as of yesterday. People complaining that they should have the right to do this. Why don't they just go to the next city over.

...california is weird.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Believe this, they said the same thing on the news when telling this report saying of course here goes another strange law that starts here.

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

Muse2noPharaoh said:

it is!

Good... because it can be extremely painful for some cats. If people get their cats declawed after they are a year or two old, they run a chance of the cat not getting back feeling in their paws or run the risk of the cat always being very sore in those areas.

For that reason, I have never declawed a cat... I won't even consider it. They were meant to have them, if you can't handle them acting natural or training them to not do certain things (scratching, clawing on furniture, etc)... then maybe a cat isn't for you. There is always the option of clipping the cat's nails, too... I do Izzy's once every two weeks.

Poor kitties!

in california

if you declaw a pregnant cat, you are declawing

the cat and the litter


by law

AzureStar said:

shausler said:

he he he

AzureStar said:

Well said!!

Handclapsfingasnapz said:

LOL Yes, like with all things it has it's oddities! However, California is judged on Los Angeles and it is forgotten that there is the entire rest of the state! Also, LA County is made up largely of outsiders and or people that are not native to California. "Hopefuls" So the decay that is represented therein does not really represent California but America and all other foolish countries.

CarrieMpls said:

I agree. Guess what kind of cat i was in my last life?

pejman said:

I know... do you know that they basically amputate them? Basically it's the same as if someone were to take our fingers off from the first joint... and they walk on their toes... imagine that.

I raised to Siamese cats. Both were declawed by my parents. Cats use there front paws to bat and their back to protect themselves. I assure you that they both committed many a war against other cats successfully without their front claws. As for pain, I never noted a complaint either the day it was done and or at any other time. I am not in fact arguing "for" declawing a cat. (Just throwing out some noted facts about mine!)

Leave the damn animals alone.

It is totally illegal to declaw cats in the UK

Much love Pochacco

Dr. Nicholas Dodman, Professor of Behavioral Pharmacology and Director of the Behavior Clinic at Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and internationally known specialist in domestic animal behavioral research, explains declawing:

"The inhumanity of the procedure is clearly demonstrated by the nature of cats' recovery from anesthesia following the surgery. Unlike routine recoveries, including recovery from neutering surgeries, which are fairly peaceful, declawing surgery results in cats bouncing off the walls of the recovery cage because of excruciating pain. Cats that are more stoic huddle in the corner of the recovery cage, immobilized in a state of helplessness, presumably by overwhelming pain. Declawing fits the dictionary definition of mutilation to a tee. Words such as deform, disfigure, disjoint, and dismember all apply to this surgery. Partial digital amputation is so horrible that it has been employed for torture of prisoners of war, and in veterinary medicine, the clinical procedure serves as model of severe pain for testing the efficacy of analgesic drugs. Even though analgesic drugs can be used postoperatively, they rarely are, and their effects are incomplete and transient anyway, so sooner or later the pain will emerge." (Excerpted from The Cat Who Cried For Help, Dodman N, Bantam Books, New York).


The way I look at it is that the animal was made this way, we are putting them through this just to suit us and to protect our furniture.

Also, by taking away a cats claws, their means of defence is taken away. Sure, they may "bat" playfully at another cat or a human, but a cat who has been declawed does not have the means to defend themselves that they once had. Fighting and protecting themselves is a natural instinct... by taking their claws away it can make them feel defenseless and could really screw them up emotionally. Sure, one could sit here and say it's just a cat... but I remember when I was younger, a friend of mine's mom had their cat declawed... what once was a playful cat then spent his days sitting on top of the kitchen cabinets and would only come down to eat or to use the litter box.

I'm sure there are people who would debate this... but, personally I think it is just wrong to take something away from an animal, just to suit our needs. I think it is selfish.

Pochacco said:

Yes... it is illegal and considered inhumane to do this in many countries!

AzureStar said:

WOW!!! IYou learn sumfin new every day... huh?

Muse2noPharaoh said:

I too, have always had my kitties declawed. They were always done at 6 months. Never had any problems... guess I was lucky. I never looked into the effects of it cause I thought it was a normal procedure. Now that I know all the fact and possible bad outcomes I would think twice about having it done if I get another kitty.

luv4thepurple1 said:

meow

pejman said:

luv4thepurple1 said:

Well, if it is done at an early age... younger than one year old, their chances of recovery, as far as not feeling pain once they heal, is better.

Many people aren't aware of the impact of the procedure on cats... vets don't usually tell you. The only reason I found out was because when I was younger, a vet that took care of my horses refused to do the procedure for a lady and I asked him why and he explained to me the reasons why.

When I got Izzy, the stipulation that my ex put on me, in order to get him, was that I get him declawed after I got him. Of course, he knew my feelings on this, so he figured I would say I didn't want the kitten after all. I got the cat and then just never took him in. He scratched on some furniture, but after a few days of being shot down with a stream of water from a water bottle, he hasn't scratched or clawed the furniture since... and, like I said, I trim his nails regularly.

More information on this:

Unlike most mammals who walk on the soles of the paws or feet, cats are digitigrade, which means they walk on their toes. Their back, shoulder, paw and leg joints, muscles, tendons, ligaments and nerves are naturally designed to support and distribute the cat's weight across its toes as it walks, runs and climbs. A cat's claws are used for balance, for exercising, and for stretching the muscles in their legs, back, shoulders, and paws. They stretch these muscles by digging their claws into a surface and pulling back against their own clawhold - similar to isometric exercising for humans. This is the only way a cat can exercise, stretch and tone the muscles of its back and shoulders. The toes help the foot meet the ground at a precise angle to keep the leg, shoulder and back muscles and joints in proper alignment. Removal of the last digits of the toes drastically alters the conformation of their feet and causes the feet to meet the ground at an unnatural angle that can cause back pain similar to that in humans caused by wearing improper shoes.

*Well..you learn something new everyday!*

I have to tell you, I've witnessed this procedure, and it is really the most brutal act I've seen in the veterinary industry by far. Everything else we do for them is to benefit them, but this is done for the people, not the kitties, and it really makes some of us question the morality of the procedure. Recovery is often much more rocky than for other procedures, and the only cats I've ever seen die from surgery at my clinic were a pair of older kitties undergoing declaws. Despite our best effors and pain drugs, it was very stressful for them, and they died from heart failure, one right away and one a couple of weeks later.

I encourage the use of Soft Paws claw caps if you ever have a kitty who won't use a scratching post.

And yeay Hollywood.

tackam said:

And, yay, you! Thank you for posting that from experience... I really do feel that this is one of the most horrible things we do to pets. And, many people don't know what actually happens or the trauma it causes. A lot of vets just say they remove the claws... to make it appear like it is a simple procedure... because if they said "amputation" or explained anything further, most people wouldn't have it done!

Declawing a cat is just straight selfish. The things humans do for personal gratification is beyond comprehension.
[This message was edited Sat May 10 20:37:14 PDT 2003 by Blackcat]

AzureStar said:

Thanks, Azure. Yeah, there are some vets who will do anything for a buck. Ear cropping, tail docking, and declawing= YUCK.

We always explain to people that it is amputation, and we insist that they pay for the best pain meds we have to offer. We strongly discourage the procedure, and generally only do it when people are considering getting rid of the cats. However, I don't think that we should offer it at all; if people didn't have any other option, they would work harder at training their cats or getting them used to soft paws. . .or just freakin' trimming their nails more often!

Bottom line is that people need to realize that having nonhuman animals live in your home is kind of strange and risky in some regards, and if you can't deal with that, you shouldn't have pets.