Confession to make

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Paul O. - 10 Oct 2004 23:27 GMT

This in view of the recent spate of posts concerning de-clawing a cat. I
have felt so bad since I started reading about this, for about 5 yrs. ago I
had our cat de clawed. This is not easy for me to write now especially here.
I wish I'd read here or elsewhere 5 yrs ago about this. But now for me to be
a part of this group I feel that I need to fess up. I guess that as the
saying goes, ignorance is no excuse. I do feel bad about it, but it is too
late now. I can only say that I would never do this to another cat. Maybe we
are lucky in that the cat after 5 years does not exhibit any of the bad
consequences I've read about here, hopefully our luck will hold. This is one
of the sweetest and loving cats I've ever been around. Although I accept the
blame for this decision made 5 years ago, I am really upset that vets don't
make clear what is really going on here. I'm not sure if a law banning de
clawing is in order, but I certainly think that there ought to be something
requiring a vet to discuss clearly and honestly what exactly is involved. I
have never had a cat before and only knew those that did. It seems that all
my life I had never heard that this was a big deal, it was just an accepted
procedure. Please consider me another voice for not de clawing the cat,
although I can't really come down hard on those that do this in ignorance or
without serious investigation,as I've been there. Hopefully some one will
read this and the other posts concerning the subject and make the right
decision. Well I think I've said about all I can say for the moment, maybe
writing this will help me be a little more at ease . Thanks all.

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Paul O.
Absolutely clueless when it comes to cats
Learning more every day, but still clueless
oplholik@hotmail.com

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Karen Chuplis - 10 Oct 2004 23:37 GMT

> This in view of the recent spate of posts concerning de-clawing a cat. I
> have felt so bad since I started reading about this, for about 5 yrs. ago I
[quoted text clipped - 18 lines]
> decision. Well I think I've said about all I can say for the moment, maybe
> writing this will help me be a little more at ease . Thanks all.

At least you are willing to open your mind and learn. That is part of the
problem with vets. They aren't honest about what it is. And now you know it
isn't necessary and that there are plenty of ways to train cats and provide
them with alternate places to scratch. If more people would be open to
learning how unnecessary it was the procedure would go away.

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MaryL - 11 Oct 2004 00:11 GMT

> This in view of the recent spate of posts concerning de-clawing a cat. I
> have felt so bad since I started reading about this, for about 5 yrs. ago
[quoted text clipped - 19 lines]
> think I've said about all I can say for the moment, maybe writing this
> will help me be a little more at ease . Thanks all.

Paul,

Thank you for sharing this information. Many people have gone through the
same process you described, and you are now part of the learning process by
which others may decide not to declaw. What you did is understandable --
albeit a painful learning lesson for both you and your cat -- because you
did not know what the procedure entailed. Those we "come down hard on" are
usually people who *did* know what this horrible surgery involves, yet they
went ahead with it anyway (usually to protect their furniture). You are
correct about vets. It is unconscionable that some will gloss over the pain
and lingering problems because declawing has become a lucrative part of
their practice.

Again, thank you for sharing! Hopefully, there will be some who will read
your message who may decide not to put their own cats through this
procedure.

MaryL
(take out the litter to reply)

Photos of Duffy and Holly: >'o'<
http://tinyurl.com/8y54 (Introducing Duffy to Holly)
http://tinyurl.com/8y56 (Duffy and Holly "settle in")

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Cathy Friedmann - 11 Oct 2004 00:40 GMT

Not to worry, IMO. I had one of my cats declawed in '86, & one of my
present cats came that way when I adopted her from the Humane Society in
'93. I've never noticed any negative effects of the surgery on either of my
cats. In fact, my biter is Herrie, a stray whom I adopted in '99, & who has
all of his claws.

How is your newest cat doing, re: his food intake? He looks great, in the
photos you've posted on abpa.

Cathy

> Absolutely clueless when it comes to cats
> Learning more every day, but still clueless
> oplholik@hotmail.com

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Paul O. - 11 Oct 2004 03:22 GMT

> Not to worry, IMO. I had one of my cats declawed in '86, & one of my
> present cats came that way when I adopted her from the Humane Society in
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
>
> Cathy

He is doing just great. Eating his Renal LP and gaining weight back. He's at
18# now and a couple more #'s he will be where he was when all this
started. In a way I'm not looking forward to his going off the present food,
because that means I've gotta find something else he will eat.

Signature

Paul O.
Absolutely clueless when it comes to cats
Learning more every day, but still clueless
oplholik@hotmail.com

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Cathy Friedmann - 11 Oct 2004 03:39 GMT

> > How is your newest cat doing, re: his food intake? He looks great, in the
> > photos you've posted on abpa.
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> started. In a way I'm not looking forward to his going off the present food,
> because that means I've gotta find something else he will eat.

Excellent! :-) (Except for the part about eventually finding another food
he'll readily eat.) He's a beautiful cat.

Cathy

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Diane L. Schirf - 11 Oct 2004 03:20 GMT

> Although I accept the
> blame for this decision made 5 years ago, I am really upset that vets don't
> make clear what is really going on here.

I don't think my veterinarian will do declawing. I don't know for sure
because I never asked, but I thought I heard he's against it.

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kaeli - 11 Oct 2004 14:47 GMT

> This in view of the recent spate of posts concerning de-clawing a cat. I
> have felt so bad since I started reading about this, for about 5 yrs. ago I
[quoted text clipped - 5 lines]
> are lucky in that the cat after 5 years does not exhibit any of the bad
> consequences I've read about here, hopefully our luck will hold.

We had declawed cats all while I was growing up. We didn't know what it was,
either.
Only a couple ever had problems. It's not that every cat will have problems,
it's that it's like playing Russian Roulette with your cat's health. You just
can't know which cat will be forever maimed and which one will do great
forever. Some don't have problems until they get old, by which time it's hard
to trace back to the declaw. Some are really good at masking pain and the
only indication of the pain is litterbox problems or biting.

It's amoral to mutilate cats for owner convenience when the mutilation could
be so disatrous (sp?). But if you are never told it is mutilation, how could
you know?
Education is a great thing and I think all vets should be required to tell
everyone what a declaw actually is before they go chopping off body parts.

I think anyone who declaws their cat AFTER they know needs to have their own
fingers chopped down a bit, too. Okay, that's a bit harsh, but it makes me
very angry. People like that are the kind who think cats are "just cats". I
don't think those people deserve to have pets, personally. I know this is a
majority opinion here, but unfortunately, a minority opinion in the States in
general. But, hey, I'm allowed. :)

/owner of 3 fully clawed kitties who will NEVER do that to another one again

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~kaeli~
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MaryL - 11 Oct 2004 15:31 GMT

> I think anyone who declaws their cat AFTER they know needs to have their
> own
[quoted text clipped - 9 lines]
> /owner of 3 fully clawed kitties who will NEVER do that to another one
> again

...But threre do seem to be a *growing* number of people in the U.S. who
think people who declaw cats should not be permitted to have them (or, at
least, that they should only permitted to adopt cats that have already been
declawed -- which would eventually disappear if declawing were outlawed).
Certainly, we are becoming a more *vocal* minority.

MaryL

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Mary - 11 Oct 2004 17:11 GMT

> This in view of the recent spate of posts concerning de-clawing a cat. I

have felt so bad since I started reading about this, for about 5 yrs. ago I
had our cat de clawed. This is not easy for me to write now especially here.

> I wish I'd read here or elsewhere 5 yrs ago about this. But now for me to

be a part of this group I feel that I need to fess up. I guess that as the
saying goes, ignorance is no excuse. I do feel bad about it, but it is too

> late now. I can only say that I would never do this to another cat.

Paul, as you might have read, I did the same thing. I think those of us who
have actually done it, lived with the cat all its life, and later had whole
cats can serve to let others know how terrible declawing really is.

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