Declawing Cats

[Soari]

I don't support declawing at all. It would be like having someone physically cut off the first joint in your finger which is awful. DD: I don't think it is fair to do such thing to an animal. Cats are born with claws for a reason. They use them to defend themselves. It helps them to maintain their balance, and to stretch and exercise. Declawing would do more damage than good especially for the older cats that might end up being traumatized and they might suffer behavioral changes. If you can't handle a risk or getting scratched or having your furniture being ruined then don't buy it, simple as that. Besides, there are other alternatives to declawing like you can provide him a scratching post, trim your cat's nails on a daily basis or you can train them right from the beginning so yeah, I don't really see any good reason to put your cat through this procedure.

 

[Oryx]

Just pointing it out, if the owner really has a problem with scratching to the point that they feel it's necessary to declaw, they obviously must not know about the rubber claw tips. https://furlongspetsupply.com/soft_claws_for_cats.aspx That's 20 dollars about for 40 caps, that will last for 8 months at the least.

If an owner knows about the tips and doesn't want the hassle of replacing them, then they honestly shouldn't own a pet and obviously just care about their own convenience. And the price is imo the same thing; my family is very poor and owns a cat, if we had problems with him scratching, we would have made the sacrifice of 20 bucks every 8 months to keep from disfiguring your cat for your own convenience. If you can't afford the costs of owning a cat, don't own a cat. Don't use the fact that the cat can't express its choice in the matter and can't escape or do anything about the pain other than bear it let you think that it's alright to do it to them.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

I have no problem with it. We had my cat declawed, because he was A, mischievous and liked to scratch stuff, and B, they're really freakin sharp, seeing as I still have a 4 inch scar on my chest, from a decade ago, from where he jumped off me once. XD

You and I agree on something? This must be a sign of the apocalypse.

I think that what we do with our pets is nobody else's business.

 

[Blue Nocturne]

I don't have much against declawing cats, but I just keep Swift's claws trimmed and filed, seeing as completely declawing a cat isn't legal here in the UK. While it can be a little laborious to trim her claws every month or so, I'd rather do that than declaw her, from what I've read it's a pretty painful (and potentially dangerous) process. But if you want to declaw your cat, I don't have much of a problem with it, your business is your business.

 

[Oryx]

You and I agree on something? This must be a sign of the apocalypse.

I think that what we do with our pets is nobody else's business.

That doesn't extend to animal cruelty. And before you claim that it's not cruelty because it's not cruelty under the law, what people who advocate banning are saying is that it should be considered cruel and inhumane. It's understandable if a pet owner can't always control their cats' scratching - not every cat is perfect, but of course we love them even if they destroy our furniture and claw into our shoulders so we don't want to just get rid of them. But there are alternatives that do not require you to put a cat through that kind of pain, fear, and risk. Saying "we should be able to do it anyway because we own them" is like saying beating a cat severely is something we should be allowed to do if they don't listen, when there are plenty of humane alternatives to teach a cat how to act.

Did you know that cats walk on their toes? The same toes you're advocating the free amputation of? Imagine having part of your toes amputated, and then being forced to walk on your toes instead of your whole foot. That's what it's like for cats. Many studies (unfortunately I'm having trouble finding more recent studies, but the process hasn't really changed) put the risk of complications as high as 50%. Imagine you have 2 cats, declaw them both. You have a very, very good chance that at least one of them will experience post-op complications: these range from lameness to hemorraging to necrosis to abscesses to bones shattering to the claws painfully growing back to nerves growing abnormally, causing lifelong pain for the cat. Some of those will require extra painful surgeries to fix.

There are no benefits to the cat that declawing gives them, that vinyl nail caps do not. The only difference is how much the person cares about their cat over their own convenience, since declawing is a one-time thing and nail caps have to be reapplied. But heaven forbid they actually put forth effort for the cat over allowing it to undergo a risky, painful surgery!

This may be tl;dr, but declawing literally disgusts me. My family has owned dozens of cats (over 20 at one time, for years), and not a single one has been declawed. There are alternatives, and if you care enough about your cat then you will look for them.

 

[blue]

I think it's kinda crewl, I have cats and I never plan on doing this to them..

 

[インフェルノの津波]

I would never do something like that to my cats. I'd rather buy a scratching post.

 

[Deerling]

I don't want it running away like every other outdoor cat I've had. I'm fine with the cat coming outside with me if I'm watching it. But I'm not letting my cat go out unattended, by any means. It's like a kid. Just don't want it getting into things it doesn't need to get into. I've taken my cat outside with me on the back deck for a nice cuddle. So I'm not being cruel and keeping him inside forever.

All of my cats have been indoor cats, because I care enough to want them to live a long, happy life instead of a 5 year long life "naturally". :x

Actually, I care very much for both my cats. I've had Raven since I was 8. I'll be 21 in April. So I've had my outdoor cat for a good number of years now. I'm not saying keeping your cats indoors is evil or cruel indefinitely. Just purely my opinion. Your pet is your business as is mine and what I meant was relating to the case of declawing them is that they still need their claws to catch themselves if they fall or do actually escape. Some people think keeping them in the house and then declawing them is a good option which is what I was opposing against (I've seen these sort of opinions in this exact topic on a Final Fantasy forum). It doesn't solve the problem in my eyes. Again, declawing is up to the owners. In Britain it isn't allowed here, so hence why I'm so strongly against it. I'm sorry if it seemed like I was targetting people who do infact think it is better to keep their cats indoors because I do see your reasoning. I just prefer letting mine outside because I feel she is happier that way.

We used to keep her indoors as a kitten because we had moved and she might have gotten lost. However, it only caused problems for when she did get out. Jumping out of windows or running past our legs when opening the door to a visitor. When we called her back, she never came. It wasn't until we did start letting her out, she would voluntarily run over to us or even straight back inside of the house when given a chance. So my opinion is soley based on my own experiance as a cat owner. As your opinions seemingly are too. In short, we all love cats amd want what is best for them. I think it's wonderful to see.

 

[groteske]

I've spoken to vets and technicians who have described cats literally screaming in their cages after they wake from the surgery.

Declawing is a poor substitute for ignorant and/or inconsistent training. If you let a cat get away with something as a kitten, probably because it's "cute," guess what it's going to do as an adult, genius?

 

[-ty-]

You and I agree on something? This must be a sign of the apocalypse.

I think that what we do with our pets is nobody else's business.

My cat bites too much; Should I have the right to remove its incisors?

Laws need to be instated to protect animals from cruelty; it is not an apocalypse!

 

[Aorio]

You and I agree on something? This must be a sign of the apocalypse.

I think that what we do with our pets is nobody else's business.

That's like saying what you do with your children is nobody else's business. Cats can feel pain just like humans can. Declawing is cruel. It IS other people's business at that point.

 

[Mr Cat Dog]

I've never even heard of the practice (considering it only seems to take place in North America and Asia), and from reading the Wikipedia page on it, it doesn't sound great for the cats. I couldn't see myself doing this even if I lived somewhere that did allow it. It just seems barbaric.

 

[Ultraviolence]

Declawing cats is awful. There is no reason to put them through alot of pain!
If people are so worried that their cat would attack them; don't annoy it.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

That doesn't extend to animal cruelty. And before you claim that it's not cruelty because it's not cruelty under the law, what people who advocate banning are saying is that it should be considered cruel and inhumane. It's understandable if a pet owner can't always control their cats' scratching - not every cat is perfect, but of course we love them even if they destroy our furniture and claw into our shoulders so we don't want to just get rid of them. But there are alternatives that do not require you to put a cat through that kind of pain, fear, and risk. Saying "we should be able to do it anyway because we own them" is like saying beating a cat severely is something we should be allowed to do if they don't listen, when there are plenty of humane alternatives to teach a cat how to act.

Did you know that cats walk on their toes? The same toes you're advocating the free amputation of? Imagine having part of your toes amputated, and then being forced to walk on your toes instead of your whole foot. That's what it's like for cats. Many studies (unfortunately I'm having trouble finding more recent studies, but the process hasn't really changed) put the risk of complications as high as 50%. Imagine you have 2 cats, declaw them both. You have a very, very good chance that at least one of them will experience post-op complications: these range from lameness to hemorraging to necrosis to abscesses to bones shattering to the claws painfully growing back to nerves growing abnormally, causing lifelong pain for the cat. Some of those will require extra painful surgeries to fix.

There are no benefits to the cat that declawing gives them, that vinyl nail caps do not. The only difference is how much the person cares about their cat over their own convenience, since declawing is a one-time thing and nail caps have to be reapplied. But heaven forbid they actually put forth effort for the cat over allowing it to undergo a risky, painful surgery!

This may be tl;dr, but declawing literally disgusts me. My family has owned dozens of cats (over 20 at one time, for years), and not a single one has been declawed. There are alternatives, and if you care enough about your cat then you will look for them.

Pets are not human beings, so we need to stop trying to treat them as such legally. They're property.

 

[Sydian]

Pets are not human beings, so we need to stop trying to treat them as such legally. They're property.

It may not be a human being, but a cat is a living creature. It has a life, and I'm pretty sure the cat wants to live a comfortable life. Saying that it's just "property" kinda shows you shouldn't even have a cat or any pet. Pets are a part of the family and should be treated as such. Let's just all go beat up our cats, mkay? They're property so it doesn't matter! No.

 

[Oryx]

Pets are not human beings, so we need to stop trying to treat them as such legally. They're property.

They're a living creature that feels pain and love and fear. A pet that has been with you for a long time isn't a pet, it's a part of the family that you cherish and care about. They're not plants. I hope you never own a pet if that's how you feel about them; no pet deserves that lack of love.

 

[Aorio]

Pets are not human beings, so we need to stop trying to treat them as such legally. They're property.

That's ridiculous. Just because they can't speak and write like human beings can doesn't mean they can't FEEL PAIN and it doesn't mean they aren't emotional beings. Animals are NOT property, they deserve rights just as we do.

 

[deoxys121]

Pets are not human beings, so we need to stop trying to treat them as such legally. They're property.

Really? Really?! In every household I've lived in, the pets are members of the family and we treat them as we would treat a human. Whenever considering whether or not to do something with them, we just say "How would we feel in their situation?" On the subject of declawing, the equivalent on a human would be to amputate your fingertips at the first knuckle. That's why I won't do it.

 

[FreakyLocz14]

We can choose to treat our pets as members of the family. Some people don't choose that. People buy pets as guards (guard dogs), for agriculture (sheep dogs), for assistance (seeing-eye pets), and sports (dog fighting, **** fighting, etc.).

Our pets are our property. What someone does with their property is only their business.

 

[Oryx]

We can choose to treat our pets as members of the family. Some people don't choose that. People buy pets as guards (guard dogs), for agriculture (sheep dogs), for assistance (seeing-eye pets), and sports (dog fighting, **** fighting, etc.).

Our pets are our property. What someone does with their property is only their business.

I hope you never own a pet.