Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/5/84; site kitty.UUCP Path: utzoo!linus!philabs!cmcl2!seismo!rochester!rocksanne!sunybcs!kitty!larry From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) Newsgroups: net.pets Subject: Re: Re: Kitty speaks out on declawing cats... Message-ID: <235@kitty.UUCP> Date: Sun, 4-Aug-85 23:52:57 EDT Article-I.D.: kitty.235 Posted: Sun Aug 4 23:52:57 1985 Date-Received: Wed, 7-Aug-85 04:16:02 EDT References: <163@kitty.UUCP> <119@rtp47.UUCP> Distribution: net Organization: Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, NY Lines: 43 > All of the proponents of declawing pet cats seem to be missing one very > crucial point. In most cases, I'm sure that these (soon to be amputee) cats > didn't have a whole lot of input into whether or not they were to join your > households. To make that choice for them, and then to fix them up so that they > fit into your idea of what cats should be is, I feel, incredibly cruel. > > The only answer to the question of whether or not cats should be declawed > is NO in my mind. Potential cat owners must (as I did before taking any of > my 3 cats) realize the capacity that cats have for ripping up furniture > and decide whether training them to use a scratching post would be feasible. > If this is a problem, then a cat is not for you. Go buy some kind of inanimate > toy instead of making one out of a living creature. Okay, you have three cats. Do you have them vaccinated for any feline diseases like distemper, rabies, feline leukemia virus, etc? If so, did you ask the cats if it was alright with them to be vaccinated? Are any of your cats neutered? If so, did you ask their permission? There are certain things which people have to do in the best interest of their pets, and which people have to do in order to have pets AT ALL. There are presently many more cats in this country than people willing to give them a home. Thousands of perfectly healthy cats are destroyed each day by animal shelters. If someone is willing to open their home to a cat and thereby assure it of damn good life, then I do not see a problem with declawing as a requirement for living in that environment. If for some reason I were prevented from declawing my indoor cats, then I would have no choice but to force them to spend a good part of their existence outdoors - an action which will not exactly increase their chance of living to a ripe old age! If you read my article closely, you will see that I am *NOT* advocating en masse declawing of cats - only those cats which: (1) have a total indoor environment, and (2) CANNOT be trained to use a scratching post in a reliable fashion. I do not feel that declawing an indoor cat is in any way cruel as long as it is done after responsible consideration. Larry Lippman Recognition Research Corp. Clarence, New York UUCP {decvax,dual,rocksanne,rocksvax,watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry {rice,shell}!baylor!kitty!larry syr!buf!kitty!larry VOICE 716/741-9185 TELEX {via WUI} 69-71461 answerback: ELGECOMCLR "Have you hugged your cat today?"