DECLAWING POLL

by Ruth
(England)

The first part is a commentary on a declawing poll that is on another website. The second part gives you a chance to vote on declawing using this site’s poll.


Poster by Ruth

The article with the poll was written by someone whose ex-husband gave her an ultimatum years ago, that the family cat had either to be declawed or go to a new home.

This is the article. (opens in a new page)

I know what I would have chosen to do and it wouldn’t have been the cat who needed a new home!

But she had the cat declawed.

She says he hasn’t suffered but she wouldn’t do it again now so much more is known about the behaviour of cats.
Well I hope she’s right and that her cat isn’t suffering in silence now he’s older, as so many do.

There is an on-going declawing poll at the end of the article.
The options and the votes are:

It’s fine…..23%

It’s acceptable only as a last resort…..23%

It’s never acceptable…..27%

I think it should be illegal…..35%

It doesn’t add up to 100% for some reason, but of the 612 votes so far well over half the voters think declawing is not acceptable.

It’s good to see only just over a fifth think it’s fine, but to me that’s still too many!

There are lots of comments too, mostly against declawing although there are a few who obviously think their furniture is more important than their cat’s health and welfare.

It’s fine

Either these people don’t know or don’t care that declawing is major surgery which can cause many physical and/or mental problems to cats.

They think taking the easy lazy way out and having kittens declawed is acceptable.

These are probably people who look upon cats as possessions rather than family.

It’s acceptable only as a last resort

What is a last resort to these people? Do they agree with vets who declaw that it keeps cats in their homes?

How wrong they are!

They obviously haven’t done any research on Rescue Shelters and the number of declawed cats in them I’m sure, nor do they know that many more declawed cats are killed as unadoptable.

Last resort according to the AVMA guidelines is that declawing is for serious scratching behaviour, but they don’t enforce their policy.

It’s never acceptable

These people are right but why didn’t they vote that it should be illegal? I think probably because as we’ve heard so many times, they don’t want another law.

But why should they be afraid of a law to protect animals from abuse?

There are some laws many of us don’t like but we realise they are for a reason. Who could begrudge a law to protect cats from unscrupulous vets who make dollars from declawing them? Who could begrudge a law to stop those vets advertising the supposedly last resort surgery for young kittens?

I think it should be illegal

These are the people who truly do love cats and know that a law is much needed to protect them from the legalised abuse called declawing, which is done by vets who break their oath to cause no animal to suffer.

I voted that it should be illegal and I hope one day it WILL be illegal worldwide!

There is still time for you to vote, please do and vote with compassion.

Part 2 — Update: 15th March 2012 — Michael has added a poll of our own. It is just below this text. There are three options. The first and second are obvious. The middle one is a compressed version of the AVMA policy on declawing cats (my commentary) – see also the AVMA policy page. I think this PoC poll is more accurate because the “last resort” reason on the other poll is too wide and loose. Also making declawing illegal and it being unacceptable are very similar viewpoints.

SORRY – DUE TO THE PASSAGE OF TIME THIS POLL HAS STOPPED WORKING. IT WAS HOSTED BY A COMPANY WHO DECIDED TO DELETE IT! NICE. THANKS FOR VISITING THE PAGE THOUGH.

Kattaddorra signature Ruth

Comments for
DECLAWING POLL

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May 02, 2012 latest NEW
by: Ruth

759 have voted now

19% it’s fine
19% only last resort
24% never acceptable
45% should be illegal

That’s looking better but still not good enough.

Michael’s poll here is brilliant, just checked and 55 votes say 100% it should be illegal.

Yayyy for PoC people!


Apr 02, 2012 latest figures NEW
by: Ruth

704 have voted now on the article

20% it’s fine
21% only last resort
25% never acceptable
42% should be illegal

and Michael’s poll here is as it should be,
27 votes…..100% say it should be illegal.
That’s what I like to see!


Mar 15, 2012 latest NEW
by: Ruth

667 have voted now on the article

22% it’s fine
22% only last resort
26% never acceptable
39% should be illegal


Mar 03, 2012 voted and counted
by: Anonymous

So around 227 people of the 649 voters now think declawing is either fine or acceptable.
389 think it’s not acceptable.
It would be disgusting to me if even one only single person had voted for it so it’s shocking to see so many.

What is wrong with those people that they accept this cruel abuse?


Mar 02, 2012 still voting
by: Ruth

It’s fine.
22%
It’s acceptable only if it’s a last resort.
22%
It’s never acceptable.
26%
I think it should be illegal.
38%
Total Votes: 648


Feb 29, 2012 latest
by: Anonymous

It’s now
22%
23%
26%
37%
640 voted


Feb 27, 2012 Voted Wrong
by: Anonymous

I voted in this poll, but chose the “never acceptable” option. Not because I don’t think it should be illegal, IT SHOULD BE ILLEGAL. But stupid me clicked too quickly and didn’t see the “illegal” option until I had already voted. Perhaps others in that category did the same thing.


Feb 25, 2012 It should be illegal
by: Edward

Man I dont know why it isnt 100% voted it should be illegal.
How can folk think its ever right to axe cats toe ends off beats me hollow.
The more I think about it the madder I feel and its a good job I dont drive in them countries and feel like running them cruel people over.
Ed


Feb 24, 2012 So mad
by: Leah England

Yes I think a poll would be a good idea.

I too get so angry when I hear of people who think they can do exactly as they want with a cat when it wouldn’t be allowed with any other animal.

How are we change this though when people have this love affair with ownership?

It just seems a case of its mine so I’ll do what I want with it!

Makes me so angry!!


Feb 24, 2012 Comment made me mad
by: Ruth

Was it this comment Mrs M ? It made me mad too !

‘I used to be very against declawing cats. That is until I had an especially destructive cat and a partner who gave me a similar ultimatum when the cat destroyed his favorite couch. I had her declawed and it was the best thing I could have done. Now I don’t own a cat but if I ever do get another cat, it will be declawed. I will never live with a cat who isn’t front declawed again’

Her wording says it all ‘Now I don’t OWN a cat’ and ‘if I ever do get another cat IT will be declawed’
I just hope declawing is made illegal soon because if this person gets another cat she apparently intends to make IT suffer the same fate as her last one.
I wonder where that one is now ?

618 have voted now but the % not changed much.

Kattaddorra signature Ruth


Feb 24, 2012 Interesting
by: Mrs M

I found this an interesting poll and by the look of that article most comments were from Americans so it follows most votes must be too.
I think it would be good to have a PoC poll and see the difference in votes.
It’s disgraceful that such a large percent of people think the mutilation of cats for convenience is acceptable.
One comment in particlar made me mad, it almost read I CAN do it so I WILL, so there!

It SHOULD and MUST be banned!


Feb 24, 2012 Brilliant
by: Rose

Another brilliant poster and article Ruth.
I’ve voted more than once in fact it let me and I can barely believe so many think it either fine or acceptable.
What is wrong with those people that they don’t care about cats suffering from such cruel mutilation!!!!
It makes my blood boil.
Yes Micheal I agree also that a PoC poll would be good.


Feb 24, 2012 A poll
by: Ruth

Thanks Michael, I think a poll on PoC would be a good idea especially as people come here from all over the world.

Kattaddorra signature Ruth


Feb 24, 2012 Should be 100%
by: Barbara

Thanks for your latest effort Ruth. I may be blinkered but to my mind that poll should be 100% against declawing, after all surely people who want to have a cat in their home want to do so because they like or love cats, why ever then would they want to surgically mutilate them? I’ve been helping in the campaign aganst declawing for some years now but I still haven’t worked out why the campaign should be necessary, that is why anyone would actually want to have their cat’s toe ends amputated!!

I think a poll on PoC would be great Michael, we could spread it all over Facebook

Barbara avatar


Feb 23, 2012 Half
by: Michael

Almost half the voters find declawing acceptable in one form or another. You can drive a horse and cart through the “last resort” argument. It is the one the vets use and they use it for 100% of the cats that they operate on or they give no argument at all.

Personally, I find the poll results disappointing but not surprising.

Thanks for the article Ruth. It confirms what I thought.

If anyone would like me to put a similar poll on PoC I’ll do it. It is relatively easy to do.


3 thoughts on “DECLAWING POLL”

  1. The author of the best comment will receive an Amazon gift of their choice at Christmas! Please comment as they can add to the article and pass on your valuable experience.
  2. I tried to vote, but couldn’t. I would have voted that it is cruelty, and should be illegal. I did have a ploydactyl cat that had to have ONE claw removed because it got stuck in everything, and the toe fractured because the cat pulled away really hard, and couldn’t walk on that foot. He was fine after the fractured toe with its “super claw” was removed. Other than that one claw, I would never ever have this “operation” done on any cat, nor would I ever adopt a declawed cat.

    Reply
  3. Looking better now:
    883 have voted

    17% it’s fine
    17% only last resort
    21% never acceptable
    52% it should be illegal

    Michael’s poll here is even better , 138 say it should be illegal
    and that is 100% of votes

    Reply
    • Great. I have cleaned up the poll on this page by the way and it still works and if you click on the view button you’ll see that there are 140 votes saying that declawing should be illegal. That is probably because most visitors to PoC are enlightened cat lovers.

      Reply

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