by Finn Frode
(Copenhagen, Denmark)
Picture added by Michael (PoC Admin) - photo by flikr (photographer's username at Flickr)
I was shocked by the recent article on declawing in the United States (new window). To me this practice seems absolutely disgusting and I'm surprised that some veterinarians display such poor ethics. Thanks a lot to Michael for bringing up the subject.
Now if getting a scratch really presents such a serious "zoonotic risk" for the cat owner that it could justify declawing, then what about bites? Deep cat bites can cause much more serious infections in humans than superficial scratches ever will.
Would the American Veterinary Medical Association recommend that besides the declawing, the cat should also have all its teeth extracted?
I hope not. Living with a cat means living with the slight danger of an occasional scratch or bite, although in most cases only the furniture will suffer. If you can't accept that, you're probably better off without a cat.
Fin Frode
See Declawing Cats for links to lots more.
Photo: published under an Attribution 2.0 Generic creative commons license (cropped as allowed). This cat is going to fight back!
Yeah Stanley is a four year old who after 18 months of individual care has become a great pet. He stays in my small cabin and has the run of the place. Unlike most cats I have had, he shows no desire to go outside, so fleas and ticks are no problems.
He STILL is a bit paranoid even after almost two years and he shies at loud sounds and will run from me sometimes just by,reflex. He’s had a horror life, but it Is getting better.
Wow. Phew. Thanks for sharing your thoughts. I agree with you. To detooth and declaw is an act of extreme brutality. The veterinarian who did it should be shot. Could you tell us some more? I’d like you to tell me more about your Stanley if you have time.
I adopted a cat from Best Friends in Kanab, Utah who had previously been declawed and detoothed. stanley. The poor little bugger could not even be put with other cats in the sanctuary because the other cats would bully it. It can’t go outside because it has not defenses left.
It took me several months before he would come close enough to even be petted when I got him.
If you want to do that to a cat, get a dog and piss off from the Earth.