I am sure a lot Americans think I am some sort of arrogant, animal rights, anti-declaw Brit who has no right to comment on anything that happens in America.
I would humbly ask Americans to be patient with me. Just like other PoCers, I am a person who likes animals. I respect all animals and want people to give them the same respect. It is a civilized way to live.
So…I want to return, briefly, to cat declawing again. For a person who respects all animals, cat declawing is the antithesis of that belief. It does not matter if a person lives in another country. Animals are not concerned with country boundaries. Also the internet is global.
I would like people who declaw their cats to watch the video on this page, which does not get enough views, nowhere near enough, which is very sad but reflective of human society. We owe it to cats to not declaw them. In a lifetime of looking after cats I have never had a scratch or a bite from my cats.
It is not about the cat. It is about what we do as cat caretakers when we interact with our cat. We are smart. We should know how to avoid scratches. If we don’t it is our fault and the solution is learning how to avoid scratches and not to declaw. Sounds like common sense, doesn’t it?
One this page there is a video and three facts from it:
- “A Pebble in a Shoe” — Declawed cats, including declawed tiger and pumas, can suffer from claw regrowth under the skin. You’ll see that in the video. It is shocking to anyone who even cares a bit about animals. Claw regrowth after declawing is like walking on a stone for the rest of your miserable life. Try it. Put a few stones in your shoe and live like that for years. It’ll break you. Removing the claw regrowth changed the lives of the big cats who benefited from the surgery. Also shards of bone can be left under the skin too causing acute discomfort.
- “there were thousands of big cats who needed their paws repaired…” (Dr Jennifer Conrad DVM) — they have massive discomfort. It cripples them.
- “there must be millions of the little cats…domestic cats who need their paws repaired….” — they have discomfort, some have massive discomfort.
I will stop their to avoid irritating someone. I write these pages, of which there are over 150 on PoC because I love animals. The starting point for loving animals is to respect them. You cannot respect a cat if you declaw him/her.
To be honest it’s no wonder that people don’t understand. Where do you go if you want advice about animal health and what is and isn’t good care? Yes quite right; you go to your vet who you trust and what do they do? Betray not only your trust but the worst thing imaginable the trust of the very creature they have sworn to protect 🙁
Some breeders and shelters in North America will only sell/rehome cats if the buyer/adopter signs a no-declaw contract. I’ve always asserted that a person who is more concerned about their furnishings than their pets really shouldn’t have cats because cats scratch things, puke (cat biscuit dye can be hard to remove from pale carpet) and most cats will shed fur in prodigious amounts (known in this household as “it looks like an explosion in a cat factory”). I have a couple of sacrificial items of furniture and it I wrapped sisal or carpet around the legs of a wooden bed.
Thanks for your comment, Sarah, which I will take as support. It is very much appreciated.
I need support because I need Americans to visit PoC but I am also compelled to address declawing which I loathe with a vengeance.
I think of kittens having their claws amputated and I think of these big cats in the video. I feel sick about these things. These beautiful creatures are crippled by some pain-in-the-arse vet and insensitive zoo owner working together.
You should have seen all the hate comments I got on usenet when I expressed anti-declaw views. To my mind it is part of the “convenience culture”. Rather than take time to modify behaviour, the surgical option is a quick fix. Quick fixes and instant success/gratification seem to be a cultural thing.
The point you make, Sarah, is exactly correct as far as I am concerned. It is part of the convenience culture. There are millions of examples of the convenience culture and most relate to consumer products. Declawing is more or less treating a cat as a consumer product.
Thanks for commenting Sarah. Hope you are OK.
I think it is a matter of education. People do not really know what the declawing procedure is. It is not as if vets try to educate them not to do it. But happily I can say that there are more and more Americans who are not declawing cats. Those who don’t declaw can tell you exactly what the procedure is, which is why I say educate them and they will reach the right decision.
Well said Martha and thank you. People don’t understand. Some vets underplay the operation by referring to a cat’s claws as “nails” so people think they are like a human’s nails.
I have a page on the cat’s claw for kids. The purpose of it is to try and make sure kids know exactly what a claw is and does and how important they are to a cat.
Keep writing about it Michael. There are still many millions of people who don’t know the cost to an animal that is declawed. Just keep writing.
I agree – many just don’t know. We need to sponsor one short ad on national television. Would they allow it?
I would like to just make one point. The people who declaw cats should also go out in the garden and remove all the spikes on their roses and brambles so they don’t get spiked. If they want to walk around and not have to make any effort for anything and have everything ‘made safe’ for this mindless lazy lifestyle where everything suits them then they should just stay at home an not even go in the garden. Least of all they should have a cat. Perhaps they should eat and drink out of bendy plastic so there is no risk of anything sharp happening in their stooopid lives.
But definitely cut all thorns of all roses because they are a danger and roses must be de-thorned.
Michael – Canada too. Canada is just as bad or worse.
Yes, thanks Marc. It should be North Americans…..
Actually Canada gets away with murder simply because America takes the spotlight – it’s like that on many issues. Southern Ontario is the second most polluted part of North America, second only to Texas. Canada has this image of being all natural and good but it’s not in the slightest. The only thing that is massively different is the healthcare and the fact that people don’t all carry guns and shoot eachother everyday. But otherwise it’s a country guilty of all the same things but it hides behind the US and has a false reputation in that sense. Sorry to any Canadians reading this.
Those 2 differences I said are major however – I’d rather live in Canada. I don’t think one in every 10 people in Canada are in jail.
Thanks for that insight. I have been to Canada and toured it but didn’t learn much. My only real experiences of Canada are the Canadian Ken Evoy who founded Sitsell.com, the company that used to host PoC and he is a complete sh*t. Sor Dr. Evoy. In quite a lot of people refer to him as Dr Evil. Canadians do like killing animals don’t they. They are heavily into trapping for fur. That alone makes me dislike them! Sorry Canadians.
Point well made. It is bizarre the people more able to accept being scratched by a rose thorn that a cat’s claw. I think a part of it is fear of the cat. That is in the background. They won’t admit it.
Declawing is a convenience with a complete disregard for the fact that it is 10 amputations. It is easier to cut out the potential risk rather than show some common sense and avoid the risk of being scratched.
I still find myself struggling to comprehend it.
That’s a very good point Marc, pro declaws should cut all the thorns off Rose bushes in case they get pricked, you might just have inspired me there for a new poster and article thanks 🙂
Would you mind?
Not at all – go for it – I’m sure there are other sharp things they may need to control too but roses do spring to mind first.
Thank you, yes there are many more sharp things and hopefully this will make a good article and poster, I can hardly wait to start lol but I’d better catch up on other stuff first.
Americans have no right to criticise you Michael, they should in fact be thanking you for caring about cats and getting the truth out there about the cruelty of declawing.
PoC is saving claws.
I’ve had some nasty remarks aimed at me for writing about declawing and making posters to show those who can understand something in pictures rather than words.
Let’s face it, not many people were doing much about educating about declawing before we came along, were they? There was hardly any anti declaw face book groups until I started ours then more sprung up.
Most of all I know I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again,
400+ Americans let you down in a big way over the St Louis anti declaw demonstration you organised! They only had to keep their promise to turn up on the day but all had excuses until only the St Louis Animal Rights team (START) went there, those few people I call committed and passionate but that is rare over there.
Yes the Paw Project do good work and various other vets and vet techs try to educate as do people like Ruth (Monty’s mom) but if declawing is ever to stop it needs more people to get out on the streets with tables with educational leaflets and bookmarks, paper petitions, people lobbying declaw vets and the AVMA. Going round schools and educating children as to the truth. there is so much more that could be done, so why why why are all anti declaws not doing it?