Israel has jumped on the declawing "ban" wagon!!!

[moosmom]

Israel has declared a ban on declawing. WAY TO GO, ISRAEL!!!

Here's the link!!! Now if only the United States would follow suit. Too many greedy b@$tard vets out there. It's disgusting.

Here's the link:

http://israel-lightontonations.blogs...s-knesset.html

[momcat]

When Groucho first adopted us my first call was to the vet to make sure our precious little 7 week old baby got off to a good start. My first question was when should he be neutered. My second question was about declawing, having a kitty was a new experience and at the time I didn't know any better. Well, Dr. Kenny patiently explained the process and answered my questions. During our conversation, she made it VERY CLEAR that the process disfigures the cat, causes long term needless pain & discomfort and she is adamantly opposed to declawing unless it's absolutely medically necessary. I wasn't considering it, only wanted her professional insight.

I could never even think of putting my Groucho through something so barbaric, we love him way too much to put him through that. After discussing it with Dr. Kenny I can't understand how anyone who truly loves their kitty companion would do something so cruel.

For our pets, we need more vets like Dr. Kenny. She does this because of her love for the animals; she treats them gently, touches them with love, and goes to the limit to make sure her patients stay healthy and their owners are well informed on how to keep their pets happy and in the best of health.

[moosmom]

Ya know, Eileen, I wish MORE vets would take the time to explain the procedure.

Many years ago when I didn't know any better, I had both Mollie Rose and Casey "Bubba Dude" declawed. The horror of Casey's bloody paws just devastated me. If only the vet wasn't so eager to do the procedure, and explain exactly what it was all about, I NEVER, EVER would've done it.

I regret what I did. But I also learned from it. Why is it Europe banned the procedure but the U.S. still won't. These greedy vets make me sick.

[momcat]

Donna, You'll never know how grateful I am to and for Dr. Kenny. I think you can see she isn't in this for the bucks, her focus is exclusively how to keep our companions looking and feeling their best, doing everything possible to treat and cure sick and injured pets in her care. Groucho thought her stethescope was a great toy and she'd give him a few minutes to play with it before going to work. Throughout his check up, she'd pet him and speak softly to him. Dr. Kenny understands the importance of pets to those of us who love them and no question was too trivial or a waste of her time. We definitely hit the jackpot with Dr. Kenny!

[mrspunkysmom]

Okay, putting the flame-retardant suit on.

Vets are no different than other professionals. There are many that are vets for the love of the profession. It only takes a few to give all a bad name.

I've had good vets and bad vets. Sorry you had a bad vet that did the declawing. More education is definitely needed for vets and for pet owners.

I don't advocate declawing and would never do it. I know some people that have their cats declawed. They are very particular which vet they use.

I have a friend that is a hemophiliac. She adopted two cats from a lady. one of these cats was a biter and a scratcher. She kept bleeding from his bites. I told her to declaw him. She doesn't like declawing and I understood, but the difference was her life. Instead she let him be an indoor-outdoor cat. He got into something outside and died. The other cat was his littermate and he met a similar end.

This bothered her so much she decided not to get another cat. A stray adopted her recently and this seems to be working out.

Bertie is declawed. Not something I would have done. You would never know it to look at her paws. Some vet did a nice job. I have seen bad jobs on feet.

I think if the difference is some cat will be homeless or euthanized then the the lesser evil is to find a vet that will do a good job of declawing.

I think we need to have a ban on free-breeding pets until the population is under control. I have a breeder friend that would throw flames at me for that one. However she is a responsible breeder and shows her cats.

I think a ban on declawing is a good idea. But let's reduce the pet population to manageable levels, and perhaps then a ban on declawing would be able to take force.

I think I will leave on the flame-retardant suit for a while.

[moosmom]

No fire here, Mrspunkysmom. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. In some cases like in your friend's, it can be a life threatening problem. In her case, I would've adopted an already declawed cat. But that's a moot issue at this point.

What bothers me is the way people feel the need to "modify" their pets by declawing to save their precious furniture, or devocalization because they bark. Animals do that! It's part of who they are. Did you know that many, if not most dog breeders have the devocalization done on their show dogs so they won't bark at shows.

All this maiming shows such disrespect towards pets simply because people won't accept them for what they are, train them to not scratch or bark (there are collars) for their own selfish convenience. JMO.

Let the debate begin!!! LOL

[Barbara]

Declawing is illegal in Germany- I actually had never heard about it before I joined this board.

[Randi]

I had heard it mentioned, but thought it was "only" the nail itself that was removed. I'm glad it's banned here, also.

[AvaJoy]

Congratulations to Israel, Germany and Denmark for their compassionate, feline-friendly laws! Puts the USA to shame.

These two points were made earlier by mrspunkysmom and are food for thought:

I think if the difference is some cat will be homeless or euthanized then the the lesser evil is to find a vet that will do a good job of declawing.

I think a ban on declawing is a good idea. But let's reduce the pet population to manageable levels, and perhaps then a ban on declawing would be able to take force.

[catmandu]

When I had Pouncer and Mr Scrappy declawed, it was over 25 years ago and I did not know any better, and the Vet assistant made it sound like the sensible thing to do.
I will never forget Mr Scrappy leaving bloody pawprints on the scale and they had to restitch him
I will never have a Cat declawed again, and My Vet will only do that if it is either that or the Cat being abandoned.

[katladyd]

My cats destroyed my last couch, so when I bought a new one, I made sure it's material was denim. My babies still scratch at it, but no harm done. I just couldn't declaw one of my babies. I would adopt a declawed cat, though. Sometimes if it means they will get a home instead of being euthanized I can see it being done. I still don't like it, though.

[happylabs]

Hoorah for the countries that have banned it!

My three kitty loves have all of their claws. I would not have it any other way.

How can we get the word out to people in the USA that this is just barbaric?

My oldest sister whom I love dearly adopted a kitten about 7 years ago. The first thing she did was have Ginger declawed on all 4's because she didn't want her clawing her furniture. I was horrified. The second mistake she made was letting the cat be an indoor/outdoor cat! I told her that it was just wrong but she said "but she wanted to go outside". Aye!

Somehow Ginger is still alive and well being an indoor/outdoor. I don't honestly know how she survives out there without her claws.

[mrspunkysmom]

No fire here, Mrspunkysmom. Everyone is entitled to their opinion. In some cases like in your friend's, it can be a life threatening problem. In her case, I would've adopted an already declawed cat. But that's a moot issue at this point.

I tried to get her to adopt older pets from the shelter. Spend time with them and pick the personalities that she liked. But someone she knew had some kittens and she wanted to give them a home.

She's had cats in the past, none declawed, but these didn't bit and attack her like she was a cat toy.

What bothers me is the way people feel the need to "modify" their pets by declawing to save their precious furniture, or devocalization because they bark. Animals do that! It's part of who they are. Did you know that many, if not most dog breeders have the devocalization done on their show dogs so they won't bark at shows.

No modifying here. I can't stand it when dogs ears and tails are clipped.

I had to get rid of my last couch because the fabric couldn't hold up to cats. My first couch came from My mother that had put upholstery on it designed to withstand three growing children. The frame finally gave.

Right now I have a faux suede fabric and it does okay. It helps that I have cat trees.

If you can't make your dog be quiet you should not be in the business.

All this maiming shows such disrespect towards pets simply because people won't accept them for what they are, train them to not scratch or bark (there are collars) for their own selfish convenience. JMO.

I agree.

Let the debate begin!!! LOL

It has begun.

Thanks Avajoy. The store cat Alex that was recently adopted was declawed because his mistress had cancer and her skin was thin. He was her therapy cat until she died, accompanying her to her sessions.

I think there is a place for it when necessary, but not because you don't want to ruin your furniture.

And talk about modifying your pets: I can not stand it that they have engineered hairless cats and munchkin cats, even if these were originally caused by natural variations. I thought it was the saliva that caused allergies and not the hair. Breeders are doing to cats what early man did to dogs. But dogs are mainly working animals and it was a matter of survival. It's like the cat is some trophy to be admired.

I think the hairless kitties are cute, but I like my cats with hair.


Breeding to create new breeds with out physical limitations should be enough.

[moosmom]

Mrspunkysmom,

How could you NOT love this face??? No fur but what a ham!!!!



Or THIS??? My purebred Munchkin who is also a rescue.

[mrspunkysmom]

I would never turn away an animal no matter what. It's not their fault. I do not agree with the ethics. I don't like Persian's or Peke's pushed-in noses either. A Persian with a regular nose is actually quite beautiful.

I did some research. Apparently hairless cats are a naturally occurring mutation. But Breeding for a hairless breed has not been without it's faults. We are trying to do in a few generations what earlier man knew would take generations.

BTW, you kitties are beautiful, even the Sphinx's. I could love all of them no matter what.

I really wigged my mother out years ago. I was visiting and made friends with her new Scottie. I am not a dog person. They can get so smelly. And can be so loud. Scotties have a bark belonging to a dog 3 or 4 times their size.

Anyway, my comment to her was, "It's not Molly's fault she's a dog." So Molly and I became friends. I even sat with her through the birth of her second litter.

So while we keep trying to stop declawing, we need to stop breeding for effects that are harmful to the animal, and stop disfiguring animals by such actions as clipping ears and tails of dogs.