A wise person once said that the minute you are ready to give up, a miracle will happen. I need a miracle.
Dear friends and supporters,
Forgive me and I have to vent.
This was a typical weekend for me. I start my days by answering emails and notes from people and seeing what the biggest issue is.
I reposted a post on instagram to let my followers know that another 10 yr old declawed kitty, that was sitting in a high kill shelter, was rescued from it and is heading to his new home. These amazing cat people always go and save the declawed kitties in this shelter when I ask them. Charlie is on his way to Texas in a new loving home.
I posted this story about the President of the NYSVMS and how they are trying to stop our bill that would protect all cats in NY from this cruelty and torture. [button href=”https://citythekitty.org/nysvms-president-leads-the-way-to-try-to-defeet-the-cat-protection-bill/” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] NYSVMS President Story[/button]
I was told about this appalling 2000 AP photo of the “doctor” in Iowa
who is declawing a cat that most likely was just given ketamine which basically keeps it from moving around but has no no analgesia (pain meds) and likely is an awake/aware but unable to respond cat.
This 2012 photo from this “doctors” facebook page who is still doing it the same way in the photo. Can you imagine how many cats have been harmed by this person who calls himself a doctor? AND he posts closeups on his fb page saying it’s, “so much better and easier on the kitty..also less bleeding and inflammation. ” 
This is sadly how many vets are amputating cat toes behind the scenes in veterinary practices in America. Here another story about how “doctors” in Oklahoma are declawing cats and not using ANY pain meds! [button href=”https://citythekitty.org/declawed-without-pain-meds/” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] Declawing with NO pain meds[/button]
On another note, here’s where you can help. Yesterday, someone who supports our cause sent me two websites that I knew about and that have been around for a long time. I tried a few years ago to get the oocities one removed but it didn’t work.
This one that has lots of misinformation and lies about declawing [button href=”http://www.oocities.org/declawing/” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] Is Declawing Really That Cruel?[/button] and this one that directs you to find a place to declaw your cat [button href=”http://www.veterinarians.com/ml2/?v=2030942116&u=08F0CE88B5ABE9CC0210818280F807182220F7AB8380CDE1C29E8301″ color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] Toe Amputations Near You[/button] and the Veterinarian.com facebook page [button href=”https://www.facebook.com/localvets/” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] Veterinarian.com facebook page[/button]
She wanted me to take these sites down because they are bad for the cause and also spreading lies. Which I 100% agree. She even gave me a link on how to do it [button href=”https://support.google.com/webmasters/answer/6332384″ color=”green” newwindow=”yes”] How to remove information from Google[/button]
But the part I had to tell her was that I’m swamped and I just don’t have time to tackle these issues and I’m SORRY.
So that’s when she laid in the guilt trip and said, “I’m not the one to apologize to, the cats are – these are harmful links supporting declawing which can easily be removed requested from an authoritative source. I’m shocked to hear that you are “too busy” I won’t take up anymore of your time.”
Ouch, ouch, ouch.
My friends, I really appreciate all of your help, but the last thing I need is a guilt trip on how many cats are going to suffer because I don’t have time to do something that’s very time consuming, not to mention that I’m not a very good computer type of person.
Well, you know her comment made me one toe away from walking away from everything that I’m doing…. for forever.
The only thing that’s keeping me here is knowing that all the cats are suffering in the hands of people who call themselves “doctors.” And maybe I can help save some of them from this torture.
I am swamped. I literally wake up and start at all this in the morning and am up until around 2 am STILL working on it. For no other purpose except to save cats from this appalling thing done in the hands of trained professionals who took an oath to HEAL animals for goodness sake!
Maybe it looks like I just sit around and post funny photos and lots of declaw posts, but it is a ton of work.
Another thing that happened yesterday was a comment on my fb page was flagged for an “inappropriate post” and taken down.
The comment was from a person who worked at a laser company who said she was against declawing. I made a comment that laser companies market their lasers to veterinarians and tout how great they work to burn off kitty toes. She thought I was just making an uneducated comment but the truth is that we all know the companies do market their lasers for declawing.
Remember this at last year’s AVMA convention? Appalling to say the least. Profiting from amputating kitties toes. 
Her comment was taken down by pro-declaw side. She didn’t take it down. I didn’t take it down. There were no lies, no bad words, and nothing but facts. The facts show that many of the BIG laser companies do market their laser machines to veterinarians for declawing.
I posted this video to her comment and let me warn you that it is disturbing but this is how the laser companies tout their lasers to veterinarians for this mutilating procedure.
This disgusting “doctor” even appallingly calls the cat’s tendon her “little smile” at the 1.50 minute mark,where she is burning off the toe. Caution, this video from Cutting Edge graphically shows how they burn off kitties toes and claws [button href=”https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtIsetdVirw” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] Veterinarian Burning Off Cat Toes and Claws with a laser[/button]
So yes Dorothy, there are a lot of very unethical things going on in America when it comes to this mutilating procedure and I don’t make things up.
She wrote this, “I’m trying to help end declawing, unlike what you are doing.”
Okie dokie.
She did send an apology later and said she shouldn’t have been so defensive. Whew, I feel better.
I have had to prioritize things these days just to do the things that I feel will make the most difference in helping to end this dark chapter in the veterinary profession in North America.
And trust me I like to think BIG.
We need an all out effort to help save kitties from this disgusting and unnecessary animal cruelty. When I put my mind to making something happen, I’m relentless to find a way despite all the odds or how insurmountable it may seem.
I know I’ve said this before but I just don’t think some people realize this. It’s just my mom and me running my social media pages and doing all this.
Not to play the violin but we literally work 16 hr days/7 days a week for zero pay. In fact I’m having to borrow from my mom’s 401k EARLY to pay for my bills since I want to keep working on this full-time. I honestly barely have time to eat or sleep these days. What if all the vets who are amputating cat’s toes stopped! Think about how we all could be doing other things to make the world a better place.
But nope. We have to have an all out battle with the people who took an oath the heal and help animals, just to try to end this animal cruelty and torture. Something is very very wrong with this picture my friends.
People send me story after story, photo after photo, of cats that are suffering from being declawed. I lay awake at night thinking of all the declawed cats in shelters that you send me and ask me to help.
I think about kitties like this one, Ms Coraline< whose semi-famous dad had her declawed just in case she might scratch his $3000 sofas. “IF SHE TORE THEM UP” ???? Really people. You have such an inability to connect your heart and mind to NOT realize that amputating your cat’s toes is a very inhumane thing yet you are so worried about your sofa??? Seriously, what is wrong with so many America cat owners who think this is OK???
I worry about my friends Teeger, Abby, and Ryder who are still suffering from the horrific complications from their declaws. Day after day the onslaught of sad stories bombards my inbox and existence.It is honestly taking its toll and frankly some days feels like it is too much.
My kickstarter for City’s first photobook is suffering because I’m devoting most of my efforts to trying to help get the bill in NY passed so that it can be the first of many states in America that end this inhumane procedure done to cats. [button href=”https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/citythekitty/city-the-kitty-my-first-inspirational-photobook” color=”orange” newwindow=”yes”] My Kickstarter for My First Photobook[/button]
Sure I could give it ALL up and go back to what I do best which is photography but I feel I am making some kind of difference. So I won’t.
But I can guarantee you that I most likely won’t be doing this in a year and that is why I must give it all I’ve got now.
Thank you to all of you. If you can find a way to help and take down those two pro-declawing websites that I mentioned above, then you would be an important part of cat history and will have saved many cats from harm.
Sincerely,
City the Kitty and mom.
PS, here is a post someone sent me from facebook about a guy who found a cat outside his house wanted to find it a good home. He thought he was doing a good thing by bringing this poor cat in to get shots, fixed, AND declawed. He said that he had it declawed on the chance that he couldn’t find someone to take it and since he already had 3 declawed cats.
I respectfully reached out to him to see if I can help him find this cat a home. I also asked if his vet didn’t counsel him as to how bad declawing is or how the humane alternatives work and if he would watch the Paw Project movie on YouTube. He didn’t take well to that and said, ” I’ve had friends that have lost fingers, hands, feet, legs and they live great lives just like this cat will.” He said he always raised his cats as indoor cats so that didn’t destroy furniture or get stuck on things. He said he “had a cat that had claws that got stuck in a curtain and spun around till his leg was wrapped in it tight, cutting off his blood supply. I’m in the military and leave for days or weeks at a time and don’t want to come home to an injured cat from a mishap or fight.”
I honestly thought I had heard it all…this just never ends.