Declawing does not exist! There is no way to remove a cat’s claws, because each claw is embedded in bone. We should call it what it is: deboning, detoeing or defingering. Any of those terms describe the amputation of each last phalanx of a cat’s paws. Yet we call it declawing!
The person who invented the surgery decades ago and named it declawing is responsible for the suffering of thousands if not millions, of cats.
The following experiments are excerpts from this article by Jean Hofve DVM:
- In this experiment, Japanese researchers declawed all four paws of 14 “laboratory kittens” by ligation—tying a very tight suture around the last joint of each toe to stop blood flow and kill the tissue. It took 2 weeks for the claws and attached bones to fall off. Ligation (a common method of castration of farm animals such as piglets) is known to be extremely painful (Kokue E, Nagano K. Declawing the laboratory kitten by ligation. Jikken Dobutsu. 1973 Apr;22(2):149-50.).
- A veterinarian declawed four litters (total 12 kittens) from 2 to 5 days old, with no anesthesia and no pain control. He said, “Those declawed at 5 days of age were a little more active and difficult to restrain.” Claw regrowth occurred in the first litter 2 years later (Staples GE. Declawing neonatal kittens. Vet Med Small Anim Clin. 1978 Jul;73(7):895-6).
- Seventy kittens, 3-10 days old, were used for this experiment. All the kittens in one litter, declawed at one day of age, were killed and eaten by their mother the same night; the authors suggested that cats should be watched more closely, and kittens not declawed until age 3 days to prevent similar incidents (Sis RF, Herron MA. Onychectomy of the newborn kitten. Fel Med Surg. 1971 Nov-Dec;31-33.).
All those kittens tortured in cruel experiments!
The mother cat of the litter declawed at one day old must have been out of her mind with distress over her mutilated babies, she knew that a cat’s life without claws was very wrong!
I wish all those people who think declawing a cat is acceptable could know how many kittens and cats have suffered to ‘perfect’ declawing for the sake of their precious furniture, because that is the number one reason why most people have their cat declawed.
SHOCKING!
While researching for more information about the declawing of dogs, which does happen but very rarely, I was stunned to read how many people think dogs suffer more than cats. Some of the comments:
- Declawing isn’t for dogs, it’s for cats, it doesn’t hurt them like it would hurt dogs.
- Declaw a dog? never, that would be so cruel.
- Dogs don’t need declawing they don’t scratch the furniture.
Well I have news for those ignorant people:
- Declawing DOES hurt cats as much as it would dogs.
- Declawing is equally as cruel as it would be declawing dogs.
- Dogs don’t need declawing is quite correct but cats don’t need declawing either! They don’t scratch the revered furniture if they are provided with a scratching post.
Declawing is cruel surgery, too many cats have suffered/are suffering.
IT HAS TO STOP!
The truth hurts and your article is nothing but the truth. Every time I read about de-boning I hurt so much for all the cats and kittens that have been tortured for decades.
Wow Ruth! I believe out of all the posters you have done, this is my most favorite because it puts the reality into declawing. This shows those who ‘don’t get it’ what actually happens.
Thanks Tina, it’s just a matter of keeping on trying to show how cruel declawing is and hoping one of my posters will convince someone pro declaw how wrong they are.
I completely understand! This show a great comparison between what a butcher does and what happens when declawing.
Absolutely one of the worst and most cruel things to do! I wish this could be banned and made illegal. If you are truly a cat lover, you would not even consider doing this! I hate thinking about it.
It will be banned one day! Just not soon enough to save countless more cats and kittens suffering before that day comes 🙁