Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder <a href="http://cbs2.com/local/Cat.Declaw.Ordinance.2.1297091.html" target="_blank">http://cbs2.com/local/Cat.Decl...091.html</a> I don't know if WE is the proper place for this, but here goes. I think this ordinance is wrong. I've owned two cats in my life, one for 14 years, the other is now 12 1/2. Both were declawed. One I got because a kid came to the door with the kitten in a box, hoping someone would take it, and the other came from a shelter. At the time I adopted them, the respective landlords/management companies made declawing a requirement if a cat were to live there. Neither of my cats have ever shown any form of discomfort, disability or abuse as a result of being declawed. They've led perfectly happy, normal, adjusted lives (as much as any cat does that). This ordinance is a huge overreaction to some special interest lobbying. It is not torture, it is not disfigurement, it is not cruel. Moreover, it does not leave then defenseless. Cats fight by rolling over on their backs and using their back claws. Back claws are not declawed. In order to avoid being wildly hypocritical, I would fully expect anyone in favor of this ordinance to also be against tail bobbing on dogs, neutering, spaying, circumsion of baby boys, rhinoplasty, false eyelashes, tattoos, face lifts, hair coloring, liposuction, vasectomies, tubal ligation and breast implants.
Originally Posted By gadzuux Hillary Clinton - of all people - came in for some heavy criticism when she had 'Socks' declawed. Her response was that the white house was filled with heirloom furnishings - chairs that belonged to Lincoln and such - and these took precedence over the clinton's personal pet. I fall somewhere in the middle. I had a cat for many years that wasn't declawed, and my furnishings took a beating because of it. I'm sympathetic to cat lovers who are opposed to declawing, but it's a decision that ultimately needs to be left up to the cat's owner. It's like abortion - if you don't approve of declawing, don't do it. But don't presume to tell other people what's best for them.
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones Declawing is like amputation. Cats are certainly are good at adapting. So are people. "In order to avoid being wildly hypocritical, I would fully expect anyone in favor of this ordinance to also be against tail bobbing on dogs, neutering, spaying, circumsion of baby boys, rhinoplasty, false eyelashes, tattoos, face lifts, hair coloring, liposuction, vasectomies, tubal ligation and breast implants." Of the procedures listed, I am against everything but spaying and neutering pets (The claw on your cat won't reproduce an unwanted pet) and vasectomies (voluntary ones, of course!).
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones "It's like abortion - if you don't approve of declawing, don't do it." Abortion is something you can voluntarily have done to yourself. While pets are considered property, there are also laws that protect them. You can beat up your chair, for example, but not your cat even though it's your property. There are alternatives to declawing such as Soft Paws: <a href="http://www.softpaws.com/" target="_blank">http://www.softpaws.com/</a> They require extra effort on your part, but you will be able to avoid ***amputating your cat's toes***.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder I don't see abortion as murder, and I also don't see declawing as amputation in the sense it leaves them crippled or without, either.
Originally Posted By Princessjenn5795 My problem with declawing cats is that if they accidentally get outside they have no way to protect themselves against would be predators or even climb a tree to get away from them.
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones "I don't see abortion as murder, and I also don't see declawing as amputation in the sense it leaves them crippled or without, either." Please enlighten us with your tales of being a cat without claws. Declawing is the last refuge of a lazy cat owner. There are several ways to stop a cat from messing with your furniture. Spray it with a water bottle. Temporarily put double-sided tape on the furniture so that when they go to scratch they get tape on them and get all pissed off. Provide a scratching post. Use soft paws. Use that bitter apple crap. Hit them (oh wait, don't do that).
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones Keep in mind that there is no standard procedure for this type of elective surgery. There are no standards on pain killers before, during or after the procedure. There are no standards on the tools used to perform the procedure. Whenever you put a cat under anaesthesia there is a chance something will go wrong. I have no idea why you would take that risk for what is a *elective* surgery to treat a cosmetic issue, largely, the destruction of your crappy furniture. Unlike a spay or neuter procedure there is no benefit to the pet itself. The only benefit is to you. Seems vain and callous to me.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "Unlike a spay or neuter procedure there is no benefit to the pet itself. The only benefit is to you. Seems vain and callous to me." Suffice to say I couldn't disagree more with anything you've said here.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "My problem with declawing cats is that if they accidentally get outside they have no way to protect themselves against would be predators or even climb a tree to get away from them." Cats fight and climb with their back claws.
Originally Posted By Mr X ***Unlike a spay or neuter procedure there is no benefit to the pet itself*** "Neutering (castration) - A small incision is made into the scrotum of each testicle. The membrane surrounding the testicle is torn away and the testicle is squeezed so that it pops out. It is attached to the body by the vas deferens as well as an artery. There is a membrane like sheath that covers these and this is cut. Forceps are used to separate the artery from the vas deferens; a clamp is then placed upon the artery. Depending on the doctor, the vas deferens can be used to tie off the artery or surgical thread may be used. The remaining stump is then put back into the scrotum and the cat is finished. Most doctors do not suture a male cat after surgery because they tend to lick at the area so much.*** Mind explaining exactly what is so "beneficial" to the animal who gets this done to them? ***"My problem with declawing cats is that if they accidentally get outside they have no way to protect themselves against would be predators or even climb a tree to get away from them." Cats fight and climb with their back claws.*** I don't think you can really argue, though, that a declawed cat isn't more likely to get hurt or killed if confronted outdoors. The obvious solution, though, is to make sure the cat never escapes.
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones "Mind explaining exactly what is so "beneficial" to the animal who gets this done to them?" There is a decreased risk of some cancers, plus the whole overpopulation thing. Spaying and neutering your pets helps prevent the suffering of cats and dogs down the line.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder It's already mandatory in animal shelters everywhere that any pet adopted out is fixed before they're released.
Originally Posted By gadzuux I think spokker's being a little too absolute about how the cat is always right. It doesn't work that way. As I said, I've been a cat owner before so I speak from real experience. My cat was never declawed, and she wouldn't even tolerate my trying to clip them - a harmless and painless procedure. She was an 'indoor' cat for her entire life and was terrified of the outside world. She would never wander any further than within eyesight of the door. The idea that she would ever be in a fight for her life with some woodland creature is out of the question. As to the other argument - yes, it does lead to the destruction of furniture. No amount of spray bottles or bitter apples is ever going to offset the day to day effects of cats and furniture. I'm with you in theory - it's a shocking thing to do to a cat unnecessarily. But for the cat it may mean the difference between an opportunity to langour in the lap of luxury for a lifetime, or a short one way ticket to the vet. Which would you choose? I wouldn't snip dogs ears and tails either, or shove snouts further into a pug's face to make it look cuter, but people do. I may privately think less of them, but I don't confront them with it either. People can have their high-brow ethical positions - god knows I've got plenty of them - but I stop short at saying that everybody else must comply with my way of thinking on this or that particular issue.
Originally Posted By RockyMtnMinnie I'm not going to tell anyone what to do one way or another, but having worked as a vet tech I can tell you what the declawing surgery involves. They essentially extend the entire claw and use a guillotine style nail clipper and chop them down at the base. After having participated in many of these surgeries, I would not choose to declaw my own cats.
Originally Posted By SpokkerJones "I stop short at saying that everybody else must comply with my way of thinking on this or that particular issue." Again, we have laws on the books that ban the abuse of pets. This isn't a matter of, "Stay out of my business." It is society's business to see that pets are not harmed, and that is generally what we as a society have come to agree on. What unnecessary surgeries you put your pet through is my business and I will continue to make it my business. Most people really don't know what declawing is. As RockyMtnMinnie points out, if you actually know what the procedure involves, you would be more inclined to disagree with it.
Originally Posted By SingleParkPassholder "What unnecessary surgeries you put your pet through is my business and I will continue to make it my business." Big deal.
Originally Posted By beamerdog I'm staying out of the declawing argument. But neutering? A necessity for working dogs - those hormones are a bear. But then, you're probably against working dogs, too. And, if you're not going to breed your dog or cat, I'm definitely for neutering. We have enough unwanted pets already. Service dog Jackson came from the SPCA and was to be neutered anyway.
