Did the vet mention that the cat requires its claws for balance, to jump, to climb, and that "declawing" your cat then makes your cat susceptible to back problems, arthritis, joint problems and other foot problems that he would not otherwise face – because declawing results in a gradual weakening of the back, shoulder and leg muscles? Did the vet mention that cats walk on their toes, not the pads of their feet, and declawing forces them to walk in an unnatural way? That your cat walks toe first? Declawing cats causes the tendons in the toes to retract, which eventually results in the attendant joints "freezing."
Did the vet mention that many declawed cats resort to biting as an alternative method of defense? That some declawed cats become very aggressive because their primary defense is taken away? That many declawed cats stop using the litterbox because it is so painful?
A pretty steep price to pay for being born with claws, don't you think?
These are medical facts, not just isolated occurances, folks, this all comes from vet journals. These are vets who see what this is and don't just look to make more money. Vets love offering now a package deal, spay and declaw together - I find this appalling. They're just after money.
Unfortunately, people don't bother doing any research into things like this and seek people who support their bad choices.
Did you know that up to 70% of cats turned into shelters are declaws who have behavioural problems?
Did you know there's NO medical benefit to declawing for the cat? It's a purely elective surgery done for lazy owners. Your cat is a companion who looks to you for protection, and people maim them.
People love to say their cat is happy without claws, as if they were a bother.So you think your declawed cat is a happy camper? Let me tell you about cats and pain: these magnificent creatures are adept at masking pain and discomfort. Because your cat purrs, he is not necessarily pain-free. Severely injured and even dying cats will purr with their last breath. I've always thought it was a way of saying, "Please don't hurt me anymore. I'll be good." Dr. Jean Hofve, DVM, of Englewood, Colorado, a pro-claw advocate, says of this trait:
Surely loving a cat means seeking those alternatives, and not just trying them once but putting surgery out of your mind as not an option? I mean, compare it to a hammer in the hands of a five year old kid - nobody chops their fingers off....
You can teach and train a cat so much, people are just not willing to take the time, they expect to bring a animal that by nature is outdoors indoors and it must now be like a vase .... doesn't happen.
People think of pets as their posessions, that belong to them so they are allowed to do what they want. They have no respect for that animal at all. It's also very handy how much more their kitty will need them after being declawed, how it would HAVE to be indoors, not unlike the empty nest syndrome, these people have a great need to be needed, when the cat does NOT need this surgery. Who are we to say what a cat, who is not meant to be indoors only by nature, needs to have or not have??
People will say it was that or the pound - rather let them go to the pound where thousands of people who actually care about cats enough to work around the claws they have will very willingly adopt them. Instead they'll just force their own need down on the cat and claim it was for the cat's own good. Even immune-deficient or diabetic people can work around it by clipping the claws. Most are simply too lazy, or self-absorbed to think about respecting an animal - but would most certainly not like that kind of thing done to them.....Declawing is ten to eighteen separate amputations, so it is not unreasonable to believe that declawed cats experience phantom pain in one or more toes. Cats typically conceal pain or illness until it becomes unbearable. With chronic pain, it may be that they simply learn to live with it. Their behavior may appear normal, but a lack of overt signs of pain does not mean they are pain-free. Lameness, abscesses, and regrowth of the claw can occur after surgery. In one report that studied cats for only five months after surgery, about 25% of cats developed complications from both declaw and tenectomy surgeries. In declawed (and tenectomized) cats, the tendons that control the toe joints retract after the surgery, and over time these joints become essentially "frozen." The toes can no longer be extended, but remain fully contracted for the lifetime of the cat. The fact that most cats continue to "scratch" after they are declawed is often said to "prove" that the cat does not "miss" its claws. However, this could also be explained by the cat's desperate desire to stretch those stiff, contracted joints. Researchers have shown that, in the immediate post-operative period, newly declawed cats shift their body weight backward onto the large central pad of the front feet and off the toes. This effect was significant even when strong pain medication was given, and remained apparent for the duration of the study (up to 40 hours after surgery). If this altered gait persists over time, it would cause stress on the leg joints and spine, and could lead to damage and arthritic changes in multiple joints. Researchers have shown that, in the immediate post-operative period, newly declawed cats shift their body weight backward onto the large central pad of the front feet and off the toes. This effect was significant even when strong pain medication was given, and remained apparent for the duration of the study (up to 40 hours after surgery). If this altered gait persists over time, it would cause stress on the leg joints and spine, and could lead to damage and arthritic changes in multiple joints.
Deprived of claws, a cat may turn to its only other line of defense—its teeth. Some experts believe that naturally aggressive cats that are declawed are likely to become biters. Declawing that results in biting or litter box avoidance may result in the cat being dumped at a shelter or simply abandoned. If taken to shelters, such behaviors make them unadoptable, and they will be destroyed. Many cats are exiled to a life outdoors because of these unwanted behaviors, even though declawed cats should not be allowed outside—their ability to defend themselves, and to escape danger by climbing, is seriously impaired. They also risk injury or death by dogs, cars, coyotes, poison, and other hazards of outdoor life. It is unfortunately common to have outdoor cats stolen and used as live bait to train fighting dogs, or sold to laboratories or biological suppliers.
Why risk all this?
Perhaps people need to ask themselves what they prize more - furniture or their cats. Sadly they pick the non-living replaceable thing over the living animal, knowing what the risks are and happilly taking that chance. Ask your vet how well a cat hides pain - and don't try tell me your kitty has no claws but is radiantly happy about it since while hiding that pain you cannot claim that at all.
Many declawed cats silently suffer adverse effects, sometimes unnoticed by their caretakers, because the consequences can range from obvious to subtle and some may take many years to surface Many declawed cats silently suffer adverse effects, sometimes unnoticed by their caretakers, because the consequences can range from obvious to subtle and some may take many years to surface....
Before anyone says this is nonsense, this ALL comes out of VET JOURNALS. PUBLISHED. VERIFIED FACTS.