De clawed cat

devais

There is an ad on donedeal at the moment for a pedigree cat that had been de-clawed! Is this not illegal? Sounds barbaric to me ....:(

Shanao

Saw that as well, its a siamese. Its not illegal as far as i know but no reputable vet should even consider doing such a procedure. Its completely unnecessary and frustrates the cat whose instincts tell it to mark its territory by scratching. Not to mention that climbing must have been incredibly difficult for the poor thing.

sotisme

Declawed cats must be kept as indoor pets. I think it's unnecessary and cruel; same goes for tail-docking. (dogs)
It's almost always pedigree cats that are declawed.

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20100118222805AApGEaM

Squirm

Human "claws" are attached to our skin but cat claws are attached to the bone. So declawing actually requires amputating the last bone in each 'toe' on the cats paws. It's a serious operation with a lengthy recovery period, made lengthier by the fact that cats still need to use their paws througout the recovery period (whereby a human could rest and fully recouperate). It has a series of potantially serious repurcussions, including the cat not being in a postition to protect itself in the event of another cat (or dog) attacking it. It is generally an American practice and it is recommended there that only house cats who are never permitted out of doors be declawed, which is why pedigrees are often done. Particularly Siamese', as they can be a destructive cat, by nature.

It IS illegal in Ireland and dozens of other countries worldwide EXCEPT in the cases where a a medical condition requires it be done.

The cat in the ad may have been brought into Ireland from abroad, may have been declawed due to medical necessity or may have been declawed by a vet who was uninterested in the legality of the practice.

Discodog

Just to clarify De-Clawing is not illegal however it is disapproved of by the Veterinary Council & classed as mutilation. But a Vet could still do it & take a chance. After all they could argue that it was done for medical reasons.

The Veterinary Council are lobbing for it & all similar procedures such as docking to be banned as part of the proposed Animal Welfare Bill.

Wisco

I don't know any vets that would do it here but it is legal and pretty commonly done in countries like the US- any chance the cat is imported?

Sundew

Discodog wrote: »

Just to clarify De-Clawing is not illegal

Always thought it was illegal in Ireland! Thanks for clarifying.
My Aunt in the US had 2 indoor Persian Cats both de-clawed
so they wouldn't scratch her precious furniture :rolleyes:
Dreadful practice!

Kali_Kalika

The reason Vets will not de-claw cats anymore is because studies have been done that show de-clawing cats has serious effects on their health, as another poster stated the claw is actually attached to the bone - so when they remove the claw it changes the balance of their paw which changes the balance of them walking - over time as the cat grows and gets older - these changes have an effect on its back and spine - effectively the same effect that a woman who has massive breasts would have - they have back pains, spasms, etc etc - its unneccessary pain for them - both having the operation and the effects later on in life. There are things called "soft paws" - which are gel caps that you fit onto the cats nails - I've used them for years (lived in rented houses, with rented furniture) and mine loved to shred couches! So invested in them and they work a charm - depending on the cat can be slightly difficult to get them on a first until the glue holds - but have discovered doing them one by one as they sleep next to you while the ads are on gets them all done over an hours program on the telly! So no need to de-claw and cause untold harm to the cats when these are available!

SophieSakura

Poor cat

My vet is American and she said she's so glad she doesn't have to declaw cats anymore and that it must be incredibly painful for them.