De-clawing cats

[Adz of CCAA]

This is true, as illustrated in this linky.

Now, what was that cat going to do with it if he caught it?

Play around with it, kill it and drag it home half eaten as a present for its can opener. :D

[Kel]

I see it all the time, Mina. Lots of people are doing the leash thing with their cats.

[Galactus]

Please. Keep your cat indoors. Cats are top predators and need to be kept away from anything they would hunt. Housecats will hunt anything, and they will hunt for pleasure, not necessity.

Well, yes. That's the point. They keep the mice away (seriously, since our last cat died we've been getting mice again, and some time ago one of them apparently crawled inside one of the walls and died *sigh* was a bitch to get rid of the smell)

Enough to breed like mad and die.

Err, if you are going to keep your cats outdoors you're obviously going to keep them on the pill.

[mashiara]

Not necessarily cruel, but cats are just going to be happier if they can go outside. Just put a bell on it if it keeps killing stuff.

We live on the 4th floor (5th, if you count the American way) so that's not really an option. I wouldn't welcome it anyway, what with all the feral cats and stray dogs out there, not to mention cars driving by at an insane speed. We do have a huge balcony, as big as our apartment almost and there are about 50 pots out there. Lots of things to keep a cat busy, inlcuding chasing bugs and observing pigeons and blackbirds, they both spend lots of time out there and ask to be let out constantly, even when it's cold. It makes them happy.

[lessthanluke]

Never seen a cat walking pleasantly on a leash before? Both of mine do it. We haven't progressed to the jogging with me part yet, though. :lol:

It's safer for them. One of my cats is a purebred who's never had a day of hardship in her life and she'd probably get into trouble within 5 seconds. My other cat is deathly afraid of cars and we'd never find him if one just happened to pass by within 500 feet.

I have never in my life seen a cat on a leash.

I'm sorry that's just wrong, every cat I've ever known is an indoor/outdoor cat, only one of them didn't live to be over 15. My cat was 21 when it died.

Same here.

[Hereward]

Both the RSPCA and the Royal Veterinary College regard de-clawing as cosmetic mutilation, cruel and detrimental to the well-being of the animal, which is why it was banned. They also have this to say:

Unlike humans, cats walk on their toes. Whereas our weight is spread across the soles of our feet for balance, a cat's weight is exerted upon a very small area. They use their claws to help them keep their balance by stopping their paws sliding and also to exercise and tone the muscles in their back and shoulders. They do this by gripping hold of a solid object and pulling. The entire physiology of the cat has developed to incorporate claws. Removing the claws means the paws meet the ground at an unnatural angle, creating stresses in the muscles and tendons and leading to long-term disability.

A cat's claws form part of the last digit of each toe. It is not possible to remove the claw without amputating the bone, ligaments and tendons. The declawing process thus involves 18 separate amputations. Each amputation is a complex process and the chances of complications are high. Some of the complications include, but are not limited to:

Excruciating pain

Postoperative haemorrhage

Necrosis of the second phalanx

Abcesses

Accidental shattering of adjacent bones

Abnormal re-growth of nerve endings

Damage to the radial nerve

Painful regrowth of deformed claws

Chronic back and joint pain

While recuperating from the operation, a cat's instincts will influence its behaviour. In the wild, any sign of weakness might invite attack, so the animal will not display visible signs of pain despite the fact that the severity of the procedure ensures that it will be in considerable discomfort for weeks. During this time it will have to move about on the painful stumps and, if it is an indoor cat, it will have to scratch in a litter box each time it needs to relieve itself...

Declawed cats often develop behavioural problems. The stress of feeling defenceless can cause high blood pressure and heart disease. Traumatised animals will often suffer from depression and develop weight problems. Many will seek security positions on the top of tables or wardrobes - anywhere they can still climb. The whole personality of the cat may change as the animal feels fearful and insecure...

Cats have claws. If you don't want the claws, you probably shouldn't even consider having a cat.

[Kel]

THANK YOU Hereward for posting that.

[Poobah]

No, cats are not necessarily going to to be happier if they go outside. Outdoor-only cats have very short lifespans - a little over 1 year. Enough to breed like mad and die.

Indoor/outdoor cats have fairly short lifespans - 7 to 8 years is the average. Getting run over by a car, attacked by a dog, etc, are just a few of the perils awaiting an indoor/outdoor cat.

Indoor only cats live about 16 - 20 years.

All my cats, and those of friends and acquaintances have lived to 15-20 and spent large amounts of time both in and out doors.

Chatya are your statistics American? If you glance across at the nationalities of the people posting you'll note they come from other countries which don't automatically run massive highways right next to everyone's house so their pets can get easily flattened.

[Hereward]

Personally, I think that the RSPCA has a different agenda. I can link to web pages from US vets stating pretty much the opposite.

A different agenda to what, keeping its furniture nice? I dare say. Its agenda is clearly stated in its name: "Prevention of Cruelty".

[The_BlauerDragon]

I have a cat and a kitten my furniture, my skin, and my dog would probably all be happier if they didn't have claws... I guess that's just too bad though, because the claws aren't going anywhere anytime soon. I find that my cats are rather attached to them. I'm wrestling with the whole concept of spaying at present. I thought I'd dodged having to make that rather difficult decision when I got the cat. The cat was supposedly already spayed before she was given to me... If she is, then I'd sure like to know how I now also have a kitten. My apartment is right by a busy street, and my complex has a lot of dogs in it. They will have to make do with being inside cats.

[Galactus]

I'm curious, what other agenda would that be?

[Kel]

Funny, I cannot find any sites with vets advocating declawing... still looking though.

Here is some further information by vet Christianne Shelling

Before you make the decision to declaw your cat, there are some important facts you should know. Declawing is not like a manicure. It is serious surgery. Your cat's claw is not a toenail. It is actually closely adhered to the bone. So closely adhered that to remove the claw, the last bone of your the cat's claw has to be removed. Declawing is actually an amputation of the last joint of your cat's "toes". When you envision that, it becomes clear why declawing is not a humane act. It is a painful surgery, with a painful recovery period. And remember that during the time of recuperation from the surgery your cat would still have to use its feet to walk, jump, and scratch in its litter box regardless of the pain it is experiencing. Wheelchairs and bedpans are not an option for a cat.

[MinDonner]

I'm VERY surprised that Boarders who don't usually take anecdotal evidence as gospel are willing to do so, and ignore the easily google-able statistics on lifespan of outdoor, indoor/outdoor, and indoor cats.

I've been googling this for about 15 minutes now, and have come across nowt but a load of unsupported claims on various websites stating the lifespan of outdoor cats to be anything from 1 year to five years to just three years less than an indoor cat. Are they including feral cats in their study? Are they correcting for things such as whether the cat is neutered? (this is default for most pets over here AFAIK). Who knows? Until I see some actual research on this, board anecdata will have to do I'm afraid.

[Kel]

And also for the record, kittens are the ones being declawed, not adult cats.

[Hereward]

The acronym of PETA [sic] is "People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals".

This is a non sequitur. Just because one organisation does not, in your opinion, campaign for what it claims to campaign for, though I'm sure they would beg to differ, does not mean that all organisations are the same.

You have yet to provide any evidence that the claims that the procedure is harmful and dangerous are untrue.

[Galactus]

Declawing is illegal according to swedish law, apparently.

[Adz of CCAA]

I have a cat and a kitten my furniture, my skin, and my dog would probably all be happier if they didn't have claws... I guess that's just too bad though, because the claws aren't going anywhere anytime soon. I find that my cats are rather attached to them. I'm wrestling with the whole concept of spaying at present. I thought I'd dodged having to make that rather difficult decision when I got the cat. The cat was supposedly already spayed before she was given to me... If she is, then I'd sure like to know how I now also have a kitten. My apartment is right by a busy street, and my complex has a lot of dogs in it. They will have to make do with being inside cats.

Mmh. I would say there should be a scar on her belly if she was either sterilised or castrated. I think the castration causes a "bigger" invasion, though.

[Kel]

Thanks for the link. To me, as an animal rescuer and advocate for humane treatment of animals I will never be in favor of it. In fact, I will oppose it at all levels. To me you are removing part of an animal's body for convenience. Your convenience. Not a health concern, not to better their life, but to make it better for you. It is totally a "cosmetic" and unnecessary procedure for an animal and the harm far outweighs the good in most cases.

[Adz of CCAA]

Declawing is illegal according to swedish law, apparently.

I think it is almost everywhere in the EU. As is the docking of dogs, btw.

[Hereward]

See above. It's a surgery, and therefore carries risks. But to state that it is "harmful" and "dangerous", are, I believe, patently untrue. Declawing would have no more risk level than any other surgery. There are risks with spaying and neutering, too. However, you aren't stating that spaying and neutering is "dangerous".

"Harmful" is, I believe, in the eye of the beholder.

It's 18 amputations, causing the cat severe pain, distress and disability, and purely for reasons of human vanity. If that's not "harmful", I'm not sure what is.