Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP
Posting-Version: version B 2.10.1 (Denver Mods 7/26/84) 6/24/83; site drutx.UUCP
Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!mhuxr!mhuxn!ihnp4!drutx!slb
From: slb@drutx.UUCP (Sue Brezden)
Newsgroups: net.pets
Subject: Re: claws
Message-ID: <3253@drutx.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 15-Jul-85 17:48:42 EDT
Article-I.D.: drutx.3253
Posted: Mon Jul 15 17:48:42 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 17-Jul-85 07:09:12 EDT
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Laboratories, Denver
Lines: 55

**Choke on this, filthy lineeater**

>How old must a cat be befor it can be declawed?
>Larry Roybal

Check with your vet.  Different vets have different times that
they prefer.  Our vet goes for 6 months.

>>When it's dead!  Seriously, I can think of nothing crueler to
>>do to a cat (well, maybe a FEW things).  

And why do you believe that it is cruel?  The operation is no more
cruel than spaying or neutering.  Vets do use anesthetic, you
know :-).  The cats are perfectly able to climb, as they have
their back claws.  And I can testify, from the experience of
trying to restrain a spooked declawed cat, that they can also
defend themselves QUITE WELL with teeth and back claws alone.
And I feed my cats enough that they do not need to hunt to eat.
(As a matter of fact, I have seen a declawed cat catch a mouse,
so it is still possible for them to catch food, if needed.)

>>With care and diligence,
>>I feel ANY cat can be trained to use a scratching post, and ONLY 
>>a scratching post.  I have two cats, both indoors, who have never 
>>harmed a single piece of furniture or drapes.
>>Scott

We have 5 cats.  They spend probably 30% of their time outside.
Three of them were kittens of one of the two older cats, and so
were "in training" to be sociable housemates at the same time.  
Since we work during the day, and live in a good-sized house, 
there is no way that we could watch all kittens all of the time 
in order to train them.  I have never had a cat show any interest 
in a scratching post (and I have tried, with "care and diligence").  
But climbing the drapes was one of the first things our 3 smaller 
kittens discovered.

Declawing a cat beats not doing so, then discovering that the
cat simply cannot be kept indoors, and having to give it up.
Also, there are apartments which will not take cats unless they 
are declawed.  I recommend it, especially if you have several cats.  
-- 

                                     Sue Brezden
                                     
Real World: Room 1B17                Net World: ihnp4!drutx!slb
            AT&T Information Systems
            11900 North Pecos
            Westminster, Co. 80234
            (303)538-3829 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Send lawyers, guns, and money...
                                           -Warren Zevon
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~