I ALWAYS declaw my cats. Always. Although we keep them indoors, they do on occasion get out. My cats have always been very able to defend themselves against other cats, dogs, skunks or anything else they've encountered, and we live next to a forest…there has never been an issue or an instance in which our cats were ever unable to defend themselves. They can still climb trees.
experience.YEARS ago, we had a lab puppy who encountered a cat. The cat thwaped her upside the head and she came running back to us. We later learned the cat had be declawed. Silly puppy.
I feel declawing and debarking should be last resorts, after training, etc have been tried, but I also realize that that won't apply to many people. Is it better to have to rehome (possibly euthanize) a pet? I don't have cats. I have lived next door to dogs I wish had been debarked. Of course, bringing them in and making those dogs part of their family would have been better. :mad:
There was a guy from (insert your favorite Marxist country here) who went to his government to request internet access.
His government official asked him, "Don't you have conversations with your friends on the street?"
He said, "I cannot disagree."
The official asked, "Don't you have free access to the government library?"
He replied, "I cannot disagree."
"Well," said the official, "Don't you get the state newspaper every day?"
He replied again, "I cannot disagree."
"So, why," asked the official, "do you want internet access?"
"Aha!" responded the guy, "There, I can disagree."
It's the beauty of the thing. 
Great quote AJshuman - brilliant.
But - and i cannot accept this as just a cultural difference from across the pond - that debarking a dog is acceptable in ANY instance. Just because someone wants something doesnt mean they should have it - a dog is a living breathing animal - if you dont have the facility and ability to own one - then dont - get a toy, or take up another hobby.
Have to agree with you Scott on this one
This IS a touchy subject; another topic on which there will be disagreement.
I ALWAYS declaw my cats. Always. Although we keep them indoors, they do on occasion get out. My cats have always been very able to defend themselves against other cats, dogs, skunks or anything else they've encountered, and we live next to a forest…there has never been an issue or an instance in which our cats were ever unable to defend themselves. They can still climb trees.
I have yet to see a cat in any way acting as it it were in any way hindered by a declaw procedure - they are jumping up and on and off of furniture,etc the same day, with no appearance of discomfort as there is in case of injury.
I'm not going to get into a debate about this, except to say.... seriously, when people state opinions they need to be aware that not everyone shares your opinion nor has everyone had the same experiences, and not everyone believes everything they read esp. when it runs contrary to actual experience.
I think we have enough REAL forms of abuse to address with laws, and am always reluctant to let the government enter the homes of citizens.
I agree with you Jazzysmom. I worked in a vet clinic for several years and we did hundreds of declaws. It is not barbaric and the procedure has improved over the years. As long as it is done young. I don't think it should be done on a cat that is older. It is not in any way comparable to dog fighting. The animals are asleep and do fine afterwards. There will always be horror stories but some of these cats would have been given up due to their destruction of furniture or other things. Currently I have 2 cats both rescued in their older days so they still have their claws but my old boy that died a couple of years ago was declawed and it was very nice to cuddle without being scratched. It is a personal opinion and as long as it is legal it should stay that way. And for those that do not like government intervention, make a decision you can't have it both ways, you either want them interfering or you don't.
I realy hate to argue and i realy think opinion is so divided that people will have to agree to dissagree. I dont want to cause offence but must say that IMO most cats scratch to communicate there is a problem and they are unhappy. I can pet our cats without fear of being scratched. My neighbours cat however who is in our house more often than not is the type who will lash out and scratch. When stroking her we watch out for the signs. I know some cats are feisty , some scratch, some bite but we cant remove their teeth.
As for de barking Dogs (something i have only just become aware of on the forum) why on earth would anyone want to do this.
Maybe my views are idealistic but i do believe animals should be left as nature intended if at all possible
My cat gets the tips of her claws clipped occasionally. It's enough to keep those little needles under control. She likes to lay straddled on someone's leg with her "thumb" claws hooked into their pants. Sometimes she unintentionally makes holes in the person's skin. You only have to remove about 1 mm of claw and it doesn't hurt the cat at all.
That said, Dash, I do not want government interference in the minutia of my or anyone's life. There has to be rule of law, but there also has to be freedom. It's what we call ordered liberty. That's not to say I want to abolish laws that make sense…like murder, speed limits and dog fighting. I just don't want any more government than is absolutely necessary.
Aren't we splitting hairs here…by some comments we shouldn't spay or neuter...but that also seems to be what most pet advocates want.
"leave them as nature intended" - OK -then what? Where's the line? And those talking heads that are our "representatives" in government "know" where it is better than we do? Sorry, but I don't think they do...as I've said before, IMHO, it's all very situational. And the local counsel, mayor, state legislators, congress, and the president cannot tell YOU what is best for your pet.(PERIOD)!
Aren't we splitting hairs here…by some comments we shouldn't spay or neuter...but that also seems to be what most pet advocates want.
"leave them as nature intended" - OK -then what? Where's the line? And those talking heads that are our "representatives" in government "know" where it is better than we do? Sorry, but I don't think they do...as I've said before, IMHO, it's all very situational. And the local counsel, mayor, state legislators, congress, and the president cannot tell YOU what is best for your pet.(PERIOD)!
I was thinking along the same lines. Mutilate when we want you to, not when we don't. I can't buy it, personally. Can't see how a declaw is more mutilating than a neuter or a spay, seriously.
Our cats are quite able to communicate unhappiness – fact is, cats use their back claws FAR more dangerously than their front and I've seen them do a beautiful job of tearing arms and animals up w/them!
I've also seen cats with claws get them stuck in the side of a couch and have to hang, struggling until a person found them or they tore their claw.
Also saw a cat once get its claw stuck in the side of a dog's face -- was not a pretty scene. All animals came out okay,but both required veterinary care.
I realy hate to argue and i realy think opinion is so divided that people will have to agree to dissagree. I dont want to cause offence but must say that IMO most cats scratch to communicate there is a problem and they are unhappy. I can pet our cats without fear of being scratched. My neighbours cat however who is in our house more often than not is the type who will lash out and scratch. When stroking her we watch out for the signs. I know some cats are feisty , some scratch, some bite but we cant remove their teeth.
As for de barking Dogs (something i have only just become aware of on the forum) why on earth would anyone want to do this.
Maybe my views are idealistic but i do believe animals should be left as nature intended if at all possible
If your neighbor has a cat that cannot be trusted to be petted w/out scratching or biting, they have a bigger issue than to declaw or not.
