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Cat Declawing Is Banned by New York State Lawmakers

nytimes.com

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Re: Cat Declawing Is Banned by New York State Lawmakers

#111

Post by linguanerd »

paganel wrote: post #55
newnewpdro wrote: post #33

My childhood cat was declawed on the front paws, and I've had multiple cats since then, all with claws intact. It's definitely a significant difference in the cat's existence to be clawless. I'm happy to see this attitude shifting, but as others have commented here, there will almost certainly be more cats returned to shelters (and killed) when they won't stop shredding the furniture and carpet. Even if you trim thei…

An owner who gives his/her cat to a shelter because of some scratched piece of furniture doesn’t deserve to be a cat owner after all. What he/she would have done had his/her kids destroy said furniture? Turn them in to an orphanage?

The problem is that not all of the home owners want the pets, and it's a compromise. My mom was adamant that declawed or nothing and the cat would have been probably been put down. As is, it got declawed and tolerated by her... but I'm sure she would have preferred undeclawed and no cat and it would have been put down at the shelter or drowned by the farmer.

Re: Cat Declawing Is Banned by New York State Lawmakers

#112

Post by bjoli »

Wowfunhappy wrote: post #110
bjoli wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sorry about the poor structure and ranting quality of the post. Wrote it on my phone over the course of 25 minutes and didn't proofread it. The Wikipedia entry about declawing is pretty good if you are still interested.

Thanks again. The wikipedia article actually seems considerably more measured—behavioral changes are observed, but for a small percentage of subjects in most studies, and at those levels I really wonder how much is a placebo (on the part of the observer, not the cat, ofc)

The general tendency of the result isn't very good for declawing. Especially considering the amount of cats that get complications from the surgery.

The studies cited with positive results for relinquishment pushes for other risk factors such as understanding and investing in you cat as a contributor to positive outcome. Maybe people willing to pay are more invested in their cats, and go with what a veterinarian recommends (which may be declawing).

Re: Cat Declawing Is Banned by New York State Lawmakers

#113

Post by combatentropy »

Once I bought the right scratching post, my cat stopped using my furniture.

The most important thing about a scratching post is that it must not move. If a cat tries to use it, and it wobbles, then the cat will give up on it. It will go back to scratching your couch, which does not move.

Cats use scratching posts not just to sharpen their claws but to stretch their spines. Watch their whole body when they use a scratching post. Is not like how you stretch in the morning? Declawing a cat deprives them of this. Even if the pain of amputation subsides, this disability remains.

When I was researching whether to declaw my cat, I found this article about the many ways it hurts cats and why it is unnecessary, https://www.purrfectpost.com/declawing-cats-alternatives-to-.... "A cat that has access to scratching posts that meet their needs for marking territory, stretching muscles, and relieving stress will almost always choose to use them rather than the less attractive options of furniture and carpet."

Then I read their article on choosing a scratching post and ending up buying theirs, https://www.purrfectpost.com/how-to-choose-the-best-cat-scra...

I'm unaffiliated with Purrfect Post, but my cat likes their stuff.

Re: Cat Declawing Is Banned by New York State Lawmakers

#114

Post by Lio »

bayesian_horse wrote: post #46
purpleidea wrote: post #16

Not a cat owner, so actually curious: I have a friend cat who always scratches me, which is quite painful and leaves marks. Is there a way to trim the nails so this doesn't happen, or is the only solution to avoid the cat?

Normally cats only scratch when you go after them in some way. If that is the case, just don't go after the cat. If the cat goes after you, that's a whole different ball game!

Yep, it's worth remembering that cats don't have opposable thumbs to grip with, they have claws instead.

So for example if you go to pet a cat's stomach and it doesn't want you to its only recourse maybe to use it's claws to "grab" your hand.

I think removing the ability to "grip" from cats for the sake of furniture or because you want to do things to the cat it doesn't like is wrong.

If you don't like scratchy cats don't have a cat.

Re: Cat Declawing Is Banned by New York State Lawmakers

#115

Post by Lio »

nf05papsjfVbc wrote: post #92
Retra wrote: post #66

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The best solution is to avoid the cat. I've spend my whole life around cats and dogs, and getting scratched and bitten is pretty much a given -- it's instinctual hunt and play behavior. It's just life, if you ask me; it's painful and leaves marks, but that's just an irrelevant side effect of participation.

While getting scratched now and then is part of life for someone who raises cats, it is not normal to have one's cats scratch guests unless the guest has provoked the cat. It is not hard to teach them not to scratch and bite. It can still happen accidentally but it should never be a regular occurrence.

I guess it depends on the cat. I knew someone with a very territorial cat* that would run across the room to scratch/bite strangers ...or people it knew well. Walking past it? Expect a full claw swipe at the back of your legs.

The solution is to just put the cat outside or in another room for a bit not to mutilate it, IMHO.

*(What's funny to me is that I helped them choose the cat when it was a kitten because it was "a licker". I didn't realise at the time it was just making notes on us all to see how we tasted.)

Re: Cat Declawing Is Banned by New York State Lawmakers

#116

Post by igetspam »

taeric wrote: post #64
darkr wrote: post #63

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Castration is a bit of a brute force for population control. No reason we couldn't also give cats vasectomies. Male un-neutered cats, somewhat like some of their human un-neutered counterparts, are prone to aggressive, overly sexual, and territorial behaviour (including spraying). Likely fine on on an outdoor farm cat, but probably not what you want for a pet who lives in your house.

This feels awfully close to the argument that cats with claws cause damage. Specifically indoor cats, that will never have to defend themselves from anything.

If you've ever had a cat, you'd known that an indoor cat is just a cat that hasn't snuck out yet. The cats I have now are indoor. Both try to slip out sometimes and one ran off for a few hours. My cats are rather small and where I live there are predators. Had we not found her, her claws could have been what kept her alive.

Re: Cat Declawing Is Banned by New York State Lawmakers

#117

Post by mips_avatar »

gonehome wrote: post #32

I guess I don’t understand why people feel so strongly about this issue. The cats I interacted with growing up were mostly declawed indoor cats and seemed happy and playful. It was less about furniture and more about not getting scratched (or having dogs get scratched).

My childhood cats were declawed on their front paws. And they still caught birds somehow, and you could snuggle with them safely. My cats now never had to go through the pain of declawing, but they are very dangerous to snuggle with.

Re: Cat Declawing Is Banned by New York State Lawmakers

#118

Post by bayesian_horse »

Lio wrote: post #114
bayesian_horse wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Normally cats only scratch when you go after them in some way. If that is the case, just don't go after the cat. If the cat goes after you, that's a whole different ball game!

Yep, it's worth remembering that cats don't have opposable thumbs to grip with, they have claws instead. So for example if you go to pet a cat's stomach and it doesn't want you to its only recourse maybe to use it's claws to "grab" your hand. I think removing the ability to "grip" from cats for the sake of furniture or because you want to do things to the cat it doesn't like is wrong. If you don't like scratchy cats…

I think that inability to "grip" things is the least of the problems with declawing. Complications, pain, problems walking and the whole idea of removing body parts at all count a little higher for me.

As an owner I think you can avoid getting scratched. As a vet... I personally have never been bitten (too little practical experience), but I've seen colleagues handle cats in a way that just spelled resignation to the fact that those teeth will connect and there is nothing to be done about it....

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