I defingered my child – I had no other choice!

Thank you, Maggie, for an excellent piece of fiction. It's sad that the disgusting mutilation known as declawing isn't fiction too...

Your analogy is spot on - declawing a cat for scratching makes no more sense than cutting the fingers of a child for nose-picking.

If cats are provided with the proper furniture to scratch on they take care of their own nails and no sticking in the carpet.

Once you begin trimming a cats nails you have to do it regularly,not wait until the poor animal sticks on the carpet.

Always the scare story about eyes being scratched,a dog can do as much damage as a cat yet no one talks of dogs scratching eyes.

Spot on, Fred. I agree totally with you.

there is nothing wrong with trimming a cats claws....they can get over grown just like a dogs.

if they get so long they are getting stuck in the carpet when they walk...it's time for a trim...as long as you know what you are doing it doesn't bother them in the least and only takes a couple of minutes....and if you have more than one cat...it can save their eyes too!

Years ago, not knowing how they did the 'declawing' procedures, we had our beautiful 1 year old cat front 'declawed'. We were given instructions to put shredded newspaper in his litter box and he'd be fine 🙁 He cried for days but slowly healed and put it behind him. He even continued to catch mice and climb trees! Had we known the sad truth about this horrendous mutilation, we would never have put him through it. And even though we've replaced a few pieces of furniture and curtains since, we would never ever do that again! He lived to the age of 13 and had long since forgiven us, but we'll never forgive ourselves.

Yes I'm in the UK where cats are appreciated as cats and allowed to live the life they were born to live with their claws and their freedom.

That scratched chap was a one in a million accident and shouldn't have people panicking and rushing for nail clippers.

We know cats have claws so the logical thing to do is if we don't like claws,we don't get a cat.

That is a very unusual and unfortunate situation but I'm very glad those people saw sense and didn't punish the cats by having their toe ends amputated because one scratched the man by accident.

I wish other people with compromised immune systems would take heed and not use it as an excuse to have their cats mutilated by declawing.

It sounds to me that those people are true cat lovers by rehoming their cats instead.

Maybe Fred is in the UK where most of us don't trim our cats claws, we provide them with scratching posts and pads and of course most have their freedom and can use fences and trees too.

Gently and properly done, trimming cats claws is humane, declawing them is not.

I'm so pleased it was a fictional story Maggie!

It's a very good analogy of the way cats are treated.

The people who have their pet cats declawed don't do it to their dogs too do they!

They'd shriek how unthinkable that would be.

As unthinkable as your fictitious defingering of a child.

So how come cats are mutilated without a second thought?

It's sickening!

And no,you don't bath cats Shayla.

It frightens me how little some people know and I shudder to think how many cats must suffer because of ignorant owners.

Fred, I disagree with you on your statement that clipping your cats claws is unnecessary.

Here's why I clip, including the back claws, regardless of temperament (and I was clipping regularly before I heard this story; the story just re-affirms my commitment to doing it):

Another volunteer at the shelter I volunteer at had a co-worker whose two cats were like children to her and her husband. They'd had them for years and they took good care of them. The cats weren't aggressive at all, so they didn't clip their claws. One day, the husband was sitting with one of the cats relaxed on his lap. Suddenly, there was a loud noise somewhere in the house and the cat freaked out and launched forcefully off his lap. The husband was wearing shorts and the cat's back claws scratched a fairly deep scratch into his bare leg. He went and washed it with soap and water, maybe even something stronger, like alcohol or peroxide (which really aren't necessary, and can actually be counter-productive, but if I had a fairly deep wound, I don't know that I wouldn't do it either). He slapped a band-aid on it and went on with his day.

The next day, or maybe even later that day, he noticed that the wound still hurt a lot and was getting red and puffy. He decided not to take any chances with infection and sought professional medical help. The doctor took one look at it and ran some tests and he was immediately admitted into the hospital. He was in the ICU for 2 weeks, during which time, he almost died because the wound was so deep and the infection went straight into his bloodstream and was starting to affect the rest of his body. They nearly had to amputate his leg, as well. He survived, though, leg intact, but he and his wife had to re-home their cats and can never own any more animals because his immune system is forever compromised and he can't risk getting scratched or bitten.

So, yeah, I clip, carefully and try to cause as little stress as possible. Luckily, both of my current cats don't put up too much of a fight.

Wonderfully written. So many people in the US have their cats claws amputated. Disgusting to even contemplate!

Declawing cats

Bathing cats

Cutting cats claws

Why don't people let cats be cats!

They aren't toys,they are living animals.

If you want a toy to bath and manicure get yourselves a dolly.

Shayla I think you must mean you trimmed Buno's claws maybe, because if he was declawed it would be done under anesthetic by a vet and his claws and the ends of his toes would be gone for ever.

Trimming cats claws doesn't cause them pain if you do it properly, you must only take the very curved tips of the claws off.

I am concerned that you say he scratched you every time you bathed him because you should not bath a cat unless he is very dirty, that is if he is too dirty to clean himself.

Bathing a cat often makes his fur poor as it takes out the oils it needs to keep him warm in Winter and cool in Summer.

Cats tongues are made so they can wash themselves.

I hope you don't mind me giving you this advice but I have worked with animals all my life and learned a lot about cats.

thank u maggie.ur article has helped me very much.i used 2 declaw my cat buno from just when he was 1 year old.it was vey painful for him i cud tell by the way he would whimperr.i did this only to avoid the scratches he gives me every time i give him a bath.buno is 4 years now.all grown up and a big healthy cat now.i stopped daclawing him for a loooong time now.i felt it vry selfish 2 give him pain and save myself from the scratches. i felt really gud reading ur article.im sure it has helped others as well who are in similar condition to mine.thank you.

Great approach, Maggie!

You've just given us all another argument in this righteous fight for the protection of defenseless furry paws.

Thank you so much!

Maggie you're so right a chilling but brilliant article! Don't be surprised though when the pro declawers come on calling us a bunch of nuts!

Your last comment was spot on; many people say they love their cats like their kids but how can they? You wouldn't do that to your kids in real life!

I think this article will get a lot of hits on search engines because of the title so brace yourself Maggie and troops for the fallout!

I probably should have mentioned that the way the mother treats her daughter is meant to resemble the way people treat their cats. Unfortunately, most people don't treat their cats as well as they treat their children. And physical discipline and threats are often involved. People also say that their pets are like their children, but a lot of the time people would never treat their children in the same way as they treat those pets.

Fantastic Maggie.

Yes I have to agree slightly evil,but declawing and the vets who do it ARE evil.

I'm afraid too I think the owners of the cats are almost as evil,otherwise they must be totally stupid to pay someone to mutilate their cats.

How can anyone with even half a brain not know that claws are an essential part of cats?

Sorry but I don't agree with those who say it's not the owners to blame,they are almost equally as guilty as the vets.Pleading ignorance is no excuse.

If it was up to me I'd have the whole lot thrown into jail,owners,vets and any person working for those vets along with them.

Totally into the zone there Maggie, that is exactly the attitude of "owners" who decide that they are entitled to mutilate a cat for their own convenience. It is thoroughly chilling because it is so absolutely accurate. Really well thought out and written.

This story scared me a bit. There was a touch of evil in the air. This is exactly the way it should be because declawing is evil, utterly indefensible and a sign of the morally corrupt vets of the great USA.

Briliant Maggie, well done for thinking up this comparison of the way in reality some people treat their cats but not their children.

Those people have the nerve too to have us believe they love their cats like they do their children.

What rubbish !

They don't really yell at and hit their kids for being young and full of life do they ? I hope not.

They don't really have them defingered either, imagine the shock and horror if their doctors suggested it as a way to make their kids behave.

You may get some idiotic comments that it's not the same for kids as cats.

I say why not? Both are helpless and at the mercy of the way their parent/cat parent treats them.

I hope your article causes anyone thinking of declawing their cat for being a cat and doing what cats do, to think again what if it was their child instead !