Declawing

[momcat]

When I first got my kitty there were so many questions about how to be sure that he was getting the best care possible. Fortunately we found a wonderful veterinarian who is caring, compassionate and treats my pet as if he were her own. We had a talk one day about declawing. While the vet answered all my questions and explained the process thoroughly, it was very clear that she does not favor this approach. Groucho is an indoor cat but we watch very closely that he doesn't get into things that could harm him. Should he get out, the vet said his claws are his only line of defense. By removing the front claws, the poor kitty is basically maimed, not to mention the pain he must endure afterward. Declawing is intentional abuse and must stop, would we want the tops of our fingers removed? In case of emergency such as injury or illness, if the procedure is determined to be in kitty's best interest that's one thing, but to do it for convenience? That's wrong

[RedHedd]

Welcome to Pet Talk, momcat. I know you're in the right place. If you do a search of the threads on declawing here in PT, you will find that many of us are quite vocally against declawing. Some of the posts give URL's to sites with very graphic pics of the declawing process.

[krazyaboutkatz]

Welcome to PT!!! It sounds like you've found a wonderful caring vet. I'm also very much against declawing.

[Randi]

Welcome to PT! It's good to hear you found a vet who's against declawing - let's hope all of them will "see the light" soon, or that it will be banned, like in many countries.

[moosmom]

You've got a great Vet there. One who is caring enough to discourage declawing instead of seeing dollar signs. I'd stick with him if I were you!!

[QueenScoopalot]

Welcome to Pet Talk and three cheers for your vet! Too many vets are looking to make a fa$t buck, and often will push clients into declawing their cats while undergoing the spay/neuter procedure. It's enough to make me cringe, and then there's the ones that insist all four feet should be mutilated. Having done extensive rescuing of abandoned kitties for a number of years now, I've picked up a few declawed kitties along the way, and usually with bad injuries from being unable to defend themselves. I'm glad you were educated by your vet on just how awful this procedure is. And I'd love to see the day that it's banned here in the States.

[davidpizzica]

Welcome to Pet Talk, Momcat. I'm david p and I live in Pittsburgh. Your vet is is probably the first vet to be against declawing! Most vets see declawing as a way to make some more money. I'm also very against declawing myself.

[furrykidsmother]

Welcome Catmom! I am glad you have such a nice vet. It is nice to see that there are so many people on PT that don't believe in declawing. I think it is just terrible to do that!

[furrykidsmother]

Sorry, I got that backwards, welcome Momcat!! That's the kind of day I'm having.

[momcat]

Not to worry, I know just what you mean. Mine was pretty hectic, after spending three solid days on an assignment, my supervisor signed off and it went to our director. Not 15 minutes later she called my supervisor and said it wasn't what she wanted, even though the route slip was very clear. My supervisor and I wanted to get every law book within reach and throw them at her! But when I got home, there was my kitty, Groucho, sitting in the window meowing as I walked up the porch. Then a big greeting when I came in. That made everything right with the world. Do hope you have a better day tomorrow! Thanks so much for your response

[sylsyldoom]

your lucky to have such a vet!!! people totally shouldnt declaw their cats!!! especially if their outdoor! but if you do consider doing that, dont cause thier something better to do!!

incase your cat scratchesput a towel over him. you can have someone hold the legs. you can clip your cats calws once in a while if you need to, especially if you have little siblings or children(sometimes they can get the cats really mad, and tend to scratch ) just make sure you dont cut it too close to the paw!! you can buy special scissors at petco, petsmart. etc.