Blacklist vets who declaw cats?

Question

Thanks to the internet, there's a growing movement to publish the names of all vets and supporting companies who promote declawing cats as part of a "healthy pet" plan.

Let's boycott all vets and companies who make prescribe declawing and hit them where it hurts, in their wallets. (Please boycott PetSmart too, they have a terrible record for maiming perfectly healthy cats by declawing them)

Here's a "Declaw Hall of Shame" list that needs to be improved.
http://www.declawhallofshame.com/ws...

Lets put a stop to this barbaric practice in the United States.

Who's with me!!!

I guess the entire continent of Europe is wrong then, they consider it a barbaric practice and it's outlawed nearly everywhere!

It's considered animal cruelty.

And to all of you who put your dead furniture ahead of the welfare of your living, breathing, loving, trusting pet, grow a conscience.

Answer 1

They sell scratching posts. If someone doesn't want the cat scratching their furniture, they need to get one of those posts.

And as for children getting scratched in the face---they should not be left unattended with a cat! And once the child is old enough, they need to be TAUGHT to RESPECT the cat.

Don't like the claws? Get a different pet.

And another horrible thing I have heard of as well is removing or severing the vocal cords on pets that are too noisy.....just awful.....I don't see how you could do that to an animal.

Want a clawless quiet pet? Get a fish or reptile. Don't mutilate.

Answer 2

I'm a veterinary student, so I see both sides of this. One of my cats is declawed (it was done years before I got him) and the other is not. Declawing is banned in other countries (such as Australia) and it sort of gives the US veterinarians a bad rep. If you declaw cats before a certain age, usually there aren't any ill effects AS LONG as the cat never goes outside! After about 11 months, I would not recommend it at all, and really I wouldn't even let it go that far. I don't plan to make it a practice, but then again, I may never see a cat in practice because I want to do food inspection. Veterinarians that prescribe declawing are catering to lazy owners who do not want to train their cats. I understand that sometimes there is just nothing to be done, and occasionally it's either declaw the cat or it gets euthanized. I would never prescribe it, and would do anything I could to stop the scratching behavior. My declawed cat still thinks he has them, and so likes to "scratch" the corners. He hasn't had any ill effects from it but I know of many cats that end up with huge behavioral issues. I have a feeling that new classes of future veterinarians are being discouraged from the practice in general, and I don't think we are scheduled to learn it during our clinical rotation.
Declawing is most definitely NOT necessary for a happy healthy pet, and so those that recommend it freely really aren't good veterinarians. I do hope this practice is discouraged more in the future, and we can get more education out there for what you can do for scratching kitties.

Answer 3

I actually think that you have to weigh out the good and the bad. The bad is yes, it's not necessary at all and I would never get it done. It's a painful procedure, although they do get pain medicine. The good is that there are people that worry about their furniture (sometimes quite expensive) that can then get a cat without that worry. There are some people that if declawing weren't available, they wouldn't adopt a cat for fear of the possibility of something expensive being ruined. That would then lead to less homes for animals. I think that people should exercise every option, but if you think about it, there are wonderful homes that are willing to take in only a declawed cat because of their furniture and stuff, so doesn't it seem worth it (sometimes only) if someone is going to give that animal a happy and loving home for the rest of its life?

Answer 4

I kind of am....I chose not to declaw my two. I trained them instead. My last cat was declawed but she came that way. I won't ever do it, but I'm not sure I'm ready to flame anyone who does.....I get more het up about those who feed bad foods! I'm all for boycotting vets who don't have a clue in that respect, LOL.

I don't have much regard for PetSmart because of the food they sell, so I guess you could say I'm already boycotting them. Since I don't shop there.

EDIT: I believe that declawing is illegal in England, FYI. And if anyone is interested in stopping this, then you've done them a service by providing this link.

Answer 5

I agree with you, but I'm not going to jam my opinion in everybody's face. I lost a professional relationship over this issue when it shouldn't have come up in the first place. And as upset as I was about my own Mother declawing her three cats, I simply expressed my opinion quietly but firmly once, then left the issue alone. It is understood that it's not a topic for conversation between us.

So many people really don't understand the capacity for cats (as mammals) to experience pain, disorientation, and lifelong disability. They don't consider how painful it might be for THEM to have every one of their finger and toenails cut out, and what a disadvantage that puts them at in the course of daily life. They don't want to be bothered with regular trimming of claws. They have never been told of alternatives like Soft Paws, which are claw covers for cats that work the same way as fake nails for women. And even if they don't want to be bothered with doing it themselves they don't consider their cats' health enough of a priority to have a professional apply the Soft Paws on a regular basis.

It's just *whack 'em off once and forget about it*.

Answer 6

I think that's a fantastic idea.

I'm from the UK and like other cat owners in countries where declawing is illegal, am horrified at the idea of mutiliating a pet. When you consider that millions of people worldwide manage to train their cats to have good claw manners, the excuses that people come up with to "justify" their actions sadden me.

Too many lazy owners and greedy vets, me thinks.

Answer 7

For the other people who answered "whats wrong with declawing?"

Its cruel. It can go wrong and you could end up with a deformed cat.

It is Illegal in England (and I think alot of other European countries), so that should tell you something.

Also, what if your cat accidently gets outside, what are the chances of it not being seriously injured by another animal?

Answer 8

Most vets don't recommend Declawing and actually advise against it. it is lazy people who don't want to mess with clipping of the nails that should be banned. Some states it is illegale to declaw period. Declawing is not healthy and actually will cause confusion in the cat.

Answer 9

Although I try to see more than one side of an issue, I don't think a lot of people do. I can appreciate that sometimes people perform surgeries that probably aren't qualified to do so. And I think that removing all four sets of claws is ridiculous. But I've known many people with perfectly happy indoor cats that didn't have their front claws.

I just think there are a lot worse "evils" in the world that we could spend our time fighting. I'm just going to file this under, "Not worth my time."

Answer 10

Declawing cats is illegal in the UK. I am with you 110% percent and wish you every success with your compaign.