The Point of the Declawing Cartoon - City the Kitty

(From Forbes)

My friends, many of you are writing me about this cartoon that is circulating on the internet. Just to clear up any confusion, here is the rest of the story.

I reached out to this cartoonist, Kirk Anderson, and asked him if I could get some insight from him about his cartoon.

Here is what he said, “The point of the cartoon was meant to be that no one would advocate amputating a cat’s limbs just to save furniture, but we don’t think twice about amputating their claws, and the issue is essentially the same. We’re amputating necessary body parts, just to make human lives a wee bit less troublesome.

Below is the copy I wrote to go with the cartoon (but which was not used on the website). You may be offended again by my trying to squeeze humor out of a morbid issue, but I hope you will see where I’m coming from, and what side of the issue I’m on.

It’s like cutting off dogs’ tails or debarking them. If someone doesn’t see the unnecessary cruelty in declawing, I’m presuming they’ll have no problem seeing the unnecessary cruelty of “de-limbing,” and rethink their views about declawing through a different lens. That may be a bit much to ask of a cartoon, but that’s the intent. ”

Kirk Anderson

WHEW, I was so relieved that he knows right from wrong and was trying to shed light on this mutilating, unnecessary, and absurdly cruel procedure.

Here is his copy that went with the cartoon but many news organizations aren’t using it, “

“If It’s Okay To Declaw Cats, What About De-limbing?

New York state is considering a ban on declawing cats. Why do we chop cats’ claws? They can be so inconvenient. Just like their genitals. So we chop them too. And then we take their children, make them dress up in a T-shirt and a hat, and wonder why cats can seem so unappreciative.

Declawing your cat is like debarking your shrieking two-year-old. It’s like wanting a pet giraffe, but since it won’t fit in the house, you radically shorten its neck. Taking claws from a cat is like taking guns from a Texan. Outside, they’re as cute as ever, but inside, their identity has been crushed. And now, if they ever want to kill a trespasser, they’ll have to do it with their teeth. Would you do that to a Texan?

We treat cats like we treated indigenous Americans. We euthanize them when they become bothersome. We take their children, dress them up in clothes like ours, and try to get them to communicate in our language. Then we put them on display. And treat their burial mounds with equal dignity.

In a nutshell, if you like furniture more than cats, stick with furniture.

Kirk Anderson”

Here’s his website so you can see what a talented guy he is. (He’s not on social media) [button href=”http://www.kirk.co/” color=”orange” newwindow=”yes”] Kirk Anderson Cartoonist Website[/button]

I also showed him this photo of Teeger, Abby and Ryder to show him why many people were confused and upset about his cartoon since this kind of thing sadly happens to cats that are declawed from complications of the bandages being too tight.

Here is the full story about these poor kitties [button href=”https://citythekitty.org/3-kitties-declaw-story/” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] 3 Kitties story[/button]