help - declawing
 

I'm just devastated and could use some advice on how to handle this.

My little cousin (like my little sister to me) is all set next fall to
start college, and she's planned to be a vet since she could talk. The
only thing that changes regularly is what kind of vet. (A few weeks ago,
she was thinking opthamology, now she's thinking exotic animals and
working in a zoo, hopefully with big cats)

She and her best friend (also going to be a vet) are doing their senior
high school project by volunteering at a vet office one day a week. So
we were talking yesterday about the kinds of things she's doing at the
office, and the various procedures she's been in on. (As an observer)

A dog that was hit by a car and had to have xrays, various exams and
tests, and a DECLAW. I said "Oh no, the vet does declawing??? How
horrible!" And she said it wasn't that bad. :(

I said "They amputate the ends of their fingers," and she said "No,
there are various ways to do it, and they really only remove the very
tip."

I was so stunned I couldn't speak. I knew that declaw would be an issue
when she got into vet school, and I was wondering how I would handle it
(i.e., whether to try and talk her into being a rebel, or keep out of
it, when it came time to study that) It just didn't occur to me that the
issue would raise its head now, and she would be so laid back about it.

This is likely her first exposure to it...so she's going by what the vet
tells her. Our family has always had cats, and nobody has ever even
thought of declawing one. (Heck, we didn't even start neutering until my
generation!!! I'm horrified now, but we just didn't know.)

She's always had lots of cats, loves cats, and they have a big,
beautiful house and the cats just do what they want. If a cat makes a
mess, they just clean it up. Very laid back about the cats. (They have
carpeted steps going from one level to another, and the cats regularly
use the steps as scratching posts....LOL) Point is, they accept that
cats are cats and allow them to do what they want.

She said this vet also does ear clippings on dogs. (to make them stand
up, for people who want that) He was *against* it, and refused, but was
getting dogs in where the owners had done it themselves, and infections
and all kinds of problems, so he started doing them because he felt it
was better he do it right than the idiots do home clips. And yet
declaw...no problem.

I'm just sick. Yet I remember that before I found this ng, I didn't know
anything about declawing either, and just *assumed* they removed the
claws only. I didn't know until going to Megan's Stop Declaw site. I had
never met a declawed cat. Actually, the only cat I've ever seen declawed
is my poor neighbor cat who spends time outside. (Poor guy...I keep an
eye on him all the time because my neighbors are idiots.)

I'm looking for a way to approach my cousin that won't upset her, yet
will at least inform her that it's wrong. She's not a rebel type...very
polite and well mannered, so I don't want to try to get her to raise
hell or anything, just maybe start questioning the vet. But first, I
have to convince HER that it's a bad thing.

Any ideas on how to approach this? I feel like I've got to do it soon,
or she'll be totally indoctrinated that it's an okay thing to do. She's
very impressionable. (I'll actually have to work on her parents, too,
because they just go along with whatever she says. But I think if I can
get to her, they'll follow along. I'm so surprised THEY weren't
horrified either. Just so stunned.)

::sniff::

Juls

--
Email (remove annoying hyphens)
j-u-l-i-AT-e-c-t-DOT-o-r-g

help - declawing
 

"Juls" wrote in message
...
I'm just devastated and could use some advice on how to handle this.

My little cousin (like my little sister to me) is all set next fall to
start college, and she's planned to be a vet since she could talk. The
only thing that changes regularly is what kind of vet. (A few weeks ago,
she was thinking opthamology, now she's thinking exotic animals and
working in a zoo, hopefully with big cats)

She and her best friend (also going to be a vet) are doing their senior
high school project by volunteering at a vet office one day a week. So
we were talking yesterday about the kinds of things she's doing at the
office, and the various procedures she's been in on. (As an observer)

A dog that was hit by a car and had to have xrays, various exams and
tests, and a DECLAW. I said "Oh no, the vet does declawing??? How
horrible!" And she said it wasn't that bad. :(

I said "They amputate the ends of their fingers," and she said "No,
there are various ways to do it, and they really only remove the very
tip."

I was so stunned I couldn't speak. I knew that declaw would be an issue
when she got into vet school, and I was wondering how I would handle it
(i.e., whether to try and talk her into being a rebel, or keep out of
it, when it came time to study that) It just didn't occur to me that the
issue would raise its head now, and she would be so laid back about it.

This is likely her first exposure to it...so she's going by what the vet
tells her. Our family has always had cats, and nobody has ever even
thought of declawing one. (Heck, we didn't even start neutering until my
generation!!! I'm horrified now, but we just didn't know.)

She's always had lots of cats, loves cats, and they have a big,
beautiful house and the cats just do what they want. If a cat makes a
mess, they just clean it up. Very laid back about the cats. (They have
carpeted steps going from one level to another, and the cats regularly
use the steps as scratching posts....LOL) Point is, they accept that
cats are cats and allow them to do what they want.

She said this vet also does ear clippings on dogs. (to make them stand
up, for people who want that) He was *against* it, and refused, but was
getting dogs in where the owners had done it themselves, and infections
and all kinds of problems, so he started doing them because he felt it
was better he do it right than the idiots do home clips. And yet
declaw...no problem.

I'm just sick. Yet I remember that before I found this ng, I didn't know
anything about declawing either, and just *assumed* they removed the
claws only. I didn't know until going to Megan's Stop Declaw site. I had
never met a declawed cat. Actually, the only cat I've ever seen declawed
is my poor neighbor cat who spends time outside. (Poor guy...I keep an
eye on him all the time because my neighbors are idiots.)

I'm looking for a way to approach my cousin that won't upset her, yet
will at least inform her that it's wrong. She's not a rebel type...very
polite and well mannered, so I don't want to try to get her to raise
hell or anything, just maybe start questioning the vet. But first, I
have to convince HER that it's a bad thing.

Any ideas on how to approach this? I feel like I've got to do it soon,
or she'll be totally indoctrinated that it's an okay thing to do. She's
very impressionable. (I'll actually have to work on her parents, too,
because they just go along with whatever she says. But I think if I can
get to her, they'll follow along. I'm so surprised THEY weren't
horrified either. Just so stunned.)


Can you put her in room with a PC showing that website and leave her to it
for a few minutes to read it? I am sure she is just mis-informed as you say.
--

Niel H

help - declawing
 

In article ,
"Niel Humphreys" wrote:

Can you put her in room with a PC showing that website and leave her to it
for a few minutes to read it? I am sure she is just mis-informed as you say.

Well, I could certainly email her the website. I just don't want to
handle this in the wrong way, make her defensive to the point that she
won't have an open mind.

I do think she just had no knowledge of declawing, because it's not
something anyone we know does. And she's at that age where she's a
sponge, so the vet said it's not a big deal, and she just accepted that.

--
Email (remove annoying hyphens)
j-u-l-i-AT-e-c-t-DOT-o-r-g

help - declawing
 

"Juls" wrote in message
...
I'm just devastated and could use some advice on how to handle this.

My little cousin (like my little sister to me) is all set next fall to
start college, and she's planned to be a vet since she could talk. The
only thing that changes regularly is what kind of vet. (A few weeks ago,
she was thinking opthamology, now she's thinking exotic animals and
working in a zoo, hopefully with big cats)

She and her best friend (also going to be a vet) are doing their senior
high school project by volunteering at a vet office one day a week. So
we were talking yesterday about the kinds of things she's doing at the
office, and the various procedures she's been in on. (As an observer)

A dog that was hit by a car and had to have xrays, various exams and
tests, and a DECLAW. I said "Oh no, the vet does declawing??? How
horrible!" And she said it wasn't that bad. :(

I said "They amputate the ends of their fingers," and she said "No,
there are various ways to do it, and they really only remove the very
tip."

If that's how she described it then she saw a cat's nails being trimmed,
*NOT* a declawing! Send her a link to this site:
http://community-2.webtv.net/stopdeclaw/declawpics/ and just ask her if this
is what she saw the vet do. The pictures are quite enough to dissuade
someone from declaring a cat that they love.

Hugs,

CatNipped