Please help us ban declawing

[JustineNYC]

My sister has a chocolate lab that I adore. He has raked my legs, my bottom, my arms, my son's arms, etc. He is a horribly mouthy lab and has mouthed my arms, my son's legs, etc, leaving visible marks (he isn't biting us, he is just mouthing us). A 80 pound lab has so much force in his paws that he could do some serious damage, all unintentional, none of it from meanness. Have you ever seen a dog rake a doorway? Chew a coffee table leg? He is entitled to his claws. He is entitled to his teeth. I would not think to declaw or de-tooth him.

Why is it any different with cats?

That is a good question and please dont think I am putting down cats. I have had cats since I was born, dogs too, and let me tell you you cannot compare them.

Dogs are dogs and cats are cats.

My friend has a Lab who was one of the dogs searching for people at the World Trade Center site. He alerts for possible people, alive or dead. Can a cat be trained to do that?

Some cats can do some remarkable things and I think they are just as smart as dogs, but they are not dogs.

I have 2 Labs, a chocolate and a yellow and 7 cats, and let me tell you, the Lab you speak of needs to be trained because he doesnt know who the alpha is. My dogs DO NOT USE their paws on my cats, they DO NOT MOUTH them under any circumstance and that took oodles and oodles of diligent training. I would not tolerate bosterous behavior from my dogs under any circumstance and I most certainly will not let them terrorize my cats.

Dogs needs to be trained and taught how to live and co-exist in a household, whether it is with cats or kids, people think they just know and they isnt true. Right now on the Lab board I post on, someone has a cat who the moment she sees the Lab, goes RAWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW and claws his face, the labs urinates on herself when this happens and never initiates the confrontation. Now, guess what people have replied to this person.....Declaw the cat before she rips the dogs eye out.

Good luck training that cat not to do that. You cant train a cat not to be afraid of a dog because its perfectly understandable. Some may get used to the dog, and some may never accept it.

Just like my friend cannot train her tabby cat to not jump on peoples back when they come in and claw the crap out of them.

Honestly, I know what your saying and will say I agree.....no person should incorporate a dog and cat into the same environment if you arent willing to put time in and make sure one isnt terrorizing the other. I have never seen dogs rake a doorway and chew coffee tables simply because I do my research and dont allow it.

I think sometime cats are the unpredictable ones and thats why they are the animal being declawed. If its either, we keep this cat and declaw or hand him over to a shelter, what is better?


I know people who told my best friend when she had a baby to get rid of her cats because they would smell the milk and suffocate her. Not everyone is rational about what cats will and wont do. You have to understand most people who own animals are very stupid.