June 26th, 2014
If you have Netflix, stream “The Paw Project,” and you’ll never see cat declawing as routine ever again. Even if you don’t have Netflix, you can still receive a DVD of the movie when you make a $10 donation at The Paw Project. Or stream “The Paw Project” on iTunes, U-verse, Dish or amazon.
When I first adopted my cat Choco more than 10 years ago, I thought that declawing was just something you did to keep cats from scratching you. Thankfully, I was set straight by fellow animal lovers, and my kitty was spared the cruelty of losing his claws. And, I’m happy to say that Choco uses his scratching post. And he submits to claw trimmings without much fuss.
Maybe you’re reading this, and thinking I’m some kind of hippie liberal cat-freak, and I don’t know what I’m talking about. It isn’t so. I’ve actually seen a cat declawing procedure firsthand, and while it looks like a quick and simple procedure, the effects can be devastating. To perform a declaw, the vet uses a tool very much like what you’d trim a cat’s claws with to cut the claw at the bone so it can’t grow back. A medical glue like super glue is applied to the tip, and the cat’s paws are bandaged.
Imagine that. You’re a cat.
You’re dropped at the vet’s office by someone you trust. You’re put under. You wake up without the ends of your toes. And it hurts to walk. And you can’t do things the same way anymore. You feel like you have a pebble on the bottom of your paw when you walk or stand. And the feeling never goes away. You may become lame or arthritic. You may lash out and develop behavior problems. You may start eliminating on the floor instead of the litter box. You may lose your life in a shelter because no one wants you anymore.
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