Please Don’t Declaw!

I came across a comment on a friend’s post today from a girl who “wished her cat was declawed.”  I tried to nicely explain why she should not wish that.  I figured maybe she honestly didn’t know.

I have a neighbor who insists on declawing her beautiful white kitten.  I tried to reason with her, inform her.  She still insists.  Now I just want to smack her.  The argument “They are fine once they heal” holds NO water.

I know there are some people who swear that declawing doesn’t hurt the cat, but a human can have limbs amputated and be “fine,” too. It doesn’t mean they would want to! And that’s basically what declawing is to a cat.

My cats tore up my couch too, but that was partly my fault for not providing them with their own vertical scratching surfaces. Besides, I guess it is a sacrifice we make when we decide to share our homes with an animal.

As I learn more about my chosen trade, which is dog training, I have become even more aware of just how selfish some humans have become about their pets.  We sometimes treat them more like accessories than the animals they are.  We expect them to adjust to our lifestyles withe little or no training.  We anthropomorphise them, pushing our ideas and values onto them.  We neglect their basic drives and needs (usually more out of ignorance than malice.)  Scratching is normal cat behavior.

One of my cats came to me already declawed and I am still angry sometimes about what her previous owners did to her.  Her paws are sensitive.  She has litterbox issues, (which has been correlated to declawing.)  Declawing is illegal in a lot of places, but I have been heard before that some vets still perform the procedure simply to pacify the owner and (hopefully) keep another cat out of the shelter for what is essentially a non-reason.

So for anyone who is considering declawing their cat, I beg of you , please do some research and reconsider.  Especially now, there are other, more humane options (nail caps, for one.) If your furniture is more valuable to you than your pet, maybe you should reconsider whether sharing your home with an animal is what you really want.

Below (and within the article) are some links to more information about declawing.

 

http://www.declawing.com/

http://www.pawproject.org/faq

https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Pages/Declawing-of-Domestic-Cats.aspx

 

More Methos

“Interesting…a cat that likes beef jerky…”

He’s getting stranger all the time.  He’s always been…different.  “Special.”  I’m talking about Methos, of course.  He’s lovable, adorable, affectionate… loud, irritating, persistent…

He’s been whining a lot more lately, following us around, tangling under our feet, meowing loudly at night… and the only explanation I can come up with is that perhaps he is reacting to my husband’s increasing impatience with him, and it’s all for attention.  Methos is always pushing his presence, climbing on laps, headbutting, stepping on balls…   If at all possible, he will attempt to sit on me, Hubs, and the baby at the same time as we sit on the couch.   And lately Hubs seems to be forever pushing him away, and not always politely.  On the increasingly rare occasions that Hubs does allow Methos to sit on or with him, the stupid cat looks so content it‘s pathetic.  

But anyway, like I said before, he’s always been bizarre.  Lately here he likes to jam his face into a corner or crook when he sleeps.  And he’s been making himself comfortable in all sorts of bizarre yet adorable ways.

Let’s call this Exhibit A: upside-down on hubby’s crotch

I think here the appeal is perhaps obvious; belly rubbing and cerebral hypoxia.

Exhibit 2… I mean B: The Invisible Ottoman

Nestled into the arm of the couch, feet hanging off…

Exhibit C: Anticipatory Bellyrub Posture

and finally…

Exhibit D: The Supervisor

The screen of my Netbook makes a lovely pillow.

Yes, despite his tendency to constantly get into shit, his repeated attempts to escape every time we open the front door,  habit of stepping on sensitive body parts…  he’s a sweet little bastard.  And he’s getting better about allowing my two year old to “hug” him in a strangle hold or use him as a body pillow, so that’s “Plus Points” for him.  And he does put up with my stupid bullshit, like when I accidentally try to excise a body part, or spray him with a household cleaner, thinking it’s a water bottle.  I guess I’ll keep him around a little while longer.