Declawing

[The_Auggie]

Please don't hurt the kitty......

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[4 feline house]

Spencer's dad-
in defense of the folks that belong to the repeatedly lost declawed kitty-

1) Some cats just get out, no matter how much you try to keep them in. My mom cat was a pregnant homeless street cat when I adopted her. She had a taste of the outdoors and frequently escapes. Now her boy has caught on - he's nearly twenty pounds and when he pushes past your legs out that door it's very hard to stop him. I consider my cats to be indoor cats, and endeavor to keep them indoors, but it's a futile effort sometimes, and I then have to resort to prayer.

2) I do not put collars and tags on my cats because a stalking boyfriend once traced me through my cat's tag. Other people may have had similar experiences or fears, especially us women who live with no men in the house. Also, if a collar is loose enough to not choke the cat it's also loose enough to come off, frequently.

I do agree with you, however, just wanted to note that sometimes things are not as they seem.

[4 feline house]

Originally posted by lhg0962:
In fact, Spencer, you are absolutely right to be enraged. I hope someone finds that cat and gives it a proper home, preferably not where it came from! It is running away from something!

For some reason this comment reminded me of something I once did.

This will probably outrage some people, and on one hand I felt very guilty, but on the other I probably saved a cat's life-

I had a friend who lived on the outskirts of a rural town. She had several dogs, who were tormenting her cat, so she took her cat over to an empty house she owned in town. The house was on the town square, which was zoned commercial, so her house would always be empty, and no one lived on the square. But she thougth her cat was ok. Once I had gone to see her, and she said she couldn't find Bingo. We drove into Sanger to look for her, but couldn't find her. The next time I talked to her, she had been seen by my friend, but only that. Then the next time I saw her, Bingo was lost again. Ten days later she was still gone! I thought the worst had happened, and was so relieved to hear that she had been found - she had gotten caught in someone's shed, and since this was business storage, it wasn't used often. Ten days later they went back to the shed, and there was Bingo. I couldn't stand it, so few weeks later, after waiting until dark, me and another friend drove up to Sanger and got Bingo and adopted her at the next Adopt-a-Pet. My friend never to this day knows that I stole her cat, but I couldn't stand the thought of her only being checked on every few days, and the likelyhood that she would get locked in another building again, and maybe not rescued in time. Funny thing, though, is my friend never mentioned that Bingo had gotten lost again. I think by then she had forgotten she even owned a cat.

[lhg0962]

That is a brave thing you did, and even braver that you admit it. I guess you didn't feel comfortable saying anything to your friend. But, is she still your friend? I feel so sorry for unwanted animals. Of course that cat was going to run away. They rely on companionship of some type. I'm glad you shared your story.
Logan

[4 feline house]

Thanks for reassuring me that kidnaping my friend's cat was the right thing to do! No, we are no longer in touch, but not because of the purloined cat incident.

That's a good idea about the e-mail address on the tag - the boyfriend incident happened almost 20 years ago-long before e-mails and cell phones and the like could allow you to be in touch but still anonymous. That was also in the days when I let my cats roam freely. My mama cat is getting less and less inclined to go out, but it may just be because we've had such a long spell of unseasonably cold weather this winter. The other one that goes out rarely leaves the patio, and he's easily spooked back in. In fact, today he got out, saw that the sky had broken to pieces and was falling, (a rare snow shower in North Texas) and ran back in. So, unless spring weather makes Peaches start to miss her street life again, the likelihood of losing a cat for me is extremely small.

Another problem that increases the cat population is abandoned animals. There are still way too many clods and yahoos that think that animals treasure there gonads as much as men do, and absolutely refuse to neuter their animals. My dad, not normally a Neanderthal, was one of these men. Fortunately, in our family, the women have balls as big as the men (don't mean to offend any sensitive readers) so my mom always just ignored him and fixed the animals anyway. There are just as many clods and yahoos who think that since they are animals, dogs and cats can take care of themselves, so when they are no longer wanted they are dumped, usually unfixed. They fail to understand that they have been domesticated for millennia, and are almost as unable to take care of themselves as we are in the wilderness.

Anyway, I'm back on a soapbox, so I'll just get off now!

[Troy]

"4 feline house" I must agree with you on the desexing issue. There is simply no excuse not to, for both males and females. However...

I think saying that cats are almost unable to take care of themselves in the wild is not particularly true (excluding indoor cats). Most cats will bring home prey like birds and rodents and will eat insects, obviously not as much as they would in the wild - but why should they if they are being well fed, perhaps apart from curiosity. Cats are superbly adaptable and very much able to take care of themselves which is precisly why in many countries feral cat populations are almost out of control. They can adapt to anything from Australia's deserts to the almost arctic conditions of nearer the north and south poles. Many breeds have not been domesticated for a millennia and can still be found in the wild.

[carrie]

Troy, totally agree, cats can and do go feral with relative ease.
Spencer - I'm a bit confused, what are you apologising for? I've never read anything posted by you that was agressive in any way. It's obvious that you have cat welfare at the heart of all your posts and there is usually a fair dollop of humour there too. Lighten up on yourself - we love you just the way you are!
Micro chipping is a really good way for your details to be accessed only by people who need to know. A tag that says "Please take to a vet if found - chipped" would help.
Catnapping can only be applauded in the case above, but I would of informed the authorities too.
Happy New Year everyone!

[Troy]

Spencer you're right - it's ironic that in some parts of the world cats are fighting what appears to be a losing battle against extinction while in others the rampant feral population is endangering native fauna. Here is Australia (and New Zealand) the wild/feral cats have no competition and therefore thrive while destroying small marsupials and flightless birds - sometimes they grow to huge sizes and are mistaken for "big cats".

[4 feline house]

Well, Troy, I was going to refute your position by dredging up the old well-known fact that feral cats generally live to only about two years old, so they obviously don't do will on their own. Then I saw Spencer's post refuting that fact. But, really, I guess unless someone starts tagging and tracking feral cats it's really only an educated guess. But I don't think anyone can argue the fact that feral cats are a problem, even to cat lovers. Not only do they contribute to the population problem, they are a nuisance when they spray around homes, get into garbage (because they don't all know how to hunt-that's a learned behavior taught by the mother), fight domestic pets, etc. And they may pose a slight rabies risk in areas where this disease is a problem. The area I live in has always been an active rabies site, and last year it was so severe it was showing up in domestic animals. I know this problem will never be solved, but the key to mitigating it is education, and although I'm largely preaching to the choir in this forum, there are many visitors to this site everyday who never post, and I would hate to think that an opportunity to educate would pass unused. Now look, I've gotten on my soapbox again!

[Troy]

I simply do not believe that feral/wild cats only live to 2 years. "Down under" these animals have a perfect environment. It is illegal to kill or trap them, there is no rabies, no natural predators (with the exception of the odd dog and dingo), lots of prey, and a good climate...what more do they need? Hunting for domestic cats is instinctive and does not need to be learnt, unlike their larger cousins.

I don't quite understand why you think you have got on your soapbox? As far as I can see, there are two main problems with feral cats. The first is that they are a result of mans "inhumanity" to our feline friends - in the form of bad management and abandonment. The second is that it threatens native fauna populations. Who can argue that these aren't problems?

[Troy]

Sorry 4 Feline House & SpencerTheLion,

I'm not trying to provoke anyone - I just have a great deal of admiration for the cats ability to survive. Ans as you point out Spencer, there must also be a gigantic difference between feral cats in urban areas as opposed to those in suburban and rural areas.

[carrie]

The feral cat situation in our area of the UK is seemingly small until you talk to vets in the area. There is a very large feral cat population living on the plain, well away from human interference. As more houses are built closer and closer to the edge of the plain the feral cats are spreading disease to the pet population and any cat not vacinated is more or less a dead cat ( there are only a very few people in the UK who would consider having indoor cats).
In our cities - the problem is as bad as anywhere.
A long term study has been done on a group of feral cats in Rome and if a cat survives kittenhood and the traffic it can expect a life of roughly six to eight years there.

[4 feline house]

Troy - don't worry, I didn't feel provoked at all! Even if I did, I love a good argument! I only mentioned my soapbox because a couple of times I've been accused of "flaming" because I spoke my mind! It was a kind of an "inside joke", nothing else.

You are probably right about the difference between exurban and urban/suburban ferals' lifespan differences. However, one of the reasons I always assumed feral cats have a hard life is the fact that they have 4-6 kittens per litter. Anyone who does even a cursory study of nature knows that the more young born (or hatched) at once, the less likely all survive to adulthood. But, that is admittedly only an assumption on my part.

Also, I agree with you, Spencer, about the risk of rabies in cats. I did say it was rare! But maybe it was less than I thought.

That's what I love about this site, always a chance to educate myself!

[4 feline house]

Spencer - about that Swiss referendum - is the intent to allow crimes against animals to be as severe as similar crimes against humans? Or do you know?

[wolflady]

Just thought I would put my 2 cents in about the declawing issue. My husband got his cat declawed (before we were married) and now the cat suffers from behavioral problems, possibly as a result of the surgury. It's hard to tell for sure if the surgury is what caused his problems, but a lot of research over the web indicates it as a possibility. After educating myself about what the surgury entails, I was appalled and will never ever get a cat declawed...especially if there is no need. My cat Marius wears his soft paws nail caps quite well! (I'm sure he feels so stylish in blue nails... )
Check out www.softpaws.com. It's a great alternative. Also, I volunteer at a cat rescue affiliated with alley cat allies. It's called Town Cats and we're located in Morgan Hill, CA. Check out www.towncats.org. We do not adopt our cats out to people who are going to declaw them. Thought you might find that interesting.