Cat Laser Declawing-Should it be done?
Everywhere you look online about Cat Declawing you find people ranting and raving about how bad it is for cats, it hurts them terribly and that it changes their personality. I have to say after having my two cats laser declawed with very very minor issues afterwards that I feel very strongly about favoring LASER declawing. I can understand the issues with regular declawing I would never do that to my cats but laser declawing has alot of benefits. People will say I shouldn’t have adopted the cats if I was going to get them declawed. Ok, I looked at this and came up with a different perspective, first they both were in a society where they would have been killed if they weren’t adopted, hmmm who’s the enemy here I wonder. Second I spoil my cats as if they were my real children (in my mind they are my babies) any little problem I run them to the vet, any new toy I see or special food, litter for them I buy. I only want the very best for my cats. So when I was considering declawing I did a bunch of research on it. I found out that yes you are still removing that part of the cat but it is a quick procedure where the wound is sealed up immediately. After the procedure my cats were put on a heating blanket to sleep of the anesthesia. The vets called my 15 minutes after the procedure and let me know how everything went. They keep the cats for 2 days just to make sure that nothing goes wrong and you are allowed to visit after the first day. Our cats came home without limping and with very very little blood. Yes they could tell something was different but within a couple of days you couldn’t even tell they acted any differently. Our cats still claw on furniture and everything as if they have claws they still hunt their toys and they still do everything that they did before. There was no change in their personality. People say to train cats to claw on specific things which I think is easier said then done. When we got our first cat we tried that and it did not work she has an attitude that whatever she wants to do she will do which is why she fits her name (sassy). If other ways work for you I’m all for you using the other ways but do not condemn before you hear everything. I saved my cats life and they live a life that I think they love now. Would I change what I did? Never!! I did what I think was best considering the circumstances.
Thank you!!!!!!! I to have two cats that I rescued from certain death 6 years ago. Spoiled beyond belief. Nothing however soothes them enough to not tear up every piece of furniture in the house. With a heavy heart, i will be taking them for the laser surgery. Certaintly this is a better life for them than facing the gas chamber.
After trying multiple ways of trying to discourage scratching of unacceptable things (furniture, carpet, doors, etc.), SoftPaws, and other alternatives, i began to research laser declawing. i am happy to report that the procedure was a COMPLETE success on my strictly indoor cat (front paws only).
He was only away from me for a single day/overnight stay and had little to no discomfort after the surgery. He will still paw at things like a stippled wall, his cat house, etc. but his personality was completely unchanged after the procedure.
i HIGHLY recommend the 249 clinic in Houston. They provided the best possible care and service to my Mildmay. The prices are also incredibly reasonable!
I have two cats and I had to get them both front declawed years ago. One I adopted at the pound and the other I rescued from a physically abusive owner that also neglected her basic needs like water and food. Neither one of my cats had any problems. They still do this day 6 years later jump off stuff and are playful. Their personalities did not change. As a renter most rental properties will not rent to a tenant unless the cat is declawed and spayed.
Thank goodness, California passed a law that restricts local governments from deciding what should be allowed and they now leave it up to the professionals. Tennessee and Georgia have also enacted similar laws and hopefully this will protect the rights of many from the rants of few.
…Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed into law legislation forbidding California municipalities from outlawing veterinary medical procedures considered legal by the state, effective Jan. 1, 2010.
“S.B. 762 is not specific to veterinary medicine but protects all healing arts licensees engaging in acts or performing procedures that fall within their professionally recognized scope of practice. The California VMA supported the legislation to counter efforts to ban state-approved veterinary procedures at the local level.
Two states enacted similar legislation earlier this year. Tennessee prohibits local governments from restricting the authorized practice of veterinary medicine, including the regulation of any act or procedure used within the practice of veterinary medicine. And in Georgia, local governments can’t adopt any regulation governing animal husbandry practices involved in the production of agriculture or farm products on private property.”
Make whatever rationalizations and excuses you want. You are still mutilating and creating severe pain to a defenseless animal. I’s even worse if you are doing it because of your FURNITURE!!! You don’t deserve the love of a pet! However much you spoil them afterwards doesn’t make up for it. You should be ashamed!
When I was a little girl my Grandmother had her cat declawed because of that she was able to bring her cat with her to many no pets allowed apartments. Many apartment owner’s will not allow you to have a cat because they are worried about damage to the apartment but will make an exception for a declawed cat. (I have personally seen 5 different apartment owners do this.) I know allot of people who get rid of their cats because they are forced to move (jobs, family ect.) these cats are usually older so are less likely to be adopted, they don’t know why they were abandoned nor will they know the reason behind there death.
I know that if someone gave me the choice I would choose life over death but I suppose that is just the opinion of a few.
good luck on filmin band of brothers 8, better be a good season. I haven’t stopped thinking about the end of 7 since the summer
Wow. Ok. I have three adult cats, and we just took a 14 year old cat in that had nowhere else to go (her owner died). So part of the deal was that we front-declaw out cats so they wouldn’t hurt the new cat. (New cat is only 5 pounds and smaller than all three of mine).
Our cats are our children. My heart aches for them. The two we’ve raised from kittens have never been outside except in a carrier to the vet. They are happy, healthy cats.
As a young person I didn’t care that my furniture was getting torn up. But when we bought a house, and the furniture got nicer, the damage of claws became serious. They have clawed into the walls of our doorways, damaged our basement stairwell wood, torn up every chair and table leg of our once beautifully finished and priceless furniture we inherited from grandparents. Any chair with exposed wood has been destroyed. Carpets are the least of my concerns… Not to mention our ‘problem child’ that doesn’t like anyone but us swings her claws at anyone that tentatively walks near her, including two small children that were not tormenting her. She just has an ‘attitude’ but won’t hide from strangers so I have to constantly play guard with her so that she doesn’t walk up and scratch people.
We were getting frustrated, the sounds of clawing on furniture pulls us out of a dead sleep.
Sure cats can be trained, but for two working ‘parents’ trying to train 3 cats to ‘not claw on things’ is a joke.
We’ve lived with it for 6 years. enough is enough. If I didn’t love them, trust me, I would’ve gotten rid of them long ago. But I cannot. I adore them and they are our kids.
So we spent on all we could for a state of the art facility to use laser surgery. I think the process of being taken out of their house and spending the night away from us has been the most traumatic part. All 3 came home in good condition, walking and jumping without problem RIGHT AWAY, only needing reassurance. Which we gave them a ton of.
Our cat had a toothache last year. I can tell you 3 days of yowling, growling, and hissing let us know that she was in pain. She was in more pain from that than she is about declawing.
I think everyone needs to calm down a little. I’ve never personally heard these ‘horror stories’ from anyone I’ve ever met. It’s only on these message boards which makes me think that there is a fanaticsm going on here.
Someone said earlier, and I totally agree with, would you rather these cats roam wild in the streets, catching diseases and infections, fighting eachother, getting hit by cars, or going to shelters where you KNOW they will not be adopted????????
SERIOUSLY! Our cats live better than probably 90% of the world! They are loved, pampered, given ample food, they are protected from dangers, they play, run, cuddle. I know my cats and I’d know if they were miserable. Nope. They are happy housecats. And they will have long healthy lives with two happy parents who won’t be constantly yelling at them for destroying our furniture or hurting our guests.
Why are we even debating whether a procedure which removes essential parts of cats is more humane by lasering then off rather than cutting them off?
Why are there people here trying to justify having this done to their cats when there is never any justification?
How gullible one is giving a link to a clinic desperate to sell its laser surgery,believing what they show you.Do you honestly think those doctors declaw for the good of their patients?
Have you not heard of the money they make by this abuse?
Are 38 countries wrong?Are non declaw doctors wrong? Are millions of people worldwide who are filled with horror at the very thought of such abuse wrong?
The few of you remaining who masquerade as cat lovers are the ones who are wrong.No TRUE cat lover would put a cat through needless pain,bewilderment and at risk of the countless problems caused by declawing.
You pathetic few will never convince those who are campaigning to get this abuse stopped that declawing is acceptable,there are millions worldwide right now determined to get it made illegal and asap.
Cats are born WITH claws as they NEED claws.
Q.E.D
http://www.pictures-of-cats.org/laser-declawing-is-as-cruel-as-any-other-method.html
You want some links to look at guys?
For every link promoting declawing there are telling the truth about it.
Don’t be fooled by those clinics promoting it,clients don’t see the pain and shock of the post operative cat.Laser is no kinder than any other method,it amputates the last toe joints through bone,tendons and ligaments,the thought of the smell of burning flesh might get through to you what happens.
Let’s see now…here is a page written by a very eminent veterinarian
http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?action=library&act=show&item=declawingandscienceasummaryofthefacts
look and learn just what you did to your cats,those of you who had them declawed.
Open your eyes to the truth.
PS your cat does not have toes, he has only had part of them left since you paid to have him crippled as a kitten.
Think if it was yourself,if you had no finger ends all your life since you were a baby because your mother didn’t want drawings on her wall…….
SAME thing !!!!
KITTYSMOM, you say your cat was declawed at a young age…..hang on…declawing is supposed to be a last resort for serious scratching behaviour. How could you send a baby to have his toe ends amputated instead of teaching him to use a scratching post, that is very bad ! Oh dear your vet went against the AVMA policies AND broke his oath to harm no animal too.What a shame you don’t have a decent vet rather than a money making one.
9 years old, well he is very lucky to have had no problems …so far ….but you do know that almost all declawed cats develop painful arthritis in later life, you’d better keep a very close eye on your poor cat as cats hide their pain.
Many are suffering in silence, are you sure yours isn’t ?????
He pretends to claw the furniture, poor poor little soul, trying to do what cats need to do.
Watch out he doesn’t harm his stumps by trying to follow his natural instincts,some declawed cats develop calluses,and in some the stump of bone eventually protrudes throgh the flesh.
You see declawing causes lifelong problems and they can occur at any time.
It’s people like you who make it imperative that this cruelty is BANNED and it will be VERY SOON !!!!!
KATTLOVER,
I get it that you think I am horrible, perhaps you should begin your own research with this website: http://www.valleyanimalhospital.com/laser_procedures.htm I suppose for every website you can produce against I can provide one for. But the deal is that a person who can provide a good home for a cat should. And I do advocate neuter and spay. I have done a whole colony of feral cats on my own dime…so please give it a rest. My cats have NOT had any adverse reactions to their declaw. They are HAPPY and HEALTHY cats! Do you really think it is better to kill cats than have a declaw. I do not know about the statistics for declawed cats having more problems finding homes, but I do know all cats are having problems getting homes in today’s world. To say a person is not a not lover because they have their cats declawed is beyond ridiculous. You want to preach to someone, try the folks who abandon their cats or drop them off in the country assuming the cats can take care of themselves. This seems a worthy cause to me!
As the owner of a 9 year old half Persian half Siamese male who was declawed at a young age I would like to weigh in here. He has never had a problem as far as I can tell. He stretches, he goes out and climbs up on the rail around my deck to sun, he catches little lizards and chases bugs and butterflies, he pretends claws my furniture, we have never had any litter box issues. He is a very happy well adjusted cat. Very affectionate and loving. Very playful. He often gets a little too playful and I have to watch those back claws when we are playing. Those are the claws they use for defending themselves.
I have seen catch and kill birds and try to bring them in my house. He has caught and killed field mice. He climbs on things with no difficulty.
I really think you people are over dramatizing this entire subject. It should be left up to the individual.
Give your cat love and a good home. That is the important thing. If you want to declaw it be sure you use a reputable vet. Never leave kitty outside unsupervised and never let him wander off, but that is true of a cat with claws also. Even a cat with claws can be ran over by a car, attacked by a large dog etc. Use common sense and both you and your cat will have many happy loving years together.
You heretics on here just stop trying to put guilt trips on people that just want to give a cat a good home and will leave them in shelters or as strays thanks to your ugly, nasty remarks. Shame on all of you saying they are better off that way. And you call yourselves Humane? My cat has toes he just doesn’t have claws on the ends of them. He not only walks fine he runs, jumps and climbs. And he can tear you up in a heart beat. Sic em kitty!
Begin your research right here by seeing why cats are kept overnight at the very least after declawing :
http://www.pictures-of-cats.org/recently-declawed-cat-pictures.html
REDTLT and anyone else who thinks ten painful amputations and a life of disablement are a fair price to pay for having a home,you are SO WRONG.
Anyone who will only give a home to an adapted cat is NOT a fit person to have a cat in their care.
Laser declawing or any other method of declawing is cruel,painful and uneccessary and that is why it is banned in 38 countries as animal abuse and very soon to be banned in the USA too.It will be interesting to see then how many real cat lovers live there,the ones who know cats claws are essential to their health,who don’t take the easy selfish way out by paying a corrupt vet to cripple their cat.Thankfully those who think disabling cats is fine will no longer have cats in their care.Roll on that day !
Cats are born with claws because they need claws, it’s as simple as that.
It’s disgusting that anyone can get a tiny kitten declawed rather than buy him a scratching post.Ruining cats lives that way is not acceptable !
Look at the Shelters with abandoned declawed cats, the ones who survive that is, as most are killed on admission to kill shelters or caged for life in no kill shelters, because they are unadoptable due to problems from the amputation of their toe ends.Yes the very people who have this done to them don’t want them around any more,they are called ‘bad cats’ and dumped.
Do some research before trying to justify such a cruel operation !
Yes turn your attention to encouraging the neutering of all cats, instead of encouraging the disabling of them.
Vet tech
REDTLT, it isn’t a life with no claws, it’s a life with no toe ends, no means of exercising the muscles in paws, legs, chest and back, an altered way of walking because the toe ends are gone, phantom pain in the missing digits, real rheumatic pain in the joints, fear and aggression, abuse by children and dogs, danger if they escape their indoor incarceration, rejection if they avoid raking litter and choose a softer toilet area due to sore paws, ulceration of the pads, calloused pads, claw regrowth when an incompetant vet fails to remove enough bone and claw cells regenerate. Charring of the surrounding area during lasering can become infected leading to loss of paw or limb.
You think a cat would choose any of these things? Why should he? Declawing is ignorant, unnatural, selfish and peculiar mainly to North America. You should be using your energy to campaign to get more cats neutered (or fixed as you say)so there aren’t as many in shelters rather than condoning a disgusting procedure like this.
But you’ll see soon enough, declawing WILL be banned and then you’ll all have to decide if you really wanted cats or if you really wanted breathing soft toys with all sharp bits removed.
Petra,
It is sooooo good to know there are people out there like you who keep cats from otherwise good homes. Kudos to you…where I live 60% of cats brought in to shelters are put to sleep. Now to my mind THAT is unacceptable. Call me crazy if you like, but I think a good home regardless of declawing (especially done by laser)is the best idea rather than the alternative! So keep up the good work, I am sure there are thousands of cats that would choose to have a life with no claws than no life at all. And no kill shelters are few and far between. They are even having a hard time finding homes for their cats. So again, I applaud you…good work!
To Kay. Good I’m glad you were turned down, a home that would declaw a cat is not and never could be wonderful. Full marks to whoever refused you, they certainly know their onions. Crippling cats to make them acceptable is hardly loving is it?
i want to say,i feel if a cat has a wonderful home to live in then they can be lasered declawed.i was turned down for a cat because i was asked if i had a cat that tore my house up would i consider declawing and i said yes,so they turned me down what a waste my cats live better then most people?but yes i love my house.so leave the people alone if they declaw there cats.at least they have a home
I did lots of research and feel that the laser procedure is right for us. Our cat is loved, but we also have a young child that we don’t want to be scratched from our kitty. there will always be debates over this topic but I respect those who do not opt to declaw and think they should respect those of us who chose this route after having done the research and bring our pet to a respectable vet.
Petra, if you are going to make comments concerning other comments perhaps you should read them a little more carefully. First I have never adopted a cat from someone who has a contract, because I have never broken a contract in my life. As for dignity, are you kidding me?! My cats are smart enough to walk on leashes and really enjoy them. As for the strollers again I say what is your problem, my cats are safe…they are indoor only cats and will have a LONG and healthy life. If laws are ever passed to prevent declawing I will abide by them. I do not think that will happen any time soon. They have not passed any laws that prevent people from docking and clipping dogs ears and tails so please give it a rest. It seems strange to me that people who are against declawing are the people who stoop to name calling and outright defaming folks who are adopting and caring for cats who could have been killed outright from overpopulation. I do not believe that I can change any ones mind about declawing and I know no one can change my mind, so I will not argue with anyone over this. I just wanted to make my opinion known. Debates are meant to create an atmosphere where both sides of a subject can be posted and discussed not a forum for a personal attack on any individual that happens to disagree with one side or the other.
So REDTLT you think you’re a “good cat mom” despite repeatedly subjecting cats to amputation from the last knuckle of each toe and you think you know more than the people who prohibit declawing and demand a signature on a contract before allowing you to adopt a cat, a contract that you are apparently willing to break as all of your “babies” are rendered disabled by declawing. In fact your whole attitude sickens me and I feel very sorry for the cats in your power. Not only are they surgically mutilated, they are subject to leashes and to the stupid stroller which must be the greatest indignity ever inflicted on a free spirit such as a cat. Just because you are too pigheaded to heed the statistics that prove declawing is cruel and inhumane that doesn’t mean that they are incorrect. I’m just waiting for the day when you will be stopped by legislation from the cruelty you have inflicted on cats for years by declawing, and rest assured that day is coming when America and Canada will catch up with the rest of the civilized world and adopt humane welfare laws for animals.
I have often had this conversation with folks so here it goes again. I am one of the horrid people who declaw their cats. I have been doing this for 20 years and yes that means I also had them declawed before laser surgery was available. NONE of my babies ever showed any signs of any problems so I do NOT think much of some of the statistics quoted here. I have been owned by 12 cats over the years and have never had a problem. I now have the laser surgery done and this is even better. I have been called names and some people will not allow me to adopt an animal unless I sign a contract stating I won’t have them declawed. This is amazing to me in this day and age when so many animals are killed daily because of population problems…I take my cats everywhere with me in my RV and they walk on leashes and have their own stroller for times when there are too many people around for their comfort on a leash. I think of myself as a good cat mom. I take care of feral cats, trap, fix and release…feed and water them. So what gives anyone the right to judge me as unfit when I declaw. My cats are HAPPY and HEALTHY! So give me a break!!! Do you persecute those who remove puppies tails and cut their ears. How about surgery to fix them…no, well leave loving cat parents alone!
I found this site when searching on reasons to why someone should or should not declaw their cat. I see the side of anti-declawers quite well. There is usually no benefit for the cat, there are alternatives, it is a painful process since the digit of the cat’s paw is removed and sometimes there is a change in the cat’s behavior. However, I do think emotions sometimes get in the way of logic making arguments flawed leading to generalized statements. I also think people need to find better sources than websites (those with no or just one journal or article cited) to support their opinions. Now, I’m not completely for declawing but I’m not completely against it either. I think if all resources are exhausted or if it’s the choice between having the cat euthanized and having the cat have a home then yes, get it declawed.
Don’t you think that if there was a ban put in place to make it illegal to declaw cats, that the rates of cat abandonment and euthanasia would rise since the last resort to keeping a cat is now taken away?
I currently work for a vet and have for the last 5 years. There are certain pet related practices I completely disagree with and would never work for a vet that performs them, but this is NOT one of them. We ONLY perform laser declawing because we agree any other way is inhuman. I have helped with and taken care of hundreds of laser declawed cats in the last 5 years and have yet to see one with any complications or behavior changes after. They do receive a post op pain injection that lasts for 24 hours and stay for 2 days for medical observation. I recently made the decision to have one of my own cats declawed. I rescued him from being euthanized and he Is a wonderful addition to our family. I would have NEVER had one of my cats declawed if I had ever seen anything bad! If you had a bad experience it’s probably because of having the wrong person do the precedure than the precedure itself. I do believe this is a personal choice each pet owner has the right to make. Neither discision is a bad one.
So, Big A if you have 10 cats and one poor thing has been disabled by declawing that is a 10% likelihood of a cat’s paws being ruined by some incompetent pimp who declaws for profit. Sickening! As sickening as the fact that you sit back and take it, as though the root cause of your cat’s paw problem isn’t YOU who paid an ignorant butcher to mutilate your cat. I would love to say I hope you come back as a cat and share the same fate but I love cats too much to wish that on one, even if it is you in your next life!
I have ten cats that have all been declawed and as a matter of fact only one showes any change and that is because the person who did the job did not know what they were doing and they messed up . So I say if you have a good surgen that is one with a recored of doing the procedure then use then because it they dont know what they are doing then it is likely to turn out bad. So just look for a profesional that is all there is to it.
4Greatergood, the way you talk is not helpful to your side of the debate. You don’t want to see the other side – you treat the other side like people who don’t care about their cats (we do care about them very much, or we wouldn’t have bothered to look up information on this subject).
If you want to make a case for why cats should not be declawed, just state your facts and give sources. Don’t talk down to those who don’t agree with you – they stop listening very quickly and label you a “nut”.
There has been a lot of good talk on both sides of the argument here, but I have to agree lately there’s very little that is constructive. I think this site used to be moderated, but I don’t think it is anymore.
What I don’t understand here is the vehemence with which those in favor of the amputation defend their decision. You seem to dig in your heels and refuse to realize there is another side to this. There are not a bunch of nuts out there contracticting you because it is fun. Did it ever occur to you that those who oppose declawing have personal experiences that made them realize just how horrible it is? Why can’t you simply open your mind. While it is true that some people experience no complications, they are not in a majority. I have seen and worked with far too many declawed cats obviously suffering, including one of my own. For any feline to show pain, it must be excruciating – cats are notorious for hiding pain by instinct because it makes them vulnerable to show weakness. My husband has MS and is on immunosupressant drugs. We live with four cats with claws. His doctors are not concerned with the claws because the adverse behaviors like biting and defecating inappropriately could cause more serious infections than a cat scratch would. Quit hurling insults. If you feel you are doing the right thing by, yes, “mutilating” your animal so you won’t be inconvenienced, then lucky for you for being among the minority who have not seen the devastating effects. I still feel sorry for your cat.
And as for the rest of you relying on the information here to weigh the decision to declaw, why CHOOSE to declaw with there is about a 70% chance that you will be doing much more harm than whatever good could possibly come from doing it?
Babz…puhlease! you and your self-righteous attitude needs to go preach somewhere else. I have a cat who has been declawed and he does not act as if he lives with a disability at all. He is a very happy cat and still lives as though he did before I “mutilated” his knuckles, as you so elloquently put it. You can use all the scary terminology you want to, but you are only doing so to try and argue your point and get people to change their minds and agree with you. However, it doesn’t happen that way. And I doubt a cat would rather be homeless than declawed and spoiled while living in a home where they are loved endlessly. If you need proof, just ask any human being with an amputation if they would choose homelessness over losing a limb. You are ridiculous. Anyone who can care for a cat financially and can provide a safe and loving environment does have an automatic right to own one if they so wish, it is not illegal, therefore it is their right, and if they can afford the surgery and they own the cat, again, it is their automatic right to have it done. If you don’t like it, well too bad, you aren’t the owner of that cat, now are u?
I have no need to defend myself against the attacks of bullies who have taken up a cause they believe this strongly in. If they would rather see a stray cat starve to death and be left out in the cold to die of flea and tick infestation than to be taken into a loving home and endure a couple of days of discomfort at the vets office while being cared for and kept sedated, then they are too irrational to even have a conversation with. I came here for information not to be judged, I already made my decision. I love my cats and they are well cared for in a safe and caring home, they were both orphans, a plight I could relate to, and I believe the cats live in the moment and forget the pain and move on within a few days. Unlike people, they live in the present, not in the past. I guess if some folks had their way cats would rule the universe. I love my cats, but they live in MY home I do not live in theirs. They are pets. Try to keep that in mind. Cows are not fond of being branded. Male dogs and cats are not wild about being neutered. Domestic birds would rather not have their wings clipped. We do all these things for OUR convenience in living with our pets. If these animals were in the wild they would not be forced to endure any of these things.
My male cat has been outside many times and he has never chose to run away from home despite the fact he came to me neutered and declawed and that was many years before they offered the new laser treatment. He likes to lay on the porch in the sunshine and climb up on the railing, sometimes he catches a bird or a rabbit and tries to bring it inside the house as a gift for me. A cat will often slap a dog on the nose or grab something with those front claws but as a rule they do most of their fighting with their hind claws or their teeth and as far as defending themselves if a large dog attacks them there is very little they can do to defend themselves anyway. If a rottie or a Shepard attacks them they are pretty much goners with or without their claws. The dog may get a few wounds if they have their claws but they are going to win in the end. My cat stretches all the time without his claws. I am sorry but this irrational attack on me for declawing my cat is not flying with me. My big fat healthy male cat climbs, goes outside, kills things, and acts as if he doesn’t have a clue he has no front claws. Stop over reacting. I too was afraid to let my cat outside at first but he would sit in the window and beg to go out constantly. One day he managed to escape and refused to come back in for several hours. I was frantic. All he wanted to do was walk around and look at things. He finally came back to the door and wanted in. I started relaxing a bit and letting him out. He never goes far he just likes to go out and play for a couple of hours and then right back inside. I came to realize that every living thing needs sunshine and fresh air in order to grow and be healthy. Even a declawed cat. They are not helpless. They have teeth and back claws. Declawing a cat is not rendering them useless! Geeze!
Well Linda the reason they keep cats in 4 days is to ensure there is no uncontrollable post op bleeding or life threatening haemorrhaging and so that you the owner who has paid for the cat to be mutilated are protected from seeing the pain and torment your cat is in for the first few days after de-knuckling. That is what you are paying the pimp/vet for. This is what vets rely on, if people really knew what cats suffered post op declawing would die out overnight!!
I kind of think that the cat would have been better off left to live outside as she was, if given the choice I think she’d choose her toes over disability in your home.
As for the nastiness you mention, yes there is nastiness and it is in the minds and attitudes of those who assume the right to have perfectly healthy parts of cats amputated to suit their lifestyles.
MS is no excuse, there are people with MS here in England who own cats and who take sensible precautions not to get scratched, if they aren’t prepared to do so they do not have a cat! You do not have an automatic right to own a cat or an automatic right to mutilate one to protect yourself.