Both my cats were declawed and neither was traumatized

Both my cats were declawed and neither was traumatized

I had both of my cats de-clawed a very long time ago when they were both very young. Kelly lived to be 19 and Sunshine lived to be 17. I am not for or against de-clawing in general, it was a personal choice I made. It was not controversial at the time.

I did not think anything about it because there was no movement to have it stopped and get the information out there.

But, whether or not I would have chosen this today I don’t know, with all the current information. What I can say is that neither of my cats suffered from this surgery.

Neither one was traumatized or had any lasting symptoms of the surgeries. They were both healthy, happy, loving cats that would let me rub their feet. They both used their “hands” as I called them all the time.

Sunshine would use his hands to get our attention and Kelly would play with her toys (foil balls especially) with the pads of her feet. This was only my personal experience with the surgery, and it was not negative.

Both cats were very happy and well adjusted and adapted very well to it. That being said, I don’t know if I would make the same decision today. I’m sure I’ll have to make that decision again soon because I can’t imagine life without a cat.

Anonymous


Hi… thanks for sharing. Even vets agree that the operation causes exceptional amounts of pain. There is copious amounts of evidence to support the fact that a good percentage of cats do have long lasting problems but more neutral and unbiased studies are required.

You seem to have missed the underlying issue, namely that it is immoral to mutilate a domestic cat and companion for our convenience. The idea of declawing should not enter your head.

I have just built the page: Declawing Alternatives that contains lots of links all of which point to one conclusion: don’t do it.

I don’t know how you can put young, innocent and vulnerable cats through such a brutal procedure for your convenience…! I think it shows that you lack the requisite sensitivity to care for a cat properly – sorry.

Michael Avatar

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Both my cats were declawed and neither one was traumatized to Declawing cats

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Both my cats were declawed and neither was traumatized

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Feb 23, 2011 Do any of you have a REAL Life?
by: Robert

In the end like it or not a pet is a form of property. To that end if the owner wishes to have certain medical procedures done that are legal are their choice not yours.

To log onto this website and ridicule, berate and insult an individual’s personal and legal right is rather ignorant. We will not even mention that is shows your own stupidity, selfishness and lack of proper respect of another individuals freedom of expression.

If you feel that your opinions about how pets are treated and cared for our viable and reasonable and practical for all concerned. Please take the time to contact your local, regional, federal government representative with your grievances. That is why you voted or did not vote for them to be in office.

In the end the abusive ranting of the above individuals only shows your lack of compassion to your fellow human being. It is also why no normal individual will ever take seriously the ideas of better treatment for animals. These kinds of outbursts, demonstrations and childish commentaries just prove to the rest of you that you should not be seen or heard – Just ignored.

V/r

Robert


Feb 23, 2011 Do ANY of you have a REAL Life???
by: Robert

Salutations,

In the end like it or not a pet is a form of property. To that end if the owner wishes to have certain medical procedures done that are legal are their choice not yours.

To log onto this website and ridicule, berate and insult an individual’s personal and legal right is rather ignorant. We will not even mention that is shows your own stupidity, selfishness and lack of proper respect of another individuals freedom of expression.

If you feel that your opinions about how pets are treated and cared for our viable and reasonable and practical for all concerned. Please take the time to contact your local, regional, federal government representative with your grievances. That is why you voted or did not vote for them to be in office.

In the end the abusive ranting of the above individuals only shows your lack of compassion to your fellow human being. It is also why no normal individual will ever take seriously the ideas of better treatment for animals. These kinds of outbursts, demonstrations and childish commentaries just prove to the rest of you that you should not be seen or heard – Just ignored.

V/r

Robert


Nov 18, 2010 Why Bother Having a Cat?
by: Jo Singer

I just can’t believe why anyone would ever declaw a cat. Beside depriving them of equipment with which they were born.. obviously because they are essential to their welfare in so many ways…this surgery which is only done for the owner’s benefit, not for the benefit of the cat, is so incredibly risky and horrendously painful.

Even if your cats managed to escape the torture of hell at this time as they get older, who knows what the future will bring as far as arthritis and inability to walk correctly.

Why bother having a cat at all if there is a need to declaw? I just don’t get it.


Nov 13, 2010 Ignorant anonymous will be cruel anonymous
by: Mel

How anyone can be so totally ignorant and still live is beyond belief.
You must have read some pages on here to want to come justifying yourself in your belief that your cats didn’t suffer.
Now you even consider putting another cat through the cruellest surgery a cat can endure.
Do you think by the rubbish you have spouted it’s going to change everyones mind and they’ll say “Oh well anonymouse’s cats weren’t traumatized so declawing must be OK.Let’s not bother any more with trying to save cats from it,let’s not bother trying to get it stopped”
You are completely deluded and if you do this disgusting thing to another cat you are completely cruel too.
Ignorance can be excused,knowing cruelty can not.


Nov 13, 2010 You you you
by: Rose

It’s all about you isn’t it anonymous,all about your choice,holding the fate of a yet unknown kitten in your hands.
A kitten that given the chance could use a scratching post and enjoy a healthy life with paws intact,but only if you decide that is so.
You boast that it’s your decision to make,yes it is,it’s your decision whether to condemn a little kitten to a life of disablement or to a pain free life of fulfillment.
You profess you can’t imagine life without a cat,well cats come with claws.
If you don’t accept that then you don’t love cats,so why not do all cats a favour and get yourself a stuffed toy instead.
R.I.P Sunshine and Kelly,I am so sad you didn’t live your lives with someone who really does love cats and as cats are meant to live with the claws they require.


Nov 13, 2010 You don’t deserve another cat
by: Ruth

Why were Kelly and Sunshine declawed very young ?Why were 2 young healthy cats put through a painful, crippling, supposedly last resort operation instead of you teaching them to use scratching posts ? Was your excuse a baby ? A dog ? Or was it the same reason as many other selfish ignorant people use, their precious furniture ?
Of course they were traumatised, you left them at the butchers ..er sorry the vets ..you collected them another day all cleaned up and resigned to their missing toe ends. You have no idea what they suffered in between those times or since.
Cats adjust, they have no choice as suicide isn’t an option for them. You obviously have no idea that cats hide their pain, maybe those cats escaped the most common problems from having their toe ends amputated, but believe you me, as they lived to old age they’d have certainly suffered painful arthritis. How could they not after being crippled young and denied the exercise that cats get by digging in their claws !
Kelly played with foil balls with the pads of her feet, poor little cat, to never know the pleasure of playing as cats like to play, to hook a toy with her front claws to hold and have a good kick with her back paws. Neither cat had the joy of using a scratching post or pad as cats love to do.
You say YOU will have to make that decision soon because YOU can’t imagine life without a cat. Let me tell you that you don’t deserve a cat if you even consider paying to have her mutilated as you did Kelly and Sunshine, risking all that can go wrong, ruining another cats life.
You may be anonymous and protected on here but animal abusers can’t hide from their Karma.
Yes anonymous, YOU are an animal abuser if you have another innocent kitten or cat declawed !

Kattaddorra signature Ruth


Nov 13, 2010 To Anonymous
by: Barbara

I would argue that it was a pesonal choice if you were making the choice about removing your own finger ends but in actual fact you made the choice for your cats so whether the procedure went wrong or right or caused intense or unbearable pain it was all the same to you because you weren’t going to feel anything were you? But what gives you the right to know that there is so much controversy about declawing, to have presumably read the full facts about the procedure and the impact on cats and still say that you will probably be making a decision soon about another cat? What right have you to acquire a beautiful healthy creature and mutilate it for your own selfish purposes? Maybe last time you did it was through ignorance but that wouldn’t be the excuse this time would it?
See this article which compares what you so casually write about doing to cats with the equivalent procedure on a human’s hands.

Barbara avatar


Nov 13, 2010 No decision to be made
by: Leah (England)

Anonymous. Why have you posted as anonymous? Are you not brave enough in your convictions that you can’t even leave your first name?

I agree with Michael you clearly lack the sensitivity required to understand the complex nature of a domestic cat and clearly you miss the overwhelming point that cats come with claws, they are essential to a cat for defence, exercise & quality of life!

Have you not read anything on this website about the negatives of declawing? Have you not seen the pictures? I suggest you take a look;

https://pictures-of-cats.org/Declawing-Cats.html

Take a long hard look at the cats face. Keep deluding yourself because although you think yourself lucky that your cats weren’t traumatised believe me they would have looked very much like the cat in that picture except you were ‘lucky’ enough not to see it as your vet would have kept hold of your mutilated cats for at least 2 days. Your cats on the other hand were not so lucky despite what you say.

I would like to think that you will realise that there is no decision to be made. Cats come with claws and although you think its up to you to decide whether or not they should keep them, you are very wrong.

You say that you couldn’t do without a cat in your life but I’m sure that any cat could do without you if you have declawing on your mind. Its banned in 38 countries. Don’t you think there’s a reason for that?


Nov 13, 2010 Declawing
by: Maggie

You made it clear that declawing your cats was a personal choice. I might add that is was a selfish, ignorant, cruel, immoral, and disgusting personal choice. One that you should be extremely ashamed of.

Cats are known for their ability to hide any form of pain or discomfort. It ensures that they don’t appear vulnerable. Your cats may very well have been experiencing pain and discomfort. But you’re just to ignorant to notice.

You say you can’t imagine life without a cat. I can’t imagine life without fingers… But apparently your cats can… Go figure.

Anyone can play with foil balls and ask for attention without fingers. That’s no reason to assume your cats weren’t in pain.

How does it feel to mutilate an innocent animal for your own convenience? Do you feel proud? Superior? Special? You should feel like an idoit, because that’s all you are.

One day declawing will be banned and, like the rest of the world has already, you’ll have to accept that cats come with claws. Like we do in my country, Australia. Where I have never seen a clawless cat.


Nov 11, 2010 Why Risk It?????
by: Kathleen

Surgery and medicine are not exact sciences. Individual patients will recover differently from the same procedure. Some cats will do better than others. Nevertheless, as Michael has pointed out, there ARE copious amounts of evidence that declawing carries serious risks both for short-term trauma and long-term chronic pain, and if you love your cat, I can’t understand why you would ever consider even taking the chance of putting your cat in chronic pain for the rest of his or her life, just for the sake of an inanimate and replaceable object that will never love you back. No- declawing was not controversial all that long ago. Neither was slavery. Lack of controversy regarding an atrocity does not make it the right thing to do.


Nov 08, 2010 Nicely put Michael
by: Dorothy

Right to the point. Well done. I’m afraid there is much ignorance about this issue in the USA, but obviously, this website is causing people to ask themselves the question. Kudos to you for that.

To Anonymous: Read the articles Michael directed you to. It hope you will do the right thing. You’ll have a wonderful life with your new fully-intact-clawed cat. Best wishes.

Dorothy


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