Something to think about (no heated discussions, please)

[jenluckenbach]

My friend, at this time has 4 cats and 2 dogs and is NOT looking to adopt. I used her because to me she would be the PERFECT home and I am sure there are MANY, MANY more like her.
Now, as for the declaw question. She tells me that she feels in fairness to her dogs' safety she prefers the cats to not have front claws. I take her at her word and I do not question her because she is a friend and it is her decision.
I too declawed my first cat. Mostly out of ignorance, believing it to be OK, but never did it again after that.
My biggest point is these organizations who are so rigid in their beliefs sometimes don't give the best people a chance.
We actually have a sheler here near us that WILL NOT ADOPT a dog out to a home without a fenced in yard. How's THAT for strict?!?

As you asked Jen, I have been thinking about this case, and not judged immediately. But, no, I cannot agree with de-clawing, in absolutely NO case on earth. A cat is born with 4 claws, and trying to remove those claws is a horrible and painfull thing to do. If that lady cannot accept a cat with claws, then maybe she needs another pet.
Sorry if I sounded rather negative, but I just HAD TO express my feelings about this matter ....

[Kirsten]

Tough question...

First of all, I have to say that declawing is an illegal procedure in Germany and no vet here would do that. And I don't see any reasons why it should be done to a cat, it's painful and cruel, and it's an amputation.

But the question was "should a cat rather die in a killing shelter than being declawed?" Then, of course, my answer would be "no".

But I would really like people to reconsider and think about the necessity of declawing. When a cat has a scratching post, it usually don't scratch on the walls and furnitures, and you can train your cats to get their claws trimmed (which I'm doing with my cats it workes very well).

Kirsten

[cubby31682]

My cat had to be declawed in order for me to keep him. When I got my cat the rule was (I live in an apartment) that the cat must be declawed or you and your cat will have to leave. He had no other place to go but to me. I didn't want to see him be put to sleep in a shelter. Most people wouldn't want to take him due to his poor attitude. He isn't kid friendly he isn't people friendly unless you really work with him. I am in favor of declawing instead of them being put to death. I know Cubby would have been put to sleep, so I had to make my decision. And I still and always will agree with the decision I made. I have said millions of times. When hubby and I buy a house I will not declaw but under the rules of the apartment complex I had no other choice. (And yes I did ask them about soft claws and they told me it was more inhumane which of course I called B.S. on but they wouldn't let me use those instead.)

Sorry I keep repeating my self.

Katie

[nodgeness]

Jen now I have a question for you..... You said your friend has her cats declawed to protect the dogs. Well my question is (because I was thinking about getting a dog) how could a cat that doesn't have front claws protect themselves against the dog? I ask caust that's one reason I've put off adopting an dog.

[jenluckenbach]

Originally posted by nodgeness
Jen now I have a question for you..... You said your friend has her cats declawed to protect the dogs. Well my question is (because I was thinking about getting a dog) how could a cat that doesn't have front claws protect themselves against the dog? I ask caust that's one reason I've put off adopting an dog.

I don't know, it's not my rule. I believe my friend is thinking more of the accidental scratching of the face or eyes of the dog, but I do not really know the answer to that.

[Pickle]

In the UK de-clawing is considered inhumane and cruel. British vets will not de-claw any cat except in cases of extreme medical necessity.
In this country the question of what to do about someone who refused to take a cat from a shelter unless it was first de-clawed would not arise.

Before I adopted my cat a colleauge with three cats of her own asked me if I cared about my sofa? If I did, she said, don't get the cat.

My little fur-monster occasionally likes to go in to the garden (provided it's not wet, cold, windy...you get the picture!) so I wouldn't dream of removing her primary defence mechanisms.

Here's my thought, cats are wonderful creatures. If removing the end bone of the cats toes is the only way a person would consider adopting - then a cat really isn't suited to their lifestyle and I'd have to wonder what other cat foibles the new owner would eventually find impractical.

My house is now covered in fur, half the time so am I! I am on the lookout for spit-up fur balls and bits of re-constitued half chewed grass around the house at all times.
Whenever guests come she chooses that moment to use the litter tray. She's loud as a fog horn. She takes up more of my bed than I do. She choses 3am to bat plastic balls around. Sometimes when we play with a shoelace she scratches me by accident (if she does she curles her paws under her chest and won't play anymore - cute!). If I pick her up I get a set of little claw marks in my arm.

She's a cat; she's beautful and I love her as she is, claws and all.

[bisi.cat]

There's one simple thing I can't understand:
Why are people all across Europe able to handle cats with claws...while some cats in America (and it seems there are a lot of them nowadays) are declawed?!

Can anyone explain?!

I have to agree with lut here...this is something I can't understand...

[K & L]

Doesn't this all go in the same category as docking dogs ears & tails? Why is this done?

[jenluckenbach]

Why are people all across Europe able to handle cats with claws...while some cats in America (and it seems there are a lot of them nowadays) are declawed?!

as long as it is legal, Americans will have this discussion. when the day comes that it is banned, then we can ALL start thinking of declawing in the same way the Europeans (etc.) have been thinking about it for a long while.....as wrong. But people have the choice and they might choose to exercise their "right". even if it is wrong.
I'd like to see it banned.
I'd like no one to even HAVE the choice.
But until then, how can we not allow an otherwise good person to adopt a family pet?

[Pam]

Keeping with the theme and original question of this thread, I wonder, if it became illegal to declaw, if the death rate of kitties in shelters would go up substantially or if people would then make the effort to train their cats to posts, etc. We have no way of knowing I guess until that would occur.

Logan brought up an interesting point about indoor/outdoor cats. I think most people in the US do keep their kitties inside. It is mostly in the rural areas where one might see a cat freely roaming. Maybe the two things are linked? More declawed cats? More inside cats? I wonder what the statistics are on this. Freckles where are you? (I tease her that she is Pet Talk's official statistician!)

[Karen]

My first dog had a very strong prey drive. She also had a nose that had been scratched by so many cats (and other wildlife) defending themselves that it looked like a checkerboard. Those cats' claws undoubtedly saved their lives. Most dogs, by the way, only get swiped by a cat once before learning those things HURT! All the cats I knew growing up were indoor/outdoor cats. I had never even HEARD of declawing a cat 'til I was an adult.

I would be hard-pressed to make that decision, and would only give a cat to a person who would de-claw it after I sat that person down and we had a long talk.

[luckies4me]

Having seen so many declaws done, I would never perform the procedure unless it was done to benifit the cat, such as an infected toenail on a polydactal cat being removed.

All the cats I had to care for after their surgery were always in so much pain, and often times bleeding from the incision site. The old vet at our practice (BTW I went back to work everyone, lol ) did "botched" declaws, and the claws were actually growing back. Our price sheet actually has a price for re-declaws.



I always have clients call up and want to declaw right away. I always try my best to persuade them to not declaw. These people are morons. I ask if they have a scratching post, and they say NO! I ask if they try to train the cat to not scratch and they say they do not have the time etc. These people in my opinion should not own cats.

If all else fails, I at least try to get them to skip the declaw and opt for a tendenectomy instead. This procedure leaves the digits but cuts the tendon, not allowing the cat to retract their claws. Usually declaw cats have to stay overnight, but this procedure allows the cat to go home that day, avoid bandages and not experience so much pain. I always feel so happy when I talk someone out of declawing!


But if the choice was to declaw or euthanize, I would declaw the cat!

[Tonya]

Doesn't this all go in the same category as docking dogs ears & tails? Why is this done?

EXCELLENT POINT!

A declawed cat is much better then a homeless or dead cat.

Every vet needs to educate the pet owners. Every pet owner needs to know exactly what they are doing and what their options are.

I have adopted a declawed cat and she is perfectly fine. My cats growing up were always declawed, they were fine.

So I guess this all says I'm 50/50 on the declawing debate.

[Fox-Gal]

I'm sorry but I have to say no, I wouldn't give a cat to anyone who declawed. I just turned down a woman who wanted one of my hearter vent kittens because of that. She was a very sweet woman and would have giving one of them a good home. But once we started talking about declawing and I found out that she planed to declaw the kitty, I had to tell her no.

This is the reason I gave her. Even though your plans are for the kitty to be indoors only, and you fell she would be safe. There is always that chance that she can get out, the door might be left open, the screen falls out (as has happened to some one on PT, I belive) etc. What then happenes to the kitty? She will be out in the world with no way of defending herself. That could be her death and I just can't risk it.

She was sure that the kitten would never get out, sense her last cat didn't. But things happen in life and even though it hasn't happen yet to her, there always that chance. A chance I won't take with my babies, no matter how much I like this woman.

I hate the idea of any cat being in a shelter and of course the though of a cat being put to sleep kills me but, sometime I have to ask what is worse the horrible death a defenseless cat could go through or a caged shelter life. Both are horrible, of course, so it's matter of picking the worce of two evils.

Are they can all just live with me.

This is just my opinion, some might say I'm wrong who knows....but I have to go with what my gut tells me.
Declawing is wrong....indoors or not, it should not be done for any other reason but health prolems.