My friends. Many of you send me posts from the public “declaw” section on facebook.
I sometimes respectfully reach out to the human beings who write them to try to educate them about the facts about declawing.
Yesterday, a few of you sent me this one. There were many comments from people on this woman’s “rant” about how she was upset at her local Humane Society for trying to educate her about declawing and instill a modern and healthy mindset in her so that she wouldn’t declaw the kitten she was adopting. After I read her comment and many of the shocking comments from her friends, I told my mom to respectfully comment on the woman’s post. (I couldn’t with my City the Kitty page.)
My mom posted the comment below and other respectful and educational comments to try to open up their hearts and minds and also to give them some educational material links about declawing and also the youtube video of the Paw Project documentary.
What followed was a firestorm of angry and very disheartening comments from this woman and her friends. It was truly sad and made me lose hope that these people will ever want to really understand or change their unhealthy and antiquated perspectives on declawing.
What was so sad was that you could feel how there is such widespread willful ignorance about declawing. Many of these people are being completely deceived by their unethical pro-declaw veterinarians who don’t want the public to believe that this mutilating and inhumane procedure is bad for their kitties OR they don’t want to believe that declawing is that bad.
I also want to say that I didn’t see any disrespectful or threatening comments that would make anyone feel they were being attacked or mean. I only saw comments that tried to educate these people about the facts about declawing but they didn’t want to see or believe them.
Here is her comment about the Humane Society in her town in Missouri that she posted on her facebook page and it went to the “declaw” section of facebook (when you type in declaw in the search bar and click on “Latest” you will see a new post about every few minutes with the declawing topic.)
Patti- “A long rant I know but for my pet friends worth the read…..Adopted a cat today and very frustrated with the Humane Society. While checking out, the girl asked if I was going to declaw the cat.
I told her yes.
She began to give a dissertation on how cruel and inhumane it is to do. I politely told her I understood the procedure and the ramifications but I didn’t need the scolding as I was an able bodied, responsible pet owner. She then told me declawing was horrible and how could I do that.
I then had to speak with the director for 20 minutes before she would agree to adopt the kitten to me.
I asked if it were policy to not adopt if the owner was going to declaw. She said no it was not policy. She then continued to chastise me for wanting to do so.
I realize it does hurt the kitten for a few days.
I worked in a hospital for years and am very familiar with the procedure.
I have had 4 cats, all which I had front declawed. I informed them I was quite confused if they had no policy in place to not adopt if I was going to declaw then what was the issue.
I informed her the kitten would be strictly indoors and well loved by its new owner.
I fully understand educating some one on pet care but pushing your opinion on me is completely wrong.
If my well educated veterinarian is comfortable doing the procedure, I am comfortable with it.
I thought the goal was to find loving homes for these abandoned pets.
When you chastise someone for doing so it certainly makes it hard to encourage others to come do the same.
The fact is in my 13 years of veterinary work in our hospital alone we spayed and neutered 100’s if not 1000’s of pets for the humane society and area shelters and probably 75% of the people who came and picked up their newly adopted pet at the end of the day had no business being a pet owner, they couldn’t afford a quality food, flea treatment and most of them balked at having to pay for a rabies vaccination.
Had my daughter not been distraught about the recent death of her cat and had already fallen in love with this adorable kitten I would have walked away and the kitten would still be living in a cage and getting at best a few hours of attention a day rather than non- stop love and attention that he is now getting and sleeping in his comfy bed.
I truly cannot express had saddened I am by the actions of the staff and the director of the Humane Society!”
Here is my mom’s comments to her post.
“I’m shocked and disheartened to read so many comments from people who were born with brains and hearts and yet still seem to want to defend this inhumane, unnecessary and mutilating procedure. Wake up people and get out of the dark ages. Get with the modern world and use scratchers and all the other humane alternatives. Or don’t get a cat. Good grief 🙁 Y’all are being deceived by your unethical pro-declaw vet$ who would rather take your $$ and harm your kitties than do the right thing and instill a healthy and modern mindset by educating you on the facts that declawing is wrong and very cruel and harmful for the short and long term health and well being of your kitty cats. Here’s an ethical vet who is honoring her oath to just heal and help animals so take your business to her. She is awesome and will help you with any scratching issues you have with your cats. Tell her City the Kitty sent you. #DoTheRightThing #RightSideOfHistory
Here are some of the comments that this woman posted.
Patti-To My Mom- “Good luck saving them all To loving, indoor homes while they still have their claws. You will take us back to the dark ages when people just drowned and shot unwanted pets and pets that didn’t behave. Lori, I notice your married to a women. I would think you of all people would be more “open minded” that people are entitled to their own opinions.”
Patti-” They cry after being spayed and neutered as well should we stop doing that?”
Patti- “I understand the procedure. I also understand that spaying prior to 16 weeks by some people is considered a health risk; however we weigh the odds and decide it is worth the risk. I think weighing the risk of a few days of recovery from a surgical procedure would be better than living a caged life or being adopted and then beat by an owner who is frustrated when the cat tears up the furniture or throwing the cat outdoors.”
Patti- “I am not even debating if declawing is cruel or not, as every one is entitled to their own opinion. My point is if it is not the policy of the shelter to not allow adoptions if you are going to declaw then don’t bully me and elude that unless I allow you to change my mind you are not going to adopt to me! Also, once I tell you I am informed on the procedure ( right or wrong) don’t continue to push your propaganda on me. The bottom line if it is not the policy then don’t even ask and then you won’t be bothered by my answer. There are 1000’s of homeless cats, I think a declawed cat in a happy home is better than a caged cat growing up in a shelter. It sounds like you on the other hand think caged and homeless cats must be a better option than a well fed, well loved indoor cat.”
So my mom replied to this woman nicely and said that the facts about declawing are not an opinion. They are facts.
Also my mom informed this woman that most rational thinking and compassionate, gay (and straight) people feel that animal cruelty and amputating cat’s toe bones and claws for the welfare of furniture is wrong and very inhumane. This “opinion” is based on facts and not on emotion or myths about declawing.
It is our belief that animal cruelty and animal torture, which declawing is, is everyone’s business and there is no way to spin it as being ok.
I honestly wondered how a human being could be so clueless to understand the truth and why we are all fighting so hard to protect kitties from this inhumane procedure. When she compared spay and neutering which are to control animal overpopulation and do have some health benefits, to this elective, non-therapeutic mutilating procedure, I knew that there wasn’t much hope for getting through to her.
Then the other comments followed from her friends that made me lose even more hope.
Annette- I think if they(Humane Society) have no policy on it… Its none of their business. It’s a personal choice. And quite honestly the cats I have had declawed didn’t act like it bugged them at all. I think if the kitten is getting a loving home that is what matters.
Kayla- Yes!!! Totally and completely agree!! I’m a crazy cat loving lady and have declawed all 5 cats I’ve owned in my lifetime. All were(and are) very well cared for and strictly indoors. When my beloved Venom died unexpectedly last September, we also wanted to do the right thing and rescue a kitty. We went to the humane society and also got reamed since we were going to declaw. Darin went off on them. So dumb that even though it’s not policy, they sure make it feel like it is. Luckily we didn’t have the kids with us. We ended up going through WOW. A million times better experience.
Patti- What’s WOW? I most likely will never grace their (Humane Society) doorstep again.
Marci- We believe it’s a personal choice that a person can make between their vet and the family. An older feline will typically be declined for declaw by most any vet. A kitten is typically not declined. I would rather the kitty live in Highland Springs and go to the vet every time it sneezes and get whatever care and good food it needs than be thrown outside for getting sick, scratching the sofa/kid, peeing somewhere, etc. Sorry you had such a bad experience. We are certainly picky and have an application process- even do home visits for homes with multi pets or first time kitty owners. We really try hard to help the family find the right kitty that fits their family/lifestyle. We want a happy feline because that makes for a happy family! We specialize in mom’s and babies since they can’t enter shelters. We currently have about 130 seeking home.
Kayla- Marci is AMAZING!!! Only kitties, and they are all in foster homes. Plus, she’s not going to be a jerk about declawing
Cora – (commenting on a botched declaw comment from another person) whom ever did this needs there lic revoked!I have worked side by side with vets for over 12 yrs! Never have I seen this!! They do not remove the toe bone!! No bone is touched!! They cut the gristle under the nail! U need to get educated lady before u talk out of turn. Not one time has any vet mentioned any bad feeling about this procedure!!
Jennifer- My first cat was declawed in the front, my second cat declawed front and back!! They both were fine and lived a great life indoors where they should be!!!!
Michelle- I couldn’t agree with you more. I have been scolded it as well. Besides letting them know that I am educated about my decision, am a loving pet owner, etc, I also let them know that any human being would wish to be treated be as a queen or king like my pets are. As I’m sure yours are as well. Thanks for giving a kitten a loving home.
Jennifer- Wth is the problem with it (declawing)??
Emily- I have used 3 different veterinarians in the years I have had cats and all 3 declawed cats without any issues so clearly declawing is not as inhumane as they make it out to be. Makes me glad I got my cats from other places rather than the Humane Society. Who the heck cares as long as the cats are going to a loving home. What about the fact that they used to euthanize animals if they weren’t adopted in a certain amount of time. I would much rather a cat be adopted and declawed as opposed to killed. How dare they?!? Glad you got your girl a new baby to love.
Cora- Ya. Know this upsets me because it in no way hinders the ability for the animal to defend it’s self if by chance it gets out..if u only Declaw the front. Ur not declawing all four!! This is bullshit. I’ve worked for and side by side with vets and never once did one protest this procedure! Had they known that u spoil ur animals as well as u do ur children the would have shut there fat mouth and quit talking out there ass!!
Chelsie- Very sad I too had a similar experience not a great advertisement for them… Wow I had 2 cats declawed and fixed and I don’t understand how you can get do upset by them declawing the cats & not upset by them fixing them. They cut open the stomach of the female cats don’t you think that hurts also but yet your not upset about that? My cats claws healed much faster than them getting fixed!!!
Kayla- to each their own. Patti, Cora, and I have worked at a vet clinic(s) for years. We know how it all works. The vets we have taken our cats(that are like family) to have front declawed know what they are doing, never once have I had a bad experience (plus, my kitties have always been happy/healthy/no behavior problems). If you don’t like it and don’t want to do it, that’s your choice. But pointless to push it on us because we are indeed educated about it and not lazy.
Amy- CARE almost didn’t let us get Matey for the same reason. She had been in a cage for 4 months at that time. Luckily someone higher up in that organization listed to our plea and agreed to let us adopt. I have had at least 6 cats through the years- all declawed- and all were back up and going strong by the next day and lived very happy healthy lives. This time with Matey the vet now had a laser procedure that made it even better on her and quicker healing. So sorry this happened but glad that you were able to get your new fur baby!
Kayla- Exactly Patti! This is so ridiculous that it has become an attack on us, when it was never meant to be a debate. Amazing that the ones who are hitting below the belt calling us heartless or brainless need to take a cue from our comments. It’s easy people. We can have different opinions and not be assholes.
I’m left with these thoughts. Somehow we must come up with innovative and inspiring campaigns to educate these people and cat owners and wake them up about the horrific facts about declawing. Too many cat owners like these are choosing to remain in the dark ages and I’m thinking that they just don’t want to believe they could have done something that hurt and harmed their kitties by getting their toes and claws amputated.
I refuse to believe that these people don’t have a heart or aren’t able to use their brains for reasoning, so the only thing I can think of is that they truly don’t think declawing is at all bad for their kitties and it’s because they trust their pro-declaw unethical vets who have deceived them and who as we all know are making good money from mutilating the paws of kittens and cats in America.
Another thing that made me lose hope was the information you sent me about this rescue in Michigan that is automatically declawing all the cats they get in. They even have a facebook page that is about “legislating animal welfare” yet it seems to be all about the welfare of dogs.
How do we inspire these people who run these places to just educate cat owners about the facts of declawing and why it is bad for all cats? How do we inspire them to teach cat owners to use commonsense and the humane alternatives like scratchers and Soft Paws and to not barbarically punish their kitties for a natural behavior by amputating their toe bones and claws? When the owner says that they declaw the cats because it moves them through their system faster so they can get more.
Here is just one of the many examples of the kitties that they declaw and how they promote it to the public in Michigan.
Please reach out to tv stations, newspapers, and legislators in Michigan so that we can raise awareness and get these kind of Rescues out of the dark ages and into the modern and compassionate world so that kitties won’t keep having their paws destroyed unnecessarily. 
Please don’t threaten or be rude to anyone involved. We must do the right thing and take the high road and be respectful. It is wrong to threaten them in any way plus they will twist things around and play the victim. We know that the only victims are all the kitties that are being unnecessarily and cruelly declawed. We MUST continue to shine light on this cause and share all of these stories so that we show the truth about what is going on. We MUST continue to educate cat owners who are being deceived by their pro-declaw vets and who are NOT being told about how declawing is amputations and not good for the health and well being of their cats, how it is inhumane and very painful, and how there are humane alternatives that they can use instead of declawing.
The way that we make positive change is through peaceful and respectful actions and words. When you lash out and are threatening, it hurts our important cause and makes us all look bad, and in turn saves less kitties from this very cruel and inhumane procedure.
And if you do this and I find out, then you know I will be very disappointed in you. 