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Are there any opinions/research/studies, etc. out there advocating declawing that aren't put out by some one, or organization, that doesn't have a vested interest in seeing the practice continued? I doubt it. The Humane Society and the AVMA certainly wouldn't fall into that category. I don't mean to bad mouth the Humane Society, but their top priority is adoption and controlling shelter population. So they're willing to do/promote whatever it takes to achieve that. Besides, results of studies and statistics can skewed or manipulated to come up with whatever outcome you're after.
Yes, that is true on both ends of the issue, and of ALL issues. And even of non-issues. It is equally true that the anti-declawing brigade is manipulating statistics to arrive at the outcome they're after too. Such as:
There are veterinarians who aren't very good, who aren't particularly skilled with surgery, or whose staff are neglectful and don't administer the proper meds to their furry patients. As a result, those vets have patients who suffer horribly, and in some cases, permanently.
The anti-declaw brigade turns that into:
ALL vets who declaw, mutilate cats, and force them to live the rest of their miserable lives suffering horribly.
It just flat out isn't true. If ONE cat does not suffer, then it cannot be true that ALL cats suffer. If 50% of cats don't suffer, then you can't even say that MOST cats suffer. And since there just aren't any reliable medical data on declawing - the anti-declawers are pulling their information from their butts and creating statistics that don't exist to push their agenda.
The sad thing, is that they might even be correct. But because they DEMAND that everyone believe them - and they have no reliable data - their claims can't be taken seriously by anyone other than alarmists.
This debate could go on forever and I doubt either side would be able to change the other's opinion. I know no one will ever convince me that it's acceptable to declaw a cat to protect a piece of furniture. I also don't agree with tail docking & ear cropping on dogs so that they have the proper 'look'. But that's a subject for another forum.
This debate could go on forever and I doubt either side would be able to change the other's opinion. I know no one will ever convince me that it's acceptable to declaw a cat to protect a piece of furniture. I also don't agree with tail docking & ear cropping on dogs so that they have the proper 'look'. But that's a subject for another forum.
You're correct. This debate will never end as long as it's legal in the USA, vets are willing to do it and people put more value on their material possessions than on their cats.
The last thing I will say about it is that it's not necessary if furniture protection is the ultimate goal. When they were kittens my two guys tore up the back of a chair climbing up it before I figured out how to redirect them with proper scratching posts around the house and spraying them with a gentle spray water bottle. They are now 11 years old and I can honestly say they haven'y clawed at any furniture since they were trained as little guys. We've reroped and re carpeted a few posts and they are very happy.
I've had many declawed cats, some came that way, some we've declawed ourselves. Not a single one has ever had issues.
However, I no longer declaw. In 99.9% of the cases, it is completely unnecessary. With the proper access to scratching alternatives, most cats will stop destroying furniture. For some cats, they can be directed to destroy only one piece of furniture (currently, just corner of the box spring for one cat and the leg of one rustic coffee table for another). For the remainder of the cats, you can learn to abandon your attachment to furniture. It's just like having children. I am grateful my parents didn't trim my fingers for writing on the new headboard with magic marker, or carving my best friend's name into the dresser handcrafted by a dear friend.
The 0.1% is for the cats that cannot be safely approached for medical care. One of our cats was completely unapproachable. He had a history of stomatitis and neeed regular vet care. I have absolutely no regrets about declaw him.
For me, declawing is similar to abortion. It is a decision that I would never ever want to be in a position to consider; but I do believe, that option should not be taken away.
It is interesting to me that the anti-declawing people speak of it as "mutilating" the animal and yet they have no objection to spay/neuter procedures. Getting castrated is not being mutiliated? Ouch.... I think I would rather have fingers cut off by a table saw than be castrated. Oh wait, I have had a couple chopped off at the first knuckle. I still don't want to be castrated.
It is interesting to me that the anti-declawing people speak of it as "mutilating" the animal and yet they have no objection to spay/neuter procedures. Getting castrated is not being mutiliated? Ouch.... I think I would rather have fingers cut off by a table saw than be castrated. Oh wait, I have had a couple chopped off at the first knuckle. I still don't want to be castrated.
The surgeries are not comparable. They are not anything alike. They don't have the same purpose, or benefits, or long lasting negative consequences.
The surgeries are not comparable. They are not anything alike. They don't have the same purpose, or benefits, or long lasting negative consequences.
True, and aside from the obvious fact of spay/neuter to avoid reproduction...anyone who has watched "My Cat From Hell" has seen what happens with intact cats, and how they can be psychologically happier once they are spayed/neutered. It dials back tons of aggression and anxiety in the animal.
Wheras declawing is generally more beneficial to the furniture. I'm glad I don't have to worry what my couch thinks. I have enough to worry about...and I love to watch my beautiful cat even when he's scratching at my couch, stretching and being happy and doing what cats do. I love to see him bolting madly through the house, climbing on stuff, just...being a cat. Removing his claws would hamper his ability to do many of his favorite things, even aside from the question of pain. I don't comprehend the process of "docking" dogs' tails and such either...I'm no dog person, but am I wrong in thinking that's just basically altering the dog surgically for purely cosmetic reasons? I don't get it...
As for a cat's ability to scratch people, mine sure gives us plenty of warning (via his flippy tail) when he's in no mood to be trifled with. My kids know this. If we ignore the warnings we get what's coming to us. But we all "speak cat"...we all know better.
Declawing is simply a matter of personal preference, in my opinion. Most people who are against it have never declawed a cat before, because they think it hurts the cat immensely and thus, have never witnessed firsthand how a cat recovers from the process. They also tend to be quite loud with their opinions, and some will snap at anyone who considers the idea. Bringing up the issue can get heated really fast.
I declawed my first cat as a kitten, as he was extremely playful and tore me up with his claws all the time. I trimmed them constantly and tried the nail covers from Petsmart which were totally useless and fell off in a few hours time. I chose to declaw him, and I can assure you that he didn't slow down a bit after the surgery. He didn't show any signs of pain or limp around or meow in pain like those against the process often claim they do. Kittens, from my experience, recover so quickly from the process, that saying it's a torturous act that hurts like crazy has very little evidence to support that claim. However, I can see how an adult cat might be a different story and why it would take longer for them to recover. It would be harder for an adult to adjust, and could definitely lead to a lot of behavioral issues. I would never declaw an older cat, nor would I ever declaw the back feet. Why anyone declaws the back feet is beyond me.
My second cat I adopted as a kitten. I never got around to declawing him, mainly because he wasn't big on scratching or playing and it wasn't a pressing issue at the time. He grew up, and I am now glad I never got around declawing him. It's much more comforting to know that if he ever gets loose, he has his claws. My declawed cat has escaped once before, and it was incredibly worrisome. I now take extra precaution around open doors, and would freak out if he got loose again.
I've discovered that I wouldn't want to declaw a future cat. It doesn't bother me when people do, though. It's really up to doing what is best for you and is fine by me if it's one less reason that may cause you to give your cat away.
For what it's worth (nothing really) my cat is far more lethal with his back feet than his front ones. He does that "bunny kick" which will lay your arm open if you let it. He also, when he wants to get away from us, will launch himself with great force from his hind legs and once he scratched me on the chest so deep I still have a scar (3 months later.)
Part of the issue though is that he's much more willing to let me trim the front claws, he doesn't like anyone messing with his little hind foots at all.
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