should have the first digits of each of their own fingers surgically removed so they don't have to trim their own nails anymore. It would be more convenient, and that's the idea, right?? It's exactly the same as declawing a cat. I've said it before, people who declaw their cats are in essence putting their furniture before a living creature. A living creature that they claim to love. I have an antique 1939 GE console radio that has cloth over the speaker and yes, my cats got to it. Guess I'll have to replace the cloth and move it to a room that they don't frequent. And cat scratch fever? I play with my cats all the time, and my boys can get rough. They like it when I roll them on their backs and rub their bellies... they wrap their paws around my forearm and dig their claws in while they gnaw on my wrist. Leaves scratches EVERY time. Never had an infection yet. I live in America, near Pittsburgh. Most of the people I've talked to about declawing didn't even know what the procedure consisted of. One lady who was considering it was horrified and changed her mind immediately. So one thing that needs to be done is to educate people about the reality of declawing. I have to say though, that there are a few vets around here that will not declaw an animal. They're on board, so maybe there's hope yet.

THANK YOU very much, declawing is banned here in England too but we are helping our USA friends work towards a ban there also and hopefully Canada will follow.
You can help us by signing our petition if you haven't already;

http://www.petitionthem.com/default.asp?sect=detail&pet=4312

THANK YOU if you have.You can also help by passing it on to as many people as you can.At the last count we had signatures from over 50 countries and although some people have said it's a waste of time and effort, it has been used at the recent city meetings in California to help convince the voters how many people are against declawing.
I can't understand how anyone professing to love cats can have this cruel operation done to them.
X for the top of Shadow's furry head

Yet another reason why I'm thankful I live in Australia. Declawing is banned over here, except in medical circumstances where it is the ONLY option. I've only been a cat owner a few months but the thought of someone doing that to my Shadow makes my skin crawl.

To those of you working to stop this practise in countries where it is acceptable, Shadow and I send you lots of love and hugs.

Alas, I find myself residing in a country that can not hear the cry of it's own children being abused.Why would I believe that they would have anymore compassion for an animal.It's actually quite disheartening.And we are the more intelligent,superior species?Truly?
The vets at this hospital need to be taken into there own OR's and made to perform this exact procedure on each other! Oh wait,how could they?Their fingers would be amputated and that would pose a problem.But at least THEY could use a wheelchair.
What's that clinics name?"All creatures great and small,We're gonna Mutilate them all"?Disgusting!
Sorry,got on a bit of a rant.
I am very glad that not all vets will do this procedure.Some actually do care and love animals.Is there anywhere where I could get a look at the vet's Hippocratic oath? Or is it the Hypocrite's oath?
Keep up the good fight! We'll ban it yet!

The motto of that hospital is great - except for the fact that they are into the business of molesting the very same creatures. I've added a couple more lines:

All Creatures, Great & Small.
The Lord God made them all.
So if you truly love your pet,
don't have it changed by a declawing vet.

Feel free to use that, ACAH. 😉

Look at this quote "But fighting against an industry, where individual vet clinics can net $100,000 a year from this procedure alone, is a difficult proposition"
from this article in the Examiner.com November 12th examiner.com,/a>

Thank you Michael for bringing this clinic to the attention of the public.

Their original article promoting declawing was actually featured under the "Feline Wellness" section of their web site! I was so incensed by the blatant lies spouted and the lack of any behavioural advice whatsoever, that I wrote to them to express my contempt for their total disregard for the welfare of their patients. Whilst they may have now altered their web site, I'm disgusted that they still continue to promote the mutilation of cats' feet.

They should be ashamed to use the line "All Creatures, Great & Small. The Lord God made them all" in their advertising banner. They certainly do not promote the acceptance of animals the way that the Lord God made them. Lord help any poor animal which is unfortunate enough to be a patient at this clinic!

With callous attitudes likes theirs towards patient welfare, a nationwide ban in the USA on declawing cannot come fast enough for my liking.

Michele S. (UK)

Once again, the almighty dollar clouds judgment and compromises ethics. Vets can earn a good living without declawing, but I guess the temptation of high profit margins are too much for these weak individuals. With dollar signs flashing in their heads, of course these unscrupulous vets are going to mislead the public. How else can they convince the public that disfiguring a beloved family pet is the right thing to do? Disgusting.

I can’t get my head around the comments “declawing may be the only option if the pet is to be kept in the home”, and “or whether it should be removed from the home” do (some) cat owners in the USA not come to love their cats as a member of the family like we do? How can they make calculated decisions as to whether to mutilate the cat or get rid of it? They might as well debate giving their child colostomy surgery to prevent the distasteful side effects of child owning or shoving it in an orphanage!

To use the example of cat scratch fever being a danger is, as has been said, plain old fashioned scare mongering, cat scratches are largely avoidable and mostly deserved, and if one is scratched by a frightened, ill or feral cat then surely compassion should dictate the treatment of the cat, NOT surgery.

This biased information is plainly against the AVMA joke policy, all that actually should be allowed on veterinary websites is that if anyone is having problems with destructive clawing behaviour then they should contact their veterinarian for educational material to help them solve their problem in a NON-surgical way.

Watch out for the contents of you Christmas Crackers, I hear the theme for the joke this year is the AVMA policy on declawing.

Another brilliant article Michael. In my opinion the vets topping up their bank balances by declawing cats, some even promoting this mutilating operation, are running scared now.
Too many people are finding out the truth about declawing and starting to put two and two together as to why so many declawed cats have problems.As not only do the vets make money from the initial operation, they make more from when the cat returns with stress illnesses, arthritis, behavioural problems etc.
Nine times out of ten a person asking about declawing is shocked to discover it is the amputation of the last toe joints!
People need educating, not encouraging to disable their cats.
Yes cat scratch fever is just an excuse, I've been scratched numerous times,sometimes by feral cats in danger, which we had no choice but to handle, and had no ill effects,in fact the worst injury I had was from a bite from a frightened cat.A cat bite is far far worse than a scratch, but surely no vet would dream of removing a cats teeth incase he bit someone !
People who can't accept cats as they come, should just as Michael says, get a teddy bear instead. Vets should not encourage people unfit to care properly for a cat, by misleading them about a very serious operation to adapt them.

Thank you, Michael, for posting this article. To be fair, not all U.S. vets encourage declawing a cat for any reason, other than life-threatening and those are far and few in between. That being said, unfortunately, you are correct in saying that it is a money-maker which is why several organizations like the ASPCA are trying to pass laws banning this despicable practice.

Our local shelter is a 100% no-kill/100% all-volunteer organization who absolutely forbids declawing. They also do background checks on potential adoptees, do home checks and work very closely with people to ensure the animal's well-being - even removing animals if deemed necessary. Our local vet also turns away business to anyone who wants to declaw their pets. If he deems there is a medical necessity (and he has very strict standards), he will send the patient to the animal ER hospital who also don't practice declawing unless it's medically necessary for a second opinion. ( )

That hospital in Ohio is an absolute disgrace. Their practices are the type that legislation is currently being worked on regarding the ban. Their total disregard for its patients is an embarrassment in the U.S. This is precisely why there is a groundswell of support to ban this practice and with enough of an outcry here, hopefully this law will be passed sooner rather than later.