Declawing: glad I took the time

If the choice is mutilating the cat or finding her another home, then
absolutely find her another home.

I'm not saying that I strongly feel declawing is "WRONG!!!!!" :-),
but I am going to look into it more before doing it.

After all, animals are animals. Maybe they were never meant to be
domesticated at all. Maybe getting her declawed is better than having
her sleep out in the rain and snow. Roy sure thought his tiger was
"trained."

All the cat owners I know have a very casual attitude towards it, like
it's nothing. So I was ready to follow suit, but decided to research
it.

Poor cat is looking at me through the sliding door: "Make up your
mind, ya freakin' jerk!"

From: "MaryL" AKE-OUT-THE-LITTER

I have always been very fortunate in that none of my cats broke things or
were deliberately destructive. The one cat that caused damage to the
carpeting was also the only cat that had been declawed (four-paw declawed,
before I adopted her), and I always attributed the problem to the fact that
she had been declawed. Starting at about the age of 13 years, she began to
urinate outside the litter box. UTI was ruled out, but this was also
approximately the same time that her blood work first began to show signs of
liver damage. I felt that her failure to use a litter box was probably due
to the fact that she did not have claws. That, in combination with the
onset of arthritis, probably caused pain when she would try to scratch in
the litter box. I searched for the very softest litter I could find, and
that helped -- but did not cure -- the problem. For awhile, I would cover
areas where she would urinate outside the litter box. When it became clear
that this was going to be an ongoing problem, I just let her use the spot
she preferred and I cleaned it as best I could. She was a dear, sweet cat,
and I did not consider this to be a deliberate or malicious act. I
considered it to be a medical problem brought on by age, illness (advancing
liver disease), and pain when trying to scratch in the litter box. After
she died, I had that portion of the carpeting and padding replaced. We also
sealed the concrete floor underneath and even replaced some carpet tack
(strip) where the urine had seeped into the wood. I had a great
veterinarian, and I gave her the best care I could. She lived for another 3
years, although she had originally been given only a few more months to
live. I will forever be grateful for those extra years, and it was well
worth the odor and damaged carpet. That little angel should never have been
exposed to the brutality of declawing.

MaryL

Gosh, Mary, this really made me want to cry Thank God this kitty had you in
her life. I'm sure she was a very special kitty.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From: "MaryL" AKE-OUT-THE-LITTER

I have always been very fortunate in that none of my cats broke things or
were deliberately destructive. The one cat that caused damage to the
carpeting was also the only cat that had been declawed (four-paw declawed,
before I adopted her), and I always attributed the problem to the fact that
she had been declawed. Starting at about the age of 13 years, she began to
urinate outside the litter box. UTI was ruled out, but this was also
approximately the same time that her blood work first began to show signs of
liver damage. I felt that her failure to use a litter box was probably due
to the fact that she did not have claws. That, in combination with the
onset of arthritis, probably caused pain when she would try to scratch in
the litter box. I searched for the very softest litter I could find, and
that helped -- but did not cure -- the problem. For awhile, I would cover
areas where she would urinate outside the litter box. When it became clear
that this was going to be an ongoing problem, I just let her use the spot
she preferred and I cleaned it as best I could. She was a dear, sweet cat,
and I did not consider this to be a deliberate or malicious act. I
considered it to be a medical problem brought on by age, illness (advancing
liver disease), and pain when trying to scratch in the litter box. After
she died, I had that portion of the carpeting and padding replaced. We also
sealed the concrete floor underneath and even replaced some carpet tack
(strip) where the urine had seeped into the wood. I had a great
veterinarian, and I gave her the best care I could. She lived for another 3
years, although she had originally been given only a few more months to
live. I will forever be grateful for those extra years, and it was well
worth the odor and damaged carpet. That little angel should never have been
exposed to the brutality of declawing.

MaryL

Gosh, Mary, this really made me want to cry Thank God this kitty had you in
her life. I'm sure she was a very special kitty.

Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From:

If the choice is mutilating the cat or finding her another home, then
absolutely find her another home.

I'm not saying that I strongly feel declawing is "WRONG!!!!!" :-),
but I am going to look into it more before doing it.

After all, animals are animals.

Ah yes, they are animals. But they are also living breathing feeling beings
that deserve to be treated respectfully. Declawing is 10 painful amputations
of the last digit of each toe. Cats use their claws as a means of
communication, much like we use our voices. A declawed cat is much like a
person without a larynx.
Comparing declawing to us having the ends of our fingers amputated is not
actually completely accurate. The claw is harder to remove than the tip of our
fingers because we don't retract our fingertips. Our fingertip is not set into
the joint below in a complex way like a cat's claw is. Cutting out pieces of an
animal's body for convenience is just wrong from all aspects.

Cats actually walk on their first digit, which is the digit that is amputated.
They can begin to walk incorrectly due to the amputation.

Declawed cats can become fear biters. Cats first defense mechanism are their
claws, when these are gone they bite. Biting can cause severe blood poisoning .


Declawed cats can and do suffer behavioral disorders, such as not using the
litter box due to discomfort in their feet, and may use the rest of the house
as their litterbox. They also have trouble jumping and landing, and in some
severe cases, both domestic and wild cats have become lame and even paralyzed
upon being declawed.

There are alternatives to declawing such as nail trimming. Nail trimming makes
the nails blunt, so they do not puncture through materials, such as couches and
furniture.

Products such as Soft Paws, which are plastic nail covers, can prevent
scratching and aide in proper training.

Declawing is inhumane and painful to these animals. Animals are live sentient
beings, not objects. A couch does not feel pain and will not notice the damage
done to it. A cat surely will.

"Cats have retractable nails, also known as "claws". 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 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
cause the foot to 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 causes the foot to meet the ground at an unnatural angle
that can cause back pain similar to that in humans caused by wearing improper
shoes. "

"Contrary to most people's idea of declawing, surgery involves severing not
just the claws, but whole phalanges (up to the joint), including bone,
ligaments, and tendons! Complications of this amputation can be excruciating
pain, damage to the radial nerve, hemorrhage, bone chips that prevent healing,
painful regrowth of deformed claw inside of the paw, and chronic back and joint
pain as shoulder, leg and back muscles weaken. Many cats also suffer
a loss of balance since they can no longer achieve a secure foothold on their
stumps. "

"Some cats are so shocked by declawing that their personalities change. In some
cases, when declawed cats use the litterbox after surgery, their feet are so
tender they associate their new pain with the box...permanently. Others that
can no longer mark with their claws, they mark with urine instead. Many
declawed cats become so traumatized by this painful mutilation that they end up
spending their maladjusted lives perched on top of doors and
refrigerators, out of reach of real and imaginary predators against whom they
no longer have any adequate defense. A cat relies on its claws as its primary
means of defense. Removing the claws makes a cat feel defenseless and it can
either become very defensive and resort to biting, or withdrawn and paranoid.
They not only lose their grip, but also their grip on reality, seeming unable
to concentrate on much beyond the loss of their claws, their
vulnerability and confusion as to what has happened to them. "

Yes, there are many things that can be done. First off, always play with the
cat with toys, not your fingers. You can get your cat a tall sturdy scratching
post with sisal rope. I also have cardboard scratching pads too as some cats
are horizontal scratchers. You can clip the claws blunt. I use a cat scissors
made by Four Paws and it works very well. I find the best time to trim claws is
when the cat is sleepy, that way he is less likely to
protest. The first time you trim the claws, you may want to have your vet or
vet tech show you how. To trim a cat's claws, place her or him on a table or on
your lap, and facing away from you. Lift one of the legs so that the lower part
of the leg rests in your upturned fingers. Holding the leg securely but
non-threateningly between the heel of your thumb and the tips of your middle,
ring, and little fingers, grasp the paw between your thumb and
forefinger. Press down gently on top of the paw with your thumb, spreading the
toes and extending the claws. Check each claw individually. Do not trim blunt
or rounded claws. If the nail is honed to a talon-like point, clip it. Be
careful to clip the hooked part of the claw only. Avoid cutting into the pink
tissue visible inside the nail.

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."


"Declawing, or onychectomy, is an amputation of the toe at the last joint.
This removes the claw and the bone from which it originates. On a human hand
this would be an amputation at the knuckle just above the nail. It is not
just removal of the claw as many people think." Matthew J. Ehrenberg, DVM

"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." Dr. Christianne Schelling, DVM

"The amputation of the nail is accomplished with a guillotine nail cutter,
which cuts across the first joint of the toe" Dr. Paul Rowan, DVM

"Declawing (onchyectomy) is a surgical procedure that amputates the 3rd
phalanx bone and claw of all ten front foot toes of a cat. This is
comparable to the amputation of the last bone of each finger in the human
hand." Dr. Jennifer Kissinger, DVM

"The feline digit, just like the human digit (finger), possesses three
phalanxes. When a cat is declawed it is the third or last phalanx, that is
completely removed or amputated." Murphy Animal Hospital, Tampa, Florida

"Declawing, or onychectomy, is the amputation of the claw and last bone
(third phalanx) of the cat's toes at the first joint on the front feet. It's
the
equivalent of removing the last bone of all your fingers." Dr. Alice Crook,
Head, Animal Welfare Unit at Atlantic Veterinary College, University of
Prince Edward
Island.

"Declawing is the surgical amputation under general anesthesia of the last
part of the toe - comparable to the removal of your fingertip at the first
joint." Veterinary Information Network, Inc

"The most common surgical procedure, onychectomy, or "declawing", is
amputation of the claw and the end toe bone joint." The Cat Fanciers'
Association

"Declawing a cat involves general anesthesia and amputation of the last
joint of each toe, including the bones, not just the nail." Doctors Who's
Who, Inc.

J Am Vet Med Assoc 1998 Aug 1;213(3):370-3412 Comparison of effects of elective
tenectomy or onychectomy in cats. Jankowski AJ, Brown DC, Duval J, Gregor TP,
Strine LE, Ksiazek LM, Ott AH Department of Clinical Studies, Veterinary
Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia 19104, USA.
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Owners should be aware of the high complication rate for
both procedures. Vet Surg 1994 Jul-Aug;23(4):274-80 Feline onychectomy at a
teaching institution: a retrospective study of 163 cases. Tobias KS Department
of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Washington State University College of
Veterinary Medicine, Pullman 99164-6610.
One hundred sixty-three cats underwent onychectomy from January 1985 to
November 1992. Onychectomy was performed with guillotine-type nail shears
(62%), surgical blade (24.5%), or both (8.6%), and wound closure consisted of
bandages alone (61.3%), bandages after suture closure (26.4%), or tissue
adhesive application (9.2%). The duration of surgery was significantly longer
when onychectomy was performed with a blade or when suture closure was used
instead of bandages alone (P .05). Fifty percent of the cats had one or more
complications immediately after surgery. Early postoperative complications
included pain (38.1%), hemorrhage (31.9%), lameness (26.9%), swelling (6.3%),
or non-weight-bearing (5.6%), and were observed more frequently after blade
onychectomy (P .001). Follow-up was available in 121 cats; 19.8% developed
complications after release. Late postoperative complications included
infection (11.6%), regrowth (7.4%), P2 protrusion (1.7%), palmagrade stance
(1.7%), and prolonged, intermittent lameness (0.8%). Late postoperative
complications were observed more frequently after shears onychectomy (P =
..018). Use of tissue adhesive was associated with more postoperative lameness
(P .02) and, when used after shears onychectomy, with more infections (P =
..049).

I don't know what else to say, but I'm glad you're doing your research first,
and I pray this kitty's toes are spared.
Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

From:

If the choice is mutilating the cat or finding her another home, then
absolutely find her another home.

I'm not saying that I strongly feel declawing is "WRONG!!!!!" :-),
but I am going to look into it more before doing it.

After all, animals are animals.

Ah yes, they are animals. But they are also living breathing feeling beings
that deserve to be treated respectfully. Declawing is 10 painful amputations
of the last digit of each toe. Cats use their claws as a means of
communication, much like we use our voices. A declawed cat is much like a
person without a larynx.
Comparing declawing to us having the ends of our fingers amputated is not
actually completely accurate. The claw is harder to remove than the tip of our
fingers because we don't retract our fingertips. Our fingertip is not set into
the joint below in a complex way like a cat's claw is. Cutting out pieces of an
animal's body for convenience is just wrong from all aspects.

Cats actually walk on their first digit, which is the digit that is amputated.
They can begin to walk incorrectly due to the amputation.

Declawed cats can become fear biters. Cats first defense mechanism are their
claws, when these are gone they bite. Biting can cause severe blood poisoning .


Declawed cats can and do suffer behavioral disorders, such as not using the
litter box due to discomfort in their feet, and may use the rest of the house
as their litterbox. They also have trouble jumping and landing, and in some
severe cases, both domestic and wild cats have become lame and even paralyzed
upon being declawed.

There are alternatives to declawing such as nail trimming. Nail trimming makes
the nails blunt, so they do not puncture through materials, such as couches and
furniture.

Products such as Soft Paws, which are plastic nail covers, can prevent
scratching and aide in proper training.

Declawing is inhumane and painful to these animals. Animals are live sentient
beings, not objects. A couch does not feel pain and will not notice the damage
done to it. A cat surely will.

"Cats have retractable nails, also known as "claws". 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 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
cause the foot to 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 causes the foot to meet the ground at an unnatural angle
that can cause back pain similar to that in humans caused by wearing improper
shoes. "

"Contrary to most people's idea of declawing, surgery involves severing not
just the claws, but whole phalanges (up to the joint), including bone,
ligaments, and tendons! Complications of this amputation can be excruciating
pain, damage to the radial nerve, hemorrhage, bone chips that prevent healing,
painful regrowth of deformed claw inside of the paw, and chronic back and joint
pain as shoulder, leg and back muscles weaken. Many cats also suffer
a loss of balance since they can no longer achieve a secure foothold on their
stumps. "

"Some cats are so shocked by declawing that their personalities change. In some
cases, when declawed cats use the litterbox after surgery, their feet are so
tender they associate their new pain with the box...permanently. Others that
can no longer mark with their claws, they mark with urine instead. Many
declawed cats become so traumatized by this painful mutilation that they end up
spending their maladjusted lives perched on top of doors and
refrigerators, out of reach of real and imaginary predators against whom they
no longer have any adequate defense. A cat relies on its claws as its primary
means of defense. Removing the claws makes a cat feel defenseless and it can
either become very defensive and resort to biting, or withdrawn and paranoid.
They not only lose their grip, but also their grip on reality, seeming unable
to concentrate on much beyond the loss of their claws, their
vulnerability and confusion as to what has happened to them. "

Yes, there are many things that can be done. First off, always play with the
cat with toys, not your fingers. You can get your cat a tall sturdy scratching
post with sisal rope. I also have cardboard scratching pads too as some cats
are horizontal scratchers. You can clip the claws blunt. I use a cat scissors
made by Four Paws and it works very well. I find the best time to trim claws is
when the cat is sleepy, that way he is less likely to
protest. The first time you trim the claws, you may want to have your vet or
vet tech show you how. To trim a cat's claws, place her or him on a table or on
your lap, and facing away from you. Lift one of the legs so that the lower part
of the leg rests in your upturned fingers. Holding the leg securely but
non-threateningly between the heel of your thumb and the tips of your middle,
ring, and little fingers, grasp the paw between your thumb and
forefinger. Press down gently on top of the paw with your thumb, spreading the
toes and extending the claws. Check each claw individually. Do not trim blunt
or rounded claws. If the nail is honed to a talon-like point, clip it. Be
careful to clip the hooked part of the claw only. Avoid cutting into the pink
tissue visible inside the nail.

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."


"Declawing, or onychectomy, is an amputation of the toe at the last joint.
This removes the claw and the bone from which it originates. On a human hand
this would be an amputation at the knuckle just above the nail. It is not
just removal of the claw as many people think." Matthew J. Ehrenberg, DVM

"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." Dr. Christianne Schelling, DVM

"The amputation of the nail is accomplished with a guillotine nail cutter,
which cuts across the first joint of the toe" Dr. Paul Rowan, DVM

"Declawing (onchyectomy) is a surgical procedure that amputates the 3rd
phalanx bone and claw of all ten front foot toes of a cat. This is
comparable to the amputation of the last bone of each finger in the human
hand." Dr. Jennifer Kissinger, DVM

"The feline digit, just like the human digit (finger), possesses three
phalanxes. When a cat is declawed it is the third or last phalanx, that is
completely removed or amputated." Murphy Animal Hospital, Tampa, Florida

"Declawing, or onychectomy, is the amputation of the claw and last bone
(third phalanx) of the cat's toes at the first joint on the front feet. It's
the
equivalent of removing the last bone of all your fingers." Dr. Alice Crook,
Head, Animal Welfare Unit at Atlantic Veterinary College, University of
Prince Edward
Island.

"Declawing is the surgical amputation under general anesthesia of the last
part of the toe - comparable to the removal of your fingertip at the first
joint." Veterinary Information Network, Inc

"The most common surgical procedure, onychectomy, or "declawing", is
amputation of the claw and the end toe bone joint." The Cat Fanciers'
Association

"Declawing a cat involves general anesthesia and amputation of the last
joint of each toe, including the bones, not just the nail." Doctors Who's
Who, Inc.

J Am Vet Med Assoc 1998 Aug 1;213(3):370-3412 Comparison of effects of elective
tenectomy or onychectomy in cats. Jankowski AJ, Brown DC, Duval J, Gregor TP,
Strine LE, Ksiazek LM, Ott AH Department of Clinical Studies, Veterinary
Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia 19104, USA.
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Owners should be aware of the high complication rate for
both procedures. Vet Surg 1994 Jul-Aug;23(4):274-80 Feline onychectomy at a
teaching institution: a retrospective study of 163 cases. Tobias KS Department
of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Washington State University College of
Veterinary Medicine, Pullman 99164-6610.
One hundred sixty-three cats underwent onychectomy from January 1985 to
November 1992. Onychectomy was performed with guillotine-type nail shears
(62%), surgical blade (24.5%), or both (8.6%), and wound closure consisted of
bandages alone (61.3%), bandages after suture closure (26.4%), or tissue
adhesive application (9.2%). The duration of surgery was significantly longer
when onychectomy was performed with a blade or when suture closure was used
instead of bandages alone (P .05). Fifty percent of the cats had one or more
complications immediately after surgery. Early postoperative complications
included pain (38.1%), hemorrhage (31.9%), lameness (26.9%), swelling (6.3%),
or non-weight-bearing (5.6%), and were observed more frequently after blade
onychectomy (P .001). Follow-up was available in 121 cats; 19.8% developed
complications after release. Late postoperative complications included
infection (11.6%), regrowth (7.4%), P2 protrusion (1.7%), palmagrade stance
(1.7%), and prolonged, intermittent lameness (0.8%). Late postoperative
complications were observed more frequently after shears onychectomy (P =
..018). Use of tissue adhesive was associated with more postoperative lameness
(P .02) and, when used after shears onychectomy, with more infections (P =
..049).

I don't know what else to say, but I'm glad you're doing your research first,
and I pray this kitty's toes are spared.
Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

We have a local vet who is doing laser surgery to sever the tendon that
extends the claw. I've heard healing is much faster and is generally less
traumatic for the cat. Don't have enough information to know whether this
procedure is any better in the long run or not.

I've never had a cat declawed but came very close with one. There was no
getting him to use a scratching post no matter what we tried and he only dug
into the brand new living room carpeting after we were asleep at night. If
we stopped him from scratching his favorite spot he just moved onto a new
one. I ended up confining him in a room without carpeting and gave him a bed
to sleep in to keep him off the cold floor. He scratched the heck out of the
door but it's cheaper to replace than the carpet.

W

"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From:

If the choice is mutilating the cat or finding her another home, then
absolutely find her another home.

I'm not saying that I strongly feel declawing is "WRONG!!!!!" :-),
but I am going to look into it more before doing it.

After all, animals are animals.

Ah yes, they are animals. But they are also living breathing feeling beings
that deserve to be treated respectfully. Declawing is 10 painful
amputations
of the last digit of each toe. Cats use their claws as a means of
communication, much like we use our voices. A declawed cat is much like a
person without a larynx.
Comparing declawing to us having the ends of our fingers amputated is not
actually completely accurate. The claw is harder to remove than the tip of
our
fingers because we don't retract our fingertips. Our fingertip is not set
into
the joint below in a complex way like a cat's claw is. Cutting out pieces of
an
animal's body for convenience is just wrong from all aspects.

Cats actually walk on their first digit, which is the digit that is
amputated.
They can begin to walk incorrectly due to the amputation.

Declawed cats can become fear biters. Cats first defense mechanism are their
claws, when these are gone they bite. Biting can cause severe blood
poisoning .


Declawed cats can and do suffer behavioral disorders, such as not using the
litter box due to discomfort in their feet, and may use the rest of the
house
as their litterbox. They also have trouble jumping and landing, and in some
severe cases, both domestic and wild cats have become lame and even
paralyzed
upon being declawed.

There are alternatives to declawing such as nail trimming. Nail trimming
makes
the nails blunt, so they do not puncture through materials, such as couches
and
furniture.

Products such as Soft Paws, which are plastic nail covers, can prevent
scratching and aide in proper training.

Declawing is inhumane and painful to these animals. Animals are live
sentient
beings, not objects. A couch does not feel pain and will not notice the
damage
done to it. A cat surely will.

"Cats have retractable nails, also known as "claws". 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 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
cause the foot to 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 causes the foot to meet the ground at an unnatural angle
that can cause back pain similar to that in humans caused by wearing
improper
shoes. "

"Contrary to most people's idea of declawing, surgery involves severing not
just the claws, but whole phalanges (up to the joint), including bone,
ligaments, and tendons! Complications of this amputation can be excruciating
pain, damage to the radial nerve, hemorrhage, bone chips that prevent
healing,
painful regrowth of deformed claw inside of the paw, and chronic back and
joint
pain as shoulder, leg and back muscles weaken. Many cats also suffer
a loss of balance since they can no longer achieve a secure foothold on
their
stumps. "

"Some cats are so shocked by declawing that their personalities change. In
some
cases, when declawed cats use the litterbox after surgery, their feet are so
tender they associate their new pain with the box...permanently. Others that
can no longer mark with their claws, they mark with urine instead. Many
declawed cats become so traumatized by this painful mutilation that they end
up
spending their maladjusted lives perched on top of doors and
refrigerators, out of reach of real and imaginary predators against whom
they
no longer have any adequate defense. A cat relies on its claws as its
primary
means of defense. Removing the claws makes a cat feel defenseless and it can
either become very defensive and resort to biting, or withdrawn and
paranoid.
They not only lose their grip, but also their grip on reality, seeming
unable
to concentrate on much beyond the loss of their claws, their
vulnerability and confusion as to what has happened to them. "

Yes, there are many things that can be done. First off, always play with the
cat with toys, not your fingers. You can get your cat a tall sturdy
scratching
post with sisal rope. I also have cardboard scratching pads too as some cats
are horizontal scratchers. You can clip the claws blunt. I use a cat
scissors
made by Four Paws and it works very well. I find the best time to trim claws
is
when the cat is sleepy, that way he is less likely to
protest. The first time you trim the claws, you may want to have your vet or
vet tech show you how. To trim a cat's claws, place her or him on a table or
on
your lap, and facing away from you. Lift one of the legs so that the lower
part
of the leg rests in your upturned fingers. Holding the leg securely but
non-threateningly between the heel of your thumb and the tips of your
middle,
ring, and little fingers, grasp the paw between your thumb and
forefinger. Press down gently on top of the paw with your thumb, spreading
the
toes and extending the claws. Check each claw individually. Do not trim
blunt
or rounded claws. If the nail is honed to a talon-like point, clip it. Be
careful to clip the hooked part of the claw only. Avoid cutting into the
pink
tissue visible inside the nail.

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."


"Declawing, or onychectomy, is an amputation of the toe at the last joint.
This removes the claw and the bone from which it originates. On a human hand
this would be an amputation at the knuckle just above the nail. It is not
just removal of the claw as many people think." Matthew J. Ehrenberg, DVM

"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." Dr. Christianne Schelling, DVM

"The amputation of the nail is accomplished with a guillotine nail cutter,
which cuts across the first joint of the toe" Dr. Paul Rowan, DVM

"Declawing (onchyectomy) is a surgical procedure that amputates the 3rd
phalanx bone and claw of all ten front foot toes of a cat. This is
comparable to the amputation of the last bone of each finger in the human
hand." Dr. Jennifer Kissinger, DVM

"The feline digit, just like the human digit (finger), possesses three
phalanxes. When a cat is declawed it is the third or last phalanx, that is
completely removed or amputated." Murphy Animal Hospital, Tampa, Florida

"Declawing, or onychectomy, is the amputation of the claw and last bone
(third phalanx) of the cat's toes at the first joint on the front feet. It's
the
equivalent of removing the last bone of all your fingers." Dr. Alice Crook,
Head, Animal Welfare Unit at Atlantic Veterinary College, University of
Prince Edward
Island.

"Declawing is the surgical amputation under general anesthesia of the last
part of the toe - comparable to the removal of your fingertip at the first
joint." Veterinary Information Network, Inc

"The most common surgical procedure, onychectomy, or "declawing", is
amputation of the claw and the end toe bone joint." The Cat Fanciers'
Association

"Declawing a cat involves general anesthesia and amputation of the last
joint of each toe, including the bones, not just the nail." Doctors Who's
Who, Inc.

J Am Vet Med Assoc 1998 Aug 1;213(3):370-3412 Comparison of effects of
elective
tenectomy or onychectomy in cats. Jankowski AJ, Brown DC, Duval J, Gregor
TP,
Strine LE, Ksiazek LM, Ott AH Department of Clinical Studies, Veterinary
Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of
Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia 19104, USA.
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Owners should be aware of the high complication rate
for
both procedures. Vet Surg 1994 Jul-Aug;23(4):274-80 Feline onychectomy at a
teaching institution: a retrospective study of 163 cases. Tobias KS
Department
of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Washington State University College of
Veterinary Medicine, Pullman 99164-6610.
One hundred sixty-three cats underwent onychectomy from January 1985 to
November 1992. Onychectomy was performed with guillotine-type nail shears
(62%), surgical blade (24.5%), or both (8.6%), and wound closure consisted
of
bandages alone (61.3%), bandages after suture closure (26.4%), or tissue
adhesive application (9.2%). The duration of surgery was significantly
longer
when onychectomy was performed with a blade or when suture closure was used
instead of bandages alone (P .05). Fifty percent of the cats had one or
more
complications immediately after surgery. Early postoperative complications
included pain (38.1%), hemorrhage (31.9%), lameness (26.9%), swelling
(6.3%),
or non-weight-bearing (5.6%), and were observed more frequently after blade
onychectomy (P .001). Follow-up was available in 121 cats; 19.8% developed
complications after release. Late postoperative complications included
infection (11.6%), regrowth (7.4%), P2 protrusion (1.7%), palmagrade stance
(1.7%), and prolonged, intermittent lameness (0.8%). Late postoperative
complications were observed more frequently after shears onychectomy (P =
..018). Use of tissue adhesive was associated with more postoperative
lameness
(P .02) and, when used after shears onychectomy, with more infections (P =
..049).

I don't know what else to say, but I'm glad you're doing your research
first,
and I pray this kitty's toes are spared.
Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

We have a local vet who is doing laser surgery to sever the tendon that
extends the claw. I've heard healing is much faster and is generally less
traumatic for the cat. Don't have enough information to know whether this
procedure is any better in the long run or not.

I've never had a cat declawed but came very close with one. There was no
getting him to use a scratching post no matter what we tried and he only dug
into the brand new living room carpeting after we were asleep at night. If
we stopped him from scratching his favorite spot he just moved onto a new
one. I ended up confining him in a room without carpeting and gave him a bed
to sleep in to keep him off the cold floor. He scratched the heck out of the
door but it's cheaper to replace than the carpet.

W

"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...
From:

If the choice is mutilating the cat or finding her another home, then
absolutely find her another home.

I'm not saying that I strongly feel declawing is "WRONG!!!!!" :-),
but I am going to look into it more before doing it.

After all, animals are animals.

Ah yes, they are animals. But they are also living breathing feeling beings
that deserve to be treated respectfully. Declawing is 10 painful
amputations
of the last digit of each toe. Cats use their claws as a means of
communication, much like we use our voices. A declawed cat is much like a
person without a larynx.
Comparing declawing to us having the ends of our fingers amputated is not
actually completely accurate. The claw is harder to remove than the tip of
our
fingers because we don't retract our fingertips. Our fingertip is not set
into
the joint below in a complex way like a cat's claw is. Cutting out pieces of
an
animal's body for convenience is just wrong from all aspects.

Cats actually walk on their first digit, which is the digit that is
amputated.
They can begin to walk incorrectly due to the amputation.

Declawed cats can become fear biters. Cats first defense mechanism are their
claws, when these are gone they bite. Biting can cause severe blood
poisoning .


Declawed cats can and do suffer behavioral disorders, such as not using the
litter box due to discomfort in their feet, and may use the rest of the
house
as their litterbox. They also have trouble jumping and landing, and in some
severe cases, both domestic and wild cats have become lame and even
paralyzed
upon being declawed.

There are alternatives to declawing such as nail trimming. Nail trimming
makes
the nails blunt, so they do not puncture through materials, such as couches
and
furniture.

Products such as Soft Paws, which are plastic nail covers, can prevent
scratching and aide in proper training.

Declawing is inhumane and painful to these animals. Animals are live
sentient
beings, not objects. A couch does not feel pain and will not notice the
damage
done to it. A cat surely will.

"Cats have retractable nails, also known as "claws". 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 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
cause the foot to 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 causes the foot to meet the ground at an unnatural angle
that can cause back pain similar to that in humans caused by wearing
improper
shoes. "

"Contrary to most people's idea of declawing, surgery involves severing not
just the claws, but whole phalanges (up to the joint), including bone,
ligaments, and tendons! Complications of this amputation can be excruciating
pain, damage to the radial nerve, hemorrhage, bone chips that prevent
healing,
painful regrowth of deformed claw inside of the paw, and chronic back and
joint
pain as shoulder, leg and back muscles weaken. Many cats also suffer
a loss of balance since they can no longer achieve a secure foothold on
their
stumps. "

"Some cats are so shocked by declawing that their personalities change. In
some
cases, when declawed cats use the litterbox after surgery, their feet are so
tender they associate their new pain with the box...permanently. Others that
can no longer mark with their claws, they mark with urine instead. Many
declawed cats become so traumatized by this painful mutilation that they end
up
spending their maladjusted lives perched on top of doors and
refrigerators, out of reach of real and imaginary predators against whom
they
no longer have any adequate defense. A cat relies on its claws as its
primary
means of defense. Removing the claws makes a cat feel defenseless and it can
either become very defensive and resort to biting, or withdrawn and
paranoid.
They not only lose their grip, but also their grip on reality, seeming
unable
to concentrate on much beyond the loss of their claws, their
vulnerability and confusion as to what has happened to them. "

Yes, there are many things that can be done. First off, always play with the
cat with toys, not your fingers. You can get your cat a tall sturdy
scratching
post with sisal rope. I also have cardboard scratching pads too as some cats
are horizontal scratchers. You can clip the claws blunt. I use a cat
scissors
made by Four Paws and it works very well. I find the best time to trim claws
is
when the cat is sleepy, that way he is less likely to
protest. The first time you trim the claws, you may want to have your vet or
vet tech show you how. To trim a cat's claws, place her or him on a table or
on
your lap, and facing away from you. Lift one of the legs so that the lower
part
of the leg rests in your upturned fingers. Holding the leg securely but
non-threateningly between the heel of your thumb and the tips of your
middle,
ring, and little fingers, grasp the paw between your thumb and
forefinger. Press down gently on top of the paw with your thumb, spreading
the
toes and extending the claws. Check each claw individually. Do not trim
blunt
or rounded claws. If the nail is honed to a talon-like point, clip it. Be
careful to clip the hooked part of the claw only. Avoid cutting into the
pink
tissue visible inside the nail.

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."


"Declawing, or onychectomy, is an amputation of the toe at the last joint.
This removes the claw and the bone from which it originates. On a human hand
this would be an amputation at the knuckle just above the nail. It is not
just removal of the claw as many people think." Matthew J. Ehrenberg, DVM

"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." Dr. Christianne Schelling, DVM

"The amputation of the nail is accomplished with a guillotine nail cutter,
which cuts across the first joint of the toe" Dr. Paul Rowan, DVM

"Declawing (onchyectomy) is a surgical procedure that amputates the 3rd
phalanx bone and claw of all ten front foot toes of a cat. This is
comparable to the amputation of the last bone of each finger in the human
hand." Dr. Jennifer Kissinger, DVM

"The feline digit, just like the human digit (finger), possesses three
phalanxes. When a cat is declawed it is the third or last phalanx, that is
completely removed or amputated." Murphy Animal Hospital, Tampa, Florida

"Declawing, or onychectomy, is the amputation of the claw and last bone
(third phalanx) of the cat's toes at the first joint on the front feet. It's
the
equivalent of removing the last bone of all your fingers." Dr. Alice Crook,
Head, Animal Welfare Unit at Atlantic Veterinary College, University of
Prince Edward
Island.

"Declawing is the surgical amputation under general anesthesia of the last
part of the toe - comparable to the removal of your fingertip at the first
joint." Veterinary Information Network, Inc

"The most common surgical procedure, onychectomy, or "declawing", is
amputation of the claw and the end toe bone joint." The Cat Fanciers'
Association

"Declawing a cat involves general anesthesia and amputation of the last
joint of each toe, including the bones, not just the nail." Doctors Who's
Who, Inc.

J Am Vet Med Assoc 1998 Aug 1;213(3):370-3412 Comparison of effects of
elective
tenectomy or onychectomy in cats. Jankowski AJ, Brown DC, Duval J, Gregor
TP,
Strine LE, Ksiazek LM, Ott AH Department of Clinical Studies, Veterinary
Teaching Hospital, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of
Pennsylvania,
Philadelphia 19104, USA.
CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Owners should be aware of the high complication rate
for
both procedures. Vet Surg 1994 Jul-Aug;23(4):274-80 Feline onychectomy at a
teaching institution: a retrospective study of 163 cases. Tobias KS
Department
of Veterinary Clinical Sciences, Washington State University College of
Veterinary Medicine, Pullman 99164-6610.
One hundred sixty-three cats underwent onychectomy from January 1985 to
November 1992. Onychectomy was performed with guillotine-type nail shears
(62%), surgical blade (24.5%), or both (8.6%), and wound closure consisted
of
bandages alone (61.3%), bandages after suture closure (26.4%), or tissue
adhesive application (9.2%). The duration of surgery was significantly
longer
when onychectomy was performed with a blade or when suture closure was used
instead of bandages alone (P .05). Fifty percent of the cats had one or
more
complications immediately after surgery. Early postoperative complications
included pain (38.1%), hemorrhage (31.9%), lameness (26.9%), swelling
(6.3%),
or non-weight-bearing (5.6%), and were observed more frequently after blade
onychectomy (P .001). Follow-up was available in 121 cats; 19.8% developed
complications after release. Late postoperative complications included
infection (11.6%), regrowth (7.4%), P2 protrusion (1.7%), palmagrade stance
(1.7%), and prolonged, intermittent lameness (0.8%). Late postoperative
complications were observed more frequently after shears onychectomy (P =
..018). Use of tissue adhesive was associated with more postoperative
lameness
(P .02) and, when used after shears onychectomy, with more infections (P =
..049).

I don't know what else to say, but I'm glad you're doing your research
first,
and I pray this kitty's toes are spared.
Lauren
________
See my cats: http://community.webshots.com/album/56955940rWhxAe
Raw Diet Info: http://www.holisticat.com/drjletter.html
http://www.geocities.com/rawfeeders/ForCatsOnly.html
Declawing Info: http://www.wholecat.com/articles/claws.htm

HOLY COW!

No freaking way I'm doing that to her!

HOLY COW!

No freaking way I'm doing that to her!

"PawsForThought" wrote in message
...

"Cats have retractable nails, also known as "claws". 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 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
cause the foot to 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 causes the foot to meet the ground at an unnatural
angle
that can cause back pain similar to that in humans caused by wearing
improper
shoes. "

"Contrary to most people's idea of declawing, surgery involves severing
not
just the claws, but whole phalanges (up to the joint), including bone,
ligaments, and tendons! Complications of this amputation can be
excruciating
pain, damage to the radial nerve, hemorrhage, bone chips that prevent
healing,
painful regrowth of deformed claw inside of the paw, and chronic back and
joint
pain as shoulder, leg and back muscles weaken. Many cats also suffer
a loss of balance since they can no longer achieve a secure foothold on
their
stumps. "

"Some cats are so shocked by declawing that their personalities change. In
some
cases, when declawed cats use the litterbox after surgery, their feet are
so
tender they associate their new pain with the box...permanently. Others
that
can no longer mark with their claws, they mark with urine instead. Many
declawed cats become so traumatized by this painful mutilation that they
end up
spending their maladjusted lives perched on top of doors and
refrigerators, out of reach of real and imaginary predators against whom
they
no longer have any adequate defense. A cat relies on its claws as its
primary
means of defense. Removing the claws makes a cat feel defenseless and it
can
either become very defensive and resort to biting, or withdrawn and
paranoid.
They not only lose their grip, but also their grip on reality, seeming
unable
to concentrate on much beyond the loss of their claws, their
vulnerability and confusion as to what has happened to them. "


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."

Oops! You forgot to cite the source of the above:

http://www.maxshouse.com/facts_about_declawing.htm