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.
They should be hog tide bloody bastards how would they like all there digits taken off,I’m appalled at such callous standards .how do they kitties walk withsuch pain. No wwonder Jackson is called to help terrified kitties . god knows some of them may have had it done. Step up SPCAs
A cat was NEVER meant to be without it’s claws. Let me rephrase this statement [ CLAWs and TOE BONES ] This may be hard for some of us to watch , but imagine how much harder it is for the cat to bear. To wake up in horrible pain , unable to understand, unable to walk steady or use the litter box or ask it’s parents > owners WHY? WHAT DID I DO TO DESERVE THIS Mommy Daddy I Hurt SO MUCH !?&*)(?/&&(R? HELP ME PLEASE.
So is their furniture that important?
Are these types of people too lazy to train their cats they profess to Love?
I wonder how the owners of those cats feel seeing their cats publicly mocked? If it were me, I’d be paying that vet a very close and personal visit from my fist.
That poor little cat in the corner. Their pain and fear is written all over them 🙁
It just goes to prove how callous these vets are. They’re only in it for the money, they don’t give a damn about the welfare of their patients.
I agree with you Ruth. Why on earth aren’t people boycotting clinics which carry out declawing? If their business began to suffer because clients were taking their pets elsewhere, they would very quickly change their policy. Hitting these vets in their pocket, is going to be far more effective than any amount of public campaigning.
While this may be a fool’s quest, I wrote to the AVMA this afternoon about this. I did not dwell on anti-declaw specifically, but I focused on this vet and her assistant’s lack of professionalism and compassion, etc.
I attached the photos, and the text “ha ha ha”, etc, and a link to Moonbrook’s website, their address and phone number, and copied what had been available on their facebook page. The AVMA has read it, but so far has not responded. I was so upset and angry when I wrote it my hands were shaking- but I did a spell check before I sent it off.
I think my email was straight to the point.
This veterinarian and her comrade should be sanctioned. Just my humble opinion.
Poor baby!! Declawing cats is already cruel, but to laugh about it is just…I honestly don’t have adequate words. It’s a totally unnecessary surgery that leaves the cat in mutilated and in pain. Someone explained it to me like this – imagine someone crudely removing part of your finger at the joint, leaving you in excruciating pain. Now imagine having a constant urge to yawn but you will never be able to no matter how much you try; multiply that feeling by 1,000. And to make matters worse, you have lost a primary defense mechanism leaving you vulnerable and pretty much defenseless. Don’t know if all that’s accurate, but the bottom line is declawing is cruel and so very wrong. I try to understand and respect other people’s opinions and perspectives, agree to disagree if you will, but I can’t understand how any sane person, especially a vet, can condone this practice and think it’s funny. Sorry for the rant, but I am strongly opposed to declawing and I believe it should be banned. Why would anyone ever do this to their pet?! Even if you don’t pamper your cat, why do this to a living, feeling being whose well being and health you are responsible for. If your precious furniture is so important that this kind of mutilation is even a consideration, don’t get a cat. It’s that simple. Get a pet rock. That’s more appropriate for your emotional bandwidth.