I heard of people declawing cats and said it was no different then fixing a cat. What is your guys opinion on it? Should it be illegal? Or do you think nothing is wrong with it?
Not all cats have need of offensive weaponry. If the cat is kept indoors, and isn’t depended on to kill mice, but is only a pet, fed and cosseted, then there is no grave sin in declawing.
But…opinions are certain to differ!
The “claw” is actually the last joint of the paw.
“De-clawing” cuts off that joint. It is NOT like pulling your fingernail off; it is like having the tip of your finger cut off.
There are three ways in use in the US:
Shear - a larger version of the claw trimmer - it simply shears the paw at the joint. Take a pair of scissors and cut off the tips of your fingers.
Laser - this is a fourth-degree burn - it actually burns through the skin and cartilage. And bone. Get a propane torch and cut away at your fingers.
Surgery - a scalpel is used to cut the skin and cartilage. At least the trauma is “minimized”.
Yeah, I do NOT like “de-clawing”
Note: Many Vets will sat ‘Surgery’ when they mean ‘shear’. Push. Ask to watch.
It’s illegal in the UK. Not only that, no one even questions why it’s illegal, because it’s so bloody obvious.
No decent vet would cripple, yes cripple, a cat to save your furniture.
It’s equivalent to cutting off the tips of your fingers and toes, if you’ve ever seen a cat really flex it’s front paws, you’d see how integral the claw is to the cat’s “hand”.
I really can’t understand how this can be a debate.
If you don’t want your furniture scratched, what in the name of God possessed you to buy a cat?
In most developed countries declawing is forbidden either by law or or by the ethical standards of the veterinary profession, with exceptions only for declawing to meet a medical need of the animal. I believe - though I don’t know - that many vets in the US will decline to declaw, unless there is a medical need.
Because people have different opinions?
Even a nice cat can severely scratch an infant. And don’t go trying to sell me on those stupid claw caps. They’re a pain in the ass and everyone I know eventually says screw it. We tried them on one cat and it was a job only trumped by trying to brush a cats teeth.
Plus a lot of people think they’re cruel too.
I’m willing to bet the rate of cat ownership would go down in the U.S. if the option of declawing was taken away. I love cats but every single one that I’ve owned had the claws taken out on the front. It never changed their personality a bit.
As someone who worked in a regular daytime veterinary clinic and has witnessed the screaming cats do when they wake up from the surgery, I can definitively say it’s clearly inhumane and there’s damn good reason it is banned in 22 countries. As someone who currently works in feline rescue and at an animal ER, I can bear witness to the surrenders that happen from issues cats have after they’re declawed and the medical complications post-surgery. It’s ugly on every level.
Jackson Galaxy’s informative video on the subject: Declawing: Jackson Galaxy Just Says No! - YouTube and watch The Paw Project.
That would be a good thing, surely?
Of course not. How else would you get them through customs?
If you would need to mutilate an animal in order to keep it in your home, maybe it’s not the pet for you.
If less Americans would have a cat if they couldn’t abuse it, good.
If you can’t deal with the inconvenience of claws, how will you deal with all the other problems a cat can bring?
Oh, please. Cats, with claws intact, and infants living together is perfectly normal. And yet, severe infant-scratching is stubbornly refusing to become a widespread problem in our society. Just keep half an eye on your cat and your infant. It’s what most people do.
Stop blaming cat owners who declaw their cats. Declaw the veterinarians who do it.
I whole heartedly agree with you, I had my little mate for 19 years and she went to her maker with a full set of claws and teeth. The only time she released her fury was against another cat who dared to come into the garden, even when the baby sat on her she remained passive. It is the way you raise an animal that determines their behaviour
If people would bother to teach the kittens they get that regular claw trimming (and mouth handling for medicating, but that’s another rant) is a part of life and no big deal, much pain could be avoided all around. Cats CAN be taught and they don’t destroy the house if properly maintained and monitored. I have 10, all have their claws which I keep trimmed, and my house is not a shredded mess.
A pet is not an accessory or a toy, they require WORK, even the best of them. If you aren’t willing to put in the time necessary for training and socialization then stick with the stuffed animals on your bed.
I would like to declare one cat. Look! It’s over there! Should I be arrested?
Well said. The law does not demand that you give a cat a home, you do so by free choice. My friends cat is well into his 20’s so just remember a cat is for life
You do understand that some of us don’t get all of our pets as kittens and puppies. Some of us get them from the Humane Society, rescue shelters, etc.
So what is more ethical: adopting a cat from the HS and getting it declawed, or refusing to adopt a cat because declawing isn’t allowed and therefore more animals get euthanize? I say the former is more acceptable.
Title fixed.
Adult cats can be taught too, it may just take a little longer. Most of mine I got as someone else’s adult castaways.
And no, declawing STILL isn’t ethical. How about we castrate every man who might turn out to assault someone? Or pull the teeth of every dog who might bite? There are many other solutions than declawing, but they require actual effort on the adopter’s part.
Yes, I think a kind, quick death may in fact be better than a lifetime of mutilation. There are enough instances of cats who are severely traumatized for life by it that I do think the surgery should be banned.
From birth to my current age of almost 56 I’ve had zillions of cats and all of them had been declawed in front. They all had long happy lives in a loving home. None of them showed any ill effects from it.