OK, so I don't have a beautiful new picture of any of my kitties. But, I wanted to blog anyway. Next Thursday (Oct. 20th) we take Ally in to get spayed. We've been trying to decide if we should declaw her. 3 out of 4 of the other kitties are declawed. We didn't declaw the oldest one due to his age. We've since been struggling with the idea because it is kinda cruel. And, I've worried about her running outside and not being able to climb a tree.
Whaddya think?
6 comments:
Perhaps I'm a cruel mama, but the pet has to reside peacefully in my house, which means no ruining my hard-earned furniture, carpets, and other belongings.
If I were to ever get another cat, I'd have only the front claws removed.
Our vet said they still have their back claws and are still able to climb with them to get away from danger!!!
Archie just had his done and is doing fine.
He won't get yelled at cos he is clawing my furniture and woodwork either. So, I won't have a nervous cat!!!
Guido: My mom says in her comment below that they can still climb - so I guess that takes care of our other problem. Thanks for the cd!! :0) We'll come in Saturday (22nd). Are you going to be there?
Gnightgirl and the Mom: Neither of you are cruel mamas. You're right. I would be upset with her for ruining the furniture and it will keep me from yelling at the little girl (as below).
"STOP IT!!" (clapping of hands and stomping of feet while reaching for the spray bottle.)
That sounds like a great idea - Guido! We may be there around 6:00 or so - not "nursing home" time. Since the "patient" will be out of town.
Or - you can just tell us what time you think...
:0)
Actually, people who declaw cats generally don't realize what harm they actually do to their animals. Unlike what the term "declaw" suggests, the procedure is where they amputate the last joint on a cat's toes (that's like taking the bone of your finger off that you use to type). People say that their cat doesn't seem painful after a while, but cats instinctively will hide severe pain, which is what declawing causes.
There are ways to train a cat to use a scratching post. Also, do a google search for "soft paws". They're little nail covers you put on that blunt the tip. The cat still gets to scratch, without doing damage. They also get the physical and psychological exercise and full body stretch that declawing robs the cat of.
And vets who say that declawing is okay will even stoop to the level of lying about what the procedure entails. Declawing is a VERY lucrative business for veterinarians. Some vets (the honest ones) will not declaw.
People who value their furniture over their animal (I say animal instead of cat because cats aren't the only animals who can destroy furniture) should simply settle for a goldfish.
Oh, and don't forget that some cats become biters or refuse to use the litterbox after the declaw procedure.
Here's a good site with good information about declawing.
http://declaw.lisaviolet.com/
Just my two cents. :)
As part of the kitty-mangling "parents" in question, I feel that I'm allowed a comment or two here in response to the comments from "anonymous":
1) We know that declawing hurts. With regard to cats "instinctively...(hiding) severe pain," I might ask you, Cat Whisperer, why I can rub my cats declawed toes without getting even a minorly-bothered response in return, but can't hold any of them in my arms for more than a few minutes before they start to squirm? Is it too extremely painful to a cat to be held for thirty seconds, yet the excruciating pain of declawing is treated with a Zen-like calm...for life?
2) Yes, some cats become biters, some become pissers, and some also become very big and very aggressive because they eventually find that they've become larger than the big kitties who tormented them when they were babies, and....they have claws, which the former bullies do not.
3) I'm sorry, anonymous, that we didn't leave this poor little baby to freeze to death in the bushes, be squatted like a pancake in the road, or suffer any other misfortune that, apparently, would be less traumatic to a kitty than life with two sadists such as we.
4) Finally, I've actually had the tips of all my fingers removed. I had to have my guitar neck shaved down a bit, but I no longer have to worry about trimming my nails, and I can still climb a tree when I need to get away from mean old cats with claws.
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