Strong words. Are they accurate? The word ‘evil’ means ‘profoundly immoral and wicked’. There is no doubt in my mind that to unnecessarily amputate the tips of ten toes, for the cat owner’s convenience, is wicked especially as it is done by a professional, educated person who should know better and who has sworn an oath to only act in the best interests of the cat’s health and welfare. These ‘doctors’ would be criminals in jail in many countries.
Declawing is so profoundly against all that a veterinarian should stand for that, in this context, it is wicked.
To try and justify it, is also wicked. Representatives of veterinarians argue that declawing should not be banned. They say the client should have the choice. Wrong. Many vets don’t try and dissuade clients against declawing and many cat owners are ignorant of what declawing is and its consequences. Vets should simply refuse to do it. It should not be on their radar. It should not exist as an operation.
Animal doctors that declaw say that they have to do it because, if they refuse, their client will go to another vet who will do it. Therefore, they argue, the vet is not evil. Wrong. This is an admission of failure. It is an admission that there are too many vets who declaw without resistance and as a normal operation. It is moral turpitude. Where is the backbone of vets? If all North American vets refused to declaw, which should be the norm, clients would have to abandon the idea of declawing their cats. Vets could be proud of their profession again.
When they started to declaw cats, evil entered the veterinary profession in North America. It is a poison within the profession. It dramatically lowers the status of North American veterinarians in the eyes of the world. It undermines their self-worth. Europeans looking in see something unfathomable. It is incomprehensible. In fact the majority of Europeans had not heard of declawing cats until they looked to North America. A nasty vet in the 1950s introduced the concept and against all odds it stuck and became a mainstream operation. Shame on the vets, driven by financial profit, who allowed this to happen.
Strong words. They have to be. They match the gravity, the immorality, the wickedness of this veterinary operation.
I wrote this for CASSANDRA~WANTSCLAWS.
SOME MORE ON DECLAWING:
I disagree. While there may be some people so out of touch with the issue the majority of cat owners are aware of the consequences.
We also come to common sense and society as a whole to make half of the problem a victim as well. It was perhaps a valid argument up till a few years ago.
The problems with animal abuse will continue as long as our domestic pets are considered property instead of at least some form of living property with feelings and a right to certain standards of care. Animal abuse laws are not cutting it. All too often you see the person who created a horrific mess blessed with sympathy over the suffering and malingering deaths caused by their negligence.
For some real hot blooded entertainment on how bad it really is please google Tennessee Walkers and the Big Lick. We can’t get this crap shut down.
This I agree with you on! That cat owners who know declawing is amputation, yet go ahead anyway, ARE evil.I know it’s always said that some people are ignorant and think it’s ‘only’ the claws removed (is that not bad enough?) but I find it hard to understand why anyone who professes to be a cat lover would not realise cats need their claws, or at least ask their vet before leaving their pet as to what the surgery entails. Even people here who don’t particularly like cats are shocked at the very thought of declawing. Ten years now we here in the UK have been helping those anti declaw Americans and Canadians to try to stop this cruelty, how many more cats have to suffer before it’s history!
Neat thought which at the time I wrote the article did not occur to me. The cat owner is probably less culpable than the doctor because oftentimes they are ignorant of the meaning and consequences whereas doctors fully understand or should do. P.S. And clients are sometimes all to frequently misled by vets.
Cat owners who declaw are also evil.
Good analogy and if a parent cut off the fingers of a child for the reasons you state they would be declared evil and criminally insane.
I think the question that needs asking is:
If your child drew on the wall, what would you do?
Would you give him appropriate drawing materials and teach him not to write on walls?
OR
Would you amputate his fingers because it is easier than teaching the child right from wrong?
The latter, although a bit extreme, is what veterinarians are doing to teach cats not to scratch and claw. Somehow, I don’t believe the cats got the message in its entirety. Poor kitties. <3