Declawing cats is generally morally wrong.

I have broken up my opponent’s arguments into categories, and at the bottom I add my own arguments (also divided into categories). DOMESTICATION “The cat must be domesticated in order to coexist with man. The cat has undergone a significant amount of domestication since man adopted it as a house pet. Prior to domestication the cat was just another animal in the mild. “ “. .. but because of man's desire or love or need for house pets the cat, the dog, even the bird have all been domesticated to be "tame. " The bird's feather's are clipped to prevent it from acting wild and flying off. The dog's snout is muzzled to prevent it from biting. The cats claws are removed to prevent it from scratching. “ My opponent’s first (and last) remarks basically seem to assume that the common house cat needs to be domesticated. I don’t think this is an issue. The common house-cat is already perfectly tame. It does not bite without provocation, allows human beings (sometimes even strangers) to pet it, and will even take food from human hands, being careful not injure it’s caretakers. I don’t see how it is possible for an animal to become any more tame than this. My greatest problems are with his use of other animals as examples of how we tame creatures. I have never seen, and rarely heard of, anyone actually muzzling their pet dog. Even dogs with temperament issues rarely require muzzling. His other example is a poor one because, in general, birds are not tame. This is why we need to clip their wings- because they will fly away. However, if you let a cat outside, he will come home at night. If you let a dog run loose, he will return when you call his name. These animals need no further domestication. ANIMAL RIGHTS “It could be argued that the cat does not have the right to use its claws to negatively effect the quality of life of man. The cat should not be allowed to eat the man's food and swipe at his eyes. It should not be allowed to tear up man's furniture. In exchange for a domesticated life the cat gives up its natural right to claws. " This is an incredibly weak argument. First off, is man's quality of life really so closely tied to the condition of his furniture? Secondly, the stereotype that cats cannot be trained is simply false- and anyone who claims otherwise has never actually tried. There are other, simpler methods to dissuade your cat from tearing up the couch. For instance, a scratching post and negative reinforcement. “In exchange for a domesticated life the cat gives up its natural right to claws. ” This would make sense, for human affairs. But the cat never consented to this arrangement. The cat was never given a choice, and therefore it’s less likely that the cat “gives up” it’s claws, and more accurate to say that it’s claws are forcibly (and painfully) taken away from him. GOOD REASONS “His good reason is that the claws are no longer necessary . .. ” This is actually false. The claws are an intricate part of the structure of the cat’s paws, and are therefore “unnecessary” in the same sense that your toes are unnecessary. I contend that the ONLY good reason is if the cat’s claws are detrimental to the cat’s health. PROPERTY “If it is immoral to protect one's own property from itself by changing its nature the problem is really: it is immoral to change the nature of a living creature. Is this so? “First, a technicality. I think my opponent means "Is it immoral to protect one's property from one's other property? " But his sentence actually asks "Is it immoral to protect one's property from itself? "To this I respond, a cat knows how to avoid hurting itself. In all seriousness, though, I don’t think it’s fair to consider a living creature “one’s property”. However, even if you choose to consider a cat “your property” the answer is still ‘yes‘ because the cat can feel pain- your sofa cannot. Therefore, declawing your cat causes more harm than good. HEALTH ISSUES Many people fail to realize the harm they do when a cat is declawed. Here are a few facts for you, but I would really like for the audience to click the links and see for themselves. 1. ) 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". 2. ) It is a painful surgery, with a painful recovery period. During the time of recuperation from the surgery your cat would still have to use its feet to walk, jump, and scratch in its litter box regardless of the pain it is experiencing. 3. ) Amputating the important part of their anatomy that contains the claws drastically alters the conformation of their feet. 4. ) The long-term effects can be very severe. Removing the claws can cause infection, tissue necrosis, lameness, back pain, regrowth of improperly removed claws, (which happens inside the toe, and causes severe pain) nerve damage, and bone spurs. . http://www.declawing.com... . http://www.humanesociety.org... . http://www.tree.com... Furthermore, scratching is actually necessary for healthy muscle development- in the same sense that stretching is healthy for humans. IT IS IMMORAL TO CAUSE A CONSCIOUS CREATURE PAIN My primary reason argument that declawing is immoral is simple. 1. Cats are a conscious creature. (In other words, it’s aware it’s alive. ) 2. Cats can feel pain. 3. Declawing is a painful (and in most cases, unnecessary procedure) 4. Therefore, declawing is immoral. Immoral = Causes more harm than good. A cat can feel pain. Your sofa cannot. PRIORITIES A cat, as a living creature, should be considered more important than a human’s furniture- and if it isn’t, then the human in question does not deserve to own a cat- or any living creature. Consider this; If a young child is coloring on the walls, do you cut his fingers off? No- and if you did, we would have a problem. Instead, you train him not to. You use negative reinforcement, and give him alternatives. The same tactics can be used with cats. Scratching posts can be purchased cheaply, and cats actually prefer them. ACCIDENTS HAPPEN “. .. the claws are no longer necessary for the cat to survive or defend itself because man has let the cat into his home and into his survival scenario. ” I think my opponent means to say, “A cat doesn’t need his claws, because he isn’t outside anymore. However, even the best cat owners have to open the door sometimes- to put groceries away, go to work, or let guests inside. During this time, an agile and curious cat can (and mark my words, will) slip outside. Catching a cat can be very difficult, as the cat is naturally faster and smaller than you are. In this scenario, if your cat is declawed, he will likely not survive. Even if you are in an area where predators are few and far between, your cat will find himself unable to catch prey (as he his paw pads have no traction, and his muscles will be too weak). It is very likely, in this scenario, that your cat will starve to death. When making a decision, I examine the two worst-case scenarios. IF I leave my cat intact, the worst-case scenario is that he won’t like the scratching post I bought him. He won’t respond to any reinforcement. My sofa will be less-than-pristine. IF I declaw my cat, and he escapes, it very likely that he will die- either at the hands of another animal, or via starvation. My cat is more important to me than any inanimate object.