Calling all de-clawers! Tell me I’m wrong and why!

You're right, Ruth this is truly heatbreaking. The vets are failing cats and happily torturing them every day. I just wonder what sort of person would do that and not offer pain medication? What sort of person would do that anyway?

Someone who clearly thinks they can play god. They shouldn't do the amputation in the first place let alone give the owner the choice with the pain meds!!! Who the hell do they think they are!? They should all be struck off, lousy, rotten excuses for humanity.

We have permission to quote this written by a vet tech who we will not of course identify as she is in the precarious position of working for a clinic in which one vet declaws. She hates the procedure but feels she can do more good by ensuring the welfare of her patients by being there on the spot and she can also help educate people as to the cruelty of declawing.
She says:
'Even with our supposedly superior methods of pain control, we still routinely have declawed cats tearing off their bandages and thrashing in pain upon awakening from the operation. It was the sheer amount of pain control medication that we give these cats that first clued me in to how truly odious this procedure is.
Typical pain control protocol for a declaw at the clinic where I work includes both pre- and post-operative injections, nerve-block injections in the paws, oral meloxicam to go home with, and the application of a transdermal fentanyl patch- this last of which is such a strong opiod-based painkiller that, when used in human medicine, I have heard it is typically only prescribed for the terminally ill’

This demonstrates just how much agony cats suffer from declawing and we already know that some vets not only declaw, but give clients the choice of pain medication by paying extra ! The thought of how many cats are suffering from this senseless abuse is heart breaking.

How I wish it worked that way, that only people that understood & appreciated cats (& claws) were allowed to have them. But unfortunately, millions have them, that should not.

It's hard to comprehend why more people don't question what their vet tells them, maybe it's the authority thing, few people ask for 2nd opinions or do their own research when their own health is involved.

I get so very frustrated that people who have de-clawed under their vets advisement, don't tell them after they have been enlightened that they know they have been lied to! Or why they don't report the vet for fraud! Our continue to use the vet that told them to de-claw! I'd personally be alerting the media & protesting outside their office!

Vets are trained surgeons, not behaviorists, but sadly they are the first place cat parents call for scratching advice (& guess what they advise - - surgery!). They are supposed to be the trusted authority on animals, but they are running a FOR PROFIT business, not an advocacy agency. The public, in general, just doesn't get that money is the root of their advice.

Vets blatantly LIE to their clients about claws & declawing, making outrageous claims that cats don't need their claws, "it's just a small cut", or that if the cat isn't declawed, the home will be shredded and the cat will get kicked out - so, therefore - declawing is good for the cat & the family because it will "keep the cat in their home". What they do not tell is that the scientific data proves declawed cats are twice as likely as clawed cats to have litterbox problems. This is why none of the vets are tracking how many of their declawed clients end up euthanized or relinquished, it's not good business strategy.

Americans, PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE stop using vets that de-claw cats, and tell them why you aren't using them! PLEASE don't donate to shelters that adopt to de-clawers, and tell them why you aren't supporting them. PLEASE don't rent from landlords that require de-clawing, and tell them why - cats can't say NO, but we can!

I don't often condone "anonymous" comments but I have to say I agree with anon and say that declawing owners are, in my humble opinion, just as guilty as declawing vets. We all have a brain and are capable of thought and of logic and of making our own decisions as to what is right or wrong and moral or immoral, being easily led will get you nowhere in a court of law if you've committed a crime! OK if someone declawed a cat in the past and now realises exactly what they put that cat through that is one thing, but to blindly follow tradition and declaw cat after cat, see the result of declawing and STILL do it makes, again in my humble opinion, that person a bad owner and guilty as hell of abuse and of betraying the cat's trust.

Merrily is right that at one time there was no information for people with cats, they just had to trust their vets.
It's easy with hindsight to look back and think I should have done differently. At the time we do something because we think it's right !
Later when we find out it wasn't, we torture ourselves as to what we 'should' or 'shouldn't' have done.
Declawing cats was never an issue here in the UK,I doubt if our vets even learned how to do it, because it just wasn't done. People here react with shock and horror that it actually happens in civilised countries like the USA and Canada.
I think now that more and more USA people are finding out the truth and other countries are taking notice of what is happening,the AVMA will have to start answering some questions and declaw vets will have to realise we are not just going to sit back and let them mutilate cats routinely any more.

How anyone can ever believe declawing is 'good for their cats' I can't understand.
Even with all the pushing of it by vets, surely cat lovers should stop and think however can it be good for cats to have healthy toes removed or if was really declawing simply the claws. A cat without claws is unimaginable to most cats lovers.
I'm sorry but people who have this done to their cats are as guilty as the vets who do it.
People who want 'pretty furniture' should not have cats.

I completely agree that vets are the main culprit here, and we all understand their motives. The AVMA is strictly concerned with vets financial interests, not animal welfare. They are constantly under fire for their positions on many welfare issues surrounding farm & companion animals. Now that the public can view these abuses (like de-clawing & factory farming) on youtube, there is much more awareness that the AVMA doesn't support animal protection measures. The pressure/spotlight from the public & certain animal welfare orgs is on them. We also have the HSVMA group which is an ethical vet advocacy group that is PRO-animal (and anti-declawing!) that supports animal protection. They are small, but growing. So there IS more awareness about vet abuses & AVMA negligence going on here. The declaw movement in particular has made huge strides since I've been on board, but there is much, much more ground to cover.

Other ideas to help fight de-clawing is putting pressure on the animal welfare orgs (HSUS, ASPCA, Best Friends, etc) to do national education campaigns on why claws are so valuable to animals & how destructive de-clawing is - no org has ever done that here.

Putting pressure on our local shelters to educate adopters is a must too. Shelters range here from prohibiting de-clawing to de-clawing the cats themselves prior to adoption. Many have an "if you can't beat it, join it" attitude because the vets pro-declaw message is so strong. But I don't think that should get them off the hook. The very least they can do is staple an education sheet to their adoption contract - how hard is that?

Also, writing to cat food & litter manufactures that have commercials asking them to put a scratching post in their commercials, or Soft Paws on the cats. It may sound dumb, but I think it would go along way if the public actually sees a scratching post inside a home (one study said that only 30% of cat homes had posts - I think that is negligence - scratching posts are as important as litterboxes since cats NEED a place to scratch). It really doesn't help our cause when anti-declaw cat parents, although with good intention, say their cats have shredded their homes - most American people won't tolerate that. We need to show that people CAN have pretty (unmarked) furniture with clawed cats, but it only happens when they have scratching devices, trim nails, etc.

I appreciate all of you for fighting this fight!!! De-clawing will be banned, thanks to folks like you that are keeping the pressure on and the education up! Bless you all!

I have just read Merrily's comment. Well done. I love that kind of comment as it is open, accepting and truly is the way to go as far as I am concerned - to learn and correct and progress.

This is the one subject beyond all others that inspires passion, anger and plenty of comments. There are a lot of people who hate declawing and I am proud to be one of them.

It must be wrong. It is obviously wrong. Why can't the millions of people who do it see that?

I don't think we can criticise the cat owners (I prefer the term: cat keepers). It is part of the culture that they have learned from an early age. All countries have their blind spots and that includes the UK, of course.

But we can and must criticise the vets because they know better or should do and their duty is to promote the welfare of cats not to abuse them.

Thank you for all so much for your comments, I couldn’t agree with you more; your common sense and compassion for all the poor cats that have no voice is there for the world to see as are the pro de-clawers who haven’t the guts to respond because it seems they have run out of feeble excuses.

The pressure is definitely mounting, there will be a ban and it can’t come too soon!

We have all heard of or experienced to some degree vets who mutilate cats & who also in some cases (depending on the cost involved) may or may not offer pain medication, just who the hell do they think they are abusing their position in that way! They are not God! They have no right to amputate never mind not offering pain meds! If someone can’t afford after care don’t do the op.! Hell! What am I talking about? I’m as mad as them! Just don’t do the op. anyway! Its inhumane mutilation!

Here’s a thought; instead of advertising ‘cat spey/de-claw’ why not advertise ‘cat spey/toe amputation’ well why not? It’s the truth! It’s a pity they’re not all being sued left, right and centre for mis-representation of the facts!

We all know about the landlords too. They also have no right to insist that a cat be mutilated. If they are worried about their precious apartments they should have a no pet’s policy like here in the UK, not ask that a pet be adapted before it’s bought in through the door.

Then of course we have the good old AMVA; what a joke! Vets all over America flaunting their guidelines and the AMVA not doing a damn thing about it. I wonder why? Could it possibly just possibly could that it’s that dirty word ‘money’ that comes into it again?

And last but with no less cruelty in their hearts we have those that are so vain and selfish, they just want a cat to adorn their ‘beautiful’ homes with cats they adapt to suit themselves. They are not accessories to match your furniture; they are living, breathing creatures.

I could not bear to see the pain and misery in my cat’s eyes after doing this to him and it’s for this reason that I say no true cat lover would ever do it. And don’t anyone dare say that it’s just as bad to de-sex your cat because there’s just no comparison; you only say this because it's just another hollow excuse. My cat was running around on the same day not hobbling around in agonising pain wondering what’s been done to him. Speying and neutering is done to stop unwanted kittens and genuinely for the future health of the cat not to fit into some selfish, socially impaired idiot’s lifestyle.

Merrily I am so sorry for the loss of your cat, please don’t think there is a divide; the only divide that exists is the one between mutilators and anti de-clawers. We all stand united against the unspeakable horror that’s committed every day leaving cats and kittens defenceless and deformed.

Let’s just face it there is an element is American society that does this vile thing just because they can and they are the reason that we must get it banned.

I'm sorry, Tracey, but I don't think you'll get any responses on here from pro-declawers. I doubt there are any on here. As far as there being a "disconnect" between people in countries where it is banned and the US... I am in the US, I have lived here all my life, and I have never thought it to be right to declaw any animal. Further, I will not use any vet who declaws. I also have no use for "animal lovers" who mutilate their pets. Neutering serves a purpose, and humans have operations with the same results done to themselves for the same purposes (vasectomies). But you never hear of humans having the ends of their fingers cut off so they don't have to clip their nails anymore, do you? Then why would anyone with a shred of common sense think it is okay to do it to an animal? If you care more about your furniture, don't get a cat. Plain and simple. My cats never leave my house unless to go to the vet, but they still NEED their claws. They need them to dig in their litter boxes, to stretch their muscles, and to climb their cat furniture. They clawed up my sofa, which was given to me by my parents when they got a new one. After they scratched up the arms pretty well, I simply put it out on the curb for the garbage. When you keep cats, you have to expect things like that. When I replace it, I'll get some of that deterrent spray. If they claw up the next one, oh well. When they climb up on me and their claws dig into my skin, it's not their fault, it's mine... that means it's time to clip them. I enjoy that about as much as scooping their litter boxes, but it's part of having cats.

Tracey, you'll not hear that you're wrong from anyone here, because you're absolutely right.

Well done Tracey !
Why do pet owners think they can mutilate their pets to suit themselves ? These are Earth's creatures, we don't declaw or debark our children for a peaceful life so why mutilate our cats ?

Cats are wild creatures and need to protect themselves from perceived threats. To not allow them to do so stresses them immensely and causes them to change from confident animals to timid,nervous creatures.

Tracey I notice no pro declaw has come on and answered your questions. I wonder why?????
Could it be they are beginning to get the message that their days of people accepting this atrocity are numbered? That we've heard and disproved all the excuses they can make?
Not only are USA citizens asking questions now but the rest of the civilised world are too.
That abusing cats in this way is acceptable as an every day occurrence is scandalous to those of us in countries where even before declawing was banned would never have put any cat through such an obviously painful and cruel procedure.
Had it been removing the claws only, is bad enough and I agree with the poster who said were people brainwashed into having it done to their pets?
I am not condemning anyone for trusting a profesional person trained to care for animals,I just can't take it in that anyone would agree to have a cat put through such a dreadful procedure.

Educate don't mutilate!

There seems to me to be a real dissconnect between the people living in the countrys that have banned the declawing of cats, and the people in the USA.
A few months ago I wrote a comment about my cat who was declawed, and was killed because of my decision.
My reason for writing the comment was that someone had posted that it was OK to declaw a cat because it would always be kept inside therefore it would not need its claws to protect itself.
I did not tell this story because I was looking for forgiveness, but to let the person who wrote that post know that it simply was not true, who would ever expect dogs to break into a sliding glass door in their own home.
Susan in her post today said of declawing......"It is marketed as something that is good for their cats" This is true today as it was 25 years ago.
We will never change this fact by being angry or attacking other posters who agree with us that declawing is wrong, no matter how we came to that decision.
To the people who wish to declaw their cats, we should tell our stories, and do everything possible to educate them about the horrors of declawing.
To the people like myself who have declawed cats and now know better, we need to know we are all working toward the same goal, certainly it is better to have learned from a bad decision than to be too stubborn to admit your mistakes.
Untill we can stop the vets from marketing this procedure as "good for your Cats" rather than good for their bottom line, we are fighting an uphill battle. We can only fight that battle when we are united in our belief that declawing is wrong.

Tracey - Everything you've posted is spot on! Common sense should dictate that declawing is absolutely wrong wrong wrong!!!

Thank you for your post. Here in the USA, our numbers against declawing are increasing, but not fast enough to my way of thinking.

What I can't understand is why anyone would want a cat declawed.Protecting furniture is a pretty lame reason.Kittens are born with claws,do they not stop and think there's a reason for that, before they give a kitten a home?
Whenever I've taken my cats to be neutered if anyone had said to me it's a good idea to have them declawed at the same time,I'd have walked right out that door and my cat with me.
I got my cats as kittens, I knew they had claws, I hadn't put a lot of thought into why, I just accepted those claws as they are part of cats.
What sort of culture says you are a bad person if you don't have cats very important claws removed? Does a kind of brainwashing happen?No one would brainwash me into doing anything cruel to my cat.
Advertising this foul practice and giving discounts on it is evil.Why not advertise and give discounts on neutering which DOES make you a bad person if you don't have it done.
Thank you Tracey for asking questions about this cruelty to cats.

I can only agree with your sentiments. I can't, and never will, understand the mentality of anyone, be it owner or veterinarian, accepting the removal of an essential and unique part of a cat for anything other than medical reasons. I've tried in the past to imagine what sort of person could calmly make an appointment, starve the cat or kitten fromn midnight the night before, as you do when having anaesthetic, then deliver it to the surgery to be mutilated. What goes through their heads? It's bad enough when we have to take them for neutering but at least there is justification for that.How do they feel when they pick the cat or kitten up and it's paws are sore and bandaged and it is showing signs of obvious pain and distress? How can they say the pain "only lasts a few days"?

Try as I might I can't imagine what thoughts such a person has because such thoughts are impossible for me and for all the people who hate and abhor declawing, and declawers.

I'd like to stress that last point, that I hate declawing and declawers be they passive and merely know about it, accept it, and do nothing to stop it or be they owners who decide for purely selfish reasons to declaw a cat or be they veterinarians who should, but don't, protect animals and their precious and beautiful bodies. I make no apology for hating those people because there is NO justification for declawing, it is cruel and inhumane and I don't want to know, or be civil to, anyone who thinks otherwise.

I was the owner of Juliet, the beautiful cat that was killed by three German Shephards in my home.
It was the early 1980's when Romeo and Juliet came into my life, they were adorable and I would have never done anything to harm them.
At that time, I had never seen a computer, there were few good books on cats, and information was scarce. I relied on my vet to guide me in the proper care of them.
When I made the appointment to alter my kittens I was offered a package deal to declaw as well. Being younger and much less experienced in life, I thought my vet was the doctor, certainly he would not want to harm my cat.
Now, I have the luxury of a computer and many good books and I know the horrors of declawing, we have so much more information than years ago.
Today I question my own Doctors, and wonder about pilots and polititions, I realise some do not always do the right thing and Money seems to get in the way of good decision making.
Yes today I would never consider declawing a cat, I am informed, as we all are in this information age. I am sure many cats were declawed by people like me who trusted their vet, as we used to trust our doctors.
Now my two Norwegian Forest Cats have all of their claws, and plenty of places to use them. I cringe when I see articles such as the one Web MD recently emailed to me saying that during a declaw surgery one third of the cats foot pads are removed as well as the first knuckle of each toe.
With the infomation that flows freely today I would never just trust my vet to do the right thing, If I knew years ago what I now know about declawing I would be guilty as charged if I chose to declaw a cat.I don't think pointing fingers at someone who clearly made a decision based on their trust of their Vet is the answer. The most important thing we can do is educate the public, one cat owner at a time.

I can tell you from my experience as someone that runs a cat rescue network and has spoken to 1000's of de-clawers over the years, 95% say they do it because of the furniture, however way more than half of these people have absolutely NO idea that it is amputation.

I just spoke with a woman last night in fact who declawed her cat because she thought it was "the right thing to do" (declawing is literally encouraged by vets where I live - it is marketed as something that "good" cat parents do for their cats, like spay/neuter) so kitty wouldn't tear up her house, despite the fact that this poor cat was already using a scratching post. She spoke to 2 vet offices and no one mentioned the true nature of the surgery. Because everyone around her declaws their cat, she didn't do her own research (she is mortified now though). I run into these scenarios constantly so it's essential to get to these people BEFORE they get to the vets office where they will be lied to & pressured to mutilate their pets.

Of course, there are those who declaw knowing full well exactly what it is and I appreciate you calling these people forward - they deserve to be put on the spot because, for the most part, they are applauded here for their crime. I have found, in general, these people are completely disconnected to the animal kingdom. Of course they all claim they are "animal lovers", when in fact they really just like looking at animals, not understanding them. They really, truly do not care what harm might come to the cat by declawing - they weren't committed to the animal to begin in - they just want their house to look nice.

If you don't get any response from these people, that probably means they are too busy driving their declawed cat to the vet to be euthanized, or to a wooded area to be abandoned, or to a shelter to be relinquished because the cat has urinated on the carpet, or bit them, or acted like a "cat" in some other fashion and is being exiled from their home. This happens everyday here in America.

BOYCOTT vets that declaw!
BOYCOTT shelters that adopt to declawers!
BOYCOTT landlords that require declawing!

Wonderful page Tracey! Truly well researched, thought out and written.
I notice that so far the declawers haven't told you that you are wrong and why.
The fact is you have great answers from anti declaw people because there really is no other side to this debate. Although debate is the wrong word but I can't think of another suitable enough to describe the difference of opinion on whether it's acceptable to abuse cats or not.
Michael is right when he calls the vets who do this shameful thing 'wicked' the definition of which is 'the departure from the rules of the divine or the moral law, evil disposition or practices; immorality; depravity; sinfulness'
Yes that to me sure does describe those vets.
The stories you quoted about the horrible things happening to declawed cats are a drop in the ocean of the many stories of cats suffering or dying from being declawed.
It's high time the AVMA put a stop to all this,they should force all vets to adhere to the last resort policy as in the meaning of no alternative. There are plenty of alternatives for the kittens suffering every day and growing up crippled. Alternatives we use in countries where the cruel practice of declawing is illegal.
I have written many times to the AVMA only to be totally ignored.Well the AVMA and the butcher vets can't ignore the uprising against them for much longer and still retain their credibilty of harming no animal!
BOYCOTT declaw vets!

Tracey.
Your wonderful write up about this subject should be published in all Vet's practices, and the National Press.

I am not a cat owner but I could NEVER put any animal I owned and cared for through such a barbaric practice.

Way to go Tracey......go get 'em girl !!!

Ken

It's a travesty that the USA's ban on declawing of big cats didn't extend to protecting other animals. Surely the same anatomical/behavioural reasons against declawing are applicable to domestic cats, rabbits, reptiles etc.

If we cannot trust vets to have the welfare of cats at heart, then it is their owners we must educate on the cruelty of declawing. Without a nation wide legal ban we won't stop the supply, but hopefully through education we can reduce the demand. That's why articles like yours and others on the internet are fantastic for making people aware of the truth about this cruel and unnecessary amputation.

I hadn't heard of Brandy Ferdit before, so thank you for sharing her cats' tragic experiences. I'm sure that her story and many others like it are "swept under the carpet" by pro-declawers as a rarity or the result of an incompetent vet. How ironic then, that she was unable to take legal action because the procedure was done "according to industry standards".

Michele (UK)

Yes Tracey you will get the same old replies, that's if any pro declaws answer at all of course. They must surely know their stale old arguments to justify the daily mutilation of cats is wearing a bit thin now. We are not fooled!
Recently some articles came up about how much 'kinder' laser declawing is! KINDER?
They expect us to swallow the fact that a cat's end toe joints burned off (sometimes by amateurs who burn the surrounding flesh too)is kinder than cutting them off.They must think we were born yesterday!
The cat is no less crippled, but the vets coffers are even fuller with the cost of the operation for which clients pay dearly.
Clients who trust their vet,ignorant misguided clients I say!
I have no sympathy for people who even out of ignorance have their cats declawed. The very word declawing sends shivers up my spine,no one should even CONSIDER having a kitten or a cat declawed EVER.If they do they are not fit people to have cats in their homes.
The person whose cat was torn to bits by those dogs AND the person who had seven cats declawed are as guilty as the vets who amputated those cats toe ends and the people who assisted at the surgery.
Cats depend on us to care for them, not to hand them over for any procedure we don't know the first thing about.
We who truly love our cats FIND OUT what anything to be done to them REALLY IS!

A great write up man.I too despise those low life money making vets who try to justify their abuse of cats.
There is no justification at all man.
Not one bit.
What annoys me most and Im sure it does more of you too, is people getting kittens and taking them to be abused by vets agreeing to chop the toes off them.
In fact advertising that they chop toes off cut price.
How can they say it saves cats homes when the people who do that wouldnt have got a kitten if they couldnt do it?
Its not saving a cats home like they say it is,its letting people get cats who shouldnt ever have them cos they only want them adapted.
It makes me sick a grown man, I cry when I read horrible things like those dogs killing that cat.
I wish it was stopped.Thank you for helping us who are trying to make that happen.

Tracey I've been looking forward to your article as I know since you joined our 'troops' what passion and commitment you feel about getting declawing banned and how much work you've already done! You have far exceeded my expectations of what you would write.
WELL DONE !
You've certainly done your research and you tell some real home truths to the pro declaw people.
Your article is brilliant !
THANK YOU also for the signatures you are bringing to our petition.
I too feel priveleged to have cats in my life, I love watching them use their claws and I can't understand how some people who call themselves cat lovers can even contemplate having them mutilated by the amputation of their toe ends.
They don't love cats, they love their idea of how a cat should be.
When I was vet nursing my worst nightmare was assisting at the necessary amputation of any limb. Only once did a cat have to have one toe amputated for medical reasons, that was enough for me !The sickening crunch of bone and the tearing away of tissues was something I can 'hear' even now. You are right that that the reasons to amputate cats toes are few and far between.
That was before declawing was banned here but it was NEVER done even then.Only one person ever enquired about it and was told she'd not find a vet in the UK who would perform such a cruel operation.
I would never have assisted at any unecessary operation resulting in the crippling of a cat.
Hang your heads in shame pro declaw people,vets who declaw cats AND anyone working for those money grabbing people who break their veterinary oath routinely !

Tracey, at this moment I'm holding back tears, what you wrote was horrific, but so true. I hadn't heard the story of the German Shepherd before, I just can't imagine what that poor cat must have thought. In my opinion, vets whom declaw are unprofessional, vets are animal doctors, you don't see our doctors saying stuff like "You should probably get your child de-fingered, so she doesn't wreck the furniture" I mean, it's just so obvious how wrong it is, is it just money that draws vets towards practising this cruel procedure? Do they think it's right? I live in Australia, and here it's also illegal to declaw cats, it's one thing that makes me proud of my country. Next time I go to my vet, or to a cat show, I'm going to ask for people's opinions...

I begin 'pre-training' to become a vet next year, and I'm hoping that one day I'll be able to go to the USA and teach people about declawing, and how wrong it is....

Thank you, Tracy, for your passionate plea to these wicked veterinarians in asking them to justify what they do. What you say is exactly what we, people who are have an empathy for cats and animals, feel.

These vets will never; can never, justify their brutality except, on occasion, with feeble weasel words that can never stand up to scrutiny. None, though, will respond, believe me, because they cannot. There are no true reasons to declaw except for the rarest of conditions.

I personally despise them for what they do. There is something deeply wrong with their mentality and honesty.

Thanks for getting permission to use the words of Virginia McKenna, founder of The Born Free Foundation. It is fantastic that her words are on this website.

This site will always do what is right for the cat, not what is right for us, because that is the reason for its existence.