by Michael
(London, UK)
I would just like to pick up on the point that Dr. Hofve makes about this make of cat litter. She says that the company that manufactures it promotes cat declawing, which is certainly true. Well at least they support declawing by stating in a promotional video that one of the benefits of their litter is that is it recommended by veterinarians for declawed cats. It is meant to be softer on toes I suppose. Which incidentally confirms how sensitive and tender declawed toes are.
Obviously Swheat Scoop saw no problem is making that claim. It was a totally natural thing for them to say in promoting their product.
I think this just shows how deeply ingrained into the American psyche declawing is. For many millions of people it is as natural as any veterinary procedure that improves the cat’s health, when declawed damages the cat’s health and wellbeing
There needs to be a change in the mind set and attitude. That will take a long time because it has taken a long time for the incorrect attitude to declawing to be so deeply ingrained.
There was obviously a time when there were no declawed cats in the United States – not one! It must have been about 80 years ago as a wild guess, perhaps longer.
Then there was a gradual shift to greater consumerism. The consumer product became all important. And that meant treating the cat as a consumer product and the need to protect those all important and precious household objects from the destructive cat companion!
For people outside that mindset, declawing seems bizarre and very odd. It just seems so wrong yet people who have their cat declawed just don’t get the point.
The product is sold on Amazon:
Dr. Hofve suggests that we boycott this product. We could also leave one star ratings on Amazon.com. I would hope that that was possible and that the reviews would not be deleted.
I use Swheat litter as bedding for my ball pythons. Not as cat litter. I would not buy it otherwise, but it’s the best material I found for my snakes. I have 3 cats as well; all with their claws.
I adopted a cat that was already declawed. He has some litterbox issues because he is sensitive to what will be on his feet. I need to know what litter will work for him. I don’t support declawing, but I DO need to know if a litter works for declawed cats, and it helps to research this before spending money on it. Just saying. Incidentally, my baby was sent to the shelter for ruining couches by peeing on them, thus negating the declawing benefits, I guess. I think a lot of declawed cats develop this issue.
H Jennifer. Yes, more declawed cats that the vets like to admit have problems, some of them serious. There is no commercial product that is highly suitable for a declawed cat who is sensitive to litter material that I know of except for the one referred to in the article. Paper works but that is a temporary measure. Sand might work but it is not cat litter and has no absorbent properties etc..
Your cat was not recently declawed so he has real problems. He probably needs repair surgery. There are vets who do this. He probably has fragments of bone in his paws. This is typical of botched surgery.
I’d consider contacting The Paw Project for advice on repair surgery. You need the right surgeon for this. You can find The Paw Project online. Good luck to you both.
I would never adopt a declawed cat. I could not take the behavioral issues caused by the mutilation. Should have looked around for and adopted a normal cat.