Feelings on Declawing

[Soulwell]

Should be illegal. Train your cat better or give it away. Mutilation because you're too lazy to care for them properly is horrible.

All 3 of my cats are declawed and I can confirm they live a better life than you do.
Edit cause rude
People need to understand it isn't the owners intention to harm the cat nor am I lazy by any means.
I've fostered countless litters of kittens (2/3 of mine are from the first litter I couldn't give them up) and part of the fostering process is helping them get used to cats outside the litter. Now you have no idea what's going on in the kittens mind when it sees a different cat and you don't want your cat freaking out and hurting one of the kittens. Im not accountable for everyone but my cats are purrfectly fine.

[crewskater]

You're using your human mind to make that decision. Cats work differently. The terrible side effects of getting rid of the nails has long been proven, unlike neutering a cat.

Are you stating that neutering a cat has no effect on it's behavior?

How is neutering any animal equivalent to taking off the tips of their fingers?

You're removing a physical part of the animal, is that not obvious?

[Jonnusthegreat]

try walking without your toes touching the floor for an entire day.

It's not that bad. It's something you adjust to. I have a coworker that doesn't have toes due to an accident. He lives an active lifestyle.

[Katchii]

Are you stating that neutering a cat has no effect on it's behavior?



You're removing a physical part of the animal, is that not obvious?

No it's not obvious, that's why I asked. I mean as far as affect on the animal, how are they equivalent? Because if you're going to try and say that removing one part is equivalent to removing any other part that's just absurd.

Removing someone's hand is equivalent to removing one finger? an ear? an eye?

Sterilizing an animal is not even remotely similar in affect on the animals behavior and health as removing the tip of every single one of it's "fingers."

[kail]

All 3 of my cats are declawed and I can confirm they live a better life than you do.
Edit cause rude
People need to understand it isn't the owners intention to harm the cat nor am I lazy by any means.
I've fostered countless litters of kittens (2/3 of mine are from the first litter I couldn't give them up) and part of the fostering process is helping them get used to cats outside the litter. Now you have no idea what's going on in the kittens mind when it sees a different cat and you don't want your cat freaking out and hurting one of the kittens. Im not accountable for everyone but my cats are purrfectly fine.

You have permanently mutilated your cats, that is a fact. Are they still living happily? Sure, they're cats. If they get food, water, comfort and attention they can live happily. I can lose my leg and still live a happy life, but there is no debating that you are cutting off the tips of their paws for your own convenience. If you can't accept that fact then continue to live in denial.

[Fojos]

Funny seeing the same people who are for circumcision being against declawing.

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You can speak with your cats?

Can you? Since you obviously know how the cats feel about it.

[Jonnusthegreat]

Sure, they could continue to live. But it would be gross cruelty to cut off 1/3 of someone's fingers just for the sake of preventing them from damaging things etc. - and it would seriously worsen their quality of life.

No, it's called hospitality. If you were given the choice to have your fingers chopped off or death, which would you choose?

These cats don't have that choice.
They get death unless I intervene.
I won't intervene if I can't declaw.
If declawing was illegal, 4 cats would be dead right now instead of living lives in happy homes.

[JohnBrown1917]

No, it's called hospitality. If you were given the choice to have your fingers chopped off or death, which would you choose?

These cats don't have that choice.
They get death unless I intervene.
I won't intervene if I can't declaw.

And that says a lot about you as a person.

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Funny seeing the same people who are for circumcision being against declawing.

That, just like declawing, is only popular, in the western world, in the US.
Funny how that works, eh?

Can you? Since you obviously know how the cats feel about it.

Research has actually been done on this subject.

[Jonnusthegreat]

And that says a lot about you as a person.

You missed the final line about how I have single handedly saved the lives of 4 animals.

[JohnBrown1917]

You missed the final line about how I have single handedly saved the lives of 4 animals.

I really could give less of a shit if you do it by abusing animals.

[Jonnusthegreat]

I really could give less of a shit if you do it by abusing animals.

You murderous fiend!

[Alvito]

Newsweek just did a story on this, the picture might be too much for some so be warned.
http://www.newsweek.com/declawed-cat...nuckles-706132

[crewskater]

No it's not obvious, that's why I asked. I mean as far as affect on the animal, how are they equivalent? Because if you're going to try and say that removing one part is equivalent to removing any other part that's just absurd.

Removing someone's hand is equivalent to removing one finger? an ear? an eye?

Sterilizing an animal is not even remotely similar in affect on the animals behavior and health as removing the tip of every single one of it's "fingers."

So your argument boils down to not what's being removed but rather the effect it has on the animal? Where do you draw the line between neuter and declawing? Cats can function purrfectly fine being declawed. If they were declawed without any anesthesia, you would have a much stronger argument but that's not the case.

[Deleted]

You missed the final line about how I have single handedly saved the lives of 4 animals.

You might have saved them from death (if there absolutely was no one else who could have taken them), but only on the condition that you can have them mutilated in order to make it as convenient for you as possible. Did any of them even cause any serious issues before you decided to do it? Or did you declaw them preemptively because you didn't even want to try to spare them from this kind of abuse?

No, it's called hospitality. If you were given the choice to have your fingers chopped off or death, which would you choose?

What I would choose doesn't matter. Like you said yourself, the cats didn't have that choice.

[Triggered Fridgekin]

Partial digital amputation is pretty frowned upon by the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association but I don't think it's considered abuse nor illegal. I'm fairly certain this is the same stance taken by the SPCA where they'll refuse to do it unless it's going to ease or end suffering but they won't put animal enforcement on your ass if you say your cat is declawed. Same with cropping, devocalization and tail docking.

Declawing can also present issues of its own since you're essentially changing the way the critter supports itself. Arthritis and lameness are two potential outcomes along with a slew of nasty habits such as biting and shitting all over your house.

As someone who actually works in animal rescue with the SPCA I'm against it if the sole purpose is to prevent a cat from scratching especially when there are options such as trimming and nail capping but am okay with it in the event that there's a medical concern would otherwise cause permanent suffering.

If you're in a position where little kitty is scratching your furniture or kids then I believe that comes down to proper education and consulting a vet for alternate options.

[Powerogue]

Losing sex organs doesn't impact on their day-to-day lives, unless they were a cat-slut.

We inbred dogs for centuries and cut out their testicles to keep them docile, turning the fierce wolf into a menagerie of our own grotesquely deformed creations all to get the kind of unconditional love from our eunuch captives we never get from each other. Drawing lines and arguing morality about pets after that point seems rather silly.



(but I still love my dog like a brother. <3)

[Katchii]

So your argument boils down to not what's being removed but rather the effect it has on the animal? Where do you draw the line between neuter and declawing? Cats can function purrfectly fine being declawed. If they were declawed without any anesthesia, you would have a much stronger argument but that's not the case.

Plenty of animals, including humans, learn to adapt their behavior to the loss of partial or entire limbs. That doesn't mean we should to just go around chopping peoples fingers arms or legs off. Or do you expect animals and people who lose limbs, fingers, toes or whatever to just curl up and die in response to their misfortune?

Perfectly fine is relative. Declawing, in the vast majority of cases, is completely unnecessary.

[Techno-Druid]

Funny seeing the same people who are for circumcision being against declawing.

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Can you? Since you obviously know how the cats feel about it.

I'm against circumcision, but I have to ask, is the removal of the foreskin really comparable to the partial amputation of an animal's toes?

[Techno-Druid]

We inbred dogs for centuries and cut out their testicles to keep them docile, turning the fierce wolf into a menagerie of our own grotesquely deformed creations all to get the kind of unconditional love from our eunuch captives we never get from each other. Drawing lines and arguing morality about pets after that point seems rather silly.



(but I still love my dog like a brother. <3)

I'm against the ownership of most brachycephalic dogs. I don't believe that all bulldogs and pugs should be euthanized or something akin to that but various breeders have been working to improve bulldog strains through crossbreeding them with bull mastiffs and then breeding those dogs with other bulldogs.


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I had to declaw my male cat, I adopted him at 8 months old, and had him for 7 months before we made that difficult decision. He was in a house with about 30 other cats when he was brought to the shelter, and I guess he is just set in his habits. I have had cats all my life, and never had problems until now. I bought him a cat tree, posts, hanging posts, cardboard scratch thingies, and toys in every room. Instead, he shredded all my curtains, all 4 couches, and started ripping up the old (and then new) carpet.

I dealt with all this, until he started scratching me and my kids whenever we walked past him and he wanted food. He didn't have any other behavior issues, like peeing or barfing on stuff, and he still hasn't. Never missed the litter box once, and he actually seems to like the new litter better than the old clumping kind. He pretends to scratch the couch and floor still, and gets his stretches out, and now we have a better relationship because I'm not frustrated and he's not getting yelled at. Also, he will never ever go outside, and he still has his back claws.

People are so judgmental, until it's their kids getting scratched on the face by their beloved pet. Kids > cat's ability to destroy things for fun.

I'm pretty sure if my cat started scratching my kids I would either hire a professional who understood animal behavior or find it a new home. If my dog bit my kid (nothing malicious of course) I wouldn't take him to the vet to have his teeth removed, I would either hire an animal specialist or re-home it.

[Vlaid]

I would never do it personally. If you just trim your cats claws regularly there isn't much reason to do it. In the end I would say if you can't be bothered to either trim your cats claws regularly or accept the damage they may do to your furniture you probably shouldn't have a cat. Surgically removing knuckbones from their paws for your convenience is kinda terrible to my mind....