DECLAWING, WHY NOT TRIMMING?

by Ruth
(England)

My inspiration for this article and poster was this comment:

‘My cats claws grew curved and she kept getting them stuck in fabrics and the furniture and I was constantly having to unhook her. The vet told me that if I didn’t declaw her, she would probably end up pulling them out someday and getting terrible infections due to it. I really felt horrible
for having it done (front paws only) but in some cases it may be necessary’

Poster by Ruth

Despite comments that she could have trimmed her cat’s claws regularly she still insisted declawing was the only option.

One very good reply to her said ‘If your child’s nails kept getting caught all the time would you trim them or ask for his finger ends to be amputated?’

She knew she was guilty because when she was informed declawing is banned in 39 countries as animal abuse she was very defensive and threatened physical violence to anyone calling her an animal abuser.

She had no answer to what she would have done if declawing wasn’t an option in her country.

So, why is there a difference to some people ?

They wouldn’t dream of having their child’s finger ends amputated, so why do they think it’s acceptable to do that to a cat?

Even if it was not ten amputations but ‘only’ the nails as some people think is OK, they wouldn’t even consider having ‘only’ their child’s nails removed would they!

Both children and cats rely on the person caring for them to take care of their physical needs. Cats can just as easily as children get used to regular nail trims as part of their routine.

In the case of this cat why hadn’t she been provided with a scratching post? It sounds like the poor creature was trying to exercise and to remove the old outer shards from her claws by digging them into anything she could find to use.

I think the truth of the matter is that this person was too lazy to trim her cat’s claws and the main reason she had her declawed was for the sake of her precious fabrics and furniture.

No doubt the vet who declawed the cat would justify it by saying it was declaw or death, it apparently didn’t enter his head to advise regular nail trimming and a scratching post,
for the cat.

The chances are that when the physical and/or mental problems from the declawing begin, this person won’t want the cat around any more anyway.

Another cat’s life ruined by this cruel unnecessary major surgery declaw vets recommend so carelessly.

Comments for DECLAWING, WHY NOT TRIMMING? Click here to add your own comments

Apr 13, 2012 Terrible NEW by: Edward Just because a cats nails grow curved it doesnt mean their toe ends have to be axed off. I think thats terrible and the vet who said it and did it should be struck off and the cat taken from the cruel owner. It all gets me so upset. Ed

Apr 12, 2012 Sickening NEW by: Leah (England) Yet again any excuse to de-claw a cat. How dare she even think of threatening physical violence!? She should hang her damn head in shame and weep for forgiveness from her poor maimed little cat. The pain the cats must feel is just so horrific I cry if I even think of it! I would love to just extract one finger nail under anaesthetic of someone thinking of de-clawing then when they sit there nursing it and crying with the discomfort and pain I would ask ‘well would you do it to your cat now then?’I remember taking our GSD to the vets once because his dew claw was hanging off. The vet took a look and our dog knew just knew what was coming and started to cry. The vet said one tug would do it as it was on by a thread. A moments pain and it would all be over. Our dog had always been a big softie and even though it was over quickly he howled, yelped and cried like a big baby and we had to sit with our arms round him. We cried too! You see we felt this way because we felt for him so much and felt his pain too so I will never understand de-clawing and I don’t care what any of you pro-declawers say you DO NOT love your cats!! If you did you just wouldn’t do it!! This is why very few dogs are de-clawed; they would howl and tell the world what had happened to them. Cats don’t have this option they are mutilated then left locked inside to suffer in silence. I feel nothing but contempt and disgust for anyone that commits this despicable act of CRUELTY!!!!

Apr 11, 2012 Sickening mindset NEW by: Mrs M Why oh why is the American mindset that the first option for a cat is declawing? What will they do when it’s banned? Would that person who says she had no option have had her cat PTS, would it ever have entered her thick skull that cats nails can be trimmed? Although I suppose the vet would have advised trimming if it had made him as many dollars as amputating the cats toes did. But it doesn’t so of course his solution is the one to make him the most money.

Apr 10, 2012 Say no to declawing NEW by: Michele S People like the lady mentioned in this article simply simply don’t want to hear or see the truth. Most pro-declawers seem to have very vivid imaginations as they dream up ever more preposterous excuses to “justify” their decision to get their cat’s feet butchered at the vets. These people don’t want to invest the time it may take to trim their cat’s claws or teach them claw manners. It’s so much easier for them to have the vet amputate the cat’s toes and then they tell others how much they love their cat because they paid all that money to declaw it instead of abandoning it! Strange how they never choose to spend that money hiring a professional cat behaviourist to teach their cat claw manners if they’re too lazy or incompetent to do it themselves. The simple truth is that these people should not be allowed to have cats in the first place.No offence intended to the majority of decent North Americans, but I think the slippery slope started with the introduction of many new breeds designed purely to satisfy human whims. Want a cat with folded ears, short legs, no fur, bat like facial features or a flat face – then you can get one in America. Physical traits which are considered unhealthy defects and therefore undesirable (or even banned) in other countries are actively encouraged in America. To me, this has led to cats being considered as little more than animated soft toys which can be tailor made to suit your requirements.

Apr 10, 2012 Yes why not NEW by: Anonymous YES why not trimming? Pro declaws should have their own finger ends amputated, their childrens and their dogs too, if they believe it’s fine to do it to their cats. Are they ignorant, selfish, or lazy? I’d say all three.

Apr 10, 2012 Declawing shouldn’t be an option NEW by: Jane A Declawing a cat shouldn’t be an option at all. I can just picture that vets lust to make money out of that ignorant persons stupidity in paying to have the cat mutilated. She said she felt awful, well good! I hope she feels awful forever and especially if the cat develops problems. I hope every time she trims her own nails she feels awful about the cat having no toe ends and no nails to trim. I think you are probably right Ruth that she’s a furniture worshipper.

Apr 10, 2012 Nails do grow NEW by: Rose Any living beings nails grow curved eventually if they are not cared for so why are cats treated differently to other species? Shame on the vet quick to cash in and suggest declawing and shame on the person blithely agreeing to it. Anyone with a grain of sense would have got out their nail clippers as soon as they noticed the cat catching her claws in things. Great poster Ruth,it doesn’t even need the written article to tell the story.

Apr 09, 2012 No one has to declaw a cat NEW by: Barbara I remember this post and that she wrote “I HAD to declaw my cat” well that is just rubbish. In our country, and 38 more, even if the cat’s claws did grow crooked it would still be illegal to amputate the toe ends, instead the owner would be expected to keep the claws trimmed to a length that ensured that the cat didn’t get caught up in materials or pay for a veterinary nurse to trim the claws regularly, there would be no option to declaw and rightly so. But in the US where it’s considered the norm to amputate toe ends then even this weak excuse is acceptable, and of course the vet is going to recommend surgery, look at the cost of declawing, which crooked vet is going to educate a client on claw clipping when he/she can get x hundred dollars for the procedure and x more for follow up treatments. Fool that she is she obviously took the vets word for it, didn’t do any research for herself and allowed the cat to be declawed, that poor cat will live with the consequences for the rest of her life. Great poster as always, thank you Ruth for continuing to try and educate the ignorant.

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