Please help us ban declawing

[JustineNYC]

SADLY DECLAWING WILL NEVER DIE HERE AS LONG AS PEOPLE VALUE THIER FURNITURE OVER THIER CATS, AND IF ITS A CASE OF A CAT NOT BEING ADOPTED AND DYING OVER THIS, THEN DECLAWING MAY BE THE ONLY ALTERNATIVE.
I WONDER HOW MANY CATS ARE ABANDONED FOR RIPPING THE 3000 DOLLAR COUCH APART.

And their kids. My friend has a 3 year old son and a male cat who is a doll. When her son started crawling around he always went for the cat and the cat would turn around and swat his face.

Their are many groups of people who wouldnt own cats except if they were declawed, not just people who value their furniture. My friend has 2 labs who have permanent scarring on their faces from her cats. People with kids who are afraid of them getting scratched up are another group. Some people whom own dogs will not own cats with nails.

Growing up we always had declawed cats, it wasnt my doing as I was only a child. I dont declaw mine, but our cats werent traumatized by it, nor did they stop using the litter. Their feet healed and that was it. One lived to be 18 and her sister 21.

My mom adopted a cat who was declawed and then when she got Wendy, her vet told her you cannot own one cat who has nails and one who doesnt....Thats why our cats were always declawed. Just FYI, not all people who declaw through their animals out on the street.

[momcat]

When the infant kitten Groucho adopted us, the first thing I asked our vet was when to have him neutered, the second was about declawing. Doctor Kenny explained the process and clearly answered my questions. Doctor made it very clear that she does not support declawing unless it's medically necessary. Groucho was neutered but still has all his claws. The joy and unconditional love he has brought into our lives far outweighs inappropriate furniture scratching!!!!!

I DID sign the petition and shared it with my friends who are owned by kitties. Just a thought here, maybe some veterinarians need to be educated as well..... as in "attitude adjustment".

[phesina]

I have no idea if it is working in England or Denmark, so no I dont think your right.

To the British and Danish members of this forum, and citizens of other countries with similar bans: Would you please inform us on how well the ban on declawing is working in your country?

Ruth?.. Randi?.. Anyone else with first-hand knowledge on how well a ban on declawing works in your country or region?

Do people in your country by and large understand and agree with the reasons for not declawing cats? What does someone do with a cat that scratches inappropriately? Use scratching posts and Soft Paws and such to redirect or retrain the cat?

Or are lots of cats just punished or abandoned if they start trimming their nails in undesirable locations? More or less since these bans were put into place?

Blue raises a good point saying he thinks such bans don't work. I would like to find out whether or not they are effective (I hope they are) and if so in what ways.

Thanks!

[JuniorxMyxLove]

Growing up we always had declawed cats, it wasnt my doing as I was only a child. I dont declaw mine, but our cats werent traumatized by it, nor did they stop using the litter. Their feet healed and that was it. One lived to be 18 and her sister 21.

Same here. Out of the 7 cats we've had, 6 have been declawed; 4 of those were our choice. None of the cats ever showed any issues after declawing, and neither of our babies show issues now. They healed and moved on.

Most of the cats that are in our shelter right now are NOT declawed. I know a few of them are in there because they were causing damage to furniture, other pets, and people. It seems like people would be more likely to keep their pets if they were declawed? I dunno.

**Please note that I'm NOT supporting declawing. I honestly do not feel strongly either way on the issue. I just figured I might as well mention my experiences. Feel free to correct me or explain why declawing is seen as bad. I'm really very curious and I'm trying to learn more about declawing. Perhaps then I can decide where I stand on the issue.

[G535]

Declawing is banned in most civilized countries.

People shouldn't have cats if they're not prepared to make adjustments in their living style for them.

[Killearn Kitties]

To the British and Danish members of this forum, and citizens of other countries with similar bans: Would you please inform us on how well the ban on declawing is working in your country?

Ruth?.. Randi?.. Anyone else with first-hand knowledge on how well a ban on declawing works in your country or region?

Do people in your country by and large understand and agree with the reasons for not declawing cats? What does someone do with a cat that scratches inappropriately? Use scratching posts and Soft Paws and such to redirect or retrain the cat?

Or are lots of cats just punished or abandoned if they start trimming their nails in undesirable locations? More or less since these bans were put into place?

Phesina, I find it quite hard to answer the question of how well the declawing ban works here, or whether people agree with it. It is simply not an issue. I have no idea when declawing was banned. I had never heard of declawing until I joined this forum. So far as I am aware, the only place it is allowed in the western world is North America.

I have never heard of a cat being given up here because it clawed the furniture. Perhaps others will know of such a situation.

A lot of cats in this country have access to the outdoors, and probably do the majority of their stratching there. Scratching posts are very heavily marketed for indoor cats.

[JustineNYC]

Declawing is banned in most civilized countries.

People shouldn't have cats if they're not prepared to make adjustments in their living style for them.

Cat derive from WILD ANIMALS. That is what people need to accept. They may pop you in the face at any time, for any reason, or no reason, and some people, do not want to deal with that.

Our cats when I was a child didnt go out. My moms calico was nuts. My friend Michelle has a tabby that jumped on my back one day when I walked in the door and I have scars on the back of my neck from him and he was neutered. He decided to leap onto my back and tear me up. How do you adjust to a whacky unpredictable animal?

Im an animal person, my own cats scratch me so I didnt flip out, but if that was someone else, they may have sued or gotten real hurt.

Cats are small tigers, thats all they are. There is nothing separating them from tigers or lions except size.

Personally, I wish someone I know would declaw her cat, cause her poo Lab has scars all over his face. One day itll be his eye.

Just to step outside the box so to speak, I own dogs and also corn snakes. Just from posting on other animal forums, there are alot of people who truly do not like cats. I read a comment on a snake forum about how destructive felines are to outdoor habitats. They kill anything they play with, and its not like other animals do, for food. The man was defending how horrid people think snakes are, and he gave a good reasoning about how essentially wildlike cats are. I think he used the term "cold blooded" And many dog people despise cats. So if declawing them is going to allow more people to bring cats into their homes, who otherwise wouldnt be there.....I dont know

[G535]

I had heard about declawing before I joined PetTalk but had no idea that it was still common practice in the US. I also don't know when it was banned in Australia , it's certainly not an issue here either.

[JustineNYC]

I have never heard of a cat being given up here because it clawed the furniture. Perhaps others will know of such a situation.

.

My neighbor used to breed Maine coons, and someone returned a cat after 3 years because they got a new sofa set and the cat no longer "matched" with the living room. People come up with anything.

[kattaddorra]

Here in England the ban on declawing works very well,it's looked upon as an outdated barbaric procedure and people who don't like cats to have claws, don't get cats. But even so, cats are the most popular pet in our country.We bring up our babies and children alongside our pets and teach them to respect the animals,having children is no excuse to have a cat declawed.Our children grow up loving animals and treating them properly.Having a dog scratched by a cat is no excuse either,taking away the cats claws is removing its defence against dogs, dogs soon learn not to mess with cats,declawed cats wouldn't stand a chance against a dog.
I worked as a vet nurse all my working days and even before the ban, people here rarely asked to have a cat declawed,if they did they were told in no uncertain terms that it was just a last resort for very serious scratching problems. I knew about declawing, of course because of my training, but in all the years I worked, I never saw one done because once people knew it was amptutation of the toes, they wouldn't put a cat through it.A lot more vets are refusing to do it in the USA and Canada, because research shows that many many cats have problems, they are forced to walk differently for a start, after the first days of excrutiating pain, it takes a fortnight to adjust to the new walk,which causes back problems to many poor cats.Some people say well my cats are OK ! But are they ? Cats hide a lot of pain and they adjust, they have no choice but to go on,many suffer secret mental torment. A cat needs it's claws for everything ....walking, grooming, playing, stretching it's muscles .....the more research I do the more I'm sickened that anyone can deprive the beautiful creatures of their rightful claws.The stories I've heard have kept me awake at night, I could go on for ever about it all.....more and more are joining in the quest to have it banned.There are some really explicit remarks alongside some of the signatures.
THANK YOU to everyone who has signed it, sorry the link was broken, I can't think why, but I'll post it here again ...
http://www.petitionthem.com/default....etail&pet=4312
and finally my poem on behalf of the many declawed cats in Rescue Centres right now ....
I once used to have such elegant paws,
My furry feet had beautiful claws.
How I loved to stretch them out,
I was really happy just jumping about.
They tidied my ears, they groomed my coat,
They kept the fur neat around my throat.
I thought I had my claws for good,
I thought my owners understood
Just how much they meant to me,
Oh but how wrong can a cat be!
One day I was taken to a frightening place,
I had no idea what I had to face.
I was put to sleep against my will
And woke up in pain and feeling ill.
My paws hurt so much I couldn’t stand,
How would I jump? how would I land?
Worse was to come, as I was later to see
Just what those people had done to me.
My toe ends and claws had gone for good
My owners hadn’t understood.
I couldn't ask why as I don't have a voice,
Or free will, or any choice.
They had ruined my life without a doubt
So I bit those people and they cast me out.
Now I sit in a shelter hurting and sad,
How could anyone treat me so bad?
My paws always ache, I feel very alone.
I wish someone kind would give me a home.

[Randi]

Phesina, you ARE right in supposing the ban on declawing cats here, works!! First of all, it's not legal for a vet to declaw a cat here, people who wants a cat, know that they have claws, so they deal with it!

More people in Denmark (and Europe), than in USA, let their cats out, so they will sharpen their claws on trees for the most part. However, there are some who don't let their cats out, and on cat discussion forums here, some discuss how to prevent cats ruining their furniture. The replies are... clip their nails, get a scrathing post! Declawing is not an issue at all! I have never known anyone with a declawed cat here.

It's cruel to have your cat declawed, and it''s sad that not many people seem to know what the procedure imply - and if they do, it's even more sad!

[phesina]

Thank you to all who responded to my question.

I am SO GLAD to hear first-hand how well the declawing ban works in various societies from people who live in those societies.

[carole]

Firstly i would like to say well done for trying to do something about it, and i think it is a bit wrong to say nothing will change as long as people value their furniture over cats, obviously it does work, it is the same in New Zealand, declawing is not even an issue here, i also did not even know of this practice until i joined PT, and was horrified to say the least that it is legal especially in the United States.

I know of no-one who has declawed their cats, and it is illegal for a vet to do that here too.

So don't give up thinking it cannot happen in the US of A, it is working well in many countries, so it will work there too.

Keep at it and yes i will sign the petition too, as I hope others who are concerned will too.

[Cataholic]

Personally, I wish someone I know would declaw her cat, cause her poo Lab has scars all over his face. One day itll be his eye.

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?

[kattaddorra]

Good point Cataholic !! The docking of dogs tails is also banned now in our country thank goodness.It's so nice to see dogs wagging their lovely plumes instead of waggling a stump.
But back to declawing cats, could anyone please tell me any true stories of how cats have been affected by declawing ? I'm making a collection and would like to include them, just with your user name or even an initial.Today I've heard of a cat bleeding to death after declawing,another who lost both her back feet after the op went horribly wrong,another fully declawed abandoned by a roadside ..apparently still didn't suit his owner, cats with biting problems, litter tray problems, and back problems.
Why on earth would any true cat lover take the risk of any of these happening to their cat ?