Why is there shock over the declawing of dogs but not for cats?

I keep coming across more of these great anti declaw blogs and am impressed that so many people care so much.
Yes,why cats and not dogs?Has anyone asked the AVMA that?
It's obvious by the comments that almost everyone is against declawing although I don't know how many are Americans?
I'm glad to see your petition is clocking up more signatures.Some of the ccomments on there are mind blowing.

I think the AVMA and USA vets think cats are inferior to dogs and you are right there would be an outcry if they declawed them.
Those people who cringe at the thought of a dog put through a cruel operation but think it's alright to do it to a cat need to know that cats suffer in silence. Some say declawing didn't affect the cat at all.They are too stupid to know that because a cat doesn't whimper and howl like a dog it doesn't mean the cat isn't suffering.
I'd like to make all vets who declaw any animal, whimper and howl, I really really would.

You most certainly can use my slogan any time.

Fran I love that slogan, can we use it please ?

YES YES YES boycott the blighters who cripple cats.
Stop their bank balances from growing fat with blood money and they will soon decide they can EDUCATE instead of MUTILATE.
Good slogan?
EDUCATE don't MUTILATE!

Good write up man.We need more stuff like this to shock the morons who think crippling cats is an OK thing to do even though they think its wrong to cripple dogs.
Why theres just a few struggling in the USA to get something done about it,I dont know.There must be thousands against it surely man.
I answered a survey on yahoo answers last week, it was just a kid asked the question,do you think declawing is good or bad?
31 said bad 4 said good.
One of the good said....If they scratch on stuff then it's good for them to be declawed.So that means they can't scratch on that stuff anymore...
Total ignorance and disregard of the cats suffering by kids growing up thinking that!
No thought about what it means to the cat to lose his toes.
Education is needed in USA schools man like our people visit schools in the UK to teach kids about animal welfare.
Its gone on now since the 1960s I think I read and thats too long, it has to stop man.

I sometimes wonder if it is the cat's independent nature that has unfairly lead to them being treated with less respect than dogs. Not having developed the same social skills as dogs, cats are considered by some people to be less co-operative or trainable than dogs. Add to that their stoic nature which makes them hide their pain and you have a complex creature, which is misunderstood by many as being an unfeeling and indifferent animal.

When I first learned about declawing, I thought it was only done to cats and that was cruel enough, but I've learned that reptiles and rabbits are also victims. It seems that vets never bother to explain to clients that mother nature gave those creatures claws for a reason.

Either way you look at it, vets who declaw are either in it for the money, or spineless jellies who let their clients emotionally blackmail them into breaking their veterinary oath "to do no harm". They should their licenses revoked, but as that won't happen, we have to do everything we can to bring about a national ban on declawing.

Thanks for your comments everyone.
Each and every USA citizen who agrees how cruel declawing is could do their bit by spreading the word and by boycotting Banfield and any other veterinary practice who declaw cats.
There are some good people who do just that but there are also some who patronise those vets who break their oath !
I wouldn't let any vet who abuses cats in that way anywhere near our cats,I wouldn't trust them in the very least.
There are some good vets, some who are even fighting alongside us for a ban on declawing.
If those vets can make a living without mutilating cats, then so could all vets.

There should be, and is in the UK of course, shock over the declawing of ANY animal! How has it come to be that so many millions of US citizens never raise an eyebrow about the surgical alteration of cats and in fact accept it as normal or even desirable? How dare they admit to each other that they think this amputation of healthy toes is good, how can they haggle over the price charged and ask which litter is best to use? Why aren't they hanging their heads in shame and begging their cats for forgivness? I'm sure someone somewhere has a declawed dog as well as a declawed rabbit, guinea pig and all the rest of the poor creatures subject to man/woman/child's domination.

Excellent information and diagram Ruth! How true that there is outrage when there is even talk of a dog being de-clawed, but no one blinks an eye when a cat is mutilated - in fact, we are encouraged by our culture to do so to create the maintenance free pets cats are marketed and promised to be! My dogs have caused property damage from their teeth and claws, and the word from the masses (vets, shelters, animal orgs, media) is that the solution is to buy bones & trim their nails. However, when a cat exhibits natural animal behavior using their claws, these same people will teach you to mutilate them. Yes, cats are absolutely discriminated against!

I think the public would be shocked to know that vets will de-claw any animal. Dogs, rabbits, raccoons, ferrets, bears, exotic cats, and even iguanas are de-clawed. Last summer there was an article about a 4-paw de-clawed Pit Bull whose owner didn't like the sound the claws made against the floor. The de-clawed Pit ended up in a shelter. I've also read stories about a Poodle that was de-clawed and became such a basket case she was too fearful to ever go outside again, and a Boxer whose paws were so deformed after de-clawing it affected his mobility. These stories really need to be exposed so the world can see how destructive de-clawing truly is since the plight of the cat being de-clawed is greatly ignored. The de-clawing of any and every animal needs to be outlawed!

We really need to give Banfield vet chain, the largest vet chain in America, as much bad press as we can since they blatantly discriminate against cats. They have stopped performing all cosmetic & convenience surgeries on dogs because they are inhumane, yet said they will still perform de-claws because it "saves cats lives" despite the scientific data that de-clawed cats are twice as likely to develop litterbox problems than clawed cats, greatly increasing their risk of euthanasia and relinquishment. This is criminal, and species profiling. BAN BANFIELD!!!

Ruth

I totally agree with you.

I blame the de-clawing vets, primarily for lining their pockets at the expense of the innocent cats and kittens that they’ve sworn to protect, and for not furnishing clients with the truth and viable options. As you say, Ruth they wouldn’t dream of de-clawing a dog because their ‘work’ would be on show for the world to see. They do this vile thing because they can, no one stops them. They are nothing but egotistical mutilators.

I also blame the AMVA for not standing by the courage of their convictions. They should severely punish (if not strike off) every vet that de-claws routinely. That poor kitten or cat may never claw anything! They have the evidence (advertisements that encourage de-clawing with neutering, discount vouchers etc) but choose to ignore it in case they alienate the very sector that they are supposed to govern. It would be laughable if it wasn’t for all the mutilated cats out there.

Last but not least I blame every one of you who states you love your cat then whips it off to the vet to get it de-clawed even when you know the truth. ESPECIALLY when you know the truth! You’re no cat lovers. Here in the UK you and your vet would be prosecuted. Ever wondered why?

In the name of de-clawing I’ve heard some of the most stupid excuses, statements, questions and stories. Some have left me dumfounded. For example ‘a cat should be de-clawed because it will never get a good home, otherwise and be left to roam the streets’ Really?, well seems to me that if you are selfish and shallow enough to de-claw your cat on a whim then you would throw them out on a whim. I would hate to see any cat thrown onto the streets but I’d rather see one out there with his claws to defend himself than one unable to!

One of the most stupid and selfish I’ve heard is ‘I don’t want it the scratch my kid’ wake up! It’s the way that children learn! It teaches them to respect animals not to maul them like some living, breathing stuffed animal!! You don’t seem to worry that ‘your dog could BITE your kid’ which would be far worse!

Oh and ranking in the top slot is ‘I know what’s involved and I don’t care, it’s my choice’ well I’m sorry but this is where words just fail me. The only thing I’ll say is that it will be a damn good job when that choice is taken away from you. No one has the ‘right’ to choose whether or not a cat keeps its claws.

Michael and Ruth, I think you’re right it’s a question of prejudice. They do this because they can then lock their barbarity away. Cats are easy victims.

I agree with Dorothy, we need to keep getting word like this out.We need to keep on telling the world about the suffering and disgraceful treatment of USA and Canadian cats because a lot of people probably don't know.
I heard that declawed cats used in lab experiments in the USA are not even counted and to me that shows they are valued as nothing at all.
I wish I could do more to help but I'm up to my eyes with kids and our cats and dogs and UK animal rights.
I admire all of you who are doing so much towards making declawing illegal one day.
It's a good comparison sketch, the dog ends up with a neatly trimmed claw, the cat ends up with a stump.
It's so very WRONG.

I live in England so thank the Good Lord no animals at all are mutilated here. But I read once about a yorkie in the USA which was found wandering and it turned out it had no claws.
So it must happen ! I don't know why the poor thing was homeles, I don't see how declawed dogs would have the same problems as declawed cats as they don't use their claws for self defence and they don't have litter trays ...or do they ?
Out of interest I just did an internet search on declawing dogs but nothing except pages about declawing cats came up.
Michael is right, people who don't like cats claws shouldn't get a cat.
The truth is they only want the cuddly part of a pet and that's not right.
I hope the day soon comes declawing is banned,because then those cruel people won't have cats.

Quite true Michael ! But cats claws can be trimmed as easily as dogs claws can,although provided with the right scratching materials cats can care very well for their own manicures.
My late mother had very thin skin due to steroid treatment and despite being surrounded by cats, hers and others she fed too, she was never once scratched.
But a neighbour's dog jumped at her one day,scratched her and tore the skin off her arm,it took months to heal.
So those people who have their cats declawed because of someone frail in the family,should really have their dogs declawed too in that case!
But no they wouldn't even think of it because as I already said,there would be an outcry and rightly so !
But how much more a danger to health a dog coming from outside after a walk is, than a cat who never goes outdoors as is the case for many USA cas.
Cats seem to be viewed as second class citizens by some people, in comparison with dogs and in my opinion the AVMA and many USA vets see them that way too.

Is this a form of prejudice? That sounds a very odd thing to say but why such a disparity in attitude towards dogs and cats?

It may be this. Dogs claws are rarely removed (as far as I am aware) because they don't use them as weapons or in the classic sense to catch (grasp) prey. Cats use their claws extensively for these reasons and they are sharper than a dog's claws as far as I know.

Perhaps for these reasons people don't fear dog's claws as some (a lot) of people (wrongly) fear cat's claws.

If I am right, then it comes back to the old well established argument that is so true.

People who are frightened of a cat's claws should not keep a cat - simple. They should get a fluffy toy instead.

Thanks for raising the question, Ruth.

I couldn't have put it better myself!
My sentiments exactly!
Millions of cats suffering behind closed doors can't be right.
I'm with you, NO animal should ever be mutilated in any way for cosmetic reasons.
It breaks my heart to think of the innocent kittens,some not ever born yet which will be cruelly deprived of their claws until this outrageous abuse is stopped!
There would be no need for a ban if vets stuck to the last resort for SERIOUS scratching problems policy,but declawing kittens is NOT a last resort.
It is purely and simply money making abuse!

Keep doing the work of getting the word out and hopefully we will see more cities and countries around the world, including and especially the USA ban this cruel, distasteful, unnecessary and shameful procedure.

I will too.

dw