Declawing: I wish I knew then what I know now (Director Humane Society)

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Lora O’Connor, director, Humane Society of Western Montana, Missoula  states that she wishes she knew a whole lot more about declawing when she was in her twenties.  If she had known more about declawing and what it entails when she was in her twenties she would not have had her cat, Vivian, declawed at the time.

I think that is quite a bold and very honest statement for a director of a branch of the Humane Society to make.  I think it carries weight.  I wonder how many other people regret declawing their cat?

I know of one who made the same admission on my website. There must be many people who privately think they were wrong to do it but won't admit it publicly. It is really a question of education, dare I say it. When a person really understands what delawing is about and why it is unnecessary and the sort of damage it does they won't ask a vet to do it again.

There are piles of problems. Many vets mislead clients about the declaw operation. They underplay its consequences and the severity of the operation. They give the impression it is just removing the "nails". Wrong. It is a bone fide amputation x 10.

And many vets botch the operation doing it too fast using a cheap guillotine device and in any case the operation is designed to be a botch. It can't be done properly with repercussions for the cat in extended complications.

I could go on but I won't. I just thought is was nice to see someone in authority working for the Humane Society making a frank admission of a mistake regarding something that has a negative impact on a cat's health and welfare. There are many alternatives to declawing which are far better.

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