I Regret Declawing My Cat

Latest anonymous,you see the difference,you knew by your own instincts that it would interrupt your cats natural instincts so you didn’t do it.So why doesn’t everyone who professes to love cats know that also.The doctors are not entirely to blame.

Guilty anonymous if you didn’t know you had an allergy and didn’t know your mother is cruel, then no it is not your fault.

What is it with people who think cats are their property to spoil their short lives by this legal abuse.

I never knew declawing was so harmful. I have never done it because I felt it was interrupting with my cat’s natural instincts. Glad I didn’t.

Ruth is right,you can’t be blamed if you didn’t know your mother was planning to have your cat declawed.The scratching post is useless now and it’s so very sad that some people laugh at declawed cats trying hopelessly to exercise on one.I even saw a video of a poor cat with the bandages still on and holding the sore paws up and you could hear the people laughing.

It baffles me what sort of people find it amusing to watch a cat in pain and distress and what sort of people think taking a cats claws away from it is fine.

Your mother is the one guilty and not you.

I am so sorry for both you and for that poor cat and very angry at your mother who despite all that is known now about the cruelty of declawing, went ahead and did it anyway. The guilt is hers and the vet who did it, not yours !

You didn’t know she was having this done did you ? You realised you couldn’t cope and thought your cat would be safe and loved and have a better life. Your mother has betrayed both you and your cat but it’s the cat who will suffer most from this.

Even more blame must go to the greedy corrupt vet who agreed to do the surgery, if vets stuck to their oath not to harm any animal then no cats would suffer this abuse.

I can’t imagine how it feels to be betrayed by your own mother but all you can do is make sure she looks after that cat for his lifetime and doesn’t betray him again by abandoning him if he has problems in the future.

Try your best to educate her so she never does it again to any cat.

I don’t know what else to say apart from please sign and pass on our petition to as many people you can because declawing needs to and MUST be banned.

I recently got a cat and not only was I severely allergic but I also just couldn’t handle the responsibility. It was all too much with the allergies and all. So I gave him to my mother and she had him declawed. This just happened today and I cannot stop crying. I feel that it is my fault. I can’t stop thinking that I am a horrible human being. I keep looking at his scratching post, his favorite thing, and cry.

I too feel bad and was told it was a simple removal of the nails… My four year old was only 2 then and it took her nearly 6 months to recover…. I wish I could take it back.

Thank you for posting your feelings here. It may interest you to know that the gentleman who started the first legislation to ban declawing in West Hollywood, CA, Paul Koretz, did so because he was in your exact same position. He, too, was misled by his veterinarian into believing that declawing was OK, and did not realize until it was too late what he had actually done to his beloved cat. It’s important that people realize this movement has not been started by bureaucrats who simply want to meddle with people’s rights as pet owners, but by people just like you who want to ensure that others never have to suffer the kind of regretful feelings you are having. Please do tell your vet how you feel. Tell as many people as you possibly can!

How very sad this post is, there is nothing as bad as regret is there? When you know you did wrong and you would do anything to put it right….but there is nothing you can do. It’s true that the word “declawing” comes nowhere near to describing what happens to the unfortunate cats that are the victims of this and yes I think this is probably responsible for a lot of people who don’t bother to find out what it entails opting for what sounds to be such an easy solution.

You do sound genuinely sorry for what you did to your cat and though it was something you chose to do in your less responsible days your poor cat is still living with the consequences, I’m so glad he seems to be OK, and I’m sure now that you’re aware of the possible repercussions of declawing you’ll keep a close eye on those paws. All you can do other than that is say sorry to him, love him and try and educate other people against making the same awful decision.

Hopefully as a starter your post will make an impression on anyone reading this site who is contemplating declawing their cat.

You are one of many people feeling sad and guilty about having your cat declawed.Not so long ago I answered a question ‘How can I get my cat her claws back, I’m sad for her as she is so depressed’

Unfortunately, as you know there is no way to put back amputated toe ends.

I’m glad your cat seems to have escaped any of the many problems from declawing but please do always keep a close eye on him as cats hide their pain and declawing almost always causes painful arhritis to the cat in later life.

I’m not saying that to make you feel worse as I know you feel bad enough, but just to warn you this will probably happen.

PLEASE help get this cruelty banned by signing and passing on our petition below.

I’m so sorry to hear of your poor Blu. How did you realise you made such an awful mistake? How old was you cat when he was de-clawed?

I can’t tell you how many 100’s of times during my rescue work that I’ve heard the same words that you just echoed about declawing your cat, the deep regret and remorse that so many cat guardians feel. You are not alone in not being given the facts about declawing until it was too late.

Can you please do the cats a favor and call or write to the vet that did it and let them know how you feel & that they had an obligation to disclose the true nature of the surgery to you – the AVMA guidelines say that vets are to discourage declawing, yet most do the very opposite. Perhaps your call or letter will convince this vet to start educating & in turn save cats from having their 3rd Phalanx bone digits so painfully removed.

You may also want to read this quote & article about a vet that does declaw repair surgeries. Although some declawed cats appear healed as they learn to compensate with their disability, their entire skeletal & muscular systems are forever altered which causes many issues as they age. It’s too bad declawed cats don’t complain about their aches & pain as much as we complain about ours or so many that hide it would get the relief they so deserve. Instead they just cope with it.

Thanks again for sharing your story.

From Dr. Ron Gaskin, DVM,

“Facts about declawing: Declawing the cat causes hyperflexion of the phalanges I and II. This leads to the cat walking on its digit 2 & 3 bone ends. These cats are very painful. Digital dental x-rays of the front digits show the pathology and painful changes in black and white. They bite and act out a painful creature. Litter box problems are very common as the litter hurts their feet more. Obesity and activity exacerbate the problem. Anatomically; the deep digit flexor tendon on phalange II is unopposed by any extensor tendon. Vets are NOT trained to look for these changes in a declawed cat. Many declawed cats in pain go misdiagnosed as “behavioral problems”. A very few vets know how to relieve the pain with surgery. Saying that declawing will keep the cat a good home is an oxymoron and emotional black mail. Do not declaw your cat!”

https://pictures-of-cats.org/dr-ron-gaskin-is-a-good-vet-who-performs-declaw-repair-surgeries.html

Well said to the person who made the last comment. Love comments like that. Thanks for visiting and sharing your thoughts.

I have had many well meaning friends encourage me to declaw my cat and I have always disagreed with that.

Granted, it is a challenge to keep him from clawing my furniture. Had i trained him earlier on to do his scratching etc. in designated places, I probably would not have to cover up my furniture as I do now.

Since he is an indoor cat, I have basically taken him away from an environment he was intended to live in. So, at the very least, I felt he should be able to keep his claws since that is a part of being a cat. He instinctively uses them when jumping onto surfaces etc. to hold his balance etc. He uses his claws to play with objects etc. They serve so many important functions for him that by removing them he would have been deprived those “tools” that he instinctively continues to use even indoors.