Thinking of getting a kitten.

[Sciolist]

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It seems like the only defense the opponents of declawing have is "this vet says it's inhumane."

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Yes, we should ignore the experts with years of schooling and experience behind them (and no agenda except the health of animals) and say "oh, but we neuter them, so it's OK". I think that perhaps I should avoid getting into arguments in OOT

[Fast Food Knight]

What I'm saying is tons of vets willingly administer this procedure.... but opponents of declawing pick one of the vets that talks about it being inhumane to quote. IMO, that is just not conclusive evidence. Also, I have seen many declawed cats that act EXACTLY like other cats. I would think it would be incredibly obvious if declawed cats were somehow in pain or otherwise debilitated (speaking indoors only).

And again, if you're going to call this inhumane (which I don't think it is), how is this very different than spaying or neutering in that regard?

[Sciolist]

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What I'm saying is tons of vets willingly administer this procedure.... but opponents of declawing pick one of the vets that talks about it being inhumane to quote

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Sure, but it's in vet's interests to take your business. People saying "we won't accept your business as we think it's unethical" are doing so because they truly believe it. The fact that it's illegal in most European countries leads me to believe that people better informed than you or I think it's bad, and I have no reason to doubt their motives. Why would vets say this at random when they have no problem with spaying?

There're many, many things out there that I am not qualified to argue about. I therefore look for qualified people who take a stance without motivation other than they think it's right, and I listen to them. This is a good example of that. I'm not a cat afterall.

[Quagmyer]

[Tokyo!!]

If you get one, be sure to name it Garbage.

[quirkasaurus]

i love our cats... but after the first 2 clawed the
heck out of the house and furniture, the next 2 got
declawed. they're still pretty capable of defending
themselves; they have teeth. although, i will admit
to having mixed feelings about this.

if you've been a dog person in the past, go to a cat
show and watch how the professional "cat-handlers"
treat the cats. it's worlds away from how you treat
a dog.

cats also seem to hold grudges forever, so always
treat them as nice as possible. spoil 'em. get 'em
tuna once in a while... etc...

[kyleb]

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kyleb,

Awesome.

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Wish I had a better picture of her, but:



My girlfriend and I split up and she got the fuzzy cat (who is sick apparently) and our orange male kitten who is very playful. I kept the loner cat (the tuxedo one) who mews all day and pretends it doesn't like me. At night it jumps into bed with me and wants to be played with before it falls asleep at the foot of my bed.

[swingdoc]

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
What I'm saying is tons of vets willingly administer this procedure.... but opponents of declawing pick one of the vets that talks about it being inhumane to quote

[/ QUOTE ]
Sure, but it's in vet's interests to take your business. People saying "we won't accept your business as we think it's unethical" are doing so because they truly believe it.

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Truly believing and actually being right are two very different animals. I've met doctors who won't give kids vaccines because of the "horrible side effects and risks". These people are dumb and paranoid.

PS - i have no stance on declawing as I haven't had enough time to think about it. I didn't realize before this thread that the vets take the last knuckle which is way different than removing a person's toenail or fingernail - what I previously assumed the procedure was like.

[tuq]

Link. That is a thread in El D's forum about getting a cat. Virtually identical in tone to this one, it starts with OP asking for advice and of course devolves into the declawing debate, which is evidently to cat threads what Steve Nash is to NBA threads.

Anyway, an actual vet or vet's assistant (can't remember which) chimes in with some really knowledgeable stuff on the matter instead of this largely uneducated ZOMG HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO LOSE HALF YOUR FINGER spew, which is akin to someone saying IANAL and then giving legal advice.

[34TheTruth34]

I think getting a kitten is one of the most rewarding things you can do in your life. Unlike dogs, you have to earn their love and respect, you don't just get it automatically. Cats are just so quirky and adorable and funny.

I don't really wanna bog down the forums with another declawing debate, but I think it's inhumane after like a couple of months. If you get an adult cat at age 5 and then declaw him just because you don't want your furniture scratched, well, I just think that's pretty horrible. I personally would never declaw. Oscar has torn all my furniture to shreds, but I still love him.