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WHAT THE...?!!!!

Dear Vet-Whoever-You-Are,

You are the lowest form of money-grubbing slug there ever was-what you did for a buck not only sickens me, it makes me FURIOUS! YOU SHOULD LOSE YOUR LICENSE!!!!! AND IF I KNEW WHO YOU WERE I WOULD SEND EVERYONE I KNOW AFTER YOUR BLOATED ASS TO TAKE A BIG CHUNK OUT OF IT!

Why am I so angry?

Bobbi in the Window sm.jpg
©2010 Robin A.F. Olson. Bobbi at Connie's house a few weeks ago.

Bobbi got returned to AID last week. That's really tragic and I'm VERY disappointed in her temporary adopter. They assured us they would GO SLOWY introducing Bobbi to their other cat, but they just couldn't manage it. They couldn't deal with Bobbi hissing-which is normal or the fact that Bobbi went after their other cat. Bobbi has only been in FIVE other temporary homes-each with many cats-over the past MONTH. Do you THINK that MAYBE she needed a few WEEKS to just get her bearings and TRUST in her surroundings? NO. You didn't wait or give her a chance. Like her family before, you gave up on her, too. Not great, but not the end of the world.

This is it. Sit DOWN in your CHAIR. Stop driving or whatever you are doing...

I got an email from Connie tonight. Bobbi has been doing great back at the shelter. Not fighting with the other cats. Getting along fine...then tonight...

BOBBI WENT INTO HEAT!

This cat is 2-3 YEARS OLD. Apparently she was OLD ENOUGH TO BE DECLAWED ON ALL FOUR PAWS, BUT FOR SOME REASON THIS “VET” DECIDED SHE WAS'T OLD ENOUGH TO BE SPAYED!!!!

WHAT THE...?!!!!!!!

I WANT TO HIT SOMETHING! NO. I WWANT TO HIT SOMEONE! NO! I WANT TO HIT THAT VET! I WANT TO PUNCH OUT WHOEVER TOSSED BOBBI TO THE CURB AND LET HER STARVE!!! I AM SO ANGRY!!!!!!!!!!!!! All I can do is type exclamation marks!!!!!

Did I go to sleep, then wake up in a parallel universe full of asshats? I mean, really? WHAT IS GOING ON IN THIS WORLD WHERE THIS MADE SENSE TO SOMEONE? Did the moron who owned Bobbi hold a GUN to the VET'S head and MAKE him declaw the cat? That is the ONLY explanation that makes any sense to me!

I think my head is going to explode.

Meanwhile, Miss Bobbi is going to be SPAYED very very soon-on our dime. No problem. Worth every penny.

As for the Vet...all I have to say is Karma is a BITCH.

Comments

Oh God Robin, if I did not have my 9 furbabies and in the mess I am now in myself I would take Bobbi in a heartbeat and give her a FOREVER HOME to never ever be bounced around again. That precious baby. I waited 3 years to be able to TOUCH one of my feral sweethearts knowing how terrified she was of everyone and everything in life thanks to her life outside.

I am with you and want to do what you said to those people. ASSHOLES is not strong enough to describe them. Look at that face wondering what is wrong with her and why no one will love her. How does one explain to that face that she did NOTHING wrong and that people sometimes SUCK

I am in tears right now with Bobbi's face burned into my mind and no doubt you are the same way. Is that a no kill shelter?

Hissing and even rolling and fighting is NORMAL.....most likely the fact she was still not spayed did not help matters at all. That VET SHOULD LOSE HIS LICENSE but unfortunately they don't have to answer for those cats not spayed or neutered. NOT NOW anyway BUT someday he will so hopefully there will be others like Bobbi sitting at the gate filling the man upstairs in so that asshole is sent to where he belongs.

DAMN.........I almost typed some very foul words..........that face, that little sweet face.......my heart aches for her and I pray someone comes soon to love her forever the way I would if I could.

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

I am outraged by this..i can't believe these people and the idiotic vet. Aside from the fact that i don't agree with declawing, how the hell could he not spay her??? Glad that Bobbi is back in good hands with connie.
Everyone in the damn world knows if you bring a new cat into a home with other cats, there is an adjusting period...HELLO!!!

Thank God there are people like you and AID to provide a safety net for the cats that are let down by fools and abused by scoundrels. The really sad thing is that usually it is these people who carry on blithely, while those who care work, worry, pick up as many pieces as they humanly can, and weep over their limitations. Hugs to Bobbi, you and all at AID!

Declawing, but NOT spaying...unbelievable. Obviously this vet got his/her degree out of the same cereal box as some of the human "doctors" I've run across. And what makes me even angrier is at the same time that that idiot vet is going on their merry way, The CORPORATION behind Banfield Animal Hospital (the largest pet hospital company in the US) is making a wonderful and generous vet, Dr. Rebecca Saria, who owns the Waterbury, CT franchise, stop giving 50% discounts to animal rescue groups. Their corporate policy is 15% and they want her to "honor her franchise agreement by adhering to the same hospital operating guidelines all Banfield hospitals follow." They have also ordered her to stop accepting state vouchers for inexpensive spaying and neutering. Here's the link to the story on CT Watchdog http://ctwatchdog.com/2010/09/11/banfield-pet-hospital-chain-pulls-plug-...

that could contribute to her troubles integrating. Hormones and such.

But still, all of my new kitties spend at least a week in the bathroom by themselves before I open the door and start introducing the friendlier kitties to the new arrival. In the meantime, I play musical scented towels, swapping towels my cats have slept on with ones the new cats have used so they all get each others scents before they officially meet. I find that it usually goes well, though not always.

Poor Bobbi, she must feel very insecure right now. :( It's too bad. Mark liked her when she was here. I liked her too, but it's too easy to rationalize having so many cats. :(

First of all, let me say that my current vets will NOT declaw all four paws (my previous ones would do it if the client was insistent, yet they'd bitch about it the whole time). Secondly, we can't force people to do the responsible thing. Yes, I've seen people who want their cats declawed but won't spay them, but it's rare. I've talked two people into doing just the reverse (spay and not declaw). I'd love to work for vets who don't declaw at all, but I'd have to move (to L.A. or S.F., CA) and I don't want to do that. I see plenty of idiot pet owners who shouldn't have even a houseplant, but all we can do is our best to convince them to do the right thing, as we can't MAKE them do anything. I'm pretty sure we convinced one client recently that she didn't need to breed her pet store (read "puppy mill") supposedly purebred dog, after telling her the possible risks and costs.
I know the right person is out there for Bobbi--someone who will never let her be abandoned again! Shame on these people for not giving her enough of a chance, but maybe it means they weren't right for her to begin with.

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

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