From: cs431109@umbc8.umbc.edu (cs431109)
Subject: Re: declawing?
Organization: University of Maryland, Baltimore County Campus
Date: Sat, 19 Dec 1992 06:01:50 GMT

BIG NOTE: This flaming note is not necessarily in response to anything
I've seen in this newsgroup. I got into a heated discussion at work
today with someone morally opposed to declawing, and I just want to
vent my opinions. I have had cats that I have not had declawed, and I've
had cats that I have had declawed. What I'd like is to write my arguments
concerning the issue, and anyone wanting to flame me can go right
ahead. I will, in fact, read and consider anyone's opinion on the subject,
as long as the opinion writer refrains from personal attacks and
addresses the questions I ask in this note.

I agree that declawing sounds in-humane to humans. Afterall, we would
be at a terrific handicap without our first digits. But consider the
cat -- they're not typists! Indoor declawed cats can live the same life
as indoor clawed cats. However, it is a surgical procedure with some
risk and is often unnecessary if the owner takes the time to train
the cat. And there are in fact many cats that can be trained not to
do damage with their claws, so all owners should first try training.
The decision to declaw a cat should be one of life and death, i.e.
if the cat is not declawed, it will end up in a shelter with possible
euthenasia. My vet does not declaw cats younger than 6 months old, which
is ample time to train a kitten not to declaw the furniture. If the
kitten hasn't learned by that time, the owner should weigh the decision
heavily. Does the kitten do significant damage with his claws? Does
the owner rent or own his home? Can the owner afford to replace
woodwork or carpeting or anything else the cat damages? If the owner
rents, will the owner be moving during the life of the pet? -- finding
a place that allows pets is exceedingly difficult, but declawed cats
are often allowed.

I think declawing a cat is not a very nice thing to do, but not
every cat can be trained not to scratch furniture. And it's 10 times
more difficult to train a cat not to scratch carpeting and woodwork
unless you've got many days to spend watching the cats every move
while it's a kitten. Cats are not dogs that you can send to obedience
school. They have minds of their own, which is why we prefer them 
to dogs. People who rent just do not have the luxury
of letting the cat do damage to the apartment, even if they can
afford to pay for repairs. If a landlord has a tenant whose cat damaged
a carpet and the tenant had to pay to replace part or all of the carpet, 
that landlord probably won't rent to a pet owner again even
though the tenant paid the damages.

I think the *blanket* opinion that declawing is cruel and inhumane
is unfair. Each owner/pet situation is different, and I believe
more cats would be in shelters if the procedure were not available.
Yes, cat owners should make every attempt possible to train the
cat and declawing should be a last resort before sending the cat
to a shelter. Yes, a cat that lives outside for some part or all of
its life should never be declawed.  But I know from experience that 
without constant vigilence, it is next to impossible to train a cat 
to not scratch something somewhere that you don't want him to scratch!
Every cat is different and some are not trainable at all! 

The comparison of declawing to removing a human's first digit is NOT a
valid argument since a cat's claw and a human's finger are not
equivalent! Those people that are vehemently opposed to declawing in
any and all cases are just going to have to come up with something
better, and I'm waiting to hear it. But their argument will have to
include a better solution than "you can *train* your cat not to scratch."
I've lived with cats all my life and I've learned that you can
train some cats to do some things and others to do other things, but
you can't train *every* cat to forget its natural instinct to scratch.
I also think that in the case where the cat just absolutely does
not want to stop scratching his favorite spot on the carpet, it is
more cruel to keep squirting him with a water bottle! -- or to keep
using any other training method you want to suggest. All you're doing
is making the cat afraid of you!

So let's hear it from people opposed to declawing. What's better --
the shelter or the declawing procedure? What do I do when my cat,
who is not a dog, will not stop scratching a part of my apartment
that I can't afford to repair and that will get me thrown out?
How do I train a cat who will not use a scratching post and is
fascinated by water coming from a squirt bottle? (YES, I've had
one of those!) What if my cat is deaf and can't hear my stern
voice? What if I have back trouble and my chiropracter said to
get a waterbed? (contrary to popular belief, back claws do not pose
a threat to waterbeds with proper mattress covers. I also don't
think front claws are that hazardous, but I have seen my cat
chasing air bubbles which could be a problem if she were able to
get the mattress cover up.) What if I just saved a life from the
shelter, but can't afford to take time off from work to train
the cat? -- you just can't train *every* cat if you have to leave
it alone for 8 hours a day! Do you want me to take the cat back
to the overcrowded shelter?

I'm sorry if I've ranted too long. But I just get annoyed when I
hear people condemning the actions of people they've never met.
Each person's living situation is different and each cat is different,
so blanket condemnations of the declawing procedure are unfair! 
I just don't think the cat misses their claws as much as some
humans think they do. And I think if we asked them, they'd prefer
to lose their claws rather than their lives.

Mary

(Sorry, the argument at work was with a really obstinate person
that I can't stand, and I just had to vent somewhere!)
Newsgroups: rec.pets.cats,alt.drugs