By Ruth aka Kattaddorra
Fate decrees that some kittens are adopted by people who will have them declawed.
How can vets justify performing major surgery, the amputation of the kittens last toe joints, at the same time as neutering? This surgery is supposed to be a last resort for serious scratching behaviour, not a convenient way for cat caretakers to protect their furniture!
A kitten recovers quickly from neutering but declawing affects that kitten for life, he never fully recovers. How can he when his very essential parts have been taken away and thrown in the trash?
He will never be able to walk as a cat walks, to exercise as cats need to by digging in their claws to stretch their muscles, to hook a toy with his front paws, to jump safely with his claws to dig in to balance him, to groom his face and head properly, to defend himself from abuse from humans or from dogs. A cat has the right to do all these things and he needs his claws to do them!
It’s a myth that indoor cats don’t need their claws, they do! All cats are born with claws because they NEED CLAWS.
Many declawed cats develop painful arthritis as they grow older, why would anyone want to condemn their cat to that?
It seems like the tide may be slowly turning, some USA vets are giving up declawing and most young newly qualified vets refuse to declaw.
This is good but not good enough. Declawing is banned or considered inhumane and very rarely done, in 39 countries now. It is also banned in 8 Californian Cities.
Cat advocates are fighting for a ban in other cities in the USA and in Canada too. I hope they succeed, I hope one day soon that declawing is banned worldwide.
Associated (just one example chosen at random): Ban cat declawing in Ontario
Excellent and educative poster in a very simple format.
I was intending it to be about half the size it is, but once posted, no going back to edit!
Yikes, didn’t mean that photo above to be so large. Michael, can you give guidance as to ideal pixel dimensions? PS told me it was 4″ wide, so I though that was okay. But seems like pixel dimensions may rule.
Tootsie
Thanks, Ruth. Great poster.
This is somewhat related, and prompted by what you said about cats needing their claws.
I have to take Tootsie, my poly, to the vet for various reasons. I’ve asked that her claws be trimmed, because she won’t let me get near them. Last time around, I said “only trim the poly claws”. These can get ingrown, and cause problems- because the toes they are attached to are really not functioning toes, and claws can’t be shed in the normal way. I said “leave the other, regular claws intact”. Which they did.
It had finally dawned on me that when Tootsie came back with all claws trimmed, she wasn’t able to dig into the cat towers with her usual vigor. It IS a major form of exercise for her, and she loves tearing into the cat towers. She loves the cat towers so much, she doesn’t bother with the furniture.
I know that trimming cats’ claws is in no way comparable to declawing, but my observations with Tootsie started me thinking about this “claw trimming” thing. Why do people do it? Granted Tootsie may be unusual… and quick to learn not to claw the box springs, for example, with a little kind guidance. That was before the cat towers appeared. She loves them so much she will pretty much claw them on command (I love watching her do that) but of course doesn’t need my directions to use them whenever the mood strikes her.
Thank you Ruth for putting the message out. Your poster is very strong and has plenty of impact. I think it looks fantastic on PoC. I know we have to keep going and conveying the message that declawing as an “elective surgery” is very wrong.
It always amazes me that so many people believe it is acceptable. I can’t get my head around that. A cat’s claws are simply not a problem. They never have been a problem for me and everyone in the UK and the whole of Europe and all the world’s other countries except for two!
Yet for millions of people in those two countries claws are a problem. It is about attitude.