Firstly, I would prefer this to not get personal. You may state your opinion, bring in any proof you may have, but do not attack me or anyone else on here. Please, lets me civil.
So, I was having a discussion today with a friend of mine who has a declawed cat. I have been trying to rid my cat Tom of his scratching issue and the vet actually told me that declawing could be an option (we've done scans of his brain and anatomy and everything at this point to see if anything is wrong, he really does just like to scratch and bite) if his being neutered (which is happening this week) does not change his behaviour.
I, personally, was never a fan of declawing. Unless it is absolutely needed, I didn't suggest it but my friend has a declawed cat so I thought I'd ask her about any behaviour issues afterwards. She said her cat was in pain for awhile, but no longer than she seemed to be after she got spayed.
Well I told her I viewed it as an inhumane procedure which caused pain to the animal and only benefited the owner and not the cat. And then she shocked me. She asked me how spaying and neutering really helped a cat.
So that got me thinking, do we ever really NEED to spay or neuter a cat? It doesn't really help the cat at all (we could say that it gets rid of cancer risk in those areas but I mean, we could say the same about claws getting stuck and harming, so they do have a small benefit when looked at medically in both areas). We get it done because we do not want the cat spraying or going into heat. We don't want to make sure our cats don't get mated, etc. So in reality, how is a neuter or spay any less inhumane and selfish than declawing? Neither of them benefit the cat either way, so how is one a horrid thing that a person should be tarred and feathered, while the other is also a surgery that SHOULD be done?
Again, feel free to say you agree, disagree, see the point but still don't agree, but do not attack me or anyone else on here. I just thought it was a good point on my friend's behalf and she kind of made me rethink yelling at people over declawing when my cutting my cats man-ness off is not really any better.
Anyways, feel free to agree, disagree, or be half-and-half.
So, I was having a discussion today with a friend of mine who has a declawed cat. I have been trying to rid my cat Tom of his scratching issue and the vet actually told me that declawing could be an option (we've done scans of his brain and anatomy and everything at this point to see if anything is wrong, he really does just like to scratch and bite) if his being neutered (which is happening this week) does not change his behaviour.
I, personally, was never a fan of declawing. Unless it is absolutely needed, I didn't suggest it but my friend has a declawed cat so I thought I'd ask her about any behaviour issues afterwards. She said her cat was in pain for awhile, but no longer than she seemed to be after she got spayed.
Well I told her I viewed it as an inhumane procedure which caused pain to the animal and only benefited the owner and not the cat. And then she shocked me. She asked me how spaying and neutering really helped a cat.
So that got me thinking, do we ever really NEED to spay or neuter a cat? It doesn't really help the cat at all (we could say that it gets rid of cancer risk in those areas but I mean, we could say the same about claws getting stuck and harming, so they do have a small benefit when looked at medically in both areas). We get it done because we do not want the cat spraying or going into heat. We don't want to make sure our cats don't get mated, etc. So in reality, how is a neuter or spay any less inhumane and selfish than declawing? Neither of them benefit the cat either way, so how is one a horrid thing that a person should be tarred and feathered, while the other is also a surgery that SHOULD be done?
Again, feel free to say you agree, disagree, see the point but still don't agree, but do not attack me or anyone else on here. I just thought it was a good point on my friend's behalf and she kind of made me rethink yelling at people over declawing when my cutting my cats man-ness off is not really any better.
Anyways, feel free to agree, disagree, or be half-and-half.