Declawing Remarks

In response to the people claiming that declawing does no harm....

During a declaw surgery, the first joint of every toe is cut off. This is like cutting of the first joint of your fingers, nail and all. Think of the reduced sensitivity, the pain and the issues that would cause. May cats pick things up with their toes and claws; they no longer can. I can only imagine the residual discomfort and hardship this would cause me...

It's also like cutting off the tips of our toes, and it does affect them the rest of their lives. It affects their balance and walking, since they have to learn to walk differently (as we would with the ends of our toes gone). Many have arthritis later due to declawing. Many are killed because they can no longer defend themselves or climb trees (most, there are exceptions to everything but most declawed cats don't climb), and they either slip outside or are let out.

Declawed cats are also more likely to start biting, as their first line of defense or annoyance is taken away. Declawing can cause other behavioral issues; some cats quit using the litter box afterwards, some become antisocial and some more sensitive.

Many vets no longer do declaws because it's painful, unnecessary and causes problems later. It's a good money maker for them, so that just shows you that it must not be a minor discomfort for some to stop. Many places are outlawing it, as it is considered cruelty to many.

Cats are WONDERFUL at hiding pain. I've known some with broken limbs, cancer and other severe issues, and you would never have known they were in pain. It's instinct for them, to show pain makes them an easy target for predators, so they don't. Declawed cats could be living with major pain their whole lives and we'd never know it.

I know many cats who no longer jump down from high places after being declawed, because it hurts. I've known some who will not set their front paws down for weeks, and even then always walk tenderly. These were my OWN cats that I declawed years ago, and a big part of why I no longer do it.

There are many alternatives to declawing. People should know about them before proceeding with a painful, unnecessary surgery.

Don't deny a breed's hereditary traits

In my opinion, anyone who denies the possibility of dog aggression in a pit bull, or who sugar coats them and acts like they are short haired muscular Golden Retrievers, is only hurting the breed. No, every pit bull will not be dog aggressive. But the chances of them becoming so at some point in their lives are much higher than of a Golden.

You can't take hundreds of years of breeding for a specific trait and just ignore it. Do you expect a border collie not to herd? A hound not to smell/ hunt? A greyhound not to chase small animals? A retriever not to retrieve?

No, not every example of those breeds will have the traits as strongly as others, but unless they are very poorly bred they will usually have something. When pit bulls originated, if they didn't have any dog aggression, they weren't bred. Nowadays they are bred no matter what, but a trait that was that specifically selected for for that long does not just disappear.

NOTE: I am NOT talking about human aggression. Totally different ballgame, and NO pit bull should be human aggressive. They ARE intelligent enough to know the difference...

Keep your pets warm!

Please, please tell me why anyone would get an extremely short-haired dog and leave it outside it's whole life? Some breeds have 1/4" of hair at the most and no undercoat. That would be like us sleeping outside year round with only a thin sweatshirt on....

If you want an outside dog, please get one that has been bred to withstand the below freezing temperatures we have in Indiana, one with a longer coat and an undercoat to keep them warm! Not to mention giving it a warm shelter to get into and straw for bedding to keep it warm and dry. Blankets get soaked, get pulled out of the house, freeze and often do more harm than good.

Animals also need lots more food than normal in the winter, as they burn many more calories trying to stay warm than they do in the summer.

So many people have pit bulls, little terriers, hounds and other short haired breeds that suffer through the whole winter, shivering and freezing and being soaked in the rain and snow. Little to no shelter, no bedding, chained or kenneled out in a solid mud pit with only a bowl of cheap food to eat (which is mostly corn and doesn't help the matter) and often no thawed water to drink.

How can anyone justify treating a living creature that way? Animals feel cold and discomfort just as much as we do. If you don't care enough to provide proper housing and food for your pet or animal, PLEASE DO NOT GET ONE!!!!