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.
Mine too Lisa, I’d be getting a lawyer for sure! I wouldn’t trust any vet who declaws anywhere near our cats anyway.
The vets I worked with never messed around in the operating theatre. The younger ones would have a bit of fun in their lunch break, but never while in charge of, or at the expense of any animal.
One of the comments on the petition implies that the cat in the corner was merely sitting there coming round from the anaesthetic. What a load of rubbish, she was hiding her painful mutilated paws in the corner in shock and fear.
the ‘ha ha poor kitty’ under the picture was totally inaproppriate and insensitive!
Total agreement. A vet commented and defended them to a certain extent saying that vets did mess around when operating to relieve stress. This looks like callousness to me. A disregard for what they are doing: an unnecessary multiple mutilation.
If this happened to one of my cats, there would be a lawyer in the mix. I think they should have some serious actions taken against them! We trust our loved anaimals with vets, and this is what takes place. Shame on them all!
Lots of various versions going round so thanks for this, there must have been 3 people of course, one taking the photos. Yes it’s very disturbing and discouraging but it was doing our cause a lot of good, exposing declawing as something unsterile and amusing to some vet staff.
Unfortunately some anti declaws have made death threats to the staff, which is no help at all of course 🙁
I saw somewhere the person Laura who started the petition has been threatened with a law suit. But surely the clinic won’t want the publicity of doing that, exposing the terrified cat in the cage and the amputated toe ends of the other being thrown around, the caption under the photos are clear, the one in the cage was spayed and declawed. I can imagine a crowd of anti declaws at that courtroom! Not good for the clinic’s business at all!
Thanks Jim. You have cleared it up neatly and concisely which is great.