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02-25-2015, 10:31 PM
(This post was last modified: 02-25-2015, 10:35 PM by Tobi.)
I am very glad to hear this news.
In my opinion, anyone who wants a cat as a family member should be prepared to take the things which go with "cat". Or else adopt another animal instead. And once they do decide to have a cat, its welfare should be more important than furniture!
De-clawing a cat is like a human having all their fingers and toes amputated at the first joint just because their fingernails and toenails could scratch something.
And how are they expected to climb trees etc without claws? The little cat I look after likes nothing more than skitting about in the garden, then dashing up a tree, just for the sheer fun of it, or to show off.
It has been proven that cats who are de-clawed do often develop problems later. And of course that makes sense as they can no longer walk properly, and are inclined instead onto the backs of their feet (which would be equivalent to a human trying to walk on their palms, wrists and heels!) That obviously does stress their joints, and their whole body.
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It is the worst surgery I have ever seen, so cruel and so unnecessary.
People could just cut their cats claws. It is not that hard to do.
Once vets start to turn against it the practice will stop. They will put pressure on the vets who still do it. People will have no other choice than to find other solutions.
I wonder if the claw caps are a good idea.
I know you could choose furniture that cats would not scratch. There are lots of good scratching posts and other ways to meet cats needs.
There has never been a good reason to mutilate the feet of you pet.
![[Image: IMG_9091.JPG]](https://lh5.googleusercontent.com/-rtQnRVnpHuw/Upv4HXYM20I/AAAAAAAAAqo/K5MmSTvkZdA/w296-h229-p-no/IMG_9091.JPG)
Catherine
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03-01-2015, 03:58 AM
(This post was last modified: 03-01-2015, 04:02 AM by Tobi.)
In the early 1980s we had a cat. His name was Dushka. He was an absolutely brilliant, stunning cat. Mixed breed shorthaired. Very big and sleek with a long nose, and an amazing temperament. Gentle, loving, intelligent, tough, loyal.....Not one photograph of him sadly.... He was killed in a road traffic accident in 1984, aged only 5 and in the peak of strength and health.
I do not recall him ever scratching at furniture. At the time we lived (or mostly I lived -as my husband was a tour guide abroad) -in the Welsh mountains. Dushka spent a natural life outside, but obviously came inside whenever he wanted to, to sleep, eat and cuddle etc.
As for 18 months we rented someone else's house, it would have been hard if he had destroyed furniture, but he didn't. I never recall any problems. He had access to SO MANY trees in the Oak copse near our house. I think he was done scratching, when he came in!
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Sally is pretty and she looks very healthy. She is smart isn't she. She has set places that she scratches and she sticks to those places.
I would think that you could train a kitten to scratch in certain places, the same way you teach it where the litter pan is. If you were consistent in your teaching I am sure the cat would learn and would stick to set spots. Of course the set spots would have to be things a cat would want to scratch, not things we think a cat would want to scratch.
It would also, help to buy pet friendly furniture. I don't think that is too much to ask.
Catherine
