By Ruth aka Kattaddorra
It seems hard to believe now, but just over five years ago I discovered that the declawing of cats was almost routine in some parts of the USA. It was a horrible shock, because even before this was banned in our country, our vets considered it unthinkable, knowing how essential a cat’s claws are to his health and fulfillment.
Now it feels as if I’ve known and been helping to educate and fighting for declawing to be banned, for ever.
I was browsing Yahoo Answers when I first saw on the cats’ questions page someone asking what she could do to help her newly declawed cat who was in pain. Most of the replies said she would be OK eventually as cats got over it pretty well. Someone even said that many vets didn’t give cats pain medication so that they wouldn’t attempt to jump around until their toe ends healed.
I could hardly believe it was legal or that no one commented how very cruel that surgery is.
I said to Barbara “It’s like the song ‘One Voice Singing in the Darkness’ I feel so alone in my horror at this legalised abuse of cats”.
and she replied: ‘But now we are two voices, I’ll join you Ruth’
We started an internet group called ‘The Claws Connection’ and soon we had lots of members from all over the world and ‘Just One Voice Singing in the darkness’ became many voices:
‘Shout it out and let it ring.
Just One Voice,
It takes that One Voice,
And everyone will sing’
We invaded Yahoo Answers and began our campaign to educate, meeting up with many more anti-declaw people, there were some after all. Our UK anti-declaw people were known as ‘the troops’
We then invaded Facebook and I started the group ‘The International Coalition Against Declawing’ which now has 256 members many of whom are actively educating others and more are joining us all the time. We have remained long distance friends with lots of people all over the world, in our shared cause.
The campaign grew and we ‘met’ people like Annie Bruce, the author of Cat be Good who had campaigned against declawing for so long it had taken its toll on her health. She was very pleased to hear other countries where declawing was banned were taking notice that America was lagging behind.
I started an online petition which eventually had over 4,000 signatures, many from famous people in the animal world, such as Benjamin Zephaniah, Jeremy Angel, Helmi Flick and J.M.Willis and many more, too numerous to list.
Eventually, sadly the petition was lost when the web site went down for good, but The Paw Project had used it at some of the Californian Cities fighting for a ban, as proof that so many people were against such cruel surgery, so it wasn’t entirely wasted.
But best of all I came across PoC and ‘met’ Michael, a great anti-declaw advocate and he and Babz and I and other visitors wrote many educational articles about declawing and I designed posters showing the horror of the cruel surgery.
Sebastian’s Diary was a great hit even though someone said it was too English. PoC has saved many cats claws.
Vet techs started telling people the truth about how cats suffer when waking up from declawing, they described how some threw themselves around the recovery cage opening their wounds and how some hunched in the corner, shocked and bewildered.
The AVMA turned a blind eye to all this even though their policy was that declawing should only be a last resort for serious scratching behaviour. They ignored the fact that far from this surgery being done as a last resort, kittens were being declawed along with neutering and they also ignored the fact that vets were advertising a neuter/declaw package or declawing with discount. They ignored all of that and they still do!
Now there are thousands of people enlightened to the truth that declawing isn’t ‘just removing the claws’ (bad enough) but the amputation of the cats last toe joints.
Sadly there are still people who don’t know this, nor the physical and/or mental consequences of declawing and while some vets have never declawed and some have stopped declawing, there are still many who are making many dollars from the suffering of cats.
There are also people who even knowing that declawing is cruel think their furniture is more important than a living creature’s health and welfare.
The vets who break their sworn oath to cause no animal to suffer and who profit from declawing cats, will not stop until declawing is banned. The anti-declaw movement is growing daily and we will not stop until declawing is banned.
The Paw Project are doing wonderful work, apparently the film they have made is very educational and is saving many more cats claws. We haven’t been able to see it in the UK yet.
So, the battle to educate and to work towards that happy day when declawing is banned worldwide, goes on…….
The best sister in the world, you always back me up without question or pause 🙂 and you do so much for this cause, I know for a fact this article you wrote has saved many claws!
https://pictures-of-cats.org/im-all-for-front-declaw-take-two.html
Thank you Dorothy, each and every person educating against declawing is a valuable part of the movement. I always remember when first I ‘met’ Annie Bruce and said what we were doing seemed to be very little. She said ‘Ruth you educate one person, even if that person only educates two more and they educate only two more each, eventually there will be thousands of people educating others and that’s how claws will be saved’
She was right and so are you, it’s working but slow as mud. But we are making progress and The Paw Project film must surely be putting declaw vets to shame and I hope and pray that people are thinking twice about using their services so they get the message loud and clear that DECLAWING IS CRUEL.
Great poster again, Ruth. Michael said comments might disappear, but hopefully not this important post. It doesn’t matter about it being another country Ruth. Animals aren’t political. The world is one big place we all share. Fighting injustice and stupidity is the job of all humans. All over the globe. It is a dirty job, and someone has to do it. We are the right team for the job, such as we can be. Thanks for being the voice for cats. Thanks to Michael, Barbara, and all the other voices here at POC who speak out for a good cause. It is working. Slow as mud, but slogging along is better than nothing.
Well said, Jo.
I think all vets here should be required watch this DVD.
Fabulous poster a touch of genius in fact and I’m proud to be one of the original UK tropps although I don’t have the time now to do as much as some of you.
It makes me angry as well Micheal and it seems being nice doesn’t work for some folk who still have their cats toe ends axed off and if I went to America and met a declaw vet in the flesh I’d want an axe with me to show them what I think of them.Probably get kicked out of America but it’d be worth it
Ruth, it’s very hard to “smile from the wrists down” when trying to educate folks about this mutilating surgery. You are so right- declawing is promoted by veterinarians along with neuter/spay- and even offer discounts for clients who have both procedures done at the same time.
Veterinarians take an oath to “do no harm”- but to those of us who are vehemently opposed to this procedure know how harmful it is- and so many in this profession don’t educate their clients about what the surgery really entails and its risks.
And what is truly sad here in the USA are the veterinarians who, afraid of losing clients if they refuse to declaw cats- clients who will find one that will- are reluctant to jump on board to help end this practice.
I made a second donation to the Paw Project to get a second DVD of their extremely moving film so I could give a copy to my veterinarian. I think it’s a great idea for folks here in the USA to do the same thing.
I am so glad that I found YOU and the others who feel the same way- together we can make a difference. Your work is remarkable. Blessings to all.