater MR, Haughn L et al. Evaluation of analgesia provided by postoperative administration of butorphanol to cats undergoing onychectomy. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 213 (2), 246-250, 1998

9. Franks JN, Boothe HW, Taylor L, Geller S et al. Evaluation of transdermal fentanyl patches for analgesia in cat undergoing onychectomy. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 217 (7), 1013-1019, 2000

10. Miller DD, Staats SR, Partlo C, Rada K. Factors associated with the decision to surrender a pet to an surrender a pet to an animal shelter. J Am Vet Med Assoc, 209, 4, 738-742, 1996

 

[ldg]

Originally Posted by Misskiwi67

Patronek et al., 1996

Behavior problems, risk of relinquishment

Case-control study of owned and relinquished cats involving a random digit dial survey of cat owners. Prevalence of declawing was 45%(476/1056) in the owned cat population. In the univariate analysis, declawed cats were at decreased risk of relinquishment compared to non-declawed cats (OR=0.63; 95% CI 0.45-0.87). After adjustment in a multivariate model, declawed cats were at an increased risk of relinquishment (OR=1.89;1.00-3.58); this reversal made the effect of declawing difficult to interpret. Among 218 cats relinquished to a shelter, more (44/84; 52.4%) declawed cats than non-declawed cats (39/134; 29.1%) were reported by owners to have inappropriate elimination (p=0.022). emphasis added

I already posted this earlier, but Yeon's work isn't some random 100 people saying that declawing causes behavioral problems.

Yeon SC, Flanders JA, Scarlett JM, et al. Attitudes of owners regarding tendonectomy and onychectomy in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2001;218:43-47.

Summary: Retrospective phone follow-up of teaching hospital clients, DVM student surgeons. 39/98 owners whose cats underwent elective onychectomy or tendonectomy were contacted two months to five years (median 11.5 months) after surgery. 17 (44%) of declawed cats returned to normal within three days, 35 (90%) within two weeks. 31 (80%) had more than one medical complication. 13 (33%) developed at least one behavior problem. 6(15.4%) would not use the litter box and 7 (17.9%) had an increase in biting habits or intensity. 34(87%) owners had a positive attitude and 2 (5.1%) had a negative attitude towards declawing. again, emphasis added

Again, as I said earlier, I don't find the fact that 87% of owners had a positive attitude about it relevant when 33% of the declawed cats developed at least one behavior problem - where 15.4% would not use the litter box and 17.9% had an increase in biting habits or intensity - with the median follow-up having been almost a year after the surgery.

While the not declawed cat population may also have a problem with inappropriate elimination and biting - the statistics above refer to changes in the cats' behavior after declawing. And the numbers involved are not 2% or 3%, so it would seem there is empirical evidence of problems associated with declawing and behavior published in a peer review journal. That the population of non-declawed cats and declawed cats experience roughly the same proportions of biting and inappropriate elimination to me are not the issue. The issue is that there is an increased risk of causing un-necessary pain or long term behavioral and medical complications when declawing a cat, and the probabilities and possibilities as outlined in the studies are not insignificant.

For me, what it all boils down to is that people should have at least the right to make an informed decision, and so many vet practices do not provide this opportunity.

As I posted earlier, Why not help educate them before they make the decision? At our vet, it turned out that on the forms people fill out for boarding or spay/neutering their animals there was a box to check if you also wanted your cat declawed. We had a big problem with this, because so many people don't know what it means to have a cat declawed. We discussed it with the owner of the practice, and they changed their policies. They still perform declaws, but they don't offer them on the forms anymore, and when people request it, they give them a brochure (with information such as this: http://www.straypetadvocacy.org/html...ernatives.html) They also have a more-in-depth brochure detailing scratching solutions which they also hand out with the package of info. If after reading these, the people still want a declaw, they make them sign a form that they've read the materials. No discussing or debating until you're blue in the face - but you would be offering someone the chance to make an informed decision.

Laurie

 

[misskiwi67]

Originally Posted by LDG

Yeon SC, Flanders JA, Scarlett JM, et al. Attitudes of owners regarding tendonectomy and onychectomy in cats. J Am Vet Med Assoc 2001;218:43-47.

Summary: Retrospective phone follow-up of teaching hospital clients, DVM student surgeons. 39/98 owners whose cats underwent elective onychectomy or tendonectomy were contacted two months to five years (median 11.5 months) after surgery. 17 (44%) of declawed cats returned to normal within three days, 35 (90%) within two weeks. 31 (80%) had more than one medical complication. 13 (33%) developed at least one behavior problem. 6(15.4%) would not use the litter box and 7 (17.9%) had an increase in biting habits or intensity. 34(87%) owners had a positive attitude and 2 (5.1%) had a negative attitude towards declawing.

Do you have any idea how much a first-time surgeon butchers their patient? I do!!! Veterinary students are HORRIBLE surgeons. I've performed nearly 60 procedures (5-10 times that of an average 4th year) due to my personal interests and electives, and I still consider myself a mediocre surgeon at best. That fact alone makes that study completely irrelevant.

 

[ldg]

You asked for data. JAVMA, a journal with peer-reviewed research published it. I'm sorry you choose to ignore it.

None of it changes the fact that as you said, you are in a service industry, and I believe your clients would be better served by you and/or your practice if they had the chance to make an informed decision - if they understood the surgery, understood what could happen to their cats, and understood that there are steps they can take to promote appropriate scratching before making a decision.

Laurie

 

[misskiwi67]

Originally Posted by LDG

.

None of it changes the fact that as you said, you are in a service industry, and I believe your clients would be better served by you and/or your practice if they had the chance to make an informed decision - if they understood the surgery, understood what could happen to their cats, and understood that there are steps they can take to promote appropriate scratching before making a decision.

Laurie

Oh, don't get me wrong, I completely agree. What I disagree with is the random distribution of poorly detailed facts, and saying that anyone who declaws is a bad owner.

For instance, the poor poster who waited to declaw their cat, and then had no idea what their poor adult kitty was going to go through. For cats older than 6 months, this procedure IS horrible, and owners SHOULD be well informed prior to making their decision.

In my experience however, many just plain don't care... I've participated in a whole-house declawing, where several cats, all over 3 years of age were all declawed at the same time. They were dropped off for a declaw-only procedure, with no explanation of why or opportunity for education. I hope to work in a clinic where I will be able to refuse service without a consultation for cats over 1 year of age. If this owner had been well educated, maybe the cats would have been declawed at an earlier age, or maybe she could have tried some behavior modification. Either way, older cats should not have to endure this procedure.

 

[agave]

Just the thought of declawing makes my fingers hurt. I've never had a clawing problem that could not be solved.

 

[yosemite]

I honestly cannot understand how ANYONE could be pro-declawing. That just boggles my mind. If folks don't want pets with claws and can't be bothered to properly train them to use appropriate scratching posts and surfaces, then don't get a cat. To get a cat and then mutilate it for their own selfish benefit causes me to see red and makes me extremely sad for those poor cats.