The New York Daily News reports that the Washington State Veterinary Medical Association (WSVMA) state that declawing causes “negative experiences” in half the cats operated on, which is hardly surprising since the cats have suffered ten amputations in one go! Let’s get real.
However, what is surprising is that the WSVMA agree that declawing causes long-term health issues in 20% of cats who have undergone the operation. That is one in five of all cats operated on.
This is the first time I have read about such an admission. We know it, but for vets to actually admit it is something else. It is surprising because the vets who do it know that they almost always do it not for therapeutic reasons but at the behest of the cat’s owner to protect furniture. Therefore in declawing cats NY veterinarians have admitted to injuring 20% of cats operated on for no benefit to the cat.
This makes the operation akin to a malicious injury inflicted by a thug. It is akin to any other example of animal cruelty and torture. The cat’s owner is the accomplice and the vet is the criminal.
I can’t find the statistic of 20% referred to above on the WSVMA website so I have to rely on the reporting of Christina Gdisis of the NY Daily News. On the basis that the reporting is accurate, I thank her for her article. NY state might ban declawing soon. We are awaiting the legislature’s decision.
Vets normally defend their desire to declaw cats for non-therapeutic purposes in any way possible all of which are transparently stupid reasons. It is indefensible.
There are around 300 pages concerned with fighting declawing on PoC! I hate it almost more than anything else as it is so obviously wrong. See also complications of declawing.
Kevin_You are so RIGHT !
Eva_
Just to add – no I will not mention it to anybody.
Good news! A question for you. A few days to a week ago, I had an email notification about the new on how certain clinics in the US said they will stop declawing and that the announcement will be coming next Monday. When I tried to access the page, it was gone. Was the post done in error? I specifically don’t mention the clinics here just in case you removed the post because it wasn’t true.
Hi Kitty. I was asked to remove the page until VCA issued the press release. I did so and have tried to contact VCA hospitals by phone to find out when the release will be released! I have failed to talk to someone. They have a crap phone system. I was told the press release would be issued on Monday. I hate removing pages. It’ll be reinstated asap.
I am under strict orders to not publish the page. I am waiting. Sorry.
Kitty it is probably best to keep the VCA news under wraps until I publish the page and the VCA issue the press release. Sorry.
Thanks – this is why I didn’t mention VCA in my note, I figured that since you removed the message, it was something like this. I was curious because I go to a VCA clinic. I was actually thinking of changing, but this was for another reason: my vet of many years left about 4 years ago, and I just don’t trust the new one that much. I might change the vet within the clinic instead.
Regarding declawing – I don’t think they were ever very keen on it. If you look through their web pages on cats, their behavior article on “scratching” doesn’t even mention it and talks about training, trimming, soft paws instead. If your search their library specifically for declawing, they do mention it, but at least they’ve never promoted it like some other vets do.
But… VCA is different from other chains in that they don’t open new clinics, instead, they buy an existing clinics, take over the business part, but pretty much leave the doctors alone. It’ll be interesting if/when they announce it. This is one case where a corporate policy on the subject would be good.
Well Said. I am so appalled by this torturous procedure that last year when I overheard a cashier at the grocery bragging that he’d had his cat De-clawed [ over the fact his cat used a new expensive couch as a scratching post ] I gave him a piece of my mind. Needless to say he was angry that I so blatantly expressed my opinion right then and there. His excuse-But I paid out $900-for that couch.
I told him it was unfair not to have provided his cat with a scratching post.
I removed my purchases to the next checkout teller.
Eva-We have choices. Let’s begin making the right ones.
Eva, Thanks for standing up for cats. I really don’t understand how somebody can put their cat through that kind of physical and mental pain and then feel like it’s worth bragging rights.
De-clawing cats is sick and selfish on behalf of all those involved.