I’m not sure it’s intolerable. I think it’s inaccurate. The person you describe in your example clearly will have reduced function. Major loss of function in fact. A cat that has been declawed does not show any signs of reduced function. They jump fine. They walk fine. They essentially do all the normal cat things except destroy furniture.
Once declawed they cannot defend themselves very well, so they should never be allowed outside. Some people keep their cats inside at all times. I think calling it maiming is overkill.
.02
P.S. I have never declawed any of my cats, and probably never will. I have had a lot of cats over the years.
If declawing a cat does not reduce any amount of functionality, then it really is unnecessary surgery, wouldn’t you say?
A man with only one arm doesn’t show reduced functioning by that reasoning: he can drive, he can eat, he can scratch his nose. He jumps fine. He walks fine.
I agree with this too. However, my family has had two declawed cats, both siamese. One of them was one of our many “rescued” cats. Before we took him in he’d been abused then abandoned (and abused some more by people on a constuction crew who though it was fun to throw hammers at him. He was minus a fang from that. We got him from the guy on the crew who took the cat away from them.), and was very timid, though very loving. His previous owners had declawed him. The problem was that our other house cat hated him. She was a lot bigger than him, and weighed twice what he did. She decided that it would be fun to scratch him bloody every chance she got. She even demonstrated a new trick, and learned to open door latches so she could go after him. So we had a delemia on our hands. Did we give our poor rescued cat to the shelter, where he would probably been put down due to his advantanced age and not great health, or did we declaw the other cat so she couldn’t hurt him as much? We opted to have her declawed as well. Once she was clawless they no longer fought; they actually became best buddies. We hated to have it done, but it seemed to be the only good solution at the time (had those claw sheaths been around then we probably would have gotten them instead). I wouldn’t declaw another cat, but I don’t regret that we had it done to that particular cat and I can see other cases where it might be better for the cat than being tossed out. YMMV
Cats who have been spayed/neutered do have a higher propensity for putting on pounds. However, that problem can be avoided by feeding the cat reasonable amounts and a proper diet. My spayed kitty keeps pretty trim because I make sure her intake equals her output. This is something any owner should do.
Obesity does affect quality of life. But spaying/neutering does not automatically equal a fat cat. In fact, my sister has a spayed female that is down right skinny no matter how much she eats.
No. I would say it is sometimes necessary but I was rushing my post and worded my sentence poorly, as I often do. Declawing reduces the cat’s capability to inflict destruction on furniture, which I suspect is the primary reason the surgery is done. I have not done a scientific survey on this point. It’s only my opinion.
A man with two arms who suddenly loses one will definitely show major reduced function. If he used to enjoy playing baseball, football, the piano or the guitar he would now fairly and accurately described as maimed. A cat with no front claws is not maimed, imo.
This thread makes me sad. I just realized that I should have declawed one of my previous cats. He was very powerful and would beat up all the other cats in the neighborhood. He even chased away his own brother, who was a beautiful gentle cat. Funny thing about this bully cat is that he was very gentle with a kitten we had at the same time. He would protect him and teach him how to fight, almost in the way a mother cat would do.
Perhaps I should have declawed him. Maybe it would have helped. But I’ve never done it to a cat so I never even considered that option at the time. Live and learn…
The single most important factor affecting feline mortality is whether the cat is an indoor, indoor/outdoor, or outdoor cat. “The average life expectancy of an outdoor cat is just two to five years, while an indoor cat may survive for 17 or more years.” http://www.co.lane.or.us/Animals/indoorCat.htm To the (modest) extent that removing kitty’s toenails is more likely to persuade the owner to keep it indoors, this surgical procedure may very well save kitty lives.
But, I must admit, I care little about kitty welfare. What I care more about is the massive damage to the environment caused by non-native species, of which cats are prime perpetrators. http://www.nana.asn.au/n2-cats.htm
Therefore, anything that can keep the kitties locked up is a good thing in my book.
But only then? So a cat who used to enjoy scratching things and stretching out his little digits by digging in claws would be fairly and accurately described as maimed, right? And a guy who didn’t do anything which required two arms wouldn’t be maimed, is that right?
Well, elfkin & azael- if the world consisted of reasonable dudes who made educated choices like the 3 of us- then laws like these would never even be considered.
Of course- you’ll never know that you made the ONLY “right decision”. However- you considered it, weighed the alternatives, and made an informed choice that considered the cat’s welfare & happiness also. That’s all we can do as responsible pet owners. So- yes, you did right.
I have never had to declaw a cat- I hope I never have to. But I recognize that sometimes it has to be done.
I haven’t had an “outside” or “indoor/outdoor” cat for decades. When I did, we were in rural neighborhood, with little traffic, and it was safer for cats to be outside. Still, 1 out of the 3 cats we had got killed by a car. I likely will not let any cats out again- however, I suppose if I bought a farm for retirement, a few cats kept primarily as outdoor “rodent control” might be a possibility.
So- in general I say NO to declawing & outdoor cats. But I keep an open mind.
Traffic is hardly the only risk that cat face outdoors. Other animals such as dogs, racoons, foxes and other cats can attack them. They are more exposed to diseases such as rabies, feline leukemia, distemper, and feline immunodeficincy virus. Vaccines are not 100% effective and there is no vaccine for FIV. Then there are parasites such as worms, ticks, mites, and fleas. Exposure to pesticides, rodenticides and antifreeze poisons and kills thousands of outdoor cats each year. Cats are maimed and killed in traps set for furbearing animals.
I do not accept the analogy. I believe that you are anthropomorphizing. No biggie, though.
Other posters have observed that, following a declawing procedure done when the cat is young, the cat did not appear to lead an unhappy or stressed life. Similarly for flowbark, following his circumcision as an infant.
So, unless you can observe enhanced suffering associated with declawing, I say snip away. And keep the cat indoors, where it won’t prey upon birds, lizards, and various native species. *
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