iczer6
2004-05-09 07:14 am UTC (link)

Sorry but I agree with the 'Declawing is evil and wrong' because I think that declawing *is* well not evil but wrong.

I can understand why someone would declaw their pets for housing issues, and I'd rather someone do it for that reason then because 'the cat wasn't letting Junior poke it in the eye' or 'I don't want them clawing my furniture'.

Heck I've known people who happily declawed their cats for no real reason but didn't get them fixed.

Still trying to figure that one out

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jrs1980
2004-05-09 07:23 am UTC (link)

I'm not down with declawing. None of our four cats have it, and I would never recommend it. I wish it would be outlawed in the States. But the person who had their cats declawed wasn't being wanky, hence the lack of focus.

Honestly, my cat is fifteen, and my landlord would have more to worry about her drooling problem than her claws. She'd prefer my couch (or, y'know, a scratching post) to the carpet anyway.

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julia
2004-05-09 02:52 pm UTC (link)

Oh dear, must restrain self from going on completely random rant.

Aw, hell, I'll wank it up a bit. My aunt is getting her kitten declawed because my little cousins are a pair of evil bastards. Well, evil bastards to anything smaller than them. You pick the kitty up by his tail, he's going to claw your stupid ass AND try to claw you in self defense when you approach him again. Duh. >.<

Poor little Getti, I'd kidnap him if I could afford another pet. He's a sweet little kitten that's just scared to death and far too young to be away from his mother. Poor baby's only just now turned two months old.

*snags a tissue and starts to clean up after self*

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	musette 2004-05-10 04:19 am UTC (link)
	Gah, poor kitty. That's how I ended up with eight cats, because every time I saw a story like that it would quickly turn into "ah well, one more won't hurt". boggle (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	julia 2004-05-10 02:44 pm UTC (link)
	I ended up with four cats in similar situations and five dogs along with a pair of rats destined to be snake food. I am such a softie, I can't help but try to save every animal out there. Unfortunately, I can't support any more animals. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	Re: musette 2004-05-11 12:39 am UTC (link)
	Yeah eight cats, a dog and a horse (not at home, thankfully, lol) have certainly maxed us out as well. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	lurker32 2004-05-09 06:06 pm UTC (link)
	Heck I've known people who happily declawed their cats for no real reason but didn't get them fixed. Now that's stupid. Just what you want for your kitty is to be bare-pawed and pregnant. (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	moonraven 2004-05-09 07:11 pm UTC (link)
	snort Okay--now that is funny! (Reply to this)(Parent)(Thread)

	lurker32 2004-05-09 08:01 pm UTC (link)
	bows I'm here all week. Tip your waitress. (Reply to this)(Parent)

nevadafighter
2004-05-09 07:19 am UTC (link)

I personally refuse to entertain any notion of declawing any of my cats—I'd sooner chop of my own fingers. BUT I think these folks are confusing people who do it just because they don't want their precious furniture clawed with pet owners who have to make a really tough choice and take the lesser of two evils and do what they have to do so that their cats can continue to have a home.

Some of these people are living in Fantasy Land. I'd like to know exactly where they are so I know where to go when I need a break from reality.

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	allen 2004-05-09 09:24 am UTC (link)
	Wow, judgmental much? "YOU didn't TRY HARD ENOUGH! YOU clearly don't LOVE YOUR PETS as much as I DO!" Jesus criminy. Get a clue, lady, the entire universe doesn't operate on the exact same wavelength as you. (Reply to this)

	nicolae 2004-05-09 03:37 pm UTC (link)
	We've got dogs, not cats, since my dad and I are allergic to 'em and I never grew up with cats around (they scare me), but if there were a magical non-allergenic cat, and I had one, I'd go the Softpaws route. You can SIT on dogs while you're cutting their nails (believe me, it's been necessary!) but I'd be afraid that sitting on a cat would, you know, KILL IT. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	eiviiaru 2004-05-09 05:09 pm UTC (link)
	The solution to this is to develop sufficiently large, durable cats, but then they tend to have issues with being able to fight back. (Even if the cat is otherwise docile, this tends to get very bad very fast.) (Reply to this)(Parent)

altoidsaddict
2004-05-09 07:08 pm UTC (link)

Hrm, I don't clip my cat's claws. (Anyway, there are caps and such you can put on their claws, rather than surgically removing bone and claw, which is what declawing is. It's not just removing claws, it's like if you removed the first bone on your fingers, and it's a serious physical alteration. Many vets won't even do it.)

When I first got him, I clipped his claws because that's what I'd always done with cats, and never had to sit on them or anything. Even my wild guy was easier to train to clip than any of the dogs I've ever had - a lot easier than training him not to eat the dog. He prefers doing it himself, it seems, and he does a good job.

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	musette 2004-05-10 04:21 am UTC (link)
	All of my cats have been really good with it actually. I tend to sit cross legged on my bed and hang onto them that way. It's not even they can't get free if they really want to, but it's enough that they generally calm down and I have both hands free to do the actual trimming. (Reply to this)(Parent)

	julia 2004-05-10 02:37 pm UTC (link)
	I trained my cats from day one to be patient with me and allow me to trim their claws. You might get scratched up the first few times, but now my kitties just wait for it to be over so they get a super-special treat. Canned tuna is a sufficient reward for a good cat. (Reply to this)(Parent)

bitca
2004-05-10 04:18 pm UTC (link)

I'm fortunate in that my husband cuts the nails while I hold the cats. They actually come running when they hear us start using the clippers on one, because they know they get treats afterwards.

It's a matter of habit and reward. I could do it by myself, but the positioning sucks, and they're used to being upside down in my arms and the husband grabbing a paw to clip. When I try to do it alone, I need them upright, and that confuses the hell out of them.

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Oh dear...

moonraven
2004-05-09 08:06 pm UTC (link)

This is probably *the* hot-button issue in the cat community, sure to arouse ~~feelings on both sides~~ wank.

*sigh*

In an ideal world, no cat would ever have to be declawed. The procedure is painful and frequently can lead to behavioral problems. When I get into this discussion with friends, I can grab the high ground because I actually have lost the tip of my right thumb down to the nail bed in an incident with a log-splitter, so I can offer some insight into how long an amputation like this takes to heal and how sensitive the site remains even after the fact.

Training a cat to use a scratching post is usually no big deal, so I have a problem with those folks who routinely have their pets declawed just because they don't want to chance that the cat might damage their furniture. My personal feeling is that if your couch or carpet means more to you than your cat, you probably shouldn't have a cat, because cats come with claws. Of course, I am speaking as someone whose furniture was on its way to the dump before it stopped at our house.

I volunteer at the local animal shelter. The majority of declawed cats that are turned in by their owners have some sort of problem that can be attributed to being declawed--biting or misplaced aggression or timidity or inappropriate toilet habits (which seems to be the feline reaction to almost any traumatic event...) Declawing is a gamble on how well the particular animal will tolerate the loss of its natural defense mechanism, so it shouldn't be undertaken for frivolous reasons.

I think the operative factor here is that this person is providing a loving home for her cats. She isn't dumping them at the local humane society or pound because she can't find a cat-friendly rental. Since she has this much commitment to her pets, she will probably work through any problems that the declawing procedure may cause, and her cats may feel secure enough that they won't develop any post-operative psychological problems. This isn't a perfect world and this person seems to be doing the best she can.

I would rather the wrath of the cat community be directed at people who don't spay/neuter their pets or dump unwanted kittens at the pound or abandon their pets when they no longer want them.

At least the woman isn't *eating* her dead cats (see bunny-wank above)

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Re: Oh dear...

jrs1980
2004-05-09 08:41 pm UTC (link)

And imagine if you had to walk on your thumb.

People routinely declaw their cats? People should be given a limit. Like with fishing. You can only declaw X number of cats. Reminds me of that Er ep with the woman who used abortion as her birth control method.

Like I said upthread, I wish it would be outlawed in the States, like it is in the UK and Oz. Mainly so that I can have my cat in my apartment legitly. Because it's all about me and my cat.

Somehow I don't see illegal declawing clinics opening up.

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	kijikun 2004-05-09 10:10 pm UTC (link)
	Yes I'm the anti-christ for declawing my cats front paws when they were kittens. No behavoir issues, no having to worry about them fighthing and hurting each other, plus they're indoor only cats. Now everyone tell me how wrong I am. (Reply to this)(Thread)

	bitca 2004-05-10 04:21 pm UTC (link)
	You're wrong. can i have a cookie now? (Reply to this)(Parent)