She was declawed on ALL FOUR PAWS? And NOT spayed at the time? Outrageous!

That is so asinine. Of COURSE it will be the CAT who ends up suffering & losing her home! Now and then I come across such cats advertised online or in the "lost" section online. I also see that some jerk wad vets are declawing rabbits & guinea pigs too!

More needs to be done about getting declawing of animals outlawed in both the U.S. and Canada. Save Our Paws is one of the newer info sites, http://www.save-our-paws.org/

If people want proof that declawing is harmful in the long-term, it DOES exist. Dr. Jean Hofve is doing her darnedest. She notes that the revised AVMA Oath is a good start, she'd like existing vets to take it as well (see http://www.littlebigcat.com/blog/veterinarians-oath-revised/ for petition).

She posts research about declawing and testified at the herrings to get it banned in eight cities in California. She has several articles, including Declawing Handout For Shelters, Declawing Required to Rent?, Declawing and Science, and Declawing: A Rational Look, http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/declawing-a-rational-look/

She also has an article that shows IN BLACK AND WHITE, x-rays comparing declawed cats to regular cats, and also describes the physical changes that occur over time which result in pain, arthritis, lameness, etc. "Physical Consequences of Declawing", http://www.littlebigcat.com/health/physical-consequences-of-declawing/

She notes: "Declawing causes observable changes to the cat’s anatomy that are not only visible on radiographs (x-rays) but are obvious to anyone who cares to see them."

In the comments section she says:

"Veterinarians are really bad at recognizing pain, even with all their training; cat guardians just don’t see it or don’t understand what they are seeing."

These physical changes that occur in declawed cats are "the body’s normal response to amputation. The nerves, tendons, blood vessels, skin, and other tissue are severed by declawing. Tendons naturally contract when they lose their anchor at one end. Also, scar tissue forms as part of healing any cut, and scar tissue always contracts over time. Once it’s done that, it is irreversible, unless further surgery is done to release the tendons (tendonectomy), but this is done only in severe cases."

Dr. Ron Gaskin is offering such declaw repair (declaw salvage) surgery & also teaching about it online at http://msvets.com/DeclawRepair.html

Indications that a cat might need this surgery include:

- Holding either paw up.

- Calluses on the front of digit pads especially digits 3 and 4.

- Very reluctant to have digits straightened or even touched.

- Radiographs show distal P2 cartilage damage or P3 fragments.

- Tight muscle knots in lumbar muscles.

- Excessive biting

- Inappropriate elimination with no other identifiable cause

He is opposed to declawing animals and doesn't do it. His site offers further evidence that declawing is harmful and cruel.

Many rescue groups note that 75 - 97% of declawed cats are surrendered for behaviour problems, usually inappropriate urination.

Paw Project FAQs http://www.pawproject.org/faqs/

See:

"Do declawed cats find homes more easily because they won't damage furniture? Do people abandon or euthanize their cats, if veterinarians do not perform a declawing procedure?"

"Does declawing contribute to behavioral problems such as litter box avoidance or biting?"

"Do behavioral problems in declawed cats result in abandonment or losing their homes?"

"What is the experience of animal shelter workers with behavioral problems in declawed cats?"

From Cats Anonymous shelter, Spring 2010 newsletter:

"Many vets and people have argued that if they did not offer declaw surgery people would either surrender their pets to shelters or have them euthanized for unwanted scratching behavior. I believe that if declawing was not an option, the people who were that concerned about their furniture and belongings would not get a cat to begin with. Through the years, we have seen many declawed cats surrendered to our shelter for behavior issues that can be related to being declawed. Over the past two years, 75% of the declawed cats that were surrendered to us had behavioral problems. In that same time frame, only 4% of clawed cats were surrendered to us for the same behavioral reasons. I think those statistics speak for themselves. Studies show that declawing is a very painful procedure that can lead to long term issues, both physical and emotional.”

I recognizes this puts some shelters and rescues in an awkward position because they want adoptors to understand why declawing is so bad without alienating them, especially if they were mislead by their vet to declaw a cat in the past. The "Declaw Dilemma" article can help broach the subject & also offers more evidence. Even if you just have photos of alternatives like vinyl nail caps for them to see, it can be a conversation starter. Of course, responsible shelters & rescues still have to educate about the surgery and behaviour modification because most vets still fail to do those things.

"The Declaw Dilemma",
http://www.animalsheltering.org/resource_library/magazine_articles/may_j...

~ Chris