Let's have a go at cats

This is the ultimate; we now have someone who is a personal finance consultant and who gives online loans teaching us all about cats and their claws and what gadgets to buy to punish them (for being cats?). He is very confidant of his knowledge because he starts off by saying
“If you have always wanted to know more about this topic, then get ready because we have all the information you can handle. Getting a pet is just the tip of the iceberg especially if the owner decides to keep it indoors. Before deciding on which animal to get, it is best to read up on the frequent problems that happen so one can be ready to overcome them”.
Get that? We’re talking of getting an animal, we don’t know what species yet, but we’re probably going to keep it indoors (it’s a cat!) and first and foremost we are looking for problems, we’re not learning about our chosen animal, we don’t even have a preference for a specific type of animal but we are looking for problems!
The loan shark goes on to say

“A cat is a cute furry animal that do not usually need to be given a bath like dogs” YES! Well said. “This is as cats are able to clean up themselves very well. But there is more to just giving them food or brushing their fur and these are things the owner must anticipate”. YES again.

But…. There’s always a but “Cats like dogs that have not been trained how to behave indoors can create a lot of problems. The claws of this animal can scratch and ruin the furniture.” Oh no, we’ve cut straight to the chase, we’re on the subject of claws already, and when he says cats have not been trained how to behave indoors, why is that? WHY has the cat not been trained to use the scratching post, it’s very easy and even fun to teach a kitten, all you need is time and patience and the willingness to do it rather than take a surgical short-cut.

“If the creature has not also been toilet trained, the house will smell and the owner will have to clean up after it.” This is stupid, to start with kittens learn from their mother’s to use litter trays, they observe and they copy, it is MOST unusual to get a kitten that isn’t already litter box trained. Likewise it doesn’t take long to train a puppy to do it’s business outside. The problems start when there is no litter tray provided or the tray isn’t kept clean, now that does make the house smell, but that isn’t down to the cat is it? It’s down to the laziness of the owner and in the case of puppies it’s because attention isn’t paid to establishing a routine of toileting outside at regular times and after naps, it isn’t rocket science, there is no need for anyone’s house to smell.

There are ways to solve the clawing problem. One way is declawing it when your pet is still a kitten. Since some people find this to be cruel to the animal, then one would have to buy a scratching post and teach it to scratch on the surface when the animal feels like doing it. Back to cats and back to the claws, yes go on, get them declawed, merely say some people find it cruel, don’t explain WHY they find it cruel, nor what happens during declawing, nor what the cat suffers during and after declawing, nor what can go wrong, loss of paws, limbs and lives. But wow, if one thinks declawing is cruel then one will have to go to all the trouble and expense of buying a scratching post, oh dear me, and not only that one would have to teach the cat to scratch on the surface, what a nuisance, how much easier to have the “creature” declawed and be done with it. Notice the online loan merchant advises declawing while you pet is still a kitten? Before, or rather INSTEAD of, buying a scratching post I don’t want to be boring (though I probably am) but I need to quote the AVMA again "Declawing of domestic cats should be considered only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively or when its clawing presents a zoonotic risk for its owner(s).” so what right has he to glibly condemn kittens to a lifetime of half-paws, what qualifications has he? He’s a finance consultant, that’s what!
“Since the kitten does not know what the scratching post is for, it is best to teach it by grabbing its paws and doing the motion. This will take some time to learn so one should observe that cat and practice it often” (the grammar is his – observe that cat?)

Wrong! GRAB its paws? What is wrong with taking hold of the kittens paws gently? What is this obsession with grabbing everything? Take your time Money Man, hold the paws gently and yes, good idea make the scratching motions, it may take some time, it may not but it’s a damn site better than cleaving those toe ends off a kitten’s tiny paws!
Another product for training cats is a litter box. This is to solve the waste problem that will happen if the cat has not yet been trained on what to do should it feel the urge. These can be purchased at the local pet store and choosing one should depend on the size of the cat. Wait a minute; surely a litter box isn’t a training product? It’s a necessary purchase if you have a cat, even cats that are allowed outdoors (and of course declawed cats are NOT safe outdoors) should have a litter box for emergency use. If the litter box is merely a training aid to “solve the problem” until the cat has been trained “on what to do should it feel the urge” then what actually IS the cat supposed to do when it feels the urge? This usurer has me baffled by his reasoning because he states a couple of times that “the animal” will be indoors, yet seems to make no provision for the calls of nature other than a litter box if the cat has not been trained. Am I missing something or does he expect the cat not to crap or pee once it has been trained?

Using the litter box will take some time and practice so one should keep a close watch on the cat. Should it start behaving like it is about to do it, one should carry the cat immediately to the litter box. Another way of teaching it is picking up the waste, putting it in the box then putting the cat in the box to get used to the smell. Yawn, How’s your loan business doing then Ken? Bit quiet is it at the moment, huh?
Cats like other animals need time to exercise. To prevent this animal from ruining the house, one should buy toys such as a stuffed animal or a ball for the animal to play with. Hah! Totally biased, the “animal” is going to ruin your house, this is almost like a subliminal message, every now and then he pops it in that the house will be ruined, the house will smell, “one” will have problems, oh what a pessimist this money man is! But isn’t it good news that buying a stuffed animal or a ball will prevent the animal ruining the house…where then is the need for declawing pray?

We now learn about "training aids"

“There are many varieties of cat training products available on the market which can be found in the local pet store or online. The person has to know what is needed in order to make the pet good for the indoors. (His grammar again)
Here are some of the cat training devices that can magically transform a misbehaved pet to an obedient one:” (or an incredibly nervous one seeing that after the first device they are all doing something physically nasty to the cat)
1. "The Potty-Cat"
This quirky and cute-looking system is a magic of sorts as it has everything - a handy manual and the device that can train the cat without him knowing about it! No more foul litter, just a smart-aleck of a cat! Incredible and true!

This looks to be a litter box with a toilet seat built in – ye gads! But no more FOUL LITTER (which by the way is part of choosing to share your life with a cat) I suppose this answers my earlier question.

2. "Pet Agree Training Device"
What does it do? Its ultrasonic system emits sounds that can easily catch the pet's attention. With its built-in verbal orders, the cat is trained in an instant!
This is a hand held device that emits a high frequency sound; you point it at the pet when it offends you and scare the poor bloody thing half to death with the high-pitched noise.

3. "SSSCAT"
Because it combines the power of an aerosol can and a motion detector, the SSSCAT emits sound and the spray that can shoo the cat away from places where it is prohibited.
This damned thing detects when a cat is approaching somewhere “verboten” (don’t mention the war) and blasts it with a spray of “harmless” non-toxic gas to frighten it out of its wits.
4. "Electrostatic Pet Scat Mat"
The name sounds ominous but the "Electronic Pet Scat Mat" is pretty harmless. But that doesn't mean it is ineffective. The electrical pulse and the static electricity can keep the pet cat from messing around the sofas, windows and front yards.
My blood pressure is rising now, this horrible (PRETTY harmless) invention uses electrical impulses similar to static electricity. Have you ever brushed your hand down nylon clothes and got a static electricity shock? Or combed your hair, or got hold of the car door handle on a hot day and got a nasty tingle in your hand? Well bear in mind that you know what has caused it, just imagine a cat or a dog getting this shock….actually I really don’t want to imagine it. You can get these electrocution strips in sizes for sofas, worktops, cars or windowsills (where is the cat going to sit to try and get a glimpse of the great outdoors? Not on the windowsill apparently. This loan shark is getting on my nerves big time now.

5. "Pet Boundary Indoor Pet Barrier System"
It keeps the cat away as it makes its own "unwanted zone" that can be as far as ten feet. The owner just has to place the transmitter to the collar and voila.
It gets worse this has a tag that the unfortunate and seemingly barely tolerated pet has to wear on it’s collar (I hate collars) you then place the base unit in the forbidden area, and if the poor bloody unsuspecting cat tries to enter the no-go area then the damn thing emits a tone at a frequency that will only hurt the animals ears and not the precious human ones! In fact it happily recommend it because it “Helps teach pets not to jump up on forbidden furniture, raid the garbage, chew on houseplants, eat other pets’ food or litter, snuggle up in baby’s bed, or be in a place you don’t want them to be!”
Excuse me, can this not be done in a more kindly manner? We have never resorted to blasting our cats hearing to Kingdom Come to get the message over, KINDNESS Ken, kind-ness, you ought to try it sonny instead of recommending all these instruments of remote punishment. And hey, if the cat eats the other pet’s food or uses his litter is that SUCH a crime? Remembering the fact that you brought the cat into your home by your own free choice. No one forced you.

6. "Scarecrow Water Spraying Animal Repeller"
Introducing the Scarecrow Water Spraying Animal Repeller which goes to water-spraying when it notices an intruder aka the pet cat.
Well this stupid thing is obviously for outdoor use as it blasts the animal with water up to a 35 foot range, it actually says “Try the Scarecrow, a device that blasts animals with a blast of water when they approach.” So this is for when the inmate is allowed parole but must not put a paw in the wrong place outside either.

7. "Tattle Tale Vibration Alarm Pet Trainer"
Pets keep out! That's what this device intends to warn the pet cats. Advanced as it is with the structural vibration technology, the Tattle Tale is so sensitive it detects vibration right away even if there is no apparent movement.
This is recommended for cats, dogs and to keep the kids off the cookie jar, you stick it on the priceless, irreplaceable object and it senses vibration when approached and gives off a dual purpose shriek, one to startle the cat, dog or cookie-snitcher, two to alert the storm troopers, sorry I mean the owner/parent.

8. "Cat Stop! Ultrasonic"
Gardens and front yards will no longer welcome the cats, because of its high-quality motion sensor.
This is another outdoor thing, more high frequency noise, to stop other people cats using the garden, obviously his own cat’s parole licence has been revoked and it’s now back in it’s cell.

Cat training devices abound, the cat lover will never run out of alternatives on how to keep his cat from getting litter-crazy.
Cat LOVER???????????????????????

Would any of you lovely people who follow my blog use these electrical impulses and screeching devices on your cats? I can’t imagine anyone who loves and respects their cat resorting to such intrusive and horrible devices instead of taking the time to kindly train the cat, of course it’s so much easier to zap him with static, might get a laugh or two out of it as well eh Mr Money Lender?

Here’s his credentials folks

About the Author:
Ken Charnely is webmaster at one of Internet popular article directories. For more articles on this topic visit ArticleTeller.com. He is also a personal finance consultant. Catch him at Online Loans - Apply for Loans Online
And here is the nitty gritty, if you need extra cash to pay for declawing your tiny kitten or to purchase one of these instruments of torture…. Just contact Ken and he’ll lend you the money.
Author: Ken Charnely
Blogger Babz and a damn well disgusted Babz at that, what a load of biased, cold, cruel, anti-cat baloney.

Cut price cruelty

Here is a revolting veterinary practice that epitomizes all that is corrupt in the USA veterinary world as regards declawing cats. Regular readers will know how fond I am of quoting that miserable excuse for a declaw policy on the AVMA site, “Declawing of domestic cats should be considered only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively or when its clawing presents a zoonotic risk for its owners The AVMA believes it is the obligation of veterinarians to provide cat owners with complete education with regard to feline onychectomy.” blah..blah..soft soap etc etc and yet this practice, The Eads Animal Hospital in Tennessee not only advertises reduced price feline laser declaw but actually recommends that kittens are declawed between 4 and 6 months at the same time as neutering. it goes like this:

Feline Laser Declaw
The surgical laser is used when performing all feline declaws. It decreases the amount of bleeding and pain that can occur and promotes a quick return to normal activities. The recommended age for declawing is four to six months and can be performed at the same time as a spay or neuter.

Now if I understand the AVMA statement correctly (and let’s face it it’s not hard to get is it?) declawing, or onychectomy, should be considered only AFTER other attempts have been made to prevent the cat using it’s claws destructively….right? How come then this site goes on to say this “Cats spend up to 40% of their time scratching in a destructive manner. Many owners choose to have their cats declawed to protect their furniture or other household items". So now we have a recommendation that kittens can be declawed as young as four months, and we are also provided with a reason to have our kittens mutilated. “Cats spend up to 40% of their time scratching in a destructive manner” On who’s say so? Define destructive! Who knows if the scratching is destructive, and if it is who knows how many of those cats if provided with scratching posts wouldn’t have been as happy to scratch them as anything else, and who know's if those cats have any stimulation or are bored and frustrated enough to scratch the furniture just for something to do, and what’s this “up to 40%”? That could easily mean 1%,10% or 39% couldn’t it? How can a sweeping statement like this be used as pure advertising spiel for a veterinary practice? What about misrepresentation of facts for own gain?

They then go on to say “Declawing is an alternative to relinquishment, outdoor housing or possible euthanasia for many cats.” How so? This is painting a very bleak picture; it’s making it sound as though there are no cats with whole and healthy paws, they have all either been declawed, relinquished, kicked outside or killed. What about a really outside the box idea…..don’t get a cat in the first place! This really worries me though because there is absolutely no mention of keeping a cat the way it comes, complete with claws, there are no practical alternatives given, no mention of claw clipping or the dreaded soft paws even, the only words that are used are relinquishment, outdoor housing and euthanasia. This is almost like brain washing or subliminal suggestion in my opinion.

Of course it suits this and other equally money grabbing practices to imply that the only good cat is a declawed cat, were they to follow the AVMA guidelines and actually offer complete education to would be declawing owners then they would lose out on a profitable “service”. Once they realized the reality of what they were intending for their cat I’m sure many more owners would react with horror and decide against it, rather than book what sounds like a pussycat manicure and find out when it’s too late that it was in fact amputation of Pussycat’s toe ends. And there is nothing more final than amputation. No going back, no surgical glueing on of those offcuts.

“Using a surgical laser for declawing, rather than using scalpel blade dissection, has been proven to greatly reduce the pain, infection and bleeding experienced by cats. Recovery time has also been reduced with the use of the surgical laser. It is reported by some veterinarians to be the only humane method for declawing.” Again, it’s this greatly reduced pain, infection and bleeding, the point that those of us who hate and detest everything about declawing cats keep trying to make is this..there should be NO pain, infection or bleeding, this is a procedure which is wholly owner elective (with a little persuasion from your local vet) it is never an emergency life saving operation, it isn’t necessary for the cat’s well-being so what is this casual acceptance that any pain, no matter how much reduced, is acceptable? It is totally avoidable, unnecessary, unproductive pain – why can’t they see that? And for goodness sake what about this “It is reported by some veterinarians to be the only humane method for declawing.” They know, they actually KNOW that other methods are inhumane, and yet they’re always banging on about cats “back to normal” after a period of recovery so how is laser declawing humane? Does it not remove the toe ends? We know it bloody well DOES, so it is NO LESS inhumane than a chopping axe!

They also mention special litter “A special litter is recommended to use 10 – 14 days after surgery. Yesterday’s News is a litter made from recycled newspaper that decreases dust and reduces the potential for infection.” What’s the betting they also sell it? And note it only reduces the potential for infection (for infection read gangrene!)

Here’s the thing though, here is the emetic, this will make you puke, retch and reach for a bowl!

Here’s the December special promotions folks
Promotions
December Promotions
Featuring Felines

10% Off Feline Front Declaw

25% Off Feline Wellness Blood Work

Free Yesterday’s News w/Declaw

Free Kitty Toy w/Feline Exam

How disgusting is that????????? Buy a declaw at reduced price and get a bag of litter free?

And can you believe they say this
“Our goal is to treat our clients as we would treat our families, and to treat our clients’ pets as though they were our own. Our clients and patients are the heart of our practice and the reason we are here. We strive to enhance not only the lives of pets, but the owners’ lives as well.”

I don’t know how they think they are enhancing the lives of cats by offering cut price deknuckling!!!!!!

Boycott the Eads Animal Hospital, Eads,Tennessee

God save cats from the American Pet Hospital in Las Vegas

I came across this veterinary practice via a Google declawing alert and in the few lines included in the alert there was such a stupid typo (Your fury little friend can be up and running the same day.) that I decided to read further and do you know, I don’t know whether to laugh or cry. If this is the sum of their intelligence I don’t think they should be allowed near anyone’s pet, let alone allowed to approach an anaesthetised cat with a laser! The practice I’m talking about is
American Pet Hospital

702-952-41853879 E Sunset Road

Las Vegas, NV 89120
There was a link to their website but unsurprisingly the link is broken, read on to see their intelligence level. I’m going to highlight in red their stupidity. Please bear in mind that this is about a professional practice even though it appears to be written by a primary school child.

Business Information: American pest hospital has been providing veterinary care in Las Vegas for over 22 years. Along with our full service veterinary clinic we have professional dog grooming, cat grooming, and dog boarding.
Our services range from well checks for puppies to senior care for your older pets. American Pet Hospital is staffed with certified Veterinary technicians and 3 certified Doctors of Veterinarian Medicine. Your fury friend is in good hands with our experienced staff.
I’m wondering if the certified technicians (who incidentally seem to rank higher in precedence than the DVM’s) and the certified DVM’s are actually certified as insane rather than as professionals.
Along with our experience you will notice our love of all animals. (Where?) Our mission is to keeping your four legged friends healthy and happy! (And declawed)
American Pet Hospital is one of the few pet hospitals in Las Vegas that uses laser surgery. Laser surgery will make the procedure more comfortable for your pet. Also your pet will heal much faster with less pain. For example, our laser cat declawing procedure will have your cat back on his feet with out pain in the same day! This is ridiculous, misleading and untrue! What cat given a general anaesthetic and subjected to at least ten amputations is going to be up and running the same day...or the next?

Near Sunset & Pecos. Close to Henderson, NV & Las Vegas, NV
If your pet is suffering from the following symptoms your pet needs veterinary care

* injuries

* diarrhea

* weight loss

* fur loss

* no appetitive

* scratching ears

* red irritated skin

* vomiting

* discharge from eyes or nose

* problems going potty

In my country potty means foolish, crazy, batty, eccentric, silly, ridiculous, absurd and stupid.
Every word on this list seems to apply to this shower of certified lunatics.
American Pet Hospital is one of the few veterinary clinics in Las Vegas that performs laser surgery for your pets. This is good news for your pet (d’you think so?) because laser surgeries are far more comfortable than a regualr scalpel surgery. Come on - comfortable???
American pet hospital is one of the few veterinary clinics in the world that allows illiterate nincompoops to run riot on their website!

Your pet heals much faster with laser surgery, and there is less chance of complications.
A laser cat declaw is a popular procedure. (my highlighting - isn't this disgraceful and isn't this blatant disregard of the AVMA joke, I mean policy, that states:

Declawing of domestic cats should be considered only after attempts have been
made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively or when its clawing
presents a zoonotic risk for its owner(s))

How can a last resort procedure be popular?

To continue Your fury little friend can be up and running the same day. Before a cat declaw could take 3 – 4 weeks for the cats to heal completely.
A Freudian slip maybe, because your little friend would certainly be feeling fury and I very much challenge the claim that he’ll be up and running the same day. This 3-4 weeks to heal completely is an improvement on the usual guff about 2 weeks, this is the only semi-sensible bit as far as I can see, and even then it completely misses the point that a declawed cat can never heal psychologically.

Laser surgery
A Less Painful Alternative for Your Pet
American Pet Hospital is proud to offer laser surgery as a progressive new option for our clients who want the safest and least painful treatment for thier pets. Long used in human healthcare, laser technology is a proven service with multiple applications. Only recently have veterinarians turned to laser surgery, and we are proud to be on the leading edge of advanced animal care. In many cases, laser surgery can be extremely beneficial over traditional surgery. Your veterinarian will discuss whether laser surgery is the best option for your pet.

The Benefits
Less Pain - The laser seals nerve endings as it moves through tissue. Your pet will feel less pain after surgery.

Less Bleeding - The laser seals small blood vessels during surgery, resulting in less bleeding and quicker procedures.

Less Swelling - With laser technology, only light comes into contact with the tissue, causing minimal swelling.

Extreme Precision - The laser enables your sergeon to only affect or remove the target tissue, leaving the healthy surrounding tissue untouched.

Reduced Risk of Infection - The high heat of laser energy kills bacteria and microorganisms as it moves through diseased areas, reducing the chance of infection.

Quicker Recovery - For all of the above reasons, your pet is likely to feel less discomfort after surgery, and return home to normal activities sooner. Normal activities have had it once the toe ends have gone!

How it Works
A laser is an intense beam of light. Using an instrument that allows it to be precisely controlled, the laser beam replaces the traditional scalpel.
Laser energy instantly vaporizes the water found in tissus, allowing it to "cut" or essentially remove an extremely small area of tissue. The energy seals nerve endings and blood vessels as it moves through the tissue, resulting in less bleeding, less pain and virtually no trauma to surrounding tissue.(Just charring to what is left of the toe)
Recommended Procedures for Laser Surgery
Declaw here we go folks, get your wallets out
Spay
Neuter
Tumor Removal
Skin Tags
Cyst Removal
Soft Palate Procedures
Gingival and Dental SUrgery
...and much more I can well believe that in this madhouse!
Consult with your veterinarian to determine if laser surgery is the best option for your pet's specific condition.
You have to be joking, mind you, it could be even worse than I think…the veterinarian might have written this…………

Don't you have to seriously question the competence of any veterinary practice that is content with allowing this sort of rubbish online

This Rookie Vet Appalls Me!

Well now, recently we have been treated to the wisdom of a wet-behind-the-ears vet, who graduated in July from the Purdue School of Veterinary Medicine, having had all of approximately three months experience she now feels qualified to speak about declawing. This youngster’s name is Lechlitner, which sounds like the name of a mushroom to me so perhaps Fungus would be a nice new name for her.

Fungus is the proud ”pet parent” of a cat, a dog and a python and she says she spends much of her time educating owners on preventative medicine and keeping the pets they love happy and healthy. She works for Banfield, much featured in the Declaw Hall of Shame of course because it promotes declawing.

So our little minx is naturally totally brainwashed, and we can well imagine the preventative medicine she educates cat owners with, especially those cat owners who are in thrall to their soft furnishings. Being young and full of herself and her recent qualifications Fungus has this to say about herself on her Facebook page

“I'm living in Austin, TX now and it is hotter than the blazes of hell. We're breaking a record for number of days over 100. I'm in my third week of work at Banfield here and I really like it. I think it's just like every other clinic, except when I leave I walk through PetSmart...so that's a little weird. I get to do a cystotomy tomorrow, so that should be fun... ”Can't wait to hear from y'all! (Like how I said y'all?)

It’s just like every other clinic in the same way that Auschwitz was like every other prison maybe? Hmmm?

Anyway, here is what our little fungi has to say in her very important blog.

I am appalled with the current legislation push in California cities to ban declawing vets. So what? Who cares about your opinions pet?

While there are opposing views within the veterinary community as to whether or not cats should be declawed, I maintain that we are the experts on this subject and should decide for ourselves, with the cat parents, on performing the procedure. (Oh I'm a vet, me, me, look at me, I'm important, I want to decide)

Haha, “we are the experts”, baby girl you have a long way to go before you’re an expert. And as for “we should decide for ourselves with the cat parent on performing the procedure” well, where is the decision? Banfield is for declawing, she is an employee of Banfield, the damned “cat parents” obviously want their cat’s toes hewn off or they wouldn’t be there in the first place so what the hell decision is there apart from the date and time of the butchery? And while I’m on – “cat parent” for crying out loud it makes me puke, what parent would request, nay insist on, the sawing or burning off of their offspring’s digits? Give me a break dear, grow up and stop playing mummies and daddies.

When the procedure is performed with appropriate anesthesia, pain management, and post-surgical care, the results are usually good.

When it is? WHEN it is? I think she could have phrased that a bit better if she wanted to convince us non believers, perhaps she could have said “because the procedure…” or was it a Freudian slip? The crux of it though is that she says the results are “usually” good. Behind that word usually I wouldn’t mind betting there is a wealth of pain and trauma experienced by those cats whose results were far from good. But which I’m equally sure there are no statistics kept of, and the details of which are glossed over.

Cats that are declawed must always be indoor pets. Cat parents should discuss with their veterinarian their concerns. Their concerns about their couch? Their drapes? Or about little Johnny being scratched when he pulls Kitty’s tail? Or their concerns for their elderly parents who are well over 50 and in their dotage and the cat might claw their arm clean off their shoulder with one swipe because it is so mean and feisty. Or the landlord might not let them move into the soopah doopah flat of their dreams if they have the temerity to own, sorry be a cat parent to, a clawed feline. Such pressing concerns, of course our Fungus is going to counsel them in their hour of need and then bring to bear her expertise and decide with them to rip those claws out, foregone conclusion of course…Banfield loves declawing the way Walter Wall loves carpets!

I do not believe that city council members are equipped to make blanket decisions as to how veterinarians should practice. I do not think (most) veterinarians are so equipped either; this is because they are either barely out of “diapers” or because they are blinded by the great US dollar. In fact many city council members are “cat parents” themselves (sick bag needed over here please) and so make their decision based on their own experience and their own feelings as to the right or wrong of declawing. And oh, happy day, as we know, recently Santa Monica, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Beverly Hills and hopefully Berkeley today have all made their decisions and voted to kick declawing up the ass in their cities.

If an individual veterinarian chooses not to perform the procedure, that is one thing, but government deciding how he or she should practice medicine is quite another. Wooo, you can’t dispute the bairn’s logic can you? If you decide to make a cup of tea that is one thing, but woe betide anyone advising you to use a different brand of teabag because, shock horror, that is quite another! I think I’ll nominate her statement as the most asinine of the year, waste of space? Not arf!

However, I think that the vets in cities surrounding those with declaw bans are going to see a nice increase in their business.

Oh you little madam, how smug you are, how I wish a declawed cat would demonstrate to you his/her nice little sharp fangs and how he/she now uses them instead of the claws, on the toe ends, that went away in a yellow surgical waste bag. And how I’m wishing that a declawing ban will spread right across the USA in an unstoppable tide of compassion. Sadly compassion is in short supply for some “cat parents” but there are many, many wonderful people in the USA who have devoted years of their lives to fighting the wickedness that is declawing. Thank God for them!

Baby vets like this one are dangerous, they think they know it all and unfortunately they are in a position to give clients advice that is flawed & biased, and downright dodgy if they are employed by Banfield.

Egg on Bok's face

When that bell rang in the council chambers putting an end to Mr Egg Box’s frenzied, spluttering flawed argument against a ban on declawing he was literally sweating buckets, he was pale, eyes shifting and making hand gestures, the classic signs of a liar. But the best was yet to come as several of the council members questioned him further about his reasoning, he must have felt as though he was roasting on a spit as they one by one pierced him with a querying gaze and put him right on the spot.
For a man who put up the brilliant poster from the Paws Project on his website he had certainly turned his snout against the wind. When asked to give facts and figures, he couldn’t, when asked to give the percentages of clawed and declawed cats that are surrendered, and re-homed, he couldn’t! He said it was too difficult! I don’t think he spent a lot of time in preparation for his moment of glory, what a disappointment for his paymaster.

But he had plenty to say about how cats will be killed if they cannot be declawed. What manner of thinking is this? How do we make the leap from cats being as nature intended, fully clawed, in homes in all the countries where declawing is banned to cats in Santa Monica, (and all the other cities and states of the USA barring West Hollywood), being killed because they have claws and their “cat guardians” (to use Mr Box’s terminology) don’t want to have to give houseroom to a clawed cat? In fact he stated that these cat guardians will be FORCED to relinquish their cats if they cannot have them declawed. Does that mean that the same people are FORCED to have a cat then? Is it a requirement of the city that everyone whether they like it or no must own a cat? No, I didn’t think so either. Can this man not see that because declawing is so readily available it actually stops people trying to educate themselves on the subject of living alongside those offensive claws?

He said, and it must have been tongue in cheek because as a past manager of animal shelters he will know better, that declawing is a last resort. You can’t tell me that someone with 30 years experience in the care and “control” of animals hasn’t heard every last excuse in the book, he will know that declawing is no last resort but he chose to lie through his teeth and say that more cats would be surrendered if the option of declawing was banned. He chose to keep quiet about how many declawed cats are surrendered because of problems associated with declawing, and he failed to mention that declawed cats with behavioural or physical problems following declawing sit there in the shelters being passed by once the would be adopter finds out that Fluffy pees on the bed or poops on the couch, or bites the bairn when he pulls her tail. Or that Fluffy is no fun anymore she just sits and mopes and washes or bites at her sore stumps instead of entertaining the family in return for her keep.

He falls back on the age old argument, comparing neutering with declawing, he calls them both mutilation, with a little wiggle of his fingers to imply speech marks, shouldn’t a man of his experience appreciate the difference between surgery performed for the benefit of the cat’s health, and to save millions of unwanted kittens being born only to be destroyed, and surgery performed purely for the owners convenience and to the detriment of the cat? He also compares cutting off the ear tips of feral cats, admittedly a sad thing, with declawing, but again he fails to realise that removing an ear tip, and unless I’m wrong here the ears do not have a lot of pain receptors so the cat is more than likely unaware that the ear tip is gone, potentially saves a female feral cat from the trauma of being trapped twice, anaesthetised twice and operated on twice. Now that is potentially life threatening so the ear tipping is fully justified.
He also tried to make out that a vet performing a declawing procedure is saving a life. No Mr Bok, emergency surgery saves lives, neutering saves lives, feral trapping, neutering, ear tipping and releasing saves lives but declawing most certainly doesn’t save lives. Declawed cats still end up abandoned, straying, sitting in shelters, lying in gas boxes or being injected with poison, and disposed of in sacks and incinerators. Had he bothered to keep a count of the cats relinquished to the three shelters he managed he would have known that.

Mr Bok is certainly obsessed with killing cats; he seems to regard any cat that is not declawed as dead meat. That was just about the only thing he was clear on, most other things he flannelled his way through, saying it was too difficult to track such information to give statistics or that such statistics didn’t exist. He conjured up a figure of 55% and claimed this percentage of owners would dump their cats if they could not have them declawed. But how many of those people, if they knew that there was no option of having a cat declawed, would adopt a cat in the first place? And surely this is a good thing, that someone who has no regard for the health and well-being of a cat but thinks of it merely as another possession to pretty up the house with and to be altered and adapted for this purpose, should opt not to own a cat after all.

Bok also told us that Mayor Stern, of Malibu has said that he would have taken his cat to the pound if he couldn’t have declawed it due to his wife’s health issues. Well firstly it begs the question why did Mayor Stern acquire a cat when his wife has a health issue? And furthermore how does Mayor Stern think those people with health issues in countries where declawing is rightly banned manage to keep a cat and stay alive?

No one seems prepared to take responsibility for his or her own safety – why?

Thankfully despite Egg Box’s best efforts the council members were wiser than he and they voted to ban declawing in Santa Monica.

He's now trying to justify what he said to save face, but it's too late - he already has egg on it.

A little more light relief

Here is another batch of funnies, just for a bit of light relief from the usual way we spend our time online, all spellings & grammar are as they appeared on various sites.

The birds and the bees
1) your cat will have a baby. are you sure she havent married???i think you should take she to vet and chek up of her.
Well not many cats bother to get married in this day and age, they usually just shack up together so good for her if she has!

2) By the way he was kinda playin mature with a toy (dont know what it means but look like it not that good)

3) When my male cat was in heat he never sprayed

4)I have a female cat that is spaded .. she meows everynight about 1am ,, why ?
Gord knows but she seems to be a good timekeeper!

When can male cats start making babies?
when can they... you know.. stick it out and are inclined to do it when they see the female
Answers on a postcard as to when they can stick it out.

How to tell the gender of a kitten.
Look at the urinal area of your kitten

Telling it like it is!
Spotting a female is easy; if she doesn't have balls, boom, bobs your uncle, it's a female ;)
Succint!

Strange doings!
My cat has been acting crazy for about 2 weeks now (sorry to bother you with my cats Qs but I need help) she seems fine (eat, drinks and plays) but out of nowhere she will scream BLOODY MURDER it makes me shake and have goosebums all over my body

Q Does your cat smile while they are sleeping? My cat smiles in his sleep ALL the time! It's so cute! What about your cats? :)
A Mine twitches and its lips cringe

Q I think I love my cat, we go out for meals and sleep together, is this normal?
A yes your a cat person and if the cat did not like it you would get a scratch on your nose and it would leave you ... unless you butted its feet then it might come back haha

Strange people!

I was talking to my little cat last night and I said "You're not my cat, and you're not my feline companion"
I said: "You're my little adopted daughter". Don't you think that's nice of me? :-) :-)

I do actually

I want him to sleep on my bed ,be next to me but he has a smell after he does a peepee.he is a male 1 year is birthday is 21/11/07
Don’t forget to send him a card folks!

Was Jesus a Fireman? Come again? (Pardon the pun)

Famous Cat Quotes?

does anyone know who said this?
Vol-au-vent WTF?

Cats’ names
Q Does you cat have a nickname, if so what is it?
A1 I call my kitty, "Bo Bo Head."
A2 NUMMY NUTZ
A3 WINSEY POO-POO
A4 Buddha (because she is fat)
A5 who said u have the rights to know wat our cats names r
A6 I call my cat "Kitty." Original, right? (:Her name's actually Cricket Luna. I sort of... accidentally came up with it.
A7 shitty itty stinker dinker doo boog boog bee boog

I wonder if that one is an outdoor cat? Imagine shouting that name to get him in at night.

Cats and their bowels!
Q How can i make my cat poop prooply in the cat litter tray? The other day he pooped in my lil girls wardrobe
A Show him ... poop yourself on the tray in front of him
Brilliant answer!

Our male has learned to use the toilet, without any training...and flushes it as well.

I understand they have to bury it but she flings it everywhere and sometime there are even turds that get out.
Aghhh!! The turds are coming for you.

Q Why does my cat keep shitting on my bed?!?
A1 he wants something especially if your cat is about 1-3 years old. Usually they want to go outside meet and nice girl have sex. The male cats like to have sex.
That was a very full answer, lots of detail there.

A2 Perhaps your bed smells like a toilet to him, change your sheets and wash them.
Yuck!

A3 a lot of males will do that if he wanting something u will not give him.
Quite true! Oh are we still talking about cats?

Q When replacing a cats litter box, is it true that you must buy a similar color as the old one...?
A1 Your cat honestly could care less about the color of it's crapper and is more concerned that there is one.

A2 Cats don't care. My wife died years ago and my new GF brought her cat and enclosed litter box. My 9 yo cat had no problem adapting to a new box in a new location
Sounds as though the cat isn’t the only one that had no problem adapting to change.

My cat also, crapping on the sofa too because it sharing it's claws.
With whom?

Cat’s piddling
Have never seen a male cat raise their leg and urinate like a dog does. Are you sure the cat did raise its leg? Ve haf vays of finding out if your cat raised his leg!

Male cats do not normally lift their leg to urine. I just did a Google search on:male cats raising leg to urinate I didn't find anything that said that cats will raise their legs to urinate, but then I didn't look real closely at the search results
After all that raising legs and urinating he didn’t look at the search results anyway

And dogs who work for the Royal Mail
Especially if it is a mail dog as their urine is far more pungent.

Cats wearing strange things
I know my cat has ear mits, I realize my other cats can and probably have gotten the mits by now,
A cat wearing ear mits?

My cat is leaving behind dark specs and cant stop scratching/chewing?
And a cat that keeps forgetting his sunglasses!

A medical diagnosis
Bouble eye lids is usually a sign of fever
Bouble eyelids? Again....WTF?

Back to the bowels
Q Why doesn't our cat fart a lot?
we smelled our cat's fart just one time since the 2 months she lived with us. Shouldn't she be farting more ?

A1 Its probly farting lol but you just cant smell it

A2 If I were you I wouldn't be complaining. Cat farts are rotten. It is like humans -some fart a lot and some not quite as often! Keep your fingers crossed kitty keeps the farts to a minimum. She is obviously a lady!!
Cat farts are NASTY!!!
As are most farts, of course. I’ve never met a nice one.

Strange remarks
please rehome the cat, you don’t have the patience, let alone the smarts to understand this innocent little life

I have a cat that i got from a friend!! he is cute but i wound like to know wat he is if there is any way than plzs tell me!!!
Hmmm, a cat?

I have had two cats since they were tinny :)

They have like skin or something inside their nails

When you clean the litter box just put it in a plastic wal- mart bag and tie it shut
I wonder if a Morrisons bag work just as well.

I saved the best till last
Would you get changed in front of your cat?
I would get changed in front of anything, cat, dog, spider. (Probably not a hungry peregrine falcon though, I value my dangly bits too much!)

Back to the serious stuff next time. Thanks for your indulgence.

Why declawing must be banned

To whom it may concern:
To all of those people who do not think that cat declawing should be banned by legislation, arguing that the decision should be made after consultation between veterinarian and cat owner I would like to offer the following evidence in prove that cat owners and veterinarians are abusing your trust in them because they are not always acting in the animal’s best interest.

Firstly I’d like to quote the AVMA policy on declawing cats:
Declawing of domestic cats should be considered only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively or when it’s clawing presents a zoonotic risk for its owner(s).

The American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), established in 1863, is a not-for-profit association representing more than 78,000 veterinarians working in private and corporate practice, government, industry, academia, and uniformed services. Structured to work for its members, the AVMA acts as a collective voice for its membership and for the profession.

(The veterinarian’s oath
Being admitted to the profession of veterinary medicine, I solemnly swear to use my scientific knowledge and skills for the benefit of society through the protection of animal health, the relief of animal suffering, the conservation of animal resources, the promotion of public health, and the advancement of medical knowledge. I will practice my profession conscientiously, with dignity, and in keeping with the principles of veterinary medical ethics. I accept as a lifelong obligation the continual improvement of my professional knowledge and competence.)

The Humane Societies recently updated statement
People choose to declaw their cats for a number of reasons: some are frustrated with shredded drapes or furniture, some are worried about being scratched, and others simply feel that a declawed cat is easier to live with.
In many cases, cats are declawed pre-emptively, as a part of a spay/neuter package offered by veterinarians, even before claw-related problems occur………
While there have been changes in the way that cats are declawed, it's still true that for the majority of cats, these surgical procedures are unnecessary. Educated owners can easily train their cats to use their claws in a manner that allows animal and owner to happily coexist. Declawing and tendonectomies should be reserved only for those rare cases in which a cat has a medical problem that would warrant such surgery, such as the need to remove cancerous nail bed tumors. Declawing a cat does not guarantee that the animal will not be relinquished to a shelter or euthanized. Declawed cats may develop other problem behaviors, such as biting or litter box avoidance, and end up being surrendered to a shelter anyway.

Having read that I’d like to invite you to read the following excerpts from a website for which I can gladly supply the link. The quotes are not taken out of context they are exactly as they were written, spellings included, though coarse language is disguised. The person who asked the question lives in New York. I have made the really shocking comments bold print.

This is the initial post and one further post from the asker

1. We're moving to a new place and we decided to get B a kitty. Our Kitty is at the vet right now getting neutered, declawed, all his shots, flea dip.. lets just say he's getting fully serviced. lol Anyways, I have to go pick him up tomorrow morning and I was wondering if his paws were going to be really sore? I have his litter box and food and water dish in the laundry room and he has to jump a baby gate to get in there and I'm worried it will hurt him to jump it. He is my first cat, I always had dogs before so any information about cats and declawing would be helpful. Oh and I already know that it is mean to declaw a cat, I don't care, I don't want him to scratch my kid. He is going to be a indoor cat and doesn't really need them, so the vet says.

2. Have you ever had a cat that got declawed? I know he's going to be sore. But I was wondering how sore and how long it lasts?

They don't actually cut anything off. They slice the tip and remove the claw, I guess.

This is the first reply, again I have made the shocking content bold print
They are NOT allowed to jump at all! and they are supposed to have special litter for a week or two. They have it at the vet. They usually wont give pain meds because if the pain med takes away the pain then the cat will jump and not know better and bust the tips open and they will get infected- I have experienced this firsthand with a cat before. It is best not to give them the pain med even if the vet does offer it.

the vet should give you litter made from newspaper. when cats are first declawed they cant use the regular cuz their paws can get infected. The cat I had went crazy for the first couple days after because of the pain. You also have to make sure that he doesnt lick his paws. Good Luck. Hope all goes well.

Thank you. I already purchased the special litter. I'll keep that in mind about the pain meds because when I called to check on him earlier the vet mentioned something about it. They didn't mention the no jumping thing, I'm happy I asked now. Lol

So what is being discussed here is witholding pain relief from a cat who has had ten separate amputations of his toe ends, make no mistake about this, the claw is an extension of the bone, to remove the claw the bone has to be amputated at the first knuckle. Can you imagine having your finger ends amputated and being given no pain relief, just in case you forgot about your wounds and used your stumps normally? I think not. And yet cats and kittens that are declawed have to use their paws almost immediately on coming round from a general anaesthetic. They have to stand on their paws, putting pressure on the wounds and they have to use those paws to dig in whatever litter they are provided with because cats are instinctively clean and will always seek out a clean litter box, if however following declawing the cat experiences severe pain while using the litter box then after that the cat will always associate using the litter box with pain. This is what causes the litter box avoidance and the use of floors, carpets and soft furnishing for toiletting.

lol yeah realy - all my cats have always had their front paws declawed- otherwise I would not have any furniture left! They dont go outside EVER so they dont NEED them anyway. (again!)
Of course they need them, they need them for walking, grooming, playing, climbing, catching and raking litter, as well as a very important means of self defence. It is no use arguing that indoor cats don’t need to defend themselves, what about if the home was broken into and a window broken or door kicked in and the cat bolted out and was lost, how would he not only defend himself from other cats but also from predators, and how would he catch food to eat? What about if the cat didn’t bolt and the intruder was someone who would ill treat the cat, no claws means that the cat can’t lash out and run. And what about floods, fires and other disasters when cats sometimes get lost or abandoned during evacuation of homes.?

The way I look at it: 1) I don't want him scratching my son. 2)I also don't want him scratching my new living room set. Lol
I agree it is a little mean, but it would be meaner if I killed the cat for attacking my son and scratching him all up. Not saying the cat would do that, but if he did....

This cat is new to the home and is being declawed at the same time as neutered just in case he scratches this person’s son. Why on earth should he attack the child and “scratch him all up”? She’s not even saying the cat would…….
Just to remind you of the AVMA policy:

Declawing of domestic cats should be considered only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively or when its clawing presents a zoonotic risk for its owner(s).

The vet told me they slit the top and remove the nail. Totally inaccurate and if this is true that vet’s licence to practice needs reviewing.

Declawing traditionally involves the amputation of the last bone of each toe and, if performed on a human being, it would be comparable to cutting off each finger at the last knuckle.
Declawing can leave cats with a painful healing process, long-term health issues, and numerous behavior problems. This is especially unfortunate because declawing is an owner-elected procedure and unnecessary for the vast majority of cats.

Well, either way, the nails had to go. It's a safety thing, my Son is only 17 months. Lol
Still laughing out loud (Lol) and presenting no evidence that there is any actual sign of the child being at risk.

most cats wont keep the nail things on - they can chew them off and just trimming the nails doesnt stop them form scratching furniture- sprays dont work either nor does providing a scratching post. It is a necessary evil.
You will note that this respondant mentions only scratching of furniture as a reason to declaw a cat and condsiders it a necessary evil.

My Son runs around and the Kitty chases him, he loves it, at least he'll love it untill the kitty grabs ahold of his foot. lol I love the kitty, hate the claws.
That cat makes my kid smile a thousand times a day. That's reason enough for me to want to have it.
Without wishing to sound biased, doesn’t this seem to you that the cat is pretty much the child’s plaything and only welcome because it makes the child smile? And that he plays with the cat in a way that to an animal that stalks by instinct invites “grabbing ahold”, this is obviously no fault of the child’s he is too young to realise this but the mother should be supervising the playing and should ensure that the child and kitten don’t get over excited as either one could hurt the other

i have all leather furniture lol there was no way i wasnt going to get my cats declawed. my moms a vet so she did it for free for me lol and both my cats are 4 paw declaws.

it took about a week before my kitties were back to their normal self.

My cat lost his nut and his knuckle today

so we are just supposed to let them ruin all our furniture

No, because you can't teach a cat not to scratch. I have a good looking son and nice things and I would like to keep it that way. I love the kitten, enough to bring him into our home and make him part of our family, but in order for that to happen his claws had to go.

(Reminder: Declawing of domestic cats should be considered only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively)

Notice two things, that declawing cats, though a massive trauma for the cat, is being discussed with flippancy and that the biggest reason, stated over and over again, for declawing is to protect the furniture. And may I point out that quite obviously no other attempts have been made to prevent the cat from clawing the furniture, and in fact there doesn’t seem to be any evidence that the cat has clawed the furniture or is even inclined to.

In between these posts there are also posts that are arguing against declawing

To continue
So lets say you have a cat, no kids. you love the cat to death and whenever you're gone at work... it DESTROYS your house,.... scratches every up, tears everything to shreads. you would just deal with it and not declaw your cat? or would you keep buying new furniture? or would you give the cat away?
In our home we’ve had 9 much loved cats over 35 years, they have all been unique with their own personalities and habits, some have been mischievous, some laid back to the point of being horizontal, some jumpy, some naughty but never, ever have any of them scratched everything up, torn everything to shreds or destroyed our house! Nor have any relations’ or friends’ cats to my knowledge. Yes sometimes they do scratch the furniture but to the point of tearing it to shreds or destroying the house? No way.

Q Just curious. What will you do if the cat starts biting? Declawed cats are known to bite more often since they no longer have claws for self-defense.
A I'm willing to work with both my child and my cat on that. I heard spraying them with a squirt bottle works well. It's harmless but they hate it I guess. lol *EDT* I'm going to spray the cat, not my kid. Hehe
And I'll squirt him with water and he'll learn not to bite.

Bitch all day, I already got it done and will do it to any other cat we decide to get later on.
(Reminder: Declawing of domestic cats should be considered only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively)

This is aimed at the people who have spoken against declawing, by now the replies are becoming abusive.
None of my 5 cats that I have had have ever bit anyone unless playing. How do you stop your cat from scratching your furniture-? let me guess? you dont- you have old ****** furniture and dont care- probably has cat **** all over it too.
Unfortunately it seems that furniture is the biggest worry.

More from above poster
When I worked at the Humane Society cat bites were very common among the declawed cats in the cat room. These are cats that saw the same 3 faces every day for the many months I was there, trusted us but still bit us.

There are alternatives to declawing one is tendonectomy... which is the snipping of the tendon that allows the cat to extend their claws. the cat keeps their knuckle and claws.”
I've never heard of that, but I assure you, I'm all for it! I hope something like that becomes the norm instead of chopping off a knuckle.
Making the claws useless carries it’s own problems. Because the cat can no longer keep the claws trimmed, the claws will naturally grow in a circular manner into the foot pads causing pain and infection unless the owner is able to trim the nails on a regular basis. (The tendonectomy patient will require life-long management in the form of regular nail clipping).

In order for me to allow a cat into my home I want to make sure it isn't going to put my child in danger or ruin my nice things that I proudly pay for with my own money. I want my child to experience having a pet, we always had pets growing up, it was great. My kid will be able to know what it's like too, and we'll all be happy because no one will be getting scratched and my furniture will stay nice and the cat will get to live in a warm and loving household.

Furniture again and the remote posibility of the child being “in danger” and how is the child going to experience, truly, having a pet and learning about caring for pets if he's going to be brought up thinking that cats should be made clawless. Is that equiping him for the big bad world? No.

All vets around here still declaw. and I think it is soo damn ridiculous to say we dont care about our pets if we declaw them- they dont need claws inside the house!!! (is this truly a misconception or is it an excuse? Can people really believe that cats don't need claws?)

This poster lives in OHIO, all the vets declaw (In many cases, cats are declawed pre-emptively, as a part of a spay/neuter package offered by veterinarians, even before claw-related problems occur………) HSUS statement see page 1,
(Declawing of domestic cats should be considered only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively or when its clawing presents a zoonotic risk for its owner(s))
AVMA policy see page 1
So can it be that all cats in Ohio use their claws destructively and have resisted all attempts to prevent this happening or is it that all vets in Ohio offer neuter/declaw packages, probably in competition with each other in a sort of price war, and actually encourage the declawing of young cats that have had no opportunity to demonstrate how they will use their claws? I know which I think is the real answer. And I think money is at the root of it.

All 5 of my cats did fine with declawing and were not in serious pain- the one that we gave pain meds to just ended up injuring herself and ripping them open by jumping because she no longer felt any pain and then they got infected-

I know about those, (Soft Paws) they come off. Our next cat will be declawed also.
So a kitten not even conceived let alone born weaned or adopted is already doomed to have it’s claws removed.

This sort of dialogue is sadly all to common, every day you can read posts from people chatting about declawing cats to save their furniture, how can this be allowed to happen?

Until declawing is banned right across the USA this type of ill informed, unfeeling, uncaring attitude will prevail. But the fact is that 38 countries in the world have banned declawing as inhumane so if millions of people in those countries manage to own cats with claws what makes the USA so different? Availability, supply and demand that is what. Take away the easy (on the owner) option and you sort the wheat from the chaff, the people who want a plaything or moving ornament from the genuine cat lovers who want a healthy happy whole cat to share their home and family.

Ideally yes no one but the owner after consultation with a vet should have any say over what is allowed to be done to an animal, but the people in positions of power, owners AND vets are abusing those positions and opting for painful disabling (and money making) procedures for convenience above the well-being of the cat.

This why declawing should be banned by legislation and this is the petition calling for that ban.