We Call Ourselves Animal Lovers

We call ourselves animal lovers.  And I see lots of folks who really are.  I am impressed and filled with joy when I see the compassion and generosity that many people have for animals.   But why do people adopt animals and then subject them to cruel and painful procedures that take away the very traits that make them what they are?  I think it's mostly out of ignorance.

Dogs are devocalized. Cats are declawed.  Birds get their wings clipped. And so much more.  Many people still get their pets' tails and ears lopped off because it makes them "more attractive."  How about this?  If you don't want THOSE traits, don't adopt THOSE animals.  Adopt another type of animal or wait until a better time to adopt.  At the very least, become objectively informed about the true nature of these procedures so you can make a compassionate decision.

Dogs bark.  Cats scratch.  Birds fly.  This is the reality we have NO right to change!

 I aim this angry diatribe toward myself, as well as to others who do it.  I had one cat declawed back in 1994, back when very few veterinarians had any qualms about performing such procedures.  This was one of the most abominable things I have ever done. And I have terrible regrets about it still.  I always will.

So why did I have my cat declawed?  It is no excuse -- nor does it even partially absolve me of any bad karma -- but to help you understand my motivation, I will tell you why:  I did it because I was selfish and desperate for love.  My marriage was on the rocks.  And I had always wanted a cat.  But my husband at that time, who was depressed and distant, was vehemently opposed to owning a pet and was afraid that the cat would tear up our apartment. He was very angry with me for bringing this cat home without talking to him about it first. He insisted that I have this surgery done and convinced me that it was harmless (though deep inside I knew better).  We argued for many weeks about this before I finally caved in.

A wonderful thing happened many years later, however.  My ex-husband is now dead set against declawing and I know he regrets it too. And he loved that cat so much that he begged me to let him keep it when we decided to get a divorce. I knew that I had turned him around for life.  He even became a vegetarian!

Everybody suffers, and we all make mistakes. But truly, I think I will pay for that evil deed one day, either in this life or the next. The damage it does to your heart and to the poor cat is immeasurable.

Cat declawing is a tremendously painful and crippling procedure and should not be done under any circumstances. I feel the same way about any unnecessary and painful surgical alteration done to our animals.  There is simply no excuse to slice, bob, clip and amputate bodily parts from our supposedly "beloved pets."  There is no moral justification to do it.

It's been twenty years now, and I have matured, become more compassionate and am in a loving  relationship with my darling husband, David.  We have had four cats and none of them were declawed or ever will be.  It is a beautiful thing to see our cats stretching up to clean their talons on the scratching post (we have four posts distributed throughout the house).  Our cats do fine in our house and are very happy, as are we. There are many ways to train a cat not to damage your home.

And I know there are many ways to train a dog not to bark 24/7.  And who decided that a Cocker Spaniel does NOT look cute with long tails?  Or a Doberman does NOT look cute with floppy ears?  And is cuteness really a justifiable reason for mutilation? Really?  I am not sure about birds, but my guess is there are some tricks to keep them from flying out the window (window screens for one).

Please do yourselves and your animals a favor and become informed about these completely  unnecessary procedures.

Watch "The Paw Project" movie (on YouTube) all about the reality of cat declawing:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UNspYhNeHhU

http://www.peta.org/living/companion-animals/8-reasons-never-declaw-cats/

http://www.cesarsway.com/news/dognews/Freedom-of-Bark

http://www.peta.org/issues/companion-animal-issues/cruel-practices/feather-clipping/

https://www.avma.org/KB/Policies/Pages/Ear-Cropping-and-Tail-Docking-of-Dogs.aspx