Hi Reader,
Lets start off with the good. Today, I delivered Sherri to her forever home.
She now lives with a very nice family and has a new brother, who I'm sure she'll become great friends with. The lady who adopted her asked me why I think we may develop deeper bonds with our cats than our dogs, and I didn't really have a good answer, but I think I do now.
I adopted my dog when she was 2 months old and she's been a perfect little puppy. She loves everybody and everything. My cat, on the other hand, hid under my bed for a good month and was still quite shy for a few months afterward. I got her when she was about 3 months old. When she was about 7 months old, she finally grew close to me and started snuggling with me, even grooming my hair when she catches me off guard! She now sleeps with me every night and is supremely comfortable sitting on my lap. My dog trusts me fully as well, but I didn't have to work nearly as hard to gain her trust, and she's basically comfortable with everybody. My cat, on the other hand, is really only completely vulnerable with me, and that is why I feel I have a deeper bond with her than I do with my dog. Of course, I love them both with all my heart!
Here's the bad: Last week, I was showing my foster cats at an adoption event when someone came up to me and asked if we had any declawed cats. I told her no, we didn't, and we would never think of declawing any of our cats. It shocks me how backwards America is when it comes to this issue. Most countries in Europe and even elsewhere have banned this cruel practice. It's basically mutilation and serves no purpose other than saving someone's precious furniture. If they really cared about their cat, they'd clip their nails or use Soft Paws.
However, what's even worse is that there are vets out there who not only perform, but encourage this cruel procedure. These vets deserve to have their license taken away because they clearly care more about making money than they do about the welfare of their furry patients. If they treated people instead, they would never get away with this blatant abuse of power.
If you're interested in reading more about why declawing is such a horrible practice, check out Gary Lowenthal's article Why Cats Need Claws: http://halrescue.org/declaw.html
A blog for our furry companions, inspired Alaska, my first foster kitten. Check out 2000spaysandneuters.org for more adoptable cats!
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ReplyDeleteMaybe u should've recorded the conversation because u obviously heard it backwards...nobody asked u if u had declawed cats, they said they were looking for an already declawed one (because they had one that passed of old age who had already been declawed when they adopted it & was used to that), for the purpose of not having to, and would never declaw a cat, because, yes, it is cruel & horrible...sometimes cats are given up by people for whatever reason (not always a good one), and caring, loving, people come to adopt them...sometimes those cats r already declawed by the former owner, so it's not the cats fault, or the person wanting to adopt it....some people don't mind their furniture being ruined, but live w/people who love cats, but not having their furniture being ruined, even if they luv the cats, or worried if children r visiting...yes, these people may cut their cats claws, or have the vet trim them, but Soft Paws r prob not comfortable for the cat...why don't u try them on?...it's prob almost as mean as declawing!!! Some people luv their cats & the cat may be aggressive, or can't get them in a carrier, should they put their cat to sleep or on dangerous meds, or give them up, or have them scratch people? You really should think before u talk or write when u don't understand the situation, nobody said they would declaw a cat, or ask u to do so....duh!!!!!...and if u don't like America, please leave. Thank u.
DeleteDear Heather,
DeleteI am sorry that you feel that way. In my opinion, seeking to adopt a declawed cat simply to save oneself the inconvenience of providing a scratching post or clipping the cat's nails is no different from the reasoning employed by those who choose to declaw their cats. The only justified reason for seeking to adopt a declawed cat is to provide a better life than the cat had with its previous owner.
In regards to your statement on ear tipping, I would ask you to read my new blog post here, which explains why ear tipping is done for the benefit of the cats. Declawing, on the other hand, is done solely to benefit the owner, and can provide a lifetime of pain for the mutilated cat. I suggest reading Gary Lowenthal's article, Why Cats Need Claws, linked in my post above.
Sincerely,
Joe
And if u really cared about ur cats, u wouldn't let their ears get clipped!!! U say it's because u take them to the Humane Society to be spayed & neutered, and that's what they do - well then don't take them there! U do so since it's free, well then all u care about is money!!! Ear clipping is inhumane, mean to the animals, and nobody wants a cat w/a missing piece of ear when it wasn't necessary to do so!!!! Why don't u read up on that cruelty??!! Maybe these vets deserve to have their license taken away because they clearly don't care about the welfare of their furry patients. If they treated people instead, they would never get away with this blatant abuse of power!!!
ReplyDeleteDear Heather, please see my above post.
DeleteSincerely,
Joe