why is declawing legal in usa?

Question

i can not understand it. i have just explained to my other half and neither of us can find a good reason for it. i know i would not like to lose the first joint of my finger or toes so why do people do it to cats in this day an age. and can people actually justisfy it. we both think that those who do this should not have a cat in the first place if they don't like their natural behaviour.

thanks for any explanations

kari r read my post on your question.

baa baa cat do actually walk on their toes there is a particular name for it but can't remember it. i have a comprised immune system and children can handle cat scratches better than you think i grew up with cats and have breed and none of us have become ill.
your excuses for it were appalling. my cats are totally inside and i have spent five minutes everyday from the day i got them at nine weeks old till present teaching them to use a scratching post. their post looks so ragged now but they would not dream of using my furniture or person.

common people what happen to people power only those that truly lover their cats can get this stopped

Answer 1

They said it's an individual choice and it's their right. But did they ever ask their cats whether they want to be mutilated? Whose choice and whose right were they talking about then? I think those who cant cope having cats, dont get them as pets. It's like you have a horse but u dont want it to kick your butt, so you chopped of it's hind legs.
I have two 12 year old cats and they only scratch and tear my old sofa. But that is what they are going to leave me once they are gone. It's gonna remain at the corner of my tv room as an art of love from them. My vet suggested declawing but i will never betray my cats that way. Just because i feed and love them does not mean i own their life. Declawing is illegal in most country.

Answer 2

Money, I would think. Veterinarians probably make a substantial amount so I would think they would not appreciate a law being passed to derive them of the $$. Of course, there are some vets that won't perform declawing surgeries, and they're great! And there's the wonderful: Animals are property! What I do with mine is NONE of your business! attitude. Yes, America can suck in some ways, esp. looking at how lax our punishments for animal abuse is.

Sadly, many people just don't care.

There was a NY anti-docking/cropping proposal that got shot down a while ago. If you're interesting, you should look into that. I think that the premise is basically the same.

Edit: just wanted to say that I agree with your statement that "those who do this should not have a cat in the first place if they don't like their natural behaviour." There are so many alternatives, but people just don't want to invest the time.

Answer 3

Declawing is a painful, cruel, and inhumane practice of mutilation, much like amputating a human's fingers at the first knuckle.
Declawing deprives a cat of his most important defence mechanism, leaving him vulnerable to attack, if he slips outdoors, by other cats, dogs, or predators.
Declawed cats often develop biting habits and/or litter box avoidance, either of which lead to subsequent abandonment or euthanasia.
Declawing deprives a cat of the stretching, pulling exercise necessary for the development of strong muscles.
Cats are digitigrade - meant to walk on their toes. Declawing forces cats to alter their gait, which eventually can lead to tendon damage and crippling arthritis.
Along with long-lasting phantom pain, possible negative effects of declawing include anesthetic complications, infection, hemorrhage, or degenerative claw regrowth, in which the claw grows back through the top of the toe.
There are a number of humane solutions to scratching problems, including nail trimming, scratching posts, soft plastic nail caps

Anyone who wants to put there cat through that should not have a cat it is evil and not fair on the cat i can not see any good reason why it is legal to do this to a animal in the states would you cut of a childs hand if he broke your furniture??

Answer 4

The thing is, people like to think for their own benefits. Since Cats are animals, and can't talk and complain about pain, people take advantage of it and do whatever the heck they want with their pets.

"Oh but my furniture,", "Oh but it hurts when they scratch me..." People are lazy. They refuse to 'waste time' teaching their cats the right way to act. Cats CAN be trained into things and they include not scratching people or furniture. Get them a scratching post. When they scratch your stuff, dicipline them. Cats are like kids, [but furry and much cuter.]

I've always been against declawing. I could never dream of doing that to our cats. It's animal cruelty and wrong.

Answer 5

Declawing is the most selfish thing that a cat owner could EVER do to their pet. I love my furniture too, in fact, its brand new. IF your cat starts to scratch it.. get on to him. Get him a scratching post and kitty furniture. Take time to play with the animal. Don't just have a cat and say "Yeh, I have a cat." Love it, give it attention.

Declawing should be illegal! I have a house cat that is STRICTLY a housecat, but I would NEVER get him declawed. Although we don't plan for him to ever get out.. what if he darts out one day? What if there is a large dog or anything threatening him? The ONLY way to save himself is to find the nearest tree. Without his claws.. guess what? You've got a dead kitty. God gave cats their claws as their means of protection.

I'll stop. Declawing is crazy. It is one of those subject I'm passionate about like euthanizing a pet because it isn't perfect anymore. (NOT talking about sick pets.. I had to put my 2 year old male tuxedo cat down two months ago due to liver disease)

Answer 6

The Americans seem to be against anyone but themselves having weapons of any kind (mass destruction or not).

I agree with you it's totally inhumane and it should be illegal everywhere. I cannot believe that some people choose to put their possessions before the living creature that they claim to love. They should buy a stuffed toy animal instead.

I've never understood why vets of all people would be happy to perform this mutilation, but then again somewhere out there is a plastic surgeon who never said no to Mr Jackson or his money!

Answer 7

i don't know either if they like their furniture so much don't have a cat or here is a thought get them a scratching post. cats need training just like dogs if your too lazy you should have a cat. i wish it were illegal! i've had cats for years and never declawed them and they never messed up any furniture or carpet or anything. i wish i could say the same about my dogs.

Answer 8

it should be illegal, it is animal cruelty. I don't see any positives for it. mostly it's lazy cat owners that don't want to buy scratch posts or don't realize sometimes cats prefer a different type of scratch post. or they have double sticky tape or soft claws that go over the claws or the simple TRIM THE NAILS!

a cat's intention is NOT to destroy your stuff, why make the animal suffer for what the owner is to lazy to figure out why and how to deter the scratching, which really is not as hard as lot of people try and tell ya.

Answer 9

I'm American and I wish they would outlaw it here. All I can say *hangs head* is that Americans are lazy and self-centered when it comes to having pets. Declawing is solely for the pet owners convenience so they won't have to burden themselves with training their cat to claw only a scratching post. No one thinks about what the cat needs to survive. I said earlier when the hurricane hit in Lousiana no declawed cat could have survived, having to climb to saftey and find food and fend off predators. I would give my babies away before I did such a wretched thing to them. I hope we can get it outlawed here someday.

Furniture is a wonderful thing and I'm glad for people who have it but if you love your furniture, why have a cat if you're just going to mutilate it? Get a fish. Just watch for water stains on your table!

Answer 10

As someone who has been scratched all to heck and back by a cat when I was younger and the fact that I have a 19 month old and a cat..I see why it is needed to have some cats declawed. So many people these days have kids and get rid of their cats because they are afraid of the cats scratching their babies..I think it would be alot better to keep that family member (the cat) whom you have had for a while and that loves you..and declaw it so you dont have to worry about the baby getting scratched. There are alot of reasons to declaw a cat but this is just one of them. Also another reason being some cats have bad skin allergies and will scratch the living tar out of themselves..should the cat be allowed to keep his claws while tearing up his skin? Of course medication is needed in that situation but it is also alot better to prevent the cat from hurting himself...While yes, the cats paws will be sore for a couple days it is a very easy and quick procedure and I believe that some cats and families are better off in the long run. I used to work at a vet clinic (quit when I had to move) and it really wasnt a big deal for the cats. Most cats are more annoyed with the stupid bandages on their paws then the actually discomfort.