Recently Declawed Cat Pictures

What on earth does double clawed mean?
One claw grows from one toe bone,the bone it is deeply embedded into.
If you do have a polydactyl cat then you are only one of many people and there is no reason to have the cat totally declawed IF the extra toes are causing pain.
God knows what you mean by a cat going through pain to get rid of a life's worth of pain.
You obviously haven't done your research because the agony of declawing is only the START of a lifetime of pain.

Grow up and learn to spell and not to write in text talk and meanwhile do some research on declawing.

Hi Aras, do you mean your cat is polydactyl (has extra toes) ?
They don't usually cause cats pain but if they did cause any discomfort then they could be amputated without amputating all the toe ends.
There is no reason to amputate ALL the toe ends.
If your cat is limping she should see a vet, a non declawing vet because no doubt one who declaws would want to do just that !

Hello what if the cat is double clawed like mine is and it hearts her an all she dose is limp. Around the house all day then u will declaw ur cat sometime in life u have to go therw pain to get rid of the lifes worth of pain

Good on you Linda, the more people who speak out about the cruelty of declawing the sooner it will be stopped.
I was in tears when I read about Buddie on facebook, poor little soul, a loving home awaited him but a scratching post that was useless to him because of some ignorant selfish person who paid to have him disabled them threw him out to fend for himself.
Declaw vets keep on arguing more cats would be homeless or dead if they didn't declaw but that is utter rubbish. If someone won't have a cat unless he is declawed then they are not a fit caretaker for a cat anyway !
Vets never explain why they advertise with discount a supposed to be last resort operation, they can't surely think we believe it's for the cat's benefit and not for making money out of their suffering !
It's time they realised that the CATS are their clients, not the people who 'own' them.

At least he will be treated well and with understanding about his disability, it's enough to make a peaceful person turn violent to think what some previous "owner" and vet did to him and then tossed him away like discarded rubbish. Thank goodness he has come to your friend and you. I agree nice words and pleading do no good, it's more than time this atrocity was outlawed in the USA and Canada

"There's no need for a piece of sculpture in a home that has a cat." ~ Wesley Bates

I have been an outspoken critic of declawing and have written letters to newspapers as well as posted comments any time I find the opportunity. I have contacted state and federal legislators, councilmen and women, the AVMA state and national, and Deans of teaching veterinary hospitals.
After yesterday, I am committed to the cause more than ever before. A family member of mine, who never has never owned a cat, learned to love them while visiting my home and playing with my three clawed felines. He started to leave food for a stray cat at his place of employment that was living behind the building and feeding on trash. He slowly won this cat’s trust, called a local veterinarian to make an appointment, set up a room in his home with scratching posts, cat trees, catnip for the posts, and all other things he and his cat would need. He brought the cat home yesterday morning and I drove directly to his home to help him get the cat acclimated.
As soon as I met “Buddy”, I noticed his deformed front feet. Not only had his claws been removed some time ago, he was abandoned to the outdoors with no line of defense. He has a huge recent red scar in his back paw from probably trying to use it for self-protection. He exercises his front stumps constantly by opening and closing them almost obsessively, which is something I have NEVER seen my clawed cats ever do. I fear that he is in pain. I fear that the ligaments are tightening. I tried to play with him with a feather toy and he can't even grasp it like my clawed cats do. He meekly swings at it and loses interest. As he tries to scratch the scratching post, it is an abomination. After watching my three cats get a hold of a scratching post with their claws and stretch their legs and bodies, and almost rip it apart, this poor victim is hardly even touching it. I am angrier than ever and the fact that this cat is so close to me, I can be a witness to these effects of this barbaric mutilation and continue to reach out to the public through newspapers, magazines and legislators to stop this MADNESS!!!!! It is going to take political power and we will have enough someday to halt the self-serving butchers in their own bloody tracks. Let’s quit wasting our time with pleading to the AVMA. Let’s get this to the voters’ booth and only elect candidates who are sympathetic to our cause!!

No you wouldn't credit anyone could be as stupid but there are people like that who really are stupid and ignorant.
Better not to ignore that chance for the sake of future kittens(until declawing is banned)and to enlighten anyone else who happens along to read their rubbish and believes it.

I think the Pro-Laser post is a fraud and put up to bait you all and get a reaction. NO ONE could really be as stupid as that, could they?

You disgust me and I feel so much anger and hatred towards you its a damn good job we shall never meet for you sake. With regards your poor mutilated kittens I feel a deep sadness within my heart for not only have you caused them pain you have done it gladly even bragging about it.

So your cats that you had put to sleep used to scratch all wooden items? Bullshit utter bullshit. I have had many cats in my life and not one of them have ever scratched anything wooden in my home only a sofa or a chair but never anything wooden but you know what? I didn't care because with patience and a good scratch post they soon stopped.
So you tell us your old cats scratched everything then you go out and get 2 innocent kittens and JUST IN CASE yes JUST IN CASE you went and had their precious little toes burned off and happily burned off at that!! I'll bet you never even waited to see whether they would carry on where the old cats left off did you?

Just out of interest where did you get your 95% from? A vet tell you that did they? I would imagine so because judging from your intellect and thought process I doubt you would be able to research anything yourself you stupid idiot!! The type of vets who de-claw any animal and worst of all kittens who haven't even lived and played yet will tell you anything to get their hands on your cats to line their own pockets with blood money! If you are anything to go by as a typical Cat caretaker in America then God help all the poor cats and kittens over there.

Death or declaw.
Why so?
If you love cats you love them claws and all.
What will you do when declawing is banned as it is in 39 other civilised countries?
Major surgery on your KITTENS?
Last resort surgery done to little KITTENS taking their ESSENTIAL finger ends from them by 'NEW' laser surgery.
How so?
Which vet agreed to break their oath to cause no animal suffering?

It's YOU needs educating and fast but sadly it's too late for the cats lives you've already ruined!

In your case anyway anon!
If you really think your cats having their toe ends burned off to preserve your revered furniture is a good thing then there is no hope for you.
Laser declawing isn't new for a start so you haven't done much research into it have you!
You handed your cats over for a painful and shocking operation and you crow about it.
Look at the cats in the photos,yours may not have bled like that but they surely suffered fear and shock and pain and now they are crippled.
They face many complications for the rest of their lives.I hope you are not too busy worshipping your furniture to notice those living feeling creatures are suffering in silence.

Another gutless anonymous trying to justify mutilating his/her cats and this one as usual is completely ignorant and tries to tell us laser declawing is new and desirable, this is used as an excuse to de-finger cats for the sake of the mighty god called "Furniture".
I say get real you fool, get on the Internet and educate yourself as to how many defingered cats end up in shelters, how many are waiting hopelessly for homes, how many are killed because no-one wants a crippled cat that soils on the carpets and bites human hands through fear.
You think it's more acceptable to burn unwanted toe ends off than slice them off do you? You heartless selfish excuse for a cat owner, you don't deserve to be allowed in the same room as a cat. I pity the cats in your "care"

Wow laser declawing the best thing since sliced bread!
Matey it's YOU needing education before spouting such rubbish from your ignorant mouth.
I'm sorry for your poor cats deprived of a healthy content life because you think your precious furniture is more important.
Why don't you get a goldfish next time you want a pet?
You sure aren't fit to have cats!

You need to educate yourself on the so called 'new' laser declawing as you are extremely ignorant on the procedure.
Begin with reading this and taking notice of what Kelly who is a vet tech comments

https://pictures-of-cats.org/declawing-defingering-no-difference.html

Now you know just what you have done to your kitties if you still think you haven't done wrong in paying a vet to cripple your cats past and present I suggest you go and have the same done to yourself.
You deserve to go through no less than they did.

Let's start at the end shall we as that's most important to you, that your mutilated cats never destroyed your house.
Well if a cat ever destroys someone's house then the caretaker is to blame, not the cat.
Our clawed cats never destroy our homes !
You obviously don't know scratching is necessary for a cat to stay healthy, you've condemned your declawed ones to almost certain painful arthritis as they age. But of course you won't notice that as cats hide their pain like your previous cats must have, but you didn't know that because you don't know much about cats.
New laser declawing ? It isn't new, it's been around a while now and the cats with burned flesh can testify to that as they had their toe ends burned off instead of cut off.
The only differences are less pain ..note LESS when there shouldn't be any as there shouldn't be the surgery involving 10 amputations, less bleeding, quicker recovery but still disabled for life.
Ask yourself why declawed cats need to be adopted from Shelters ? They are there because the people who had that cruel surgery done on them didn't want them after all. Do you know how many declawed cats adopted are returned later ? Do you know how many declawed cats relinquished to Shelters are unadoptable, caged for life in no kill Shelters or killed in kill Shelters ?
It's you who needs educating and you can do that right here on PoC where true cat lovers write, as we have done our research and already educated ourselves !
One last thing, declawing kittens is wrong, it's supposed to be a last resort for serious scratching problems. Problems which never arise if the cats caretaker really does love and understand their cats needs.

Would you rather the animals be euthanized or more of them on the streets? Declaing helps get them homes. Do you know the average percentages of how quickly a declawed cat get's adopted verses a non declawed cat? 95% of cats who are declawed are adopted within less than a year.

Educate yourself on the new LASER DECLAWING...it's quick and they can come home the same day with no pain and no medication. I had it done on my kittens and they had no pain and were running around the house the same day the procedure was done.

In addition, I had (they died of old age)two cats prior to the new ones I have. They would constantly destroy the new wood work in my house. I spent thousands of dollars on repairs. Each time they did the damage, I would get a new scratching post and leave the old. Prior to getting them declased, I 7 scratch posts but they preferred different door frames and destroyed things. I tried the chemicals on the frames to keep them off...none of it worked. I don't believe in hitting an animal and I worked with them on a daily basis to use the scratch posts which I would put in front of the damaged wood work the next day. They would move to another piece of wood and destroy it. I never let them out of my house. They never escaped and they lead a wonderful life. They never had any signs of issues and more importantly they never destroyed my house again.

Anonymous cowards never get taken seriously and foul mouthed anonymous ignorant cowards are especially despised so do us a favour and buzz off away from people who really do love cats.

Hey why don't you put your name to your pathetic words? Are you for real? and you have the bloody nerve to call US stupid?!! You are unbelievable!! You're almost as stupid as Taz! well no actually your on a whole different level God help her if she needs friends like you to stick up for her!!

Oh and by the way; next time you come on here try to educate yourself (if that's possible) first because we aren't talking about a manicure we talking about AMPUTATIONS!! GET IT YET!!??

Too true anonymous and this illiterate person who turns to foul language to make his/her point obviously thinks a cats claws are like our toenails.
Come on then clever clogs go and see what really happens by booking yourself in for the same surgery.
You will be coming out with no finger ends and we will laugh at you trying to live a normal life, just like Taz laughs at Gracie.

It's obvious that your ability to speak is more crippled than a de-clawed cat......

geez you peeple are takin this way to fuckin' serius. you peeps are dissin this taz girl b/cuz you say she laffin at a cripple cat. did you eva ask if the cat ACT cripple? what if da cat act normal? jus b/cuz grace declaw don't mean she cripple dumass. it like sayin someone without toenails cripple. no dey aint! they jus aint got no toenails stupid!

I was thinking about toys that your friend's declawed cat might enjoy playing with, and hope some of these suggestions help.

* Cat pop-up play cubes are really cheap, but I've never known a cat or kitten who didn't love them. Play tunnels are a slightly more expensive alternative.

* Scrunched up balls paper could be swatted about by the cat, and also light enough to play fetch with.

* Toys like the Spring Fling Bobber which are affixed in place would be ones he could swat without needing to be manipulated by claws. (Feline version of those punch-bag/ball on a stand for kids). There are also similar toys which hang from a door frame/handle or are affixed by a small suction cup.

* Large soft toy or stuffed sock that he can hold with his front paws and rabbit kick with his back legs.

* In the wild cats would spend a lot of their day foraging for food. You can replicate that activity by making a cat food puzzle toy. Take a toilet roll and make large holes in it, cut out a round of cardboard for each end and tape this on it. Put in dry food or treats – good ones. Teach the cat how to use it then do another roll with smaller holes. Once the cat has learned that food can come in a dispenser, your friend might want to invest in a proper cat treat ball from a pet shop.

We may have domesticated cats to live in our homes, but that does not mean they have lost their natural instincts or behaviours. There are 3 main reasons why cats scratch;

1) To condition their claws, by removing the old, outer, layers.

2) To mark territory both visually and with the scent from the base of their claws. This scent marker needs to be topped up regularly and that is why cats always want to scratch in the same places.

3)To exercise the muscles in their paws, legs and upper body. They pull back against their clawhold - which is the same principle as isometric exercises done by humans.

TAZ: That your declawed cat still trys to use the claws she was robbed of, must surely show you how instinctive and natural behaviour scratching is for them? I find it sad rather than hilarious that she has no outlet for that behaviour.

Please remember that cats are experts at hiding symptoms of pain or illness. Again, this is an instinctive behaviour because they do not want to appear vulnerable to rivals or predators. There's an excellent article on this web site "Declawing: A Physical Therapist Assistant's Perspective" which explains exactly why declawing does disable cats and cause many problems such as chronic arthritis.

https://pictures-of-cats.org/declawing-a-physical-therapist-assistants-perspective.html

Whilst I'm glad that you chose to adopt an already declawed cat, please read that article and you'll understand why it should never be done to any cat.

Good you adopted an already crippled cat rather than putting another through torture but bad you laugh at the poor creature when she tries to do things cats need to do.
Man you have serious problems if that's your idea of funny and if you think declawing isn't cruel.
Ed

We have several cats and care for many feral cats as well; I can't imagine de-clawing any of them.
You want to know how painful declawing is have your own fingernails removed.
Any Vet that de-claws should have to endure the same pain.

Yes how very funny watching a cat with no toe ends trying to use her claws as normal cats do.
How very amusing to see her innocently thinking they are still there because her brain is wired to feel that way because they were never meant to be stolen from her.
Hilarious that it does no good, that she can't stretch her muscles to keep them healthy.
How funny will it be when she grows older and arthritis sets in and she hobbles along with painful joints?
Good on you for adopting a disabled cat but I'm sorry I don't share your hilarity at the outcome of the major surgery she endured just like the cats in the pictures above.

Oh Taz, that does sound hilarious. I must admit I was in tears laughing at the thought of a cat who had been tortured beyond comprehension trying desperately to fulfill the natural behavior she so desperately craves.

Do you know what else is funny! Once I saw a wallaby with a leg snapped clean in half, I couldn't stop laughing, watching the silly thing try and jump away! It didn't realise it's leg was broken! Hahaha!

Seriously. You need to redefine your meaning of 'hilarious'. There's NOTHING funny about crippled animals failing at their attempts to behave naturally. It's SICK, and so are you.

"Owning" Gracie says it all to me,as if she is just another posession to be used or to amuse you.
You can't "own" another living creature,you are her guardian that's all.
What a poor guardian you are too,laughing at her because she is desperately trying to dig her claws in to stretch those poor muscles.
Trying to climb trees?
What is she doing outside?
Don't you know a declawed cat is easy prey for healthy animals,if a dog cornered her she would have no chance of climbing a tree to escape.
No chance of self defence.
Lots of declawed cats have been killed horribly,make no mistake about that.
Do you still find it hilarious?
Declawing is a disgustingly cruel operation and it's people like you who keep the vets who do it rolling in money by gushing rubbish about how wonderful it is to "own" a mutilated crippled for life cat.

Well if Gracie is the best cat you have ever 'owned' and you think it's hilarious seeing her trying to do things healthy cats do, then you really shouldn't 'own' a cat.
You didn't have this cruel surgery done to her and you have given her a home and love her but please don't think she won't have problems in the future because of her being deliberately disabled. The chances are that she will. So you must be prepared to face vets bills as she ages and needs medication for her disfigured painful joints.
Trying to scratch or climb with mutilated stumps for toes is far from hilarious, do you laugh when she tries to grab toys too as cats love to with their claws ?
As Barbara has already said, cats NEED to exercise their muscles, poor Gracie can't do that. Why not try wearing a pair of mittens yourself to do your everyday chores and see how it feels with no finger ends !
Don't come here and boast of how wonderful declawed cats are, they are disabled and many of them suffering. Try walking with broken glass in your shoes to see how a lot of declawed cats feel.
You owe it to Gracie to care for her now whatever develops from the amputation of her toe ends. You took her on, so NEVER let her down, even after she stops providing you with amusement at her trying to behave as a normal healthy cat does!

Sorry Taz but if you find the pitiful sight of your cat trying to "sharpen" non existant claws and "trying" to climb trees hilarious then you deifinitely are on a different wavelength to most of us on PoC. I can't see much difference between wanting a declawed cat but stopping short of declawing one and swooping in to adopt an already declawed cat in your case, you just let someone else do the disgusting deed for you then you reaped the so called benefits.
Do you not find it pitiful that she "has no idea" that she's lost her toe ends? Yes she runs, plays (and sleeps - why wouldn't she sleep?)she's had no choice but to live with stumps for toes and adapt accordingly as any disabled animal or person does, of course you conveniently didn't know her at the time of the amputations so you didn't have to witness her pain and shock or her recovery from major trauma. That was her first betrayal by a human, the second was when she was dumped and replaced by a puppy.
So this own kid that you love Gracie as much as - did you adopt one with the ends of his/her fingers removed so he/she couldn't get up to mischief? Hmmm no I didn't think so.

I'm glad you love poor disfigured Gracie, she deserves a happy life, but you need to understand the "sharpening" of non existant claws is an attempt to stretch her muscles in her back, legs and paws, and you need to be sure she isn't making her paws sore and that callouses aren't forming which will cause her problems, and watch for signs of arthritis as she gets older because she hasn't been able to walk properly or exercise her muscles. These things can happen to a de-toed cat. It's not really so hilarious after all.

I adopted a declawed cat when she was less than a year old and she has no problems whatsoever. She walks, runs, plays, and sleeps just fine. She seems to have no idea she's declawed because she'll "sharpen" them everyday on random objects and even try to climb trees. Even though I love her to death, watching her do that is hilarious! I refused to get it done myself, so I adopted one that already had it done. She got rid of the cat because her son was supposedly allergic to pet fur. Yet I saw them another day adopting a puppy from someone in the Wal-Mart parking lot...Almost said something, too. Oh well. Her loss. Gracie is the best cat I have owned in twenty years of owning cats and I love her like my own kid.

Most people who get their cats declawed never even bothered to understand cats. The first time the cat gets its claws into something he isn't supposed to, they try to grab the cat and pull him off whatever he grabbed. Then whatever he grabbed gets ripped - naturally, because his claws are stuck in it !

I saw a new cat owner freak out because little kitty dug her claws into her sweater.
She was totally amazed when I managed to "unhook" the paws using a simple reflex: if you gently cup the back of the paw with your fingers, the cat's claws retract. If you reinforce this with by telling them "no claws", they will learn to let go on command.

One of my friends just adopted a clawless Bengal Cat. Yes, those 1000 dollar ones. The original owner got it declawed to stop it from catching birds in the garden. It still caught birds so she got rid of it. This poor cat can't do half the things a normal cat would, his paws are useless for manipulating anything except for giving it an uncontrolled whack. His favourite game is fetch (a wadded up sock) because it doesn't require holding on to anything with the paws.

Does anyone know what cat toys would be most useable by this poor kitty?

I first commented here back on Jan. 2nd...
One of the examples which I tell people when I'm doing cat adoptions, especially if the family has children:
ALL toddlers to this; I've had three children of my own; at some point, they're going to take a marker or crayon and write or scribble on your wall, your chair, the floor or SOMETHING which they aren't supposed to...
They may go to you in excitement & say, "LOOK mommy, I made a happy face", wrote my name or whatever. But you are horrified because your child just ruined your floor, chair, wall etc...
So in your perfectly good reasoning, you take your child to the Dr. and request that his fingertips be amputated to the first knuckle...
Then I ask them, WHAT would be the outcome of such a scenario??
They'd put your ass in jail for child abuse!!!
MOST logically thinking people would DISCIPLINE the child and TEACH them that they are ONLY allowed to scribble, draw, write on paper & NO PLACE else.
It's the VERY SAME with cats!!
Cats are smart and very trainable. They can learn tricks. They can be taught right from wrong, just like any dog can - they just don't want you to know it.
TAKE THE TIME, BE DEDICATED, BE RESPONSIBLE to teach your pets AND children proper behavior - OR DO NOT HAVE EITHER!!!

Do NOT get a cats if you think about declawing them!

Cats are not a piece of furniture you can adjust as you like. They need their claws!

Do you want somebody to rip out your finger nails? I guess not, so don't be so narcissistic and do it to another living thing!!

I don't understand why doctors do that anyway, it's inhumane and should be forbidden!

Followed a link to this.

MY GOD I looked at those suffering cats and came to the conclusion that ANYONE involved in doing that to them including the person taking the call to arrange it should be locked up and the key thrown away.

I like your style girl, you rock!I agree with every word.

The hell with how its done. Anyone whos had a big surgery knows that there is still pain afterwards. But its the idea/actual declawing thats worse. Why cant you just accept the cat with its claws? Got a kid with a nose picking problem? Oh lets just cut his fingertips off. ITS THE SAME DAMN THING! Im sorry but im against dramatically altering something natural when the animal has no say in the matter. Its like getting your baby's ears pierced before they can even talk. Yea Ive seen it, its sick. Can't have a clawed cat in your new apartment? FIND A NEW APARTMENT. Dont like getting scratched? Waaah! The sting will go away. The cats claws wont come back. So your cats claws are inconvenient for your poor selfish self? Well f*^%$# s%$^, DONT GET A CAT! Why dont we just scoop out the idiot part of your brain out? Oh, CUZ ITS WRONG.

Perhaps ur cat is very happy but there are heaps of cats that are not what is a cat to do if attacked by a dog how can it defend itself have u thought about that as alot of idiots would leave there declawed cats outside lm against this if revolting monsters think its ok to declaw then go amputate the tops of ur fingers and come back and tell me that ur fine u can live that way so GROW a BRAIN please and dont just think of ur self for a change MONSTER!!!!!

The blood
The obvious pain
The fear
The bewilderement
of those cats
is plain to see.

How can it be allowed?

If any person can look at the suffering and shock on the cats faces in the photos and still condone declawing then there is something seriously mentally wrong with that person.

I am truly shocked at the ignorance and calousness shown by Hutch's owner who thinks that because cats are resilient and can stand a lot that it's OK to make them do so.......
I thought I'd heard it all but this person takes the biscuit!

Yes there are facts and emotions and the fact is that you paid a corrupt doctor to mutilate your cat in the worst way.
Hutch has had an excellent life you say....
HAS HAD??????
Does that mean you think 11 years is all he is entitled to?
You won't know that is the equivalent of around 60 in human years.So if you have had an excellent life by you are 60 will you be satisfied?
Oh but you haven't gone through un-neccessary surgery have you,you still have your finger
So you think if he is developing pains in his senior years that it doesn't matter after the 'excellent' life he has had?
Why did you have him declawed?
Was it for the adored furniture?
Was it for the pesky family dog?
Was it for your brats so they could molest him without being scratched?
Or was it just because you don't like claws?
Poor Hutch resilient and handling a lot!!!!
You took a perfectly healthy cat who was born with claws because he needed them but you decided he was to be deprived of them just after you brought him home.
He loves everyone ....ah bless....he doesn't know one of those he loves was the one who decided he should go through the worst and most un-necessary surgery a cat can endure and live his life disabled.
Instead of boasting on here you should be hanging your head in shame that you deprived him of a REALLY excellent life WITH his claws.
Get your head out of the sand,you did wrong by him so live with your GUILTY conscience and I too hope KARMA repays you for what you had done to that poor cat.

I agree with everything Barbara says and so do millions of other cat lovers who would never put a cat through ANY unnecessary pain and would never pay any butchering vet to cripple their cat for life.
I find it incredible that you are so cold hearted you say 'cats are resilient and can handle a lot'
Why should they handle a lot ?
Would you have liked to handle the agony of TEN unnecessary AMPUTATIONS ?
I bet you regularly trim your own precious fingernails, never giving a thought to your cat having no finger ends, let alone nails.
Declawing is SUPPOSED to be a LAST RESORT for SERIOUS scratching behaviour.
You CHOSE to have your cat crippled and be forced to endure the pain and subsequent disablement and you brag about how happy he is.
Is it you who is happy because you've never have to bother to buy a scratching post and teach him how to use it ? And because you've never had to trim his nails ? Think of those poor muscles of his gradually stiffening up over his lifetime because he can't exercise by digging in his claws as cats need to. He can't walk as cats walk, his gait has been altered from the moment he stood up on his painful butchered stumps.
I only hope he IS lucky enough to escape all the age related complaints most declawed cats are doomed to suffer because he was VERY unlucky to end up living with YOU !
In fact I hope it is YOU who ends up with painful arthritis instead of your poor cat and you see just how it feels to have to 'be resilient and handle a lot'

And can you tell me why cats should have to "handle a lot" why they should be resilient and how much pain you think is reasonable to inflict on a cat for a non medical, purely owner convenient procedure?
And while I'm asking questions why did you get your cat declawed right after you brought him home when declawing is supposed to only be considered when all other means of preventing issues with clawing have been tried and failed? Obviously your vet is another pimp who sells his/her skills for money with no regard to the welfare of the animals.
No one is doubting that your cat is happy, you've said yourself cats are resilient, they make the best of things, Hutch has made the best of being disabled (by your choice)in the same way that other amputees have done. But he shouldn't have had to adapt to life as an amputee, you shouldn't have got him in the first place if you didn't want a cat, and you obviously didn't want a cat or you wouldn't have paid someone to adapt him to your specifications, you should have got some other pet that wasn't born with the claws they needed to live a full life.
You people who advocate declawing make me sick, you try to justify removing cat's toe ends, you try to justify deliberately causing cats pain and trauma and you try to belittle those of us who genuinely love cats for what they are and how they are made. It beggars belief that you put your comment on a page that shows in graphic detail the distress of a cat following declawing, have you no heart? Do you not feel any guilt for putting your cat through this experience for your own convenience?
Well Mr/Ms Smug, I hope you are keeping a good eye on Hutch's paws, watching for arthritic conditions developing, callouses or bone shards breaking through the stumps of his toes. He is now at the age when your selfishness may start to cause him problems, for HIS sake alone I hope it does not.

My sweet 11 year old Hutch has had a most excellent life! He was declawed right after I brought him home. He is happy full of love & cannot get enough attention, he loves everyone!! I just am not buying that these cats that you claim are in "pain" are actully in the amount of pain you all are claiming they are in. Cats just like people are resiliant and can handle A LOT! There are facts and there are emotions don't get the 2 mixed up!

You are obviously a true cat lover !
Your cats are living the life they were born to live, you are so right, if they weren't meant to have claws they would be born without them.
Your friends cat sounds as if he has problems with his stumps, how ignorant they are to think it's adorable he licks at them. Can you persuade them to take him to a non declaw vet, he may have splinters of bone or claws regrowing, poor creature. He is doomed to painful arthritis because of his weight and because he can't exercise by digging in his claws as cats need to.
No his meaness isn't cute, as you say its sad and it's because he's in pain and distress.
I'm so sad too for cats like him, their lives ruined by declawing.
Declawing is cruel and very selfish of the ignorant people who really should not have a cat in their home.
I'm glad you have commented on PoC about that poor cat, it might save the toe ends of someone else's cat when they read how declawing causes suffering.

We have two sweet-as-can-be nondeclawed cats. They play with each other, snuggle with us, and are all-around awesome.

Friends of ours have the fattest, meanest cat on earth and he is declawed. They think it's soo cute how they have to pick him up from behind so that he doesn't bite them. They also think its adorable how he is constantly licking his little toes where the claws used to be. I mean, come on! That's not cute! That's sad!

Declawing is a bad thing.
Let's put it this way:
If cats were supposed to be declawed, they wouldn't have claws to begin with. Our whole culture has become so wrapped up in "as long as it makes my life easier" that we can't set aside our selfish wants for the needs of others.

We have two sweet-as-can-be nondeclawed cats. They play with each other, snuggle with us, and are all-around awesome.

Friends of ours have the fattest, meanest cat on earth and he is declawed. They think it's soo cute how they have to pick him up from behind so that he doesn't bite them. They also think its adorable how he is constantly licking his little toes where the claws used to be. I mean, come on! That's not cute! That's sad!

Declawing is a bad thing.
Let's put it this way:
If cats were supposed to be declawed, they wouldn't have claws to begin with. Our whole culture has become so wrapped up in "as long as it makes my life easier" that we can't set aside our selfish wants for the needs of others.

Using the name Anonymous just means that your voice speaks for many who cannot. I will take full responsiblity for the Anonymous posts so that whoever wants to fuss can do so at me.

Declawing is barbaric, cruel, and inhumane. It causes a lifetime of pain and suffering to those who endure the procedure. Check out my page on Facebook. There is a lot of information available concerning declawing.

Shame on any vet who performs the declawing proceedure only to prevent clawing on furniture or scratching on people. The owners should be better educated about the horrors these cats must endure for life when all they needed was a scratching post and someone to teach them to use only the post.

Declawing is cruel and inhumane and needs to end!

You gave her the wrong link! I think this one is a bit more appropriate for her! 🙂

https://pictures-of-cats.org/PoC-For-Children.html

You know your sort make me sick with your dangerous 'advice' who the hell do you think you are? Have you no compassion? Have you not looked at that cat in the picture? How can anyone with a soul look and that and then think that declawing is ok?

You and your family should be damn well ashamed of yourselves; you take in a cat thats been tortured and then torture him some more! No wonder your cat is skittish! and worse you really don't seem to know why! You clearly lack any sort of understanding about suffering.

Then you say declaw a cat when its young! You know I was reading your article and I was stunned by your stupid suggestions. Up to the age of two is ok you say well thats age 14 in human years so how is that young? Do you think a teenager wouldn't miss their fingertips after 14 years?

My God you know what? Your sort just aren't worth it, you make me want to slap some sense into you. Oh and by the way you probably haven't noticed but the people who have left comments on here (yes those will be the ones that know what they are talking about) are laughing at your title because anymous is actually spelled anonymous.

So yep get lost until you know what you're talking about.

Another anonymous -

People who don't even bother to pick a posting nym for themselves cannot be taken seriously - in this forum or anywhere else.

Anymous it's you who needs to be smart and stop giving your stupid ignorant views on a very serious topic.
If you honestly think you know more than those of us who have studied declawing from every angle then you are truly mistaken.
Declawing IS cruel,it DOES affect cats and you'd better do some reading up on it so you really do know what you are talking about.

You have just showed yourself up to the millions of people who will read this and see how litle you do know.
No wonder you stayed Anymous.

Poor poor fella,abused before he came to you and then abused again by some vet your gran paid.
That was very bad luck.
Declaw cats young so they won't remember their claws you say.
Are you serious?
Would you not remember your finger ends if you'd had them amputated as a child?
Of course cats remember,it's their instinct to use the claws they were born with because they need them.
They can't walk properly,groom properly,play properley or exercise to keep their muscles healthy.
Yet you in your'wisdom'say it doesn't affect them.
GET REAL.
I've had cats since I was born too and that was a long way further back than you.
You've seen 7 cats come through your house have you?
What happened to them all?
Were they cast out like old unwanted goods when they displeased you by behaving like cats?
I'm with Maggie and Babz and agree you should buggar off,you are playing with big boys and girls here Anymous and you belong in the infants class until you learn enough to really know what you are talking about.
Read and LEARN
https://pictures-of-cats.org/declawing-alternatives.html

You know more than the veterinary governing bodies and qualified veterinarians of the 38 countries where declawing is banned as animal abuse do you ?
You know more than American non declaw vets and you know more than vet techs who have witnesed the surgery do you ? Have you watched the amputation of the cat's ten toe ends and seen him jerk with the pain even under anesthetic as his bone, tendon, ligaments etc are severed or burnt through ? Have you stayed with him when he's woken up in pain and shock and seen him throw himself around the cage ? Have you taken the blood soaked bandages off his wounded stumps while he cringes and cries ?
Of course you haven't because that is hidden so that gullible fools like you keep on thinking how wonderful declawing is.
If you know so much then come back and list us all the things that can go wrong in the declawed cats lifetime. You'd better do some research first like the rest of us have because I think you know nothing !
You are a child teaching your grannies to suck eggs !
Your poor cat, as if he hadn't gone through enough he suffered ten amputations too.
He isn't fine you know anymous, he has adjusted to life as a cripple because he had no choice, he faces painful arthritis in his later years even if he isn't suffering in silence right now.
One more thing, you 'advise' cats be declawed young, so here's a bit more education for you. Declawing is a LAST RESORT operation for serious scratching behaviour, NOT for kittens.
The lazy selfish people who take this easy fix instead of providing their kitten with a scratching post which he needs to use to stay healthy are not fit to have a kitten or a cat in their care.
Next you'll say but vets wouldn't do it if it was cruel.
How little you know child.
The almighty dollar is more important to some of them than a cat's health and welfare.
DO SOME RESEARCH for your own sake and that of any future cats having the misfortune to end up with your family.
Then you can say you know what you are talking about.
(Vet Nurse who DOES know what she is talking about)

The cat you've had since you were born and who is old can only be in her twenties at the most, so you're hardly old enough to qualify to say that you know what you're talking about, and I'm here to tell you that you show your ignorance by all that you say and I recommend you do as Maggie says and bugger off and spend your time doing some research into this disgraceful procedure that you recommend for young cats. You can start here:https://pictures-of-cats.org/the-shocking-images-of-a-declawed-cat.html
You say your cat Fella came to you as a badly abused cat, so then the poor thing had the misfortune to meet your grandma who further abused him by paying some low life vet to amputate his toe ends. Tail cut off, toes cut off what the hell is the difference, it's all abuse.

You know what you're talking about because you've had cats all your life? You're not the only one. In fact, most people have had cats from the second they were born. Me included. So I suppose I can say I know what I'm talking about too. Declawing is cruel regardless of the cat's age. You cannot say that amputating the toe tips of cats is okay. Whether the cat is 10 weeks or 10 years old. Age is not relevant. Declawing is cruel, there's nothing else to say.

The only difference between you and us here, who are against declawing, is that we know what we're talking about because we've done study behind declawing, we've listened to people who speak about their declawed cats, and we've written about declawing to try and educate morons like yourself.

So don't say that you know what you're talking about. You're an ignorant fool, you're wasting your time here. I suggest you bugger off and throw your lies upon someone else.

Declawing is NOT harmful. If you declaw a cat, it has to be young so it won't remember its claws. For example, my cat Fella. We declawed him and he is not at all affected. True, he's skittish, but that's because he was badly abused before he found my family; better yet, my grandma. He was almost shot with a bebe gun (you could see where it grazed across his skin), he had his top two big teeth broken, and his tail... Poor guy. His tail was cut off or something but now it's short and curled at the end. Cute, but the history behind the tail is sad.

What I'm saying is, declawing does not affect a cat. Vets are beggining to refuse to declaw older cats bacause of risks involved. Be smart, and declaw your cat when its between spaying/neutering age-2 years.

~Anymous

P.S. I've had cats literally all of my life. From the second I was born, I had a cat, whom I still have now, she's just old. But I've seen seven different cats come through my house, so I know what I'm talking about.

PLEASE if you really MUST have a disabled cat don't put another kitten through the horrific surgery called declawing. What you could do instead is adopt an already declawed kitten or cat from a Rescue Shelter, there are THOUSANDS in them doomed to be killed if no one gives them a home.
Go to www.petfinder.com and put in your city and you will see for yourself how many there are. It's as simple as that.
Milo may be lucky SO FAR but painful arthritis is almost certainly in store for him.
Flash was typical of the life of fear many cats with no toe ends live.
Vets who declaw break their oath to cause no animal to suffer, you can see by the picture above that cats do suffer ! Don't put more money into the bank of a corrupt vet.
If you lived in our country declawing would not be an option, look into your conscience Garrett and ask yourself if it is right to cripple a baby cat, because I think you know it isn't.
Or as Finn says, maybe you'd be better with a puppy.

Garrett - I'm sorry to say this, but if you as much as think about having your new cat declawed, you are really not a cat person and should not bother getting one.
Have another dog instead.

Alright. So,my first cat, Ashes, was a non- declawed cat that scratched the **** out of all the nice furniture in my house...we tryed giving it a scratching post and tryed so many things to make it stop scratching the couch and etc...it didnt work,but of course my mom was the one who cared about the furniture...anyway, after she died my mom got a 9 year old declawed cat...Flash....this cat is extremely skiddish(hence her name.she runs away in a Flash) and is scared of anything...weve had her 3 years? now and she will NOT go on your lap... if you force her on .. shell freak out and run....she wont hop on your bed or anything....at first we thought... "oh its just because this is a knew environment...she get over it".. its been 3 years and shes the same...im not saying this is just because of declawing...because who knows how her previous owner treated her... The Second cat i know is my grandparents cat.. Milo. she is declawed and is a very freindly playful and cuddly cat... the complete opposite of mine....oh and my 9 year old cat has NEVER bitten me or anyone....

my dog just died yesterday and my mom promised me a kitten becuase she doesnt want another dog....even after seeing this...im still semi willing to declaw a kitten.....

reasons: our Bird.. and for my mom.... the furniture... of course, we will not let it outside it will be an indoor cat....

..sorry if its hard to read..

SSS, it made my day to read about your call to that clinic. Well done and point well made. There are two main rationalizations given by vets for declawing kittens, both of which actually underscore the dangerous and inhumane nature of declawing. These also should be thrown back in the faces of all vets that declaw. Rationalization number one is that a kitten, being smaller and lighter on its feet, will have an easier recovery and healing time than an adult, who will naturally have a more difficult and painful recovery due to having to bear more weight on the paws. So by their own words, they admit declawing is excruciating. Rationalization number two is that it's better to do a declaw in conjuction with another sedation procedure (typically when the kitten is spayed or neutered) because it's better than putting the animal under anesthesia an additional time. So by their own words, they admit that ANESTHESIA IS DANGEROUS IN AND OF ITSELF (and therefore should only be used in cases of genuine medical necessity. Irresponsible pet owners who refuse to take the time and effort necessary to train an animal do NOT constitute a medical condition but rather a societal problem.) It's amazing how many vets don't seem to be aware that cats can be trained just as easily as dogs can, and also, people who get dogs EXPECT to have to train them, whereas there is this widespread assumption that cats cannot be trained, which is BS. You simply have to use different methods for cats than dogs, that's all. The reason cats are second-class citizens in the veterinary world, in my opinion, is that historically, dog owners spend more money at the vet's office, particulary if they have large or active breeds. Once again, it's all about money, the love of which truly is the root of all evil.

WELL DONE ! I'd love to have been a fly on the wall of that vet's office and to hear what he said after you hung up
lol lol
It's disgraceful that a supposedly last resort procedure is being touted by corrupt vets like that to be done to little kittens.
I admire the good work you do and your initiative and bravery in making that phone call.
It would be good if others over there followed your example and let all the declawing vets know just what decent people think of their abuse of cats.

Well done! What an absolutely brilliant move and what a shock that declawing pimp must have had when he got the mouthful at the end. If I knew who you were and lived in the same country I'd send you a bouquet of flowers for making my day start so well.
All you say it totally true, why are cats second class citizens who must put up with the pain and degradation of being altered to fit human lifestyles and not dogs? NO animal should be de-fingered.

I'm a member of a non-profit cat rescue, which has an anti-declaw policy. I'd recently saw a local vet on TV, touting the "benefits" of declawing a kitten. i.e. better than declawing an adult.
I was totally floored! So angry was I that I called him at his office with this scenario:

Me: "Yes, I saw your talk on TV about declawing... we have a dog which digs holes in our yard. Nothing we do has stopped him, so I'd like to make an appointment to have him declawed asap." (yes, we do have three dogs, but they are very well behaved)

Him: (can hear a literal gasp) "Um, well, there are many things you can do to deter your dog from digging (goes on to explain several options, all of which I cleverly shoot down, as is very common for people who aren't willing to put forth any effort to train cats OR dogs!! You know the type!).

Me: "I really don't have the time to do any of those, so when can I get him in to be declawed?"

Him: "We don't declaw dogs. It's inhumane and torturous. You'll have to figure out a way to stop your dog from digging." (BINGO!!)

Me: (very slowly and rather loudly) "SO... you say you won't declaw DOGS because it's inhumane and torturous - yet you tout and brag about declawing CATS!!! Pray tell, WHAT sir, is the REAL difference between the species???!! CATS FEEL PAIN JUST AS MUCH!! IT'S TORTUROUS AND INHUMANE FOR THEM TOO, YOU IDIOTIC, GREEDY ASS MORON FROM HELL!!!" (hung up)

Yea, it felt great. 🙂

I feel I should point out that even though the cat's owner knew her older cat had had a difficult time recovering from the declaw, she of course never really got to see anything like what these photos show, because this is precisely what the vets hide from people. I like to think that if more people could see scenes like this, scenes like vet techs see on a regular basis, they would change their minds about declawing. These photos are actually mild compared to some of the recoveries I've seen. Too many veterinary support staff people are afraid to speak up because they stand a good chance of losing their jobs as a result, like I did. But it was worth it to me and I would do it again. I wish I'd been brave enough to do it years sooner.

Eunice, I live in Australia too and the reason that all the cats here are allowed in homes without having to be declawed, is because declawing is illegal.

It is possible to find pet friendly houses. My husband and I are currently renting in Australia and we had to search for a number of houses/apartments that allowed our cat. We had to sign a contract that stated that whatever damage the cat caused to the house would be our responsiblity. That was fine with us because we love our cat. She has all her claws, two big scratching posts and has not scratched anything she is not supposed to. She understands a stern NO. So I feel that the lady who declawed her cat would most probably have had the opportunity to find another place that would be more accepting of her cats without declawing. How would you be able to explain then the number of intact pet-friendly houses in Australia? It is a mindset that needs to be changed.

How can those rotten vets do it?
I can't stop crying since I saw these photos and how cats suffer.
What the hell are people thinking about getting it done?
We all know cats are born with claws,if anybody doesn't like it why oh why have a cat?

The whole lot STINK.
Owners and vets all.

Many de-clawed cats suffer agony all their lives.So much so that some cannot stand litter box sand on their feet....just too painful.
And their limbs ATROPHY.

Many de-clawed cats suffer agony all their lives.So much so that some cannot stand litter box sand on their feet....just too painful.
And their limbs ATROPHY.

This is what I faced as the first vet tech in to check on hospoitalzed cats in the morning. This is what broke my heart so I said NEVER again will I take part in this .... ever. And I will always tell clients the truth about what the surgery involves, and what a cat may feel afterward. This is absolutely a barbaric procedure .... take it from a person who cried as they took the bandages off a cat. People speak up and let's stop this NOW!

Maybe the owners who want to have their cats declawed should have the tips of their fingers cut off first so they can see for themselves if they come through the surgery "fine." Material items are can be replaced, NOTHING is worth putting a cat through this agonizing procedure.

It will soon be banned.People can't keep on being in denial about the millions of cats suffering from this torture by money hungry doctors of animals.

CRUEL NEEDLESS POINTLESS and I don't know why it keeps on being legal in a so called civilised modern country.

OMG I just followed this link from another site where it said look at the truth.
I've looked and I'm sickened.
I'll be passing this on and coming back here to learn a bit more.

This is so horrible.If anyone looks at these pictures and still thinks it's OK to declaw a cat then they should be certified as insane and locked up for life.

The photos were taken in a technologically advanced, "state of the art" vet hospital. The surgeries were done using the scalpel disarticulation method, which is more modern and precise than the older (but still very common)method of using "guillotine" style nail clippers. With the older method, it is not uncommon to see a great deal MORE blood than this. Everything was done "by the book" and the cats were given pain medication before and after the sugeries, but as is very common in veterinary hospitals, there was no staff on the premises to monitor them overnight, at least at the time of these photos. I will say again, no, this is not what EVERY single cage will look like on the morning after a declaw surgery, but NOR IS IT UNCOMMON. It happens often ENOUGH that vets should be upfront with their clients about the very real risk of overnight hemmoraging, and when it does happen, they should be honest with the client about how their cat ACTUALLY did. They should be honest about the number of complications they see post-declaw and not make every concerned client feel as if their cat was simply unlucky, or too active, or in some other way "abnormal". I am not referring to this particular hospital or doctor, but to the American veterinary profession as a whole, because based on everything I have personally seen and heard at several different hospitals in two different states, this is what happens. I do hope you will continue your research. Before I witnessed these things for myself, I didn't understand how disgusting declawing was, either. I believe it's very difficult for someone to fully grasp how horrible it is unless they are there in person. These photos actually only begin to tell the story.

To think snyone could do this to a cat is abhorent.
No the wonder vets keep them overnight after they've hacked off their claws.
Why this cruelty is allowed and what sort of people put their cats through it I shudder to imagine.

Dr. Nicholas Dodman, author of "The Cat Who Cried for Help," has this to say about declawing:

"The inhumanity of the procedure is clearly demonstrated by the nature of cats' recovery from anesthesia following the surgery. Unlike routine recoveries, including recovery from neutering surgeries, which are fairly peaceful, declawing surgery results in cats bouncing off the walls of the recovery cage because of excruciating pain. --Declawing fits the dictionary definition of mutilation to a tee. Words such as deform, disfigure, disjoint, and dismember all apply to this surgery. Partial digital amputation is so horrible that it has been employed for torture of prisoners of war, and in veterinary medicine, the clinical procedure serves as model of severe pain for testing the efficacy of analgesic drugs. Even though analgesic drugs can be used postoperatively, they rarely are, and their effects are incomplete and transient anyway, so sooner or later the pain will emerge."

http://cats.about.com/cs/declawing/a/declawing.htm

Were you there to see the vet butchering their toe digits off during surgery? Were you there when they were waking up from being dis-membered like the person who took these pictures was?

All that you know is your greedy, unethical vet said your cats "did fine" like they tell all of their clients so they keep coming back to have their other cats dis-membered.

Every cat after declaw surgery has the pressure bandages put on - this keeps them from hemorraging to DEATH! And many cats tear them off and throw their blood around their cage to try to escape the throbbing, agonizing pain of their amputation wounds.

These are COMMON pictures of cats waking up from declaw surgery and I hope they have convinced you to NEVER declaw again. If not, then truly, you should not be a cat caretaker (btw, no one "owns" animals - we care for and protect them - not own them like property).

You say
'all our cats had were some stitches and were fine'
Are you insane?
Of course they had stitches,that was because they had great gaping bleeding painful wounds where their toe ends once were.They woke up in pain because some monster of a vet agreed to cripple them as little kittens.
Would you have your finger ends off and say you were fine because the stumps were stitched?
How many cats lives did your parents ruin and now you can't understand why people are against declawing?
Yes you do need to do some research,there are plenty of pages on here to teach you all about this cat abuse.
You can't undo your own poor cats suffering but you can help prevent more by passing on what you've learned to others who think crippling cats for life is fine.

EVERY declaw is a BAD declaw - the surgery forever cripples the fingers & paws a cat walks on. These pictures depict the true pain, agony, & suffering.

Do you really think your vet wants you, a person willing to pay them to amputate the 3rd Phalanx finger bones of the pet that trusts you to care for them, the real truth about what cats go through after being de-boned (a.k.a. de-clawed)? NO! Vets lose money when they tell the TRUTH about this surgery.

GET EDUCATED and please STOP MUTILATING ANIMALS!!!

Those pictures tell the truth of why vets keep cats in at least overnight after being declawed.They don't want clients to see their first agony and shock.
Read some articles written by vet techs about the way cats cry and throw themselves around the recovery cage and the way some hunch hopeless in the corner. All the cats you have had declawed have gone through just that.
You say all your cats have been fine,but you don't know that ! Cats hide their pain, the chances are that yours suffered in silence.
You say your 12 year old is fine, well I hope you are right but almost every declawed cat develops painful arthritis because they have been deprived of exercising as they should. They need their claws to dig in to stretch their leg,shoulder, back and stomach muscles.Every cat which is declawed has to live life a a cripple.
Maybe you couldn't help what your parents did when you were young but as an adult you must know how cruel it is to have cats toe ends amputated.
It's a huge money maker for vets, that is the truth of it.

So, why have all your cats been declawed? Have they ALL had serious scratching problems? Had you previously tried every known alternative before resorting to what the American Veterinary Medical Association has described as the last resort procedure? No, I thought not. What you've done is to routinely and mindlessly mutilate kittens at the same time as neutering (how can you "fix" something that isn't broken?)because your parents taught you to.
And if you've never known a cat that hasn't been robbed of it's toe ends how can you say that they were fine afterwards? And how can you justify healthy paws being deliberately wounded by amputation and needing stitches?
You call your comment "WTF", well I'd like to ask you HTF you can possibly justify declawing cats/kittens before you even know if they are going to cause problems with their claws. I hope you realise that whichever declawing pimp you use for a veterinary surgeon is breaking his oath no harm no animal.
Please DO keep researching, you obviously need education. I hate the phrase "open your mind" but in this case it is well justified, the facts are on this very website, look and learn.

I don't get it. All our cats have been declawed (my baby is over 12 years old so I was still a teenager and living with my parents when he got fixed and declawed).

None of our cats went through that. To me these are all based on very bad declawing jobs. All our cats had were some stitches and they were all 100% fine afterwards.

So I don't know. I will keep researching.

I agree Barbara anyone that puts a cat through this whether they're a vet or a keeper then they have no soul and they're not fit to walk on the same planet as these beautiful creatures.

Normally "Anonymous" gets my goat because I think if you have something worth saying you should not be afraid to put your name to it, BUT today I agree with the previous post by Anon, except I'd go even further and say anyone even NOT seeing photos such as this one who thinks declawing cats is fine shouild be put up against a wall and shot! And that includes the owners and the vets.

There! And I've put my name to my thoughts.

If anyone looks at these pictures and still thinks declawing cats is fine then they must have a gap where their heart should be.

This is dreadful and I can't stop crying for those poor cats.
How could anyone do this????????????

Exactly my sentiments Tracey !!!
Anyone abusing innocent animals is not human and this includes the vets who are paid by selfish ignorant people to abuse their cats for them.
I've just been answering a google alert, someone who can't understand why people are judging her and telling her declawing is so wrong...after all, the kitten is ruining her curtains.
My heart bleeds for her ...NOT .......
Are a pair of curtains more important than a kitten's health ? Apparently they are to her !
Day after day cats are suffering like those in the pictures above, it makes me SO sad.

Oh dear God Ruth just when I thought I'd read it all I just read your comment about the day old kittens and I'm shaking with anger. I would dearly love to meet the person that did this.

I have fostered from 2 days old and those babies are so helpless! The (I'm struggling to find words here so I'm calling the person just 'thing' because no words can describe the 'thing' that did this to those kittens) 'thing' that did this ought not to be allowed to walk this earth. Words just fail me.........those poor babies and mom. Anyone that has watched a mom cat look after her kittens knows how unique and special those moments are. I felt privliged to be part of those early days.

I am so angry.....

Just when I think I've heard the worst then I hear about this. I sometimes wonder if there is a God. If someone knows this 'thing' for the sake of everyone do something about it please......

These photos haunt me too.They are as bad as the ones you see taken undercover of animals suffering by being experimented on in laboratories.
What also haunts me is the thought of all the kittens and cats, from newly born to older, which were experimented on to discover the 'best age' for declawing.It broke my heart to read of a litter of day old kittens eaten by the mother cat after some heartless person declawed them as an experiment. Dreadful too is that right now some manic cold hearted money and fame hungry people are probably experimenting on many cats trying to be the first to breed clawless cats to satisfy those selfish ignorant people who want a living soft toy.
I can't understand why anyone at all thinks it's acceptable to do this cruel operation on any animal ever at all and I can't understand how vets trained to help animals can ever mutilate cats in this way.

These pictures have haunted me since I first saw them. You can see how dilated the cats' pupils are with pain, fear and hopelessness. It makes me feel ill to think how totally cats, and any animals, are in the control of someone who decides to "own" them, having no voice, no choice and being utterly helpless to fight against surgical mutilation being carried out on themselves. It makes it all the more evil that such "owners" are so easily able to find accomplices, eager to help them rob their cats of vital body parts for payment.

Thank you for documenting the cruelty of declawing posting these bloody pictures. Although hard to watch, they have to be published.
These poor cats will leave an imprint in my mind forever. Shame on the molesters.

I didn't realise there are phots of TWO cats. Looking again I see one has white on her face.
I only saw the anguish on the faces and obvious pain showed by the way the cats are lying and of course the blood.
All this hidden is usually under wraps so the world doesn't see the truth.
I've not slept for wondering how anyone can do this to cats,how anyone can pay to have it done to their cat and how anyone can look at these photos and still say declawing cats isn't cruel.

Those photos are very powerful and made me feel both sad and very angry at the same time. Both cats look severely traumatised and it's heartbreaking to realise that this is only the start of their suffering.

I admire the bravery of the poster for sharing these photos. A picture really does paint a thousand words and I think these photos will educate a lot of people on the truth about declawing.

'L' you are brave beyond belief publishing these photo's. That poor cat. The expression in her eyes says it all.

The world should see these photos. The world should see that vets in America and Canada are committing legalised torture every day.

That poor cat should never be returned to the bitch who did this to her.

Yes bitch I hope to god you read this and know what like minded people think of you. A monster is what you are just like every other keeper that has this done.

It makes me angry beyond belief. How can this still be allowed to happen?

Well known cat associations believe in not getting involve either, would you believe because its too political. Never mind that they could have a huge impact. They promote animal welfare and yet choose to ignore de-clawing.

Makes me sick to my stomach all of it.

Sorry I should have said anti declaw comments on the articles written by vets are almost always deleted.
Those pictures of that real cat suffering have knocked all of us for six today !

Chris if haven't already, please would you sign our petition to ban declawing and pass it on to as many others as you can.
We are a growing group of people in the UK and Australia helping the people of the USA who want declawing made illegal as it is in our and many other countries.Meanwhile we are educating those who don't know the truth, by articles and by commenting on pro declaw blogs (although anti declaw comments written by vets are almost always deleted, because they don't want the truth known)

THANK YOU so much.

Thank you so much for taking & posting your photos.

If you get a chance, try & get some video online & post a link, if that's possible, as that can convey even more. We live in a society of such violence & false reality TV, I fear people just don't have the imagination to create a sense empathy from most still photos anymore.

Animal advocates who are in a position to do so need to "inform" vets, landlords & cat owners that declawing isn't & never was acceptable or ethical.

Did the cat owner know that toes would be amputated?

I've run into cat owners who've had more than one cat declawed and STILL weren't told by their (Canadian) vet that their pets' toes were amputated!

Did the owner ask the vet to call her landlord & explain how horrific it is to amputate an animal's toes in an effort to have him change his mind about his policy?

Is this what proper pain management looks like, and is it even remotely possible considering the trauma inflicted on the cat?

That's what this is - trauma & mutilation inflicted without benefit to the cat. This is unethical. -A surgical "solution" to a normal feline behaviour in an ignorant society (that goes for Canada too).

The trust this cat placed in people who are supposed to be caring for her is forever broken. Just imagine how panicked she will be when confronting other cats or animals.

How justifiably insane with fear will she be next time she's subjected to a trip to the vet's?

The photograph along with the short introductory caption is horrendous to any pet owner, let alone a "cat Owner". People who intend "Declawing" their cats should choose some other animal as a pet instead of artificially totally changing and altering the charactristics of their cat.

That broke my heart... I would love to take and cut off vet's fingers at the knuckles and see how he feels...
Thank you for your site and bringing awareness. It's a treat for those of who love our kitties!

That broke my heart... I would love to take and cut off vet's fingers at the knuckles and see how he feels...
Thank you for your site and bringing awareness. It's a treat for those of who love our kitties!

This breaks my heart to see. No one should have the right to put a cat through such trauma. It's disgusting... The conditions the cat is living in don't look good either, how come the cat is still bleeding so much!!! That must be horrendously painful...

The Paw Project would like to interview Lorelei and would like permission to use these photos. Would that be possible?

Please contact us at in**@pa********.org

Jim

...that is how I feel looking at these pictures - imagine how these poor innocent cats feel waking up to find themselves in agony, in pain, & crippled - and I don't care if by the time they get home the owner thinks they are "fine" because the BLOOD has been wiped off and the cat is stoic in dealing with their PAIN instead of thrashing around - every and any cat is that has their knucklebone digit whacked out is CRIPPLED FOR LIFE.

LEARN FROM THIS all of you out there - including vets & shelters - that think more of their furniture than an animal, that think de-boning an animal is OK - see the pain on their faces and the blood on their paws - this is INHUMANE treatment of animals.

Shame on the owner of these cats that she did not challenge the condo requirement to commit an act of cruelty against animals. I can only hope these people one day feel the pain & discomfort that they have needlessly inflicted on their animal companions.

Special thanks for posting the truth about declawing.

Micheal I'm with you on that,in fact I want to take an axe to the fingers of the vet who did that to that cat.
Anyone looking at those pictures and still saying declawing isn't inhumane needs certifying.
It's legalised torture and there is no defence for those who do it.

I have added the other pictures. I hope that is OK. They are horrendous. They are sick. They make me mad. They make me sad. And I want to hurt the vet who did this.

Thank you so much for bringing this picture to the attention of those who could be planning to amputate their cat's toes, in which case surely unless they are cold hearted monsters they will change their minds after seeing this cat's misery. You're a brave lady to have taken these pictures, risking your job in the process, but this is exactly what is needed to ram home the truth of declawing!

Declawing is such a horrible procedure for a cat. When I ecided to have a cat in my home, I chose not to declaw it. I find that when a cat is socialized properly and handled with love respect, it will seldom use its claws. I was very careful to introduce my cat to the various areas of my house and let her know by saying "no" if her behavior needed to be modified and praising her and giving her play time or treats when she did something on her own that was positive. Now we peacefully coexist in the house and she even comes when I call her. She has her chairs, her rugs, her, toys. But, she has accepted being trained not to jump on the kitchen counters or to scratch anywhere but her scratching post and the various card board boxes she happily shreds whenever I give her one. She is a very calm cat, and I have not ever been scratched because I watch for the signals when she would rather be left alone and when she wants to be with me.

Hi, you are one very brave person and a great asset to the battle to educate people about the reality of declawing!

You can see the pain, misery and bewilderment in that poor cat's face.

How anyone can want to put a cat through that I just don't know.

Because I love cats so much, if it was a condition of a home I rented that they be declawed,I would do without them in my life rather than agree to that cruel operation.