Ruth, one of the country’s staunchest advocates against declawing, forwarded a couple of photographs to me of a red, spotted tabby-and-white cat being declawed together with a photograph of the cat after being declawed. The screenshot is below.
Jim, a visitor comments (see below): “The woman on the left is the vet and the one who, according to the post, threw the severed cat toes at a third person, apparently a student intern, who was the one who took the photo and wrote the comments. The cat on the right is not the same cat as the one on the left…but apparently was subjected to declawing. It’s still very disturbing and discouraging.” This clears things up. My description off the photos is not accurate with respect to the parties but it does not change what is happening with respect to ethics and moral code.
Perhaps I needn’t add words to this page but I will add a few. I am compelled to. I presume the photograph on the left shows the veterinarian and his assistant declawing this cat. I don’t know the name of the person who made the comments which are below the photograph but they are crass beyond belief and appear to be made by the vet. The behaviour of this couple of medics during the declawed operation is highly objectionable. It is nauseous.
The veterinarian is laughing at the fact that his assistant threw at him the fragments of bone and the claws that had been amputated from this cat’s smashed toes. He actually finds it amusing. Amusing for God’s sake! Only a vet who is completely desensitised to the reality of what he is doing could behave in this manner. And then to post the photos online. Extraordinary. Update: Please read the comments by Ruth on this as she has a better grasp of the ‘players’. This article was written from the screenshot alone.
In the picture on the right we see the aftermath of the declawing operation. This is the classic, fearful, racked with pain, face and posture of a cat who has suffered 10 amputations at the same time, which all took place within about 15 minutes and therefore the operation is quite likely a botch. The vet or assistant finds the photo amusing for some macabre reason.
I am shocked and I am in despair because these vets certainly do not care and by that I mean the vets who genuinely believe that declawing is acceptable and which is part of their culture. Shame on him and her. They are not fit to be veterinary medics.
To be an excellent vet you have to have empathy with the patient. That is as important as knowledge and skill. It is also telling that a trainee vet (if I am correct) is doing the operation. It tells us how routine and unimportant it is to the clinic.
Thanks Gracie for commenting. If she is so kind etc. why is she declawing a cat and messing around at the same time? Declawing for non-therapeutic purposed is against the vet’s oath. She is in breach of the most fundamental core principles of her work.
Sondra. I think you make a good point about the cat. It is quite tricky to tell if they are the same cat. They are both red tabby-and-white it seems to me. The right hand cat is not a calico in my view. This is a diluted red tabby-and-white. However. They may not be the same cat because there appears to be more white on the underside of the cat on the right. I missed this when I wrote the article.
But does that change anything at heart? The cat on the left is being declawed and the vet and assistant are messing around when they do it. And the cat on the right has been declawed as I understand it and shows classic signs of pain and fear.
The message stays the same: this is bad. This is not hoopla. This is real. There it is, in black and white, in the words under the pictures. You’re just trying to muddy the waters. Confuse the issue.
Thanks Chris. Your comment has been published.
I hope kitty’s owners are proud of themselves as well. All for the lack of a scratching post…. absurd.
How can any of you “activists” not tell that the cat in the left hand picture is definitely not the same cat that is in the right hand picture??? I am not a vet but I have all of the cat calendars since 1982 and know that the left hand cat is a tiger/tabby with black obviously in it and the right is pure white and orange calico. If you ask me, and see the obvious differences in the pictures, this is pure hoopla and a bunch of people trying to get a few minutes of your time.
Since age five this “female veterinarian” volunteered at a local veterinary office scooping poop, walking pets and giving love to every animal that she could – for free.
After 12 determined years of schooling to achieve her degree she continues to do the same. This woman has cried, rejoiced and bereaved with her clients.
In a few cases she has actually, with the owner’s permission, taken unwanted pets into her own home.
She does not make much money. She fights for all animals, including your pets. This woman is compassionate, loving and kind. She is better than we are. You would want her as not only a friend, but your pet’s trusted doctor.