Here is a disturbing and sick letter that a pro-declaw American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) veterinarian sent to the AAFP and also to ethical and humane veterinary practices that have stopped doing this inhumane and harmful procedure.
The researcher said they were concerned about reading things online about how declawing is bad so they asked the employee if their vets are skilled at them and is is ok long term for a cat. The employee at this AAFP CAT FRIENDLY practice said, “We do declaws at least a couple a week.” They said that the younger the cat the better and it’s best to do the declaw when they are a kitten.
The researcher asked why their declaw procedure is “humane.” The employee said because, “We do it the correct way, the way it is supposed to be done.” They use a scalpel to do the declaws.
This AAHA and AAFP Cat Friendly practice’s long time vet tech tells a first time cat owner that the only time you would do all four paw declaw is, “if your cat has a skin condition or it’s one of those cats that doesn’t have fur.”
She said, “Declawing is very looked down upon from a lot of different organizations.” She said, “Basically you are removing the top digit like removing the top tip on your finger tips and there are a lot of nerves there.” She said there is a chance of things being, “bumped the wrong way or in recovery a little open but about 95% of cats we declaw we don’t have issues.” She said that when the cats are older and heavier is when there are issues with a declaw.
Ohio State Vets ensure their own job security by declawing kittens and cats, thus creating a lifetime of serious and costly medical problems for their patients.
“The declaw procedure is a surgical removal of the claw. Contrary to rumors and misinformed sources, declawing is not the removal of any of the actual toe itself, just the claw.”
Dr. Julie K. Broshar, AAFP CAT FRIENDLY, Purr-Sonal Care Cat Clinic, Waterloo, Iowa
Dear American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP), “Cat Friendly” should mean exactly that and should be reserved for vets who actually don’t declaw cats. PLEASE
In one sentence he said he was, “impressed by my passion and dedication”, and that I’m someone who is working hard to help pets and do good in the world. He said that he hopes I see similar characteristics in him.
And in the next sentence he said he didn’t feel inspired but he felt attacked.
Hmmmm. How did I attack him?
I simply asked some questions in a private email as to why so many employees at his practice that is a AAHA, AAFP Cat Friendly hospital were saying that they are a high volume declawing practice and that cat owners could book a declaw surgery with him personally.
Purdue Veterinary Wellness Clinic says they do “pain free declaws” with their CO2 laser. How can burning off a cat’s toe bones and claws with a super heated laser be pain free? How is declawing “feline friendly” handling?
When cats start walking on their balls then we will start believing the NJVMA’s spokesvet Dr Yurkus and his animal hospital that declawing isn’t more painful than neutering.
Meanwhile, the American Association of Feline Practitioners’ policy on declawing states:
“Physically, regardless of the method used, onychectomy causes a higher level of pain than spays and neuters. Patients may experience both adaptive and maladaptive pain; in addition to inflammatory pain, there is the potential to develop long-term neuropathic or central pain if the pain is inadequately managed during the perioperative and healing periods.” [AAFP Policy Statement on Declawing, 2007.]
To put these all this in perspective, there are, more or less, 80 million pet cats in the U.S. At least 20% are declawed (estimates range from 20-45%), which is 16,000,000 cats. If even only 5% have long-term painful complications (and the number is likely far higher), that’s still 800,000 cats with known chronic pain, obvious pain.
How many is too many to suffer?
Clearly, veterinarians as a profession have failed to keep up with modern medicine, failed to govern themselves, and failed to understand the universal, serious, and potentially lifetime pain they are causing cats by declawing. Sadly, there is no mechanism to enforce changes in the profession.
Therefore, legislation is necessary to stop the cruel and unnecessary practice of declawing.