I Rescued A Declawed Cat
by Elisa Black-Taylor
(USA)
Lily - Photo by Laura Sammons
I couldn't wait for my own photographs of my newest rescue, Lily. I just have to share this sweet baby with everyone. The picture for this article is the one Greenville County Animal Care used when she went on the euthanasia red list. For those of you aren't aware of this list, it means time has run out for that cat.
I saw Lily on the list Tuesday afternoon. Look at that face! Her expression shows every bit of the loneliness and fear she must be going through.
On top of all of that, Lily is declawed on all four paws. At least that's what the euthanasia information says. I was drawn to help her.
Here is the information that came attached to her profile photo.
NAME: Lily
ANIMAL ID: 12381767
BREED: DSH
SEX: female-spayed
EST. AGE: 2 yr
EST. WEIGHT: 10-12 lbs
HEALTH: appears healthy
TEMPERAMENT: friendly
ADDITIONAL INFO: owner surrendered- moving- declawed on all 4
RESCUE PULL FEE: $40
AVAILABLE DATE: Now
UPDATE: space is limited!!!
Lily was listed as abandoned for two reasons. First of all, her people are moving. And the second reason: she's the wrong sex. WHAT and WHAT! Forgive me if I'm a little steamed about this, but how ignorant can a person be? One of the top reasons cat owners in the U.S. declaw is so the cat will be accepted in a rental. I won't even go into "wrong sex" as an excuse. How could anyone throw away this beautiful kitty after all the pain they put her through?
Now for the clincher. Lily may or may NOT be declawed. When my friend Andrea at the shelter brought her out to me Wednesday morning, she was placed straight in my cat carrier. Then when I got Lily home and opened the cage door she made a mad dash under the couch.
Laura did coax her out once and picked her up and thought she felt claws that had only been filed. So far it's anyone' guess as to whether our new girl has been robbed of her toe ends. Laura put out food and Lily came out long enough to eat. Then she went back into hiding. My last report (since I'm at work) is Lily is under Laura's bed.
Declawing CrippledMy Paws sent me a message and informed me a declawed cat is much more likely to hide since the defense mechanism of scratching has been taken away by those who were supposed to love her.
What's really upsetting is my belief her family halfway cared about her and fell victim to a money hungry vet. Maybe they hit on hard times and lost their home. Maybe they were 100% misguided and thought declawing was for her benefit. She's the only cat I've rescued who came with a litter box, cat food and food and water bowls. It leads me to think her people sent those along so she'd have something familiar in her new home.
Perhaps it never crossed their mind she would end up on a euthanasia list. She would fall under the "plain Jane" category, meaning there isn't anything remarkable about her appearance. They have a lot of those cats at the shelter right now. I know because I made myself go in each room and look at the different cats. Most are gray tabby or solid black.
The only other reason I can think of for her having her own box and bowls is her people wanted to be rid of anything that reminded them of her. I hope I'm wrong.
I can't wait to see how her personality will develop in the coming weeks. Sometimes I feel I rescue an empty vessel. Where the loneliness is so horrible the cat forgets how to love. Gizzy (the demon cat) had the worst personality I've encountered in many years and it took a few weeks for her to make a living room appearance. She, like Lily, lived under Laura's bed. Now Gizzy is one of the most loving cats I've had the pleasure of knowing. All I have to do is call her name and she jumps in my lap. I hope over time Lily will learn to love her new home.
I'll let everyone know the outcome on whether she has her claws or not. Hopefully I'll also be able to take a few photos of her over the weekend. At any rate, we allow all of our rescues to socialize on their own schedule. My guess is she will be a real sweetheart.
Everyone keep your paws crossed that she's NOT declawed.
More pics:
Photos by Laura Sammons
Elisa
