AVMA Still Leave the Door Open to Declawing
The AVMA (American Veterinary Medical Association) still leave the door open to declawing when the door should be slammed shut and padlocked. They say declawing is “controversial”. I say it is immoral, inhumane and unethical and I know I am right.
Surely the time has come to genuinely change the policy: to ban it. But the AVMA still mess around with their policy, tinkering with it, while firmly leaving the option for declawing open.
What they say today is that if an AVMA vet is satisfied the cat’s owner has paid “conscientious attention to behavioral modification and alternatives” without success and their client’s cat still scratches furniture, declawing the cat may be considered.
That is a no change state of affairs. The AVMA has done nothing to change things; to reduce the options when declawing could be carried out.
In different words, this organisation, who should be genuinely concerned with cat welfare and are not, are saying that if a cat scratches furniture it is okay to declaw the cat provided the cat’s owner meekly tells the veterinarian “Oh, doctor, I’ve tried to stop him but he keeps scratching my new sofa”.
How did she try? What did she do? Nothing meaningful I guess. In any case the whole sorry state of affairs is a charade.
The veterinarians totally ignore the AVMA. The AVMA policy has no force and carries no weight whatsoever. Annually, on millions of occasions across America, veterinarians who are members of the AVMA, totally disregard their feeble policy and declaw cats to order. Some vets even promote it as a standard procedure, bundled together with neutering.
No change then? When there is no progress on something as immoral as declawing it is a backward step. The AVMA are dinosaurs in a modern world. They have no authority over their members. If the AVMA actually banned declawing their members would ignore them, disband the organisation and create a new one. For this reason the AVMA has to do as they are told by their money-grabbing vets.
The AVMA cannot rock the money boat.
there is no reason on this earth the AMVA should condone declawing! If a person is sick enough to warrant declawing then they shouldn’t have a cat. Cats are more likely to bite and scratch with their hind claws after declawing then if not declawed. The AMVA hasn’t been known for doing what is right so why should it change now? They want to impress the wealthy and disgust those of us who know what is right!!
One thing I find shocking is that the British vets don’t want to support the cats in trying to stop declawing. The keep quiet. I say if they want to keep quiet they are part of the problem.
http://cat-chitchat.pictures-of-cats.org/2014/06/campaigning-against-declawing-is-waste.html
I find it shocking as well I just can’t get my head around it I firmly believe that if you think something is worth while then you should just try I’m not a defeatist you see even if I fail I will still have a go the British vets could have such an impact I wonder if they have heard of the paw projects momentum?
I’m honoured the Paw Project are sharing my poster featuring their video
Excellent poster Ruth. Well done in The Paw Project using it.
Ridiculous. We still need to keep fighting, I hope we can have it banned in all countries very soon!!!
The 7 counties in California that have made declawing cats illegal came about because the local government (County Commission) enacted the law in each county. They blew off the AVMA which really has no authority to do anything. Each and every county in every state in America have the ability to do the same.
So, who cares what the AVMA says?
What a terrible waste of an opportunity to come down against declawing, they’re still saying it can be considered in certain circumstances but WHY? There are no circumstances that necessitate declawing in the 39 countries where declawing is banned, the USA are no different to the folks in other countries who don’t resort to amputating healthy toe ends. Plus it says it should be discussed with the vet, HAH! We all know most vets can’t wait to promote declawing so what a one sided discussion that is going to be.
You ARE right Michael, declawing IS immoral, inhumane and unethical and the AVMA should be ashamed of themselves for not giving a damn that cats are being mutilated routinely by vets, to make money.
There is so much publicity now about the Paw Project vets and how they are repairing the damage done to cats declawed by other vets who are greedy for dollars.
No vet can pretend not to know about this.
Declawing shouldn’t need to be banned, the butchers masquerading as vets should stop it of their own free will!
Their callousness takes my breath away. As you say, they all know the Paw Project and the film. They know declaw repair surgery takes place and they know about their high level of botched operations and yet…no change…silence from the vets. Mind-blowing. They are not vets in the true sense of the word.
Ruth you are so right!! They should stop because it is just immoral!!