If you would like to talk about inhumane then perhaps we should talk about
your eating habits...such as, killing an animal simply so that YOU can
survive. Part of me wants to leave this argument alone but the other part
feels that I should defend the other point of view. I feel like a Jew being
Bible Thumped by a baptist!


"Laura R." wrote in message
.net...
circa Mon, 07 Jul 2003 03:04:48 GMT, in rec.pets.cats.health+behav,
Nicole ) said,
In response - Yes, I've looked at the alternatives. Soft Paws (they
even
come in cute colors!!),

Okay, and why have you rejected SoftPaws?

training, sprays, the other procedure that starts
with a T that I can't spell (tendenoniton or something),

Tendonectomy. It's like cutting the tendon that controls the first
joint in your fingers. Imagine your fingers with floppy tips and you
have a rough idea of what a tendonectomy does.

laser surgery,

Which is simply declawing using a laser instead of the usual device,
which pretty much looks like an industrial strength nail cutter, but
cuts off the cat's first joint instead of just the nail.

nail
clipping, living with it.....so I asked a breeder in the area, because I
didn't want to do something that would hurt her....she told me this...
"if Hailey is an inside cat, she doesn't need to protect herself (she's
an
only child).

So that justifies mutilating her?

If declawing was so inhumane, no vet would declaw any animal."

Now, *that* is a crock. Ask any veterinarian if they think declawing
is humane. 99% of them will tell you that it is not, but that they do
it because their clients who request it would get rid of the cat if
the vet didn't declaw.

It took a lot of convincing, and my vet even let me watch a procedure...

How much of it did you watch? Did you see exactly what it consists
of? It is *cutting off the cat's first joint*. What if your toes were
cut off at the first joint? How agile would you be? Would you feel
that it was "humane"?

so
we're going to go through with it.

WHY??? Why are you so willing to declaw but so unwilling to try the
other methods????

I realize that it's a VERY controversial
topic,

Yes, because it is inhumane. It is cruel. It is barbaric. There is a
reason that it is outlawed in many countries outside the United
States, and there is a reason that there is a push for similar
legislation in the United States.

but I appreciate your advice! I'll keep ya posted!
Momma-Kittenhead

Well, frankly, every bit of love that you claim to feel for your new
kitten just became suspect to me. Would you cut off your baby's
fingers at the first joint so that the baby wouldn't accidentally
scratch you with his/her nail?

You have not given a single reason *why* you feel that you have to
declaw your cat instead of trying something humane.

Laura

--
Don't try to make children grow up to be like you, or they may do it.
-Russell Baker