ladylisa

Last summer I was in the park walking my dog when I came across a woman and her 10 year old son with their Great Dane puppy. The puppy had this montrous contraption on its head where some pig had cut its ears and then attached what looked like a splint to make the ears stand up. I couldnt stop staring as the puppy was the cutest most innocent looking creature but it had ended up looking like the hammer house of horror. The woman actually looked quite embarrassed when I asked her about it. Her reply. 'Well he's my son's dog and he was given the choice whether he wanted him to have the operation or not!!!!!' like a 10 year old boy should be given a choice like that. You can just imagine it: 'would you like your puppies ears to stick up in the air Son oh and what super action hero would you like next'

Incidently the Great Dane kennel club does has no specific requirement for the ears either way.

Triumphrob

I expect the stupid, high strung, Americans will insist on circumcising dogs next...

Bob

Aye, that's fair enough, different conditions and all that, so keeping them indoors is one thing, but I still can't see why people de-claw...if it is such a problem, people probably shouldn't be allowed cats, and just get a hamster or something??

sibsie

I wish people wouldn't call it de-clawing. It isn't de-clawing. It's amputation

AlisonPA

Yep it's a barbaric practice - the toes are actually cut off. Imagine you having your finger cut off at the first joint - that is what they do to the cats. After that the cat can become a problem with not using a litterbox because it hurts them to dig. The cat pees and poops in the house and the owner (who is stupid anyway cos she/he had the poor animal declawed) either throws the cat out (and declawed cats should never ever go outside again as they can't defend themselves or climb) or takes them to a shelter. There are many, many declawed cats in shelters. Declawing is banned in almost all other civilised countries. If someone is so precious about their carpets or furniture then they should not have a cat.

snorkmaiden

Well said sibsie and Alison! Karma on it's way

ladylisa

I never realised all that about de-clawing. I dont have a cat but if I did i wouldnt have it done anyway I would never want to put an animal in a position where it could not defend itself. When we got our dog (Welsh springer spaniel) her tail was already docked, we were so gutted. They have the most beautiful tails, all feathered. Still sad about that now.

Scorchio

We adopted two cats just last week, from a cat rehoming organisation operating out of our local petsmart, and we were asked if we had any plans to de-claw them. Of course we wouldn't, but I was relieved to hear the woman doing the adoptions was just as appalled by the concept as I was. She said she refuses to let anyone take one of her cats if they say they plan to de-claw them. She said that earlier she had a woman and daughter getting quite snotty with her because she refused them a cat on these grounds.

My wife's best friend routinely de-claws her cats, and just recently mutilated her new-born son, so she's right up there in my good books!

NC Penguin

I don't think it's the vets that have gone mad actually. It's the pet owners. The vets are just doing what the customers want.

I wonder if it ever crosses the minds of cat owners before they get their cat declawed, what the cat wants/prefers?

This would make an excellent Gary Larson cartoon.



NC Penguin

Pigtails

I wonder how many of the posters on this board defending animals so vehemently, think it's perfectly okay to stick a sharp knife into the head of a baby and pull it from it's mother's womb.


Stirring the shit.
*ducking for cover*

callé

I think its all terrible, and down here in the south epople have an awful habit of getting pit bulls (like its a social status or something) and tying them to a tree or something outside in all weather even hurricanes(!) on a very short chain or rope. Its absolutely heartbreaking.

NC Penguin

Please read my post again. The reference to "most Americans" relates to their appearance which you can't deny is true...

It's probably also true to say that most American catowners get their cats de-clawed.




NC Penguin

TheWilliamsons

We have two cats and a Border Collie and theres no way Id let any one touch them. Our neighbours have a cat thats been de-clawed and its like a dog lets you into the house and the sinks its teeth in. Im sure that hes never gotten over having its claws ripped out so now takes to bitting anyone and everyone. I hate it when they ask me to look after him hes got an evil streak LOL Its cost us the price of a second hand car to get them to the USA but my pets are worth every penny and would never leave them.

grapefruit&milk

YIKES! No offense taken (or intended) but this is very far from the truth. Perhaps people who keep their pets exclusively indoors might still get cats declawed, but I know the stigma towards declawing is rapidly growing. Decades ago it was commonplace to declaw a cat BOTH front and back claws, now I'm pretty sure back claws are almost never removed. My own pet growing up had his front removed and we now regret it in hindsight--however, he's now 18 years old and still pretty healthy and prefers life outdoors. And the only people I personally know, growing up in the US, who still declaw cats are those who know the cats are going to be indoors and have very small children. I haven't run into a declawed cat in ages.

Declawing is also still legal in Canada as well. Too bad, I must admit, but when a single municipality like W. Hollywood makes it illegal, the vets--even if they fundamentally disapprove of the practice--are likely to see a lot of their business go south since declawing is $$$. I hate to see what seems like such greed among vets but if it completely jeopardizes their practice I suppose I can see from their perspective too....grudgingly.

And I, too, love the little bone one member threw in, if nothing to show that there is NO moral authority on a matter like this... I'm no big pro-lifer, but thanks Pigtails for thickening the broth!

ScyLarc

We are looking for a new apartment at the moment and i have been horrifed to find the number of places that won't allow us to rent with them because out 2 cats aren't de-clawed. After suggesting that they were promoting animal cruelty by having this rule I was even told that the cats like it as it's just like them having their toenails clipped. I can barely believe there are people out there who actually think this is true!