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!
Yea i never used to be such a strong adovate for cats, but though my experience of having depression etc it made me love them more and want to protect them more. Sometimes just reading what some people worldwide do to any animal does my head in so much. Yea its just so heart-breaking, along with having to deal with normal things in life if there is anything like that.
I know exactly how you feel Kylee, the cruelty to animals day after day breaks my heart too, every way we turn they are being used and abused.
We who care have no choice but to look and to try to do something to help those animals, it’s very hard but if we turned away like so many people do, there would be no one to help them.
I agree,its a sad world that we live in when Scientists/Drs test on young kittens/puppy’s or other animals all in the name science. Its disgusting and total Cruelty i believe.
I remember reading that some University in UK tested animals it breaks my heart, every day on Facebook i read of total cruelty its sickening what some humans do while still smiling. That sad life of one kitten, not even making it to being a proper cat. No animal should ever be declawed its just cruel and wrong.
It often makes me think, how would they like it if roles were reversed? I do tend to think, there be no animals left one day. Which is why we need to stand up and protect them before theres no animals or life left.
That is a really good article Michael.
It will be banned one day! Just not soon enough to save countless more cats and kittens suffering before that day comes 🙁
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.