This is a poll created specially for PoC by Meetville, a dating site. The questions where mine. It was held from 10/20/14 to 11/13/14 among 9,454 people from the following countries:
- USA – 49%
- Canada – 6%
- Britain – 15%
- Australia – 6%
- Other countries – 24%.
It is a large poll which makes it more accurate. However, slightly unfortunately, the results are, in my opinion, muddied slightly because people in countries other than the two where declawing happens (USA and Canada), took part.
Despite that slight blurring in precision, the results should shock people who are concerned about cat welfare. If you are not at least surprised by the results I don’t believe you care enough. Yet, in each case around 50% of the poll participants don’t appear to care enough about cat welfare.
Clearly an underlying cause is a lack of knowledge about the declawing operation…
Once again I am staggered at the high percentage of people who are still in the dark about declawing. To remind people, it is not just removing the claw. It is removing the bone to which the claw is attached together with the claw. The bone is the distal phalanx. Often (in Utah, USA about 60% of the time) the bone is shattered leaving shards in the toe. This hurts and can cause lameness. The Paw Project carry out repair surgery to remove these shards. There are other issues such as nail regrowth under the skin causing abscesses. It is horrible and quite different to what many people perceive the operation to be.
This misconception about declawing must be the major reason why such a high percentage of people state that declawing is not cruel…
I have to take a deep breath before looking at these figures.
Another poll question does not concern declawing but relinquishment (abandonment) of one’s cat. I am almost equally shocked at this statistic…
To restate what the poll tells us: 37% of people (almost 4 in 10) would give up their cat even if they have the ability to care for him/her. If this is accurate, it tells me that a lot of cat caretakers are “cat owners” and are not really connected with their cat. There is not the desired level of care and love towards their cat which I feel is required to do a good job of looking after a cat companion.
indeed, Michael and it says a lot about the mentality of most people when it comes to the anipals — most people still consider them “property”, not living, breathing, feeling beings. . .
Well, I’m not easily shocked by anything. But, that doesn’t mean that I don’t care enough.
Only once in a while will I see something that I haven’t seen or heard of before, like that mama cat chewing off the heads of her babies.
But, this poll isn’t even really surpring to me.
That’s the problem with a lot of animal issues. No one cares. There just animals. They don’t matter. Perhaps the cute factor could be used to draw people in so they can be taught about the horrors of declawing and alternate ways to protect your stupid furniture. (Or don’t get a cat at all for heaven sakes!).
Sorry but even if it was ‘just the claws’ why would anyone want to take them from a cat? It’s unthinkable to us here in England, even to people who don’t particularly like cats.
37% who would relinquish their cat even if they were able to look after him/her is disgraceful! To those people a cat is obviously disposable and unimportant and that makes me very annoyed.
Wouldn’t you think that after years of internet education about declawing that more people would understand it?
I can’t say I’m shocked at these results. . . There is still a lot of ignorance in the world about declawing. What does shock me is the ignorance of what declawing actually is, and that almost half of these idiots don’t think it is cruel! WAKE UP PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!