NEWS AND COMMENT: I have a feeling that the obnoxious declawing veterinarians of America are in retreat. And the average cat caregiver, not even animal advocates, are making their voices heard because they now thoroughly understand that the declawing of cats is unnecessary and cruel. It is described as barbaric by people like me and somebody much better than me, Dr. Bruce Fogle, the celebrated author/veterinarian in the UK.
Over the years, people like me have written about cat declawing and lambasted it (there are hundreds of anti-declawing pages on this site). Rightly so because it is utterly unforgivable to partially amputate the 10 toes of a kitten for non-therapeutic reasons. How can a veterinarian do that for the convenience of the kitten’s owner? These vets have to be immoral to do it. Strong words, yes. But strong words are needed and unjustified. Declawing is a horrid aberration in the US. It sticks out like a sore thumb. It should never have been started.
RELATED: Origin of Cat Declawing
After that lengthy introduction (because declawing always gets my blood boiling) I am pleased to announce that the US state of Maryland may become, God willing, the second state in America which bans declawing. The legislature of that state is not prepared to wait for their veterinarians to desist voluntarily in mutilating kittens’ paws. If the bill passes Maryland will follow NY state as the second to prohibit declawing.
A bill has been introduced by Maryland state Sen. Cheryl C. Kagan (D-Montgomery). In the photograph you see her holding a black kitten. In the Maryland debate, it is pleasing to hear that some veterinarians oppose declawing. Others try and justify the unjustifiable by saying that it is up to the cat’s owner in conjunction with the veterinarian to make a decision about declawing. This is a false argument because veterinarians who declaw sometimes encourage it. They do not provide unbiased and objective advice. Their advice is coloured by the need to make money. They chase the buck because they feel underappreciated and underpaid.
You cannot rely on declawing veterinarians to think about cat welfare. This is an obvious statement because they demonstrate this attitude to the world by declawing cats for non-therapeutic purposes.
Jennifer Bevan-Dangel, the Maryland state director for the Humane Society of the United States, makes a good point when she argues that “there is no guarantee that any vet is upholding any of the standards” of ethical behaviour when it comes to declawing.
RELATED: Florida could be the second state to ban declawing after New York
The Humane Society carried out an informal phone survey of veterinarians in Maryland. Of the 30 veterinarians who responded 40% said that they perform declawing surgeries for non-therapeutic reasons. This means that they are doing the op to protect the furniture of the cat’s owner. And Jennifer said that she was shocked by the response of animal lovers on social media.
RELATED: ARIZONA STATE LEGISLATURE IS DISCUSSING THE BANNING OF CAT DECLAWING.
What she is stating is that there is a movement out there on social media by ordinary people against declawing. She said that when the society writes a Facebook post they might receive 1000 views but a post of a cat clawing a scratching post reached 11,000 people. People want to see cat owners use scratching posts and better cat caregiving to deal with the rare possibility of being scratched by their care.
It is very easy to avoid being scratched by your cat. It requires common sense and a little bit of intelligence. It requires understanding your cat and their behaviour. It is only the ignorant cat owners who want to de-claw their cats.
It is not only general ignorance but specific ignorance of the declawing operation which facilitates this barbaric procedure. Del. Lorig Charkoudian (D-Montgomery), the House sponsor, said that when people learn about declawing it changes their perspective. She said: “When people wrap their head around it, the idea that we would mutilate to protect a furniture item is abhorrent to people”.
The Washington Post tells me that the Maryland declawing bill is the second major animal rights legislation of that state in recent years. In 2008 the state became the second behind California to ban retail sales of puppies and kittens.
Daniel Bays, also of the Humane Society states that society in general cannot wait for the veterinary profession to stop declawing voluntarily which is why this bill has been introduced and which many people would hope to see enacted and turned into a statute.
MICHAEL IM AGAINST EAR TIPPING BECASUE ITS UNECESSARY DAMAGES AND TRAUMA TO THE CAT. THE CAT LOOKS LIKE A HANOUS HIDEOUS CRIME HAPPENED TO IT. AND ITS EXACTLY WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE A CRIME. IM RAISING CONCERNS RELATED TO THE PREFORMANCE OF UNECESSARY SURGERIES AND MORE SPECIFICALLY TO THE ALTERING OF AN ANIMAL-EAR TIPPING- WHERE THERE IS NO MEDICAL REASON TO SUPPORT THE PROCEDURE. ITS BEING USED AS/FOR IDENTIFICATION PURPOSES.AS YOU MENTIONED “USUALLY IT COULD BE SEEN FROM A DISTAMCE” -THERE ARE NO BENEFITS TO THE CAT JUST DAMAGES . VETERINARIANS ARE GENERALLY NON-SUPPORTIVE OF ANY PROCEDURE ON AN ANIMAL THAT IS NEITHER NECESSARY NOR BASED ON SOLID SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE. YOU MENTIONED AUSTRAILIA BANNED EAR TIPPING IN TNR -CLAIMING IT JUST DOESNT WORK. MEDICALLY UNECESSARY VETERINARY SURGERIES ( MUVS ). VETERINARY ACT AND THE COLLEGE OF VETERINARIANS DOESNT SUPOORT IT – BECASUE IT COULD CREATE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES THAT WOULD NOT SUPPORT SAFE ANIMAL CARE. IM CONCERNED ABOUT THE TREATMENT AND CARE OF CATS . CATS EARS MATTER. THE HUMANE SOCIETY AND SPCA ADD EAR TIPPING TO TNR THEY GO OUTSIDE THE LAW – AND SHOULD BE CHARGED SOMEONE HAS TO STOP THEM VETERINARIANS CAN BE CHARGED UNDER THE CRIMINAL CODE AND CAN RECIEVE A 10 YEAR JAIL SENTENCE. ” CATS EARS HAVE A DEFENCE: UNDER VETERINARY LAW AS IT DOESNT SUPPORT MEDICALLY UNECESSARY VETERINARY SURGERY . EAR TIPPING IS NOT A NORMAL METHOD FOR IDENTIFICATION OF SPAYED AND NUETERED FEROL CATS. ITS HAS TO BE NORMAL METHOD FOR IDENTIFICATION THESE CATS ARE 2LBS THEY DONT HAVE MUCH AND TO CHOP OFF A PERFECTLY NORMAL FUNCTIONING EAR THEY NEED AND THROW IT INTO THE GARBAGE IS AN EXPLOSIVE INJUSTICE. YOU CANNOT COMPARE EAR TIPPING IN CATS TO ANYTHING ELSE ITS A RARE CRIME THAT THE SPCA AND HUMANE SOCIETIES AND VETERINARIANS THAT ARE DECIDEING TO PERFORM THE PROCEDURE ARE GETTING AWAY WITH . IT WILL BE PUT TO AN END JUST LIKE DECLAWING WAS BECASUE IT ALSO WAS A CRIME. HOW DARE THEY.THEY HAVE NO BOARDERS ITS SCARY IT GOES TO FAR FOR IDENTIFYING SPAYED AND NEUTERED CATS AND ITS COMPLETELY NOT REQUIRED. GIVE CATS THEIR RIGHTS TO THEIR EARS BACK
IT GOES FAR BEYOND AESTHEICS IT CROSSES LINES AND ITS A CRIME. IM DEFENDING CATS USING THE LAW. CATS HAVE FULL RIGHT OVER THEIR EARS.
Thank you, Gloria, for commenting. I support your campaign against unnecessary surgery on cats. Declawing is in a different league to ear tipping. Ear tipping can, arguably, be useful for identification purposes but declawing for non-therapeutic purposes is a barbaric crime in many countries but in the USA is entirely accepted. It is a shock to me that this is the case. And ear tipping is carried out carelessly by many veterinarians who remove too much of the ear flap. That, too, is quite brutal and incorrect. There seems to be a percentage of veterinarians in America who simply should not be in the business. They don’t have enough sensitivity towards the health and welfare of the animals in their charge.
YOU CAN ADD EAR TIPPING IN CATS TO THAT LIST/ITS TIME TO CHANGE THE INTERNATIONAL SYMBOL OF SPAYED AND NEUTERED FEROL CATS FROM EAR TIPPING TO PERMANTENT COLOURING THEIR TAILS TO A COLOUR THAT CAN IDENTIFY THEM FROM A DISTANCE- NEON GREEN -CATS WERE SACRED IN EGYPT AND WERE MUMMIFIED AND PLACED IN THE TOMBS OF THEIR OWNER LETS RESPECT CATS AND MAKE IT INTERNATIONALLY SYMBOLIC THAT THEIR BODY PARTS CANNOT BE TAKEN UNLESS THERE IS A MEDICAL RESAON TO DO SO FOR THIER SURVIVAL GIVE THEM LE WITHOUT RESPECT WE GET THE ABOVE MENTINED UNMENTIONABLES CHOPPING OFF THEIR EAR TO IDENTIFY THEM FROM A DISTANCE ISNT HELPING – THERE ARE PRODUCTS SPECIFICALLY DESIGNED AND DEVELOPED FOR IDENTIFICATION PURPOSES IN CATS : MICRO CHIPPING COLLARS EAR TAGS LETS GET THAT STRAIGHT ELIMINATE THE ERROR ELIMINATE THE DAMAGES
EAR TIPPING IN BANNED IN AUSTRAILIA AS OF 2021- ACCORDING TO MICHAEL BROAD
DECLAWING IS BANNED IN CANADA- ACCORDING TO ME I LIVE HERE
I DEMAND BANNING INTERNATIONAL EAR TIPPING AND DECLAWING IN CATS AMEN
IVE CONNTATED NUMEROUS VETERINARY COLLEGES VETERINARIANS LAW ADMINISTRATIONS I CONTINUE MY DEFENCE FOR THESE BELOVED CATS AND THEIR VERY NEEDED BODY PARTS THEY HAVE SO LITTLE LETS NOT TAKE ANYTHING THATS IN FULL FUNCTIONIN ORDER -CATS EARS MATTER CATS CLAWS MATTER …PEOPLE PLEASE I CANNOT BELIEVE THIS HAS BEEN GOING ON FOR SO LONG…GOD PLEASE PROTECT THE CATS IN OUR CARE AND MAKE US REALIZE OUR HUMAN ERRORS SO THAT WE CAN RUSH TO CORRECT OURSELVES OBVIOUSLY WE LOOSE IT AFTER A CERTAIN POINT CLEAR OUR THINKING
Gloria, thank you for commenting. Why are you so against ear tipping? I know that it can look bad and it can be done badly. Further, it is arguably aesthetically a bad idea. But they say that it doesn’t hurt and it doesn’t distress the cat. I would expect it to hurt when it is amputated but the cat quickly adjusts. And visually it can be seen at quite a distance but it is not a foolproof way of identifying a feral cat which is why I argue people who like to shoot cats should not shoot them because they might be shooting someone’s pet. Notwithstanding that it is often nearly always completely illegal to shoot a cat and a crime in most states in the US.