Campaigning against Declawing Is a Waste of Time Says a British Vet

Yesterday, I visited my veterinarian because Charlie, my cat, has a bacterial infection in his sinuses and nose. It is a form of persistent rhinitis. Anyway that is not the topic that I wish to discuss in this very short post. While I was in there with my cat I asked my veterinarian if he would let me ask a question about cat declawing in America and he kindly agreed.

I asked him why the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons (RCVS), the governing body of British veterinarians, did not openly speak out against the declawing of cats in America as a way of putting pressure upon their counterpart organisation, the American Veterinary Medical Association. I have felt that if British veterinarians denounced declawing it may put some useful pressure on American veterinarians and support the campaign against it.

My veterinarian stated that it was unethical to declaw cats and he remarked that it is banned in the UK. He also said that he didn't like the other non-therapeutic operations that American veterinarian sometimes carried out on cats and dogs such as tail docking and the clipping of ears for aesthetic reasons.

However, despite his dislike of declawing he said it was a waste of time to write about it, argue against it and campaign against it because it is too well-established in the USA and whatever happened in the campaign against declawing, American veterinarians would not change their ways.

For this reason he said that it was not worthwhile to campaign against it.  I understood his message but I found it depressing. I'm not sure whether his thoughts about the anti-declaw campaign are typical of all British veterinarians but they might well be. There is a sense of disinterest or resignation about the declawing of cats in America by British veterinarians, it appears to me. It almost seems as if it is accepted by them notwithstanding that it is unethical as my veterinarian admitted.

One word: Sad.