Video interview with Dr Jennifer Conrad

This is a nice video of an interview with the lady who leads the battle against the declawing of cats in the USA. The image quality is poor but you don’t need great image quality. The words are all you need. They are revealing and all cat owners should see this video but very few have.

Dr Conrad has an insight into the problems. When I listened to it, four things stuck in my mind:

Many vets mislead clients as to what declawing entails and
Many clients regret that they declawed their cat when they find out what they have done.
Twice and many declawed cats are relinquished than non-declawed cats.
One vet said that Dr Conrad could not be a vet because she fought against declawing. He justified declawing by saying a cat’s claw could poke a child’s eye out! Yes, but how many eyes have been poked out by a cat’s claw and whose fault would it be anyway? He is the one who does not sound like a vet. He sounds like an idiot.

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Comments

Video interview with Dr Jennifer Conrad — 9 Comments

Harvey Harrison on October 18, 2013 at 4:26 pm said:
It’s abundantly obvious that the de-clawing Vets put $$$ before anything else. They know very well that it is a nasty thing to do and causes suffering , but the $$$ rule.
I have sawn-off tree trunks in my house which the cats use instead of the furniture, and they don’t look too bad either. A touch of nature.
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Rose on October 16, 2013 at 2:57 pm said:
Fantastic video I like Dr Conrad very much and I’m so happy that more vets are starting to follow her example and give up declawing cats.
I still can’t get my head around the American mentality of people wanting cats declawed at all even if they don’t know what major surgery it is as it’s so cruel and wrong and we know it so why don’t they?
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- Ruth (Monty's Mom) on October 18, 2013 at 10:30 am said:
  I get such a thrill watching Monty scratch on trees outside. I can’t imagine someone wanting a cat who couldn’t do that. It’s a workout for his whole body and he gets so into it, obviously getting pleasure from the activity.
  The reason my husband pushed for declawing (until I put my foot down) was that we have a waterbed. About two or three months ago a sharp little claw did poke a couple holes in the mattress. We patched them, put a quilt on the bed under the bed pad and bottom sheet and resolved to trim Monty’s claws more regularly to keep them from getting that needle sharp point. That’s all I take off is just the very tip. He purred the last time I did it, so he doesn’t even mind anymore. Were he a full time outdoor cat instead of mainly indoors I wouldn’t even have to do that because his work on the trees would completely take care of his claws. There’s just no reason for a surgical intervention to prevent damage to a waterbed mattress.
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  - Michael on October 18, 2013 at 12:09 pm said:
    Ahhh….Ruth, such a beautiful comment that is so in tune with nature, cats and decent behavior. You’re a good woman.
    Cats do get a lot from scratching a tree. It is an integral part of their life and heritage.
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Dee (Florida) on October 16, 2013 at 2:50 pm said:
I like her so much. She doesn’t let anything deter her from her passion. She speaks well and honestly.
She is being heard here, and I’m thrilled.
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Ruth aka Kattaddorra on October 16, 2013 at 1:48 pm said:
I love this video, Jennifer is so nice and so calm and obviously a true cat lover.
I agree with you Michael, the vet who said she couldn’t be a real vet because she fought against declawing, is an idiot.
That stupid argument about a cat’s claws putting a child’s eyes out is just ridiculous, I’ve never known any eyes put out by cats here where declawing is banned. He’s obviously one of those who thinks cats are not important, he probably really hates them and enjoys crippling them for money!
I can hardly wait for the day when vets like him are stopped from their cruelty, hopefully it’s drawing nearer now.
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- Michael on October 16, 2013 at 2:45 pm said:
  That idiot vet is a bit a scary for me because I have seen others like that doing videos talking about declawing and they haven’t got two brain cells to rub together.
  These vets completely miss the point that cats are sentient beings that feel pain, have emotions and which we must respect if we are to be decent people.
  When I hear these vets or read what they say I see a person who is living about 100 years behind mainstream civilised society. They should not be vets. They don’t have the correct attitude.
  They would look at home in a loin cloth by a camp fire in front of a cave. Actually they are worse than cavemen. At least they didn’t declaw cats.
  And Jennifer Conrad is a great person. Down to earth and sees the light where 99% of her colleagues are in the dark of ignorance.
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  - Ruth (Monty's Mom) on October 18, 2013 at 10:23 am said:
    They “don’t have two brain cells to rub together.” Lol! I have always thought people like Jennifer Conrad and Ron Gaskin sound a lot more intelligent than the pro declaw camp. Their arguments are well reasoned and thought out, based on actual anatomy of the cat and how that anatomy relates in terms of form and function. You can’t make the argument against declawing in a thirty second sound bite. It requires an understanding of how a cat’s paw works and how disease processes like arthritis get started. The argument against: “Uh, a claw could poke an eye out.” Who sounds like a moron?
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    - Michael on October 18, 2013 at 11:56 am said:
      Pleased you liked the 2 brain cells phrase. I absolutely agree with you when you state that the pro-declaw vets sound more stupid than the anti-declaw vets. This may be an important factor in getting rid of the blight on the American pet ownership landscape.
      When a person is less intelligent they are more likely to be a lemming – follow the mass. Enlightened thinking requires more intelligence and more courage. It will take enlightened thinking and courage for vets to voluntarily stop declawing in the USA.
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