OUR FRIEND IS BEING GRADUALLY ‘DECLAWED’

OUR FRIEND IS BEING GRADUALLY ‘DECLAWED’

by Ruth
(England)

Declawing comparison

Declawing comparison

Our friend Pam has given me permission to tell her story and post a picture of her foot after her latest 'declawing'. Last year she was told she had to have her toenails removed due to a medical problem.

The surgeon told her this would mean a series of operations because removing all her toe nails together would cause her too much pain, shock and disablement. Babz wrote about this at the time:

Declawing - a human experience

The other day Pam had two more toenails removed, she had to rest with her feet up and make sure she was feeling well enough to go home. Her toes were padded and bandaged to protect them from any harm. She was given pain medication and is resting at home now with her feet up as much as possible and will have a nurse to change her dressings and keep an eye on her feet until those toes are fully healed.

Her feet are no different in shape because only the nails were removed and she has no pain or troubles from the toes previously operated on.

How different for a cat! A cat has ten amputations in one operation! He wakes up in pain and shock with bloody bandages on his paws, he doesn't know what has been done to him. He tries to stand up, well you can't tell a cat to rest with his paws up, can you!

He either throws himself around the hospital cage or hunches miserably in the corner for the night. The next day he has those bloody bandages removed before his 'doting' owner comes to collect him, then he goes home and is expected to walk straight away on those painful stumps and also dig in litter with them.

His feet are now deformed because the last joints of his toes have been amputated, NOT just the nail, like Pam's operation! He has to learn to walk differently. Pam has crutches at first to help keep the weight off her feet when she stands up.

Pam's feet will heal and she won't miss those toe nails at all. The cats feet will heal too (if the operation wasn't botched) but he will certainly miss his toe ends, he will be crippled for life! Pam's nails were not necessary, apart from protecting her toes of course, but the cats nails (and toe ends) were essential to live his life as a healthy whole cat!

He faces many problems in the future whereas Pam's foot troubles will be long over. I'm sure someone will come on and say 'But there is not all that blood with laser declawing'.

Maybe not BUT the cat is no less crippled for life whichever way the vet decides to mutilate him.

Kattaddorra signature Ruth

OUR FRIEND IS BEING GRADUALLY 'DECLAWED' to Declawing cats

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OUR FRIEND IS BEING GRADUALLY 'DECLAWED'

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Feb 16, 2010 I can imagine how cats feel Gail
by: Pam

I have had 6 nails removed so far and two more to go in 6 weeks time. Our treatment here is so different from where you are.I am not ALLOWED TO GET MY FEET WET IN ANY WAY UNTIL THEY ARE BETTER!Iodine is only applied by the hospital. All dressings are sterile. If you get pain or oozing they urge you to go to the GP and get anti-biotics...My foot was numb so I felt no pain during the procedure, and don't now...
I am not taking any pain killers. I feel sorry your relatives had digits removed, which is a totally different thing and must be very painful. I know that you get pain for phantom limbs as the nerves are damaged...and I sympathise with your relatives.
But I don't have to wonder what cats go through as I know by what my friend had told me and anyone seeing those pictures must have a heart of stone if they don't feel for cats and want declawing banned.
I am disabled and have a cat of my own called Molly who I love dearly.


Feb 15, 2010 How cruel
by: Carol

That is such a good comparison.Pam you are very brave to let us share your picture. It really does show the difference that the cat awakes to suffering and shock wrapped in bloody bandages while a person's operation is clean and pain controlled.
How can anyone be so cruel to cats.


Feb 15, 2010 Declawing Despicable
by: Gail (Boston, MA USA)

Pam, like you, I had to have a toenail removed from a big toe due to medical reasons. Although under a local anesthesia, the ripping off of the entire nail was horrific. The next couple of weeks I had to bathe it every day with iodine to keep it sanitary and had to shower with a plastic bag around the foot to keep the nail dry. Even after all that, with pain meds to boot, I still felt pain for awhile, even with the foot elevated.

Two grandparents and an uncle had some of their digits actually amputated due to diabetes. Not a day went by that they weren't in constant pain - both after the surgery as well as phantom pain years later.

Now imagine what it must be like for a cat to be declawed - laser surgery or not. This is a despicable practice, still going on in the USA, Canada and other countries not smart enough to know better. Anyone who thinks otherwise should have all of their digits removed - see how they like it.


Feb 15, 2010 Scumbags
by: Anonymous

Only scum of the earth treat cats this way


Feb 15, 2010 Horrible
by: Sue

I just saw this link on Yahoo Answers where someone posted it to show ignorant people on there what declawing looks like.
One of them said cats don't care! Are these people sadists? I think so.
I have never seen pictures so awful,cats must suffer horribly.
Why is it not banned?


Feb 15, 2010 I'm shocked
by: Ted

OMG I'm glad this is illegal in our country.
I didn't know it was still legal in any part of the world.To see that guillotine poised round that cat's toe joint is horrendous.
I'll certainly sign your petition and pass it far and wide.


Feb 14, 2010 TERRIBLE
by: Anonymous

Anyone who has this done to their cat should have their toe and finger ends axed off and then made to crawl on broken glass.Any vet who does it shuld have the same punishment.
It is outrageous that it is allowed.


Feb 14, 2010 I cried
by: Pam

I am the person who had her toe nails extracted. It is very different compared to cat declawing.
I broke down and cried seeing the pic of a cat being done!


Feb 14, 2010 Poor cats
by: Kathryn

I've seen horrible pictures of declawing before so it wasn't such a shock to me but it still sickened me. So hopefully anybody seeing them for the first time will realise just what it means.
For anybody who doesn't already know,lasering still takes that joint that other tool is cutting through, it burns through it instead.
I'm glad this page is here to show the truth.
Yes come on Americans and Canadians, it's happening in YOUR countries !
It's banned in ours.


Feb 14, 2010 Its got to stop
by: Edward

Man everybody thinking declawed is OK should have a look at this page. Your friends foot looks no different but that cats paw is all deformed.
I couldnt write at first for crying at the sight of that bandaged paw all blood and thinking about how that cat felt when it woke up.
Anybody who does that cant love cats and thats for sure man.
Why arent more people in the USA doing something about it ?


Feb 13, 2010 "Declawing of Cats".
by: Rudolph.A.Furtado

Thanks for the vivid demonstration of "DE-CLAWING" of cats through "Photographs". As they say,"A PHOTOGRAPH TELLS A THOUSAND WORDS". So true in this case, and its really horrible to think that cat owners do these to their belowed pets, better owning "Robot toy cats".
Rudolph avatar


Feb 13, 2010 not only sick but pointless
by: kevin kays hill sanctuary

this is a good comparison yet its not only sick but bloody needless and pointless why dont people take responsibility for there pets and train them give them things to stimulate and releave bordom


Feb 13, 2010 Good comparision
by: Maggie Sharp

A good comparision, Ruth, but indeed horrific. I thought I was going to be sick while reading the bit when the cat wakes up in pain... =(

Anyone would have to be insane to put their cat through such horror.


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