by Ruth
(England)
OUR FAMILY HAVE ALWAYS DECLAWED OUR CATS…Then it’s time to break the family tradition! Declawing is a cruel and unnecessary operation and there are alternatives to having your cat’s last toe joints amputated.
Having scratching posts and pads around the house for your cat and regularly trimming his claws are all you need to do.
Declawing is banned in many countries and there is no justification for it to be done in the few countries where it is still legal.
STOP!
INDOOR CATS DON’T NEED CLAWS
But they do! Indoor cats need their claws to walk, play and groom properly and very importantly, to exercise. They need to dig in their claws to stretch their leg, shoulder, stomach and back muscles. Because declawed cats can’t do this, many develop painful arthritis in later life.
They also need them for self-defence. Just say a burglar broke into your home when the cat was alone. He would have no chance against a person possibly wanting to hurt him. Supposing he escaped out of the broken window the burglar entered by? Again he would have no chance against healthy animals outside. He couldn’t run up a tree to get away from a dog or put up much of a fight against a clawed cat or a wild animal.
In natural disasters such as fire, floods or an earthquake,a declawed cat would have no chance of survival.
HE MIGHT SCRATCH MY BABY OR MY FURNITURE
But he might not! Especially if as a kitten you provide him with a good tall strong scratching post and show him how to use it. Declawed cats have a tendency to bite or to mess outside the litter tray, both of which are dangerous to a crawling baby. Besides, you should never leave a baby or toddler alone with a cat, you, as a good parent should supervise them always. You shouldn’t have your perfectly healthy cat disabled just in case he scratches. Declawing is a last resort procedure for very serious scratching behaviour, not just in case?…
IT WILL MAKE HIM A BETTER PET FOR MY KID
Not so! A declawed cat is a disabled cat and it gives children the wrong idea that cats can be adapted to be used as toys. You need to teach your child to be gentle and kind with your cat, she has to learn that he feels fear and pain just like she does. Your child deserves a perfect healthy cat as a pet and your cat relies on you to teach your child how to handle him without hurting him.
The same applies if you have a family dog, it’s your responsibility to supervise both animals and not to leave them alone together until you are confident they are good friends. It’s very cruel to have a cat declawed for the sake of a dog, it leaves the cat vulnerable to being pestered, hurt or even killed by the dog. A warning scratch soon puts a dog in his place and teaches him to respect the cat!
THERE REALLY IS NO JUSTIFICATION FOR DECLAWING YOUR CAT