Cat Declawing

[AdmiralKird]

Neither is everything a human could imagine versus a cat. Look, the point is the animal is being cared for and gets to go into early retirement when its born. He/she doesn't have to go forage for food, doesn't have to worry about being attacked every single day. Being declawed for a cat is a small price to pay for the benefits they receive.

[planet planet]

I think what we've learned here, Kyle, is if you do it, don't tell anyone here.

[Fat Strat]

It's not about need though...it's about the fact it's inhumane to declaw them, IMO at least.

I'll make sure to tell my cat that we're sorry for treating her so inhumanely the next time she's laying on our laps, purring, and nuzzling up against us. If it is inhumane, the cats we've had don't seem to realize it or lack for anything. And many of the arguments against declawing, imo, don't hold up perfectly under scrutiny.

Survival -- If an exclusively indoor cat gets out and is not found, declawed or not, it's odds of survival are simply not high. They're not proficient hunters, they're typically very timid and scared in the wild, and their primary adversaries are things that their claws are at best a weak defense against -- getting caught in fences, cars, coyotes/foxes, larger dogs. Do they have better odds of surviving with claws? Probably, but it's not a good situation regardless.

Other Nations ban it -- The implication is that the majority of people in other nations see it as a vile act, have taken measures against it, and so we're inhumane or barbaric for allowing it. To me, that doesn't really hold up well. Governmental policy is not always a reflection of what the people actually believe about issues of humane/inhumane behavior. A majority of people in America are pro-life, yet abortions are legal. A majority of people in America are pro-gay marriage, yet those are illegal in most places. Seems like the same can be said for Euthanasia, though a quick google search gave me conflicting stats. So, should declawing be seen as universally inhumane just because other governments ban it? Well, what were the circumstances of that decision in that country? What type of government do they have? What do people in those countries actually feel about that issue? Those are questions that have to be answered in order for that defense to stand up.

Anyway, I'm not even suggesting that we should go out and declaw every cat we come across as if it's the only right and decent thing to do. Obviously, that's absurd. But, I don't think it's an issue that can be labeled as unequivocally inhumane either. I think it's better to not declaw your cat. I think it's worth considering whether you really need or really want a cat if you're just going to have it declawed. Likewise, you should consider whether you really need or want a dog if you can't provide an environment where it can get exercise, etc. We often treat pets as there to serve our needs and whims without thinking through the kind of life that animal should be able to live.

But, we throw the word "inhumane" (i.e. barbaric, cruel, vile) over this issue like it's black and white. I don't think it's really that black and white. It's a gray area that's going to vary with personal opinion, experience, and preference. Some people are going to be very emotional about it and see it as very cut and dry. Others aren't going to see it as an issue at all. And I think both sides can support their beliefs.

[AWvsCBsteeeerike3]

We often treat pets as there to serve our needs and whims without thinking through the kind of life that animal should be able to live.

It's a fine line. Pet's aren't humans. People that treat them as such annoy me.

At the same time, if you have a pet, you are committed to providing for it and giving it the best life possible. Just because it's not human doesn't mean you can ignore it and not care for it. If you do, you're as big of an ass hole as your pet is sure to be.

[go birds]

Well fat strat who is the self appointed expert on everything has spoken. This convo is over.

[ghostrunner]

Ours is declawed. I can't see having kids and not having the cat declawed. Young kids don't know how to respect pet's boundaries and I'm sure my 2 year old would have been scratched up pretty well by now. My sister actually got her face scratched up pretty well when we were kids - by her cat after she picked it up the same way she had a hundred times before. The cat freaked out for some reason - we thought at the time because of a jack o lantern, but cats don't usually sweat that stuff. The same cat shredded up our couches too, but I don't care so much about that.

I get where planet is coming from that you're letting a pet share your home, but at the same time I think there's enough wild animal in there to make things unpredictable and it's okay to take precautions if you think they're necessary. I think you could reasonably argue that keeping/breeding pets is unethical to begin with, it just happens to be a time honored tradition by now.

[Fat Strat]

Well fat strat who is the self appointed expert on everything has spoken. This convo is over.

Nice contribution to the discussion.

I can't see having kids and not having the cat declawed. Young kids don't know how to respect pet's boundaries and I'm sure my 2 year old would have been scratched up pretty well by now. My sister actually got her face scratched up pretty well when we were kids - by her cat after she picked it up the same way she had a hundred times before. The cat freaked out for some reason - we thought at the time because of a jack o lantern, but cats don't usually sweat that stuff. The same cat shredded up our couches too, but I don't care so much about that.

My sister was playing with her cat before she had it declawed. I don't remember the exact scenario, but her cat got her in the eye with her front claws. Severely scratched her cornea or something awful like that. It was a similar story to yours. The cat just suddenly scratched her when they were doing something they frequently did. Just one of those things. That cat was one of the most loving and social cats our family ever had. It would come and lay on your face while you were sleeping and purr so loud it would wake the neighbors.

[cardinalkarp]

Not to be an insensitive jerk, but what are cats defending themselves from outside? I think most outdoor cats probably die from starvation or getting hit by cars. Claws probably dont' come into play in those cases.


Edit: Let me just add that I'm a guy that really likes cats. I have 2 of them.

I lost three cats to coyotes and I've seen one badly mauled by a raccoon.

Not to mention dogs.

No claws, a cat can't climb to safety.

I hadn't thought about the climbing aspect. I have personally not heard much about dogs killing cats. I mean, is that kind of a myth, or not?

No myth, our fraternity had a "house dog" that happened to be a pit bull as well, he would literally roam the city of Springfield and occasionally scuffle & sometimes kill cats.

[Molly]

Well fat strat who is the self appointed expert on everything has spoken. This convo is over.

I don't know if this is meant to be a snarky response or not but, even as someone who opposes declawing cats, I think his response was well thought out and covered both sides of the argument.

As for beerstrike's comment about pets not being human, I defer to Robert Louis Stevenson:

"You think dogs will not be in heaven, I tell you they will be there long before any of us."

[haltz]

Do people who have a problem declawing cats have a problem deforeskinning baby humans?