declawing

In , "bewtifulfreak"
wrote:
| "Arjun Ray" wrote in message
|

| Thus, declawing requires amputation of the distal phalanx. The
| problem with partial amputation (yes, sawing through rather than
| disjointing) is that claw regrowth can happen - almost always in
| misshapen form.
|
| You mean with the laser declawing?

It's my understanding that the laser is only doing what used to be done
with guillotine-like scissors (i.e. cut through the tendons, cartilage,
etc, connecting the distal phalanx to the rest of the finger/toe, to
disjoint it). I suppose it's more "surgical" in that sense.

Declawing has had evolution in its procedures: things like "scraping out
the claw root" and "sawing off enough of the bone" are older approaches
which have failed - due to unacceptable incidence of claw regrowth - and
have been abandoned in favor of complete disjointing, which is actually
a "simpler" procedure overall. Whether it's done with a knife-edge or a
light beam is a quiddity.

| This sounds at *least* as bad as having the toe taken completely off!

Well, for a cat, that's basically what it is. We walk on our feet,
distributing the load from toes to heel. A cat walks on its distal
phalanges. The bone is at an angle to the second phalanx, not end on as
in our fingers or toes, sort of like a shoe, and lies flat along its
length when the cat walks, with the other bones arranged upward in an
arc.

Removing that bone transfers the entire pressure onto the point of the
now exposed second phalanx. The adaptation is to the increase the arc
from the wrist downward to make as much of the second (and even the
third) phalanx lie flat along the ground. In heavier cats (such as the
big cats) this can lead to collapse all the way up to the wrist. See
this before-after video of a lion whose suffering was alleviated by
reconstructive surgery:

http://www.gt.net/~pproject/naala/kona.mov

(It's referenced from http://www.pawproject.com/html/default.asp )

"Karen Chuplis" wrote in message
...

You forgot:

I'd lay you BIG odds that declawing is not done in those countries either.
Especially poor nations. Declawing is a "luxury" item just as it is
"unnecessary". You *really* think that Nigerians haul their cats off to
the
vet for declawing? More fantasy.

Thank you, Karen, for saying what I was thinking but couldn't quite put into
words.

Ann

--

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/bewtifulfreak

"Karen Chuplis" wrote in message
...

You forgot:

I'd lay you BIG odds that declawing is not done in those countries either.
Especially poor nations. Declawing is a "luxury" item just as it is
"unnecessary". You *really* think that Nigerians haul their cats off to
the
vet for declawing? More fantasy.

Thank you, Karen, for saying what I was thinking but couldn't quite put into
words.

Ann

--

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/bewtifulfreak

"Arjun Ray" wrote in message
...
In , "bewtifulfreak"
wrote:

| This sounds at *least* as bad as having the toe taken completely off!

Well, for a cat, that's basically what it is.

Of course. What I meant is that having the claw removed only at the base
and then having it grow back all skewed and deformed sounds just as, if not
more, painful than having the whole toe removed. But no matter how it's
done, besides the surgical pain, it can clearly cause a lot of discomfort in
making the cat walk in ways it's muscles weren't made to. The example's
been used before, but if we had to walk without our toes, not only would we
be off balance, but it would put undue pressure on the front of the foot.


See
this before-after video of a lion whose suffering was alleviated by
reconstructive surgery:

I'm not able to access it at the moment for some reason, but will try again
later.

Thank you again for explaining things in such detail.

Ann

--

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/bewtifulfreak

"Arjun Ray" wrote in message
...
In , "bewtifulfreak"
wrote:

| This sounds at *least* as bad as having the toe taken completely off!

Well, for a cat, that's basically what it is.

Of course. What I meant is that having the claw removed only at the base
and then having it grow back all skewed and deformed sounds just as, if not
more, painful than having the whole toe removed. But no matter how it's
done, besides the surgical pain, it can clearly cause a lot of discomfort in
making the cat walk in ways it's muscles weren't made to. The example's
been used before, but if we had to walk without our toes, not only would we
be off balance, but it would put undue pressure on the front of the foot.


See
this before-after video of a lion whose suffering was alleviated by
reconstructive surgery:

I'm not able to access it at the moment for some reason, but will try again
later.

Thank you again for explaining things in such detail.

Ann

--

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/bewtifulfreak

"Brandy Alexandre" wrote in message
...
Karen Chuplis wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav:

I'd lay you BIG odds that declawing is not done in those countries
either. Especially poor nations. Declawing is a "luxury" item just
as it is "unnecessary". You *really* think that Nigerians haul
their cats off to the vet for declawing? More fantasy.

Karen


I've never heard such an ugly American speak as you have.

That was *totally* unwarrented; she just made a simple comment. And this is
the hypocrite that goes on about not using insults in their postings,
*ha*!!!

Ann

--

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/bewtifulfreak

"Brandy Alexandre" wrote in message
...
Karen Chuplis wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav:

I'd lay you BIG odds that declawing is not done in those countries
either. Especially poor nations. Declawing is a "luxury" item just
as it is "unnecessary". You *really* think that Nigerians haul
their cats off to the vet for declawing? More fantasy.

Karen


I've never heard such an ugly American speak as you have.

That was *totally* unwarrented; she just made a simple comment. And this is
the hypocrite that goes on about not using insults in their postings,
*ha*!!!

Ann

--

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/bewtifulfreak

"Brandy Alexandre" wrote in message
...
bewtifulfreak wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav:

So now you've realized you don't have a valid argument, you've
resorted to base insults? You sad, sad woman....

Ann


I'm not the one who edited off the list of United Nations members and
implied their ignorant and dirt poor.

I never said that. You are diverting from the real issue, which was
declawing, and trying to make this into a political argument, to distract
from the fact that you are losing the argument. And even implying some
countries are poorer than others is not making a comment on them as people;
some of the nicest people are those who aren't consumed with possesions.
I've no doubt many people from the nations you mentioned are lovely,
wonderful people, but that doesn't detract from the fact that declawing is
cruel and unnecessary, which is what we were talking about before you tried
to change the subject.

Ann

--

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/bewtifulfreak

"Brandy Alexandre" wrote in message
...
bewtifulfreak wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav:

So now you've realized you don't have a valid argument, you've
resorted to base insults? You sad, sad woman....

Ann


I'm not the one who edited off the list of United Nations members and
implied their ignorant and dirt poor.

I never said that. You are diverting from the real issue, which was
declawing, and trying to make this into a political argument, to distract
from the fact that you are losing the argument. And even implying some
countries are poorer than others is not making a comment on them as people;
some of the nicest people are those who aren't consumed with possesions.
I've no doubt many people from the nations you mentioned are lovely,
wonderful people, but that doesn't detract from the fact that declawing is
cruel and unnecessary, which is what we were talking about before you tried
to change the subject.

Ann

--

http://www.angelfire.com/ca/bewtifulfreak

in article , BrandyÂ*Alexandre at
? wrote on 8/11/03 9:11 PM:

Karen Chuplis wrote in
rec.pets.cats.health+behav:

Like Brandy can "cite" anything. snort

I don't know how you expect me to provide verifiable statistics for an
underground. I do know people around the world and on a lark asked
them to call and ask about declawing a cat. Just like most places,
there are laws on the books, but some people just don't follow them and
law enforcement doesn't find them important enough to enforce them.
Not one got a "no."

Well you must have *some* vague source.

Karen