Comments Page

I have received various comments about my page. Amazingly, many of the comments are very supportive of my page. Thanks to everybody that took a little bit of your time out to send emails! The comments received are in bold, and any response I am making (if any) are in normal font. This comments with other cat owner's experiences about declawing might help reassure the owner that is thinking about declawing and help to make a decision, or to those that are against the surgery see why some people chose to declaw, with my own reasons in the first post.

1. "Why didn't you try Softpaws or training your cats before mutilating them?"
I tried Softpaws on Nanaki before, but he started rolling and meowing like an insane cat. He absolutely hated them. Also, they didn't last more than 3 days on him, so it was not worth it. I tried training him. He would behave and be the best cat in the world, but would destroy the apt when I was at school. I didn't want to get kicked out of my rented apartment, so I decided to declaw him. At the time, I didn't know the controversy behind declawing. When I got Puck from the streets, I decided to declaw him. I already knew of the controversy, but because I had such a great success with Nanaki and my experience with my part-time in my vet clinic, I decided to go ahead and declaw him at the same time as the neuter. Both like to play and roughhouse and they look perfectly normal. These is not a crippling procedure. Ever had declawed cats?

2. "My name is Jennifer, I'm 22 and I just got my first kitten. She is the absolute love of my life and the best little cat. However, she seems to have a major love of scratching and climbing up my legs. I am moving to a new townhouse soon, and they actually require any cats to be declawed. So I set up an appointment with the vet to have it done in a couple weeks. I started looking up information on the web, and at first all I came across were anti-declawing sites. I found the exact one you talked about, with the nasty vet tech and horrible photos. I actually sat there crying, thinking that I would have to give her up because those sites made me feel so bad about declawing her. Then I found your site. It made me feel so much better! I know tons of people who have declawed their cats, and never had problems. But those other websites make you feel like an awful person for doing it. I applaud your effort of trying to get out factual, not opinionated information. I really truly appreciate it! Now I'm not as scared to take her in, and I can keep her forever! :) THANK YOU!"
Great to know that a cat was able to keep a great home because of my site! Emails like this make keeping my page up worth it.

3. "I found your web page on cat declawing very informative. I don't think the people who are against this procedure have thought of all the possible reasons why declawing might be necessary. I have adopted a kitten who was from an unwanted litter, and was thrown into the garbage with her littermates. (a cheap form of birth control) It was late fall at the time and it was very cold. One other kitten survived. Noel also survived, but was very ill with upper respiratory problems, ringworm, herpes, and an eye injury. She is healthy now, but has some permanent mental problems, we believe. She has unpredictable "panic attack" episodes in which she very seriously claws people, and other cats sometimes, in order to run from some imagined danger she feels is present. You can't modify this behavior because it is due to fear . It is not linked only with human contact.( petting or holding.) There are no identifiable precipitating causes for these episodes. They are intermittent. They are so severe that she becomes airborne and hyperventilates. She is a loving animal, and wants to sit next to her people and loves attention, but she is so unpredictable no one wants to pet her except from a distance. So the reason for declawing her is not to save my furniture-I have other cats who are not declawed, and it's not an issue. Noel does use a scratching post. But she can't be handled safely for any reason. Trimming her nails required a blindfold, made her hyperventilate, and I think she almost passed out. So attempting to apply softpaw nail coverings would be a joke. If I could do that ,I wouldn't need them in the first place. Declawing is the only option left to us. Since her episodes are usually of short duration, we are hoping that in time she will improve. This is not a cat who is just playing a little too roughly, but one who feels her life is in danger when she reacts as she does, and inflicts unintentional but impressive physical damage to whoever is near her at the time. Cats can have mental problems just like people do, but there is no treatment for it. This is the only way we can make a safe home for all the members of our family."

4. "I'm SO glad that I ran into your web site!! We have always declawed our cats with NO problems!! We got a rescue kitten 3.5 years ago at Christmas time and they did not ask us at that time if we would declaw him. We did and we have never had a better, loving cat!!! My son just made the honor roll and he wanted for his reward to get Jackson a playmate, but we have run into brick walls everywhere when we are honest and check off on the questionnaire if we will declaw... the cat is available, but can't be ours because they FORBID declawing.... I am very frustrated with these rescue groups.. I totally understand them wanting the pet to be neutered/spayed, etc., but declawing should be the new owners choice! I'm sure there are many kitty loving families like ours in this same position that are being turned down to provide a needy animal a life loving home!! *I refuse to lie on the application! That wouldn't be teaching my son the right lesson!!

5. "I was reading your website and wanted to share something with your readers and with you, perhaps, as an "alternative" to declawing before incurring the expense of the surgery. Please know that I am neither an advocate nor a "fighter against" declawing, I just don't want to declaw my cats and discovered something else that works with training kittens to not scratch with positive reinforcement. What I wanted to let people know is if you have kittens and are looking for a cheap alternative to declawing or don't want to declaw then try using a rolled-up piece of carpeting, turned inside out and secured to something like a piece of wood or a an old chair or piece of furniture you don't care about. A lot of pet stores sell scratching posts with carpeting but these cats of mine seem to like it inside out, not the other way around. The kittens even like to try to hide inside it and the play-factor makes it their place to scratch. Thanks for your time ;)"
Thanks to you too for this idea to help those that are still researching for options to declaw.

6. "Thank you for your site where I was able to find links to solid research on declawing.  I have two declawed cats and have never seen declawing do any cat any harm.  Fortunately I live in a part of the country where shelters and rescues generally do not object to declawing.  Such an attitude on the part of shelters probably sends many people to a less reliable/ethical source for adopting.  I don't understand where people that object to declawing are coming from; I have always assumed that anyone who objected to declawing never had a declawed cat.  I am not trying to save my furniture; I am trying to avoid being scratched myself, even if I eventually managed to train the cat out of such behavior.  My veterinarian has a great respect and liking for cats, and I know he would not perform these surgeries if he thought them inhumane."

7. "A site like yours causes quite a stir because it is an attempt to undo that which has been painstakingly done to help our feline friends in the way of years of careful work, education, and legislature. I do believe you must be very young, and I do also believe, that if you really love them as I believe you do, you will one day see this surgery for what it is- useless but cruel. Many people think you MUST declaw to have a nice housepet! We need to educate so these poor cats get forever homes, not people who feel because they rescued them, they had the right to brutally mutilate them! (Then what?) The problem is, people like you who are passing false information - to what end? I beg of you to PLEASE do an actual research in REAL situations- NOT studies done by those who wish to keep promoting a cash cow that pacify lazy petowners. Studies by vets and vet techs? Some are dumber than a box of rocks. Some actually have gotten GOOD education, and have taken the time to educate themselves without being led by a proverbial ring that most people allow."
If vets and vet techs are dumber than a box of rocks, why don't you go through 4 years of Vet school and become a veterinarian yourself? And I'm speaking of both solid research AND personal experience. I have seen declawed cats with behavior problems, but I've also seen clawed cats with the same problems and I have found no correlation between the two. 

8. "I just spent hours looking online for an informational site about declawing. All I found were HATE sites condemning people to hell and all kinds of crazy stuff. It made me very angry as a cat lover, that people would accuse me of mistreating my baby and doing irreparable damage because of getting him declawed. I have a cat, he's almost 14 years old and I've own him his whole life. He was declawed when he was 6 years old and he's doing just fine - happy and healthy. He never had any of the problems that are yelled about on the websites. Declawing him was one of the best things I've ever done for him. He's an exclusively indoor cat and even when he had claws he wasn't too happy about being put outside for any amount of time. Very affectionate and people friendly. Now he doesn't have to be nervous about getting in trouble when he's trying to be affectionate with his humans and he walks over us with ease. These sites were terribly angry and actually did a very poor job of eliciting sympathy from me about declawing. None of their reasons rang true in my experience, all of the testimonies sounded more like their cat died or were permanently scarred because the people didn't get a good procedure done for their cat in the first place, or the people didn't want to do good after care if complications came up, and their pictures of the actual medical procedure didn't even look that horrible. Well, finally I stumbled on to your site and was very thankful and relieved to see a well balanced and informative site about the issue. It was so great to read a site not filled with emotional negativity. The reason I was looking for information was because I've just adopted a stray kitten and I want to keep her as an indoor cat permanently. So, I was wondering how old a kitten has to be before it's safe to declaw her and other information. Anyway, thank you again for your site about declawing. Your site not only validates my own cat's experience, but helped me to be better prepared for the next time around." 

9. "Hi, just wanted to thank you for your web site! We just welcomed Emma into our home 2 weeks ago (I was so happy she picked us)! I just assumed I would get her declawed. She is strictly an indoor kitty, and back when I lived at home with my parents, we had 2 cats and both were declawed (they didn't have any problems afterward). I figured I would do the same for Emma, then I made the mistake of playing on the Internet and saw several of the websites you mentioned. I was so upset-I knew I wanted her de-clawed for several reasons (furniture, future children, etc) but didn't think I could do it to her, especially after seeing how it was done. You clarified alot of things for me (like not all vets use clippers to do the surgery, and make sure my vet does not) and I was even able to locate a vet in my area who uses the laser surgery, which I will look into as well. You helped to put my mind at ease, and I don't feel so horrible now. Thanks again, your website was great"
Update:
"Just wanted to let you know it's been a little more than 2 weeks since Emma's surgery, and she's doing great! She's back to her old self, playing like a healthy kitten. Plus, she's just as cuddly as she was before the surgery. The surgery did not affect her behavior at all. I'm very pleased, and would recommend the laser declaw to anyone who is considering it. And for those that think I am inhumane and cruel, I have this to say....We adopted Emma from a local animal control shelter. Someone called 911 in November and turned over Emma plus 4 of her siblings and her mother. We happily adopted Emma 1 week later. I do not know what became of the rest of her family (I still feel bad that we couldn't take them all), but I received the statistics for the month of November....215 cats were impounded. Of those, 52 were adopted, while 163 were euthanized. Because of my husband and I, Emma has a chance at life (and a very happy and spoiled one I might add!!). So for those people that send you nasty e-mails, feel free to tell them my story, and ask which alternative would have been better and more humane...a healthy, happy clawless kitten, or a kitten put to death because no one wanted her?? So again, thank you for your web site. It was so helpful, providing information and reassurance in a decision that did not come easily (especially after seeing all of those awful websites you mentioned). Keep up the great work! Hopefully I will be able to send you some photos soon (we have a digital camera, but haven't hooked it up to the computer yet....some day we'll figure it out!!)."

10. Just wanted to say "Thank You". Your website helped me make my decision to get my manx kitten declawed. Too many people think it is in-humane, but there are other people such as yourself who find that it is not. I don't believe that it is either. I have an appointed to get her spayed and de-clawed in a couple of days. Thank You...
Update:
She is doing great! No personality changes. It looks like she was trying to bite the stitches out of her paws already. I think she will be fine though. Here is a picture of her. She always gets up on my monitor when I am on the computer.

12. "I just wanted to say "thank you" I just got my six month old kitten neutered and de-clawed today. The de-clawing was a hard decision for me but, my kitten is very aggressive with my 100 LB black Labrador and scratched his eye. My dog is getting old and isn't as quick as he used to be. I have had cats for 25 years and this is the first one I had de-clawed. Most my friends and family have been supportive but there was that nagging voice in my head that I was mean and too quick and his behavior would pass. I took a week's vacation to be home with him. My Vet will keep him two nights. One day with bandages and one day without. Well, I won't take up more of your time but I just wanted to say I appreciated your site and it was almost missed with all the negative sites!" 

13. "Maybe years ago declawing wasn't safe, but now it gives many cats a life and improves the quality of life for other cats. Those scary sites about declawing worried me originally. Then they just started becoming too farfetched and w/o the research to back up what they were asserting. The only research I have read has found that declawing doesn't have harmful affects on the cat, or alter their personality. Most vets perform this procedure. So to the anti-declaw person, most vets are cruel. I don't think that's why they went into the profession. My Maine Coon kitten, Chloe, was declawed two weeks ago. She is running, jumping, playing, "scratching furniture," and generally having a wonderful time. Sites like yours improve the lives of cats and their owners, so keep up the good work!" 

14. "I absolutely love cats. I really appreciated your website. I just had my 4th cat declawed. I felt really horrible about it. I always do. I actually got on to net to check on infection or what to look for after declawing. The vet really didn't tell me much probably because I have had 4 cats done in the past. My fiance isn't that big of an animal lover and insisted on it being done. Plus, he never used his scratch post and put he claws all over our furniture. He has been the worst scratcher out of all of them. I ran into some of the "declawing is bad" websites and I started to feel horrible and cried my eyes out. I came across yours. The only one who wasn't bad mouthing declawing. I really wanted to say you made me feel better about the decision I had to make. Thank you so much."

15.  "Thanks so much for your website. I thought the anti-declawing web sites were often irrational. I never saw the problems they listed in my cats. Phrases like "unbelievably cruel," or "extremely painful." Cannot enjoy play as much as other cats" and "must re-learn how to walk, shifting weight to the hind feet" and "will start to bite" or "most of the cats who spray do it because of de-clawing" or "will have balancing problems", etc. etc. What I do see is that even guests who are afraid of cats because of a cat scratch incident in their past, are relaxed around my cats. I don't have to shoo the cats away when I am dressed for work in clothing I can't afford to have snagged. They definitely get more positive attention. Cats with claws will damage stuff by accident at times just by landing on it. I'm not tense around the cats. I enjoy the kneading rather than endure it. Even the most gentle cats will hurt people if they are being held and there is a sudden noise or commotion that frightens them. Instinctively they scramble to get away. Our cats climb, walk, play, knead paws, etc. They recovered quickly from the operation, no complications. We would never let them roam outside with or without claws. All it takes is for them to wander into a neighbor's garage and lick up some antifreeze. Or jump up into a car engine just before someone starts the car. Even friends in the country have lost two cats. One was hit by a car, the other disappeared. I figure it was wounded and crawled off into the bushes to die. Again, thanks."

16. "I was in a very heated debate about de-clawing and was called and inhumane, uncompassionate person and they felt sorry for my cats. They posted links to those horrible sites about de-clawing. I was so glad to find your site to retaliate! Thank you very much for all you have done."
LOL, glad to be of help! But for an animal rights activist, no matter how many facts you give, you will always be a cruel person. They will never see the facts even if it hits them on the face.

17. "I would like to thank you for your webpage. I recently acquired a stray cat (about 6 hours ago :) and he is so adorable, a gorg red tabby with pretty white markings we have named Tucker. I always said if i got a cat i would have it declawed because I am nervous of their claws (i'm a vet tech and have been scratched way too many times!!) - so we're thinking about getting him declawed soon. At my vet tech school as soon as the word 'declawed' is mentioned its like starting a fire... you should hear them! They make it sound as if you're torturing an animal for fun - i felt really bad about my decision at first, but now i realize its a personal preference - I want to give Tucker the loving and stable home for life he deserves. As soon as i started researched declawing the only websites i could find were about how horrible it is and how unhumane it is, when I dont agree. Once again, thank you for your polite and politically correct and well written website :) I'll be sending a picture of Tucker as soon as i can get my dig. camera to the drugstore!!!"
As an ex-vet tech too, I can also add that working with a declawed cat makes things sooooo much easier! Most cats don't like going to the vet, specially if they are not feeling well! Less restraining also means less stress for the cat and tech.