Psychology of Declawing

The psychology of declawing (Onychectomy) is interesting and very human. This post applies to the United States of America. Declawing (for non-medical reasons) is banned in these countries (this is not a comprehensive list):

• Finland
• Estonia
• the Netherlands
• Germany
• Switzerland
• UK banned under the Animal Welfare Act 2006

"Declawing is legal in most US jurisdictions. It is estimated that 25% of owned cats in the United States are declawed (Patronek 2001)."(src: Wikipedia - verbatim publishing is allowed under CC) -- This translates to about 20 million cats - big bucks (see below).

The psychology of declawing includes the use of language. The word "declawing" is highly misleading and is one of many coping strategies that we as humans have devised either consciously or unconsciously to allow us to deal with the obvious moral wrong of the process. This post deals with some of the methods that we as owners and veterinarians employ to bury the problem.

The psychology of declawing is driven by profit. An immediate point that comes to mind is that behind all the psychological coping strategies the underlying reason for declawing is money (profit). This creates the dilemma which we cope with as described below. This applies to all things to do with animal suffering. And I am afraid to say that vets play a major role. The American Veterinary Medical Association say this about declawing on their website:

Declawing of domestic cats should be considered only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively or when their clawing presents a zoonotic risk for its owner(s).

A typical vet who abdicates the responsibility for decision making on declawing to the cat's owner who has no doubt been misinformed by a vet as to the operation. See this post about this vet at this animal hospital for opinion on this.

Comment: Do vets check with the cat's "owner" before carrying out the operation? No, not always it seems. Sometimes vets don't even explain the nature of the operation. The client is often unsure because of the ambiguous nature of the common description "declawing" and the vet technicians are sometimes told not to explain that it involves the removal of the top joint of the claw. This is counter to the ethical process of informed consent. To act like this is:

• misleading
• an obscuring of reality
• a moral disengagement
• using euphemistic language

Veterinary surgeons use emotionally distancing language and decontextualized texts in their text books to the point where they are able to believe that they are meeting their declared purpose namely, "relief of animal suffering", when the procedure, if anything, achieves the opposite. This is the language of the surgeon's textbook:

"The claw is extended by pushing up under the footpad or by grasping it with Allis tissue forceps. A scalpel blade is used to sharply dissect between the second and third phalanx over the top of the ungual crest. The distal interphalangeal joint is disarticulated, and the deep digital flexor tendon is incised.. . . Both techniques effectively remove the entire third phalanx" [this means the amputation of the distal phalanx or part of the toe]

The psychology of declawing includes inadequate (misdirected) leadership by the veterinarian associations (and the legislators). In reference to the American Veterinary Medical Association website statement above, the concept of cats using their claws destructively is ours. For cats it is not destructive. Does the concept of "using its claws destructively" apply to scratching furniture. And if so are clients asking vets to declaw for that purpose? And if a cat scratches us it is frequently due to our lack of prudence or knowledge of a cat's behavior. This our fault and a cat should not lose a part of its toe for this reason. A cat's claws and toes are very important to a cat.

Both client (cat owner) and service provider unwittingly or deliberately collude in the process of making the whole thing acceptable by distancing themselves from the problem:

• socially
• emotionally
  
• psychologically
  
• by considering a cat as a lesser creature despite "being part of the family"
• where there is guilt one blames the other

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Please Note: I like America and Americans but strongly dislike their seeming acceptance of declawing.

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Other posts on declawing:

• American Vets are Unethical Towards Cats
  
• Declawing why not detoothing aswell
  
• Helmi Flick on declawing
• Me on declawing
• Cat Claw Control
• The Imperfect Love
  

From Psychology of Declawing to Home Page

Psychology of Declawing - Photo by Feral Indeed! (she's a star) and published under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs creative commons License -- this site is for charitable purposes in funding cat rescue.

Primary source: Dana Atwood-Harvey1 Death or Declaw: Dealing with Moral Ambiguity in a Veterinary Hospital - thanks Dana. Sorry if I have murdered your paper.

Maine Coon Cat Paws at Water

Here's why a Maine Coon cat paws at water. Actually I am not sure! What I am talking about is Maine Coon cats pawing at their water bowl. And what I mean by that is using his or her paw to poke and prod the water before drinking it. It can look like the surface of the water is being brushed away by the paw. What is that about?

I think we have to go back to basics to get an answer, back to wildcats and wildcat behavior and natural animal behavior in respect of survival behavior as all behavior is ultimately based on survival methods. Depending on the individual, Maine Coon cats like water or are interested in water. Other cats like it too, such as the Bengal cat a wildcat hybrid. The Bengal cat likes water as it is a throwback to the Asian leopard cat ancestor that lives by water as it is a source of food in and around water. Some cats fish (Asian Fishing cat) and tigers are strong swimmers. In other words the classic idea that cats don't like water is not, in fact, true. Although some, of course, don't like it - normal variation between individuals.

On the basis of what I have just mentioned, what comes to mind the most readily is that this smoothing or adjusting of the surface of the water is a precursor for fishing. Yes, it sounds odd but cats do fish. Cats like fish and humans also smooth and adjust the water's surface to help see into the water. It can temporarily remove reflections in the water, which allows fish to be be seen for a fleeting moment, sufficient to scoop up the fish with their paws. See Cats Fish.



Helmi Flick, a friend and fine photographer says this about her 4 cats on this subject:

Zak, our Blue and White Maine Coon, paws at the side of the water bowl or glass of water before he drinks. Every time. I always thought it was to clear away the leaves (imaginary in my house) that might have covered the surface of the water bowl and was a throwback to being an outdoor cat.

Bushwah, our F1 Chausie, also pawed at the water bowl (or beside it) before drinking. Bushwah also pawed at his food after he was done as if to cover up the food that was left on his plate and save it for later.

My two British Shorthairs do NOT paw at the water bowl nor at their food. Maybe it's because they are more reserved or farther away from the wild? But then, neither does Quin, our Black Smoke Maine Coon, who is Zak's brother. Could it be that there's just a bit more "wild" in Zak?

My gut feel is that there is a bit more wild in ZAK or at least of that particular wild trait, if I am correct.

Maine Coon Cat Paws at Water to Home Page

Maine Coon Cat Paws at Water -- Photo: by Libby published under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs creative commons License -- this site is for charitable purposes in funding cat rescue. I know by the way that the cat in the picture is not a Maine Coon! Just a nice pic to illustrate the post.

Why Cats Do Things

Why cats do things are answered in this tabled list:

Action - Why does a cat....	Reason why cats do things
Lick us	We are mother cats to them. It is a sign of affection
Knead us	This is a throwback to kitten hood to make mother's milk flow at the nipple. We should be honored and should put up with it.
Go to a visitor that is hostile to cats	Cats go towards trouble out of inquisitiveness. I also don't think cats know the person is hostile just that the person is something new to be investigated. Mine just hides from new visitors so this is not a universal trait
Head Butt	This is a transference of scent a sign of affection and to bind the relationsip.
Rub against us	This is scent exchange to bind the relationship and make it more comfortable for the cat. And to make close contact.
Lick their fur after being stroked	1.To sense through licking our scent. A form of scent exchange 2. to lick off our scent to leave their scent.
Suck wool or clothing	Never seen this but could be due to a lack of fiber in food or too early weaning.
Pass a strange cat slowly	To avoid conflict.
Use a litterbox automatically	It replicates burying feces in the wild to hide scent (damping down odor display)
Purr	This first starts with a baby at the nipple to signal milk is being received. Purring does not necessarily mean contentment.
Attack our ankles	To play and play is practicing for hunting
Cause allergies	Some people are allergic to the allergen Fel d 1 in a cat's saliva and some aren't.
Like being stroked	It mimics a mother cat's lick.
Scratch furniture	1. to strip off the claw's outer sheath 2. to scent mark 3. execrise the claw's muscles.
Roll over belly up	It is a passive, friendly reaction to a close friend.
Hop on hind legs to greet us	To try a perform the classic head to head greeting cat to cat but with a giant (us)
Groom so much	1. Cleaning 2. Smoth fur for insulation 3. To lick of vitamin D on the fur from sunlight 4. Stimulate glands under the skin.
Wag its tail	A sign of mental conflict between keeping snug and exploring
Spray on garden wall	To tell other cats of their presence and when present - scent signalling
Go out when we come in	Cats are crepuscular and go out at dawn and dusk to hunt. We are normally coming in at dawn
Cry to be let out and let in	Doors are barriers to natural movement to check territory regularly. Cats don't understand doors.
Arch back	To look bigger when faced with foe
Hiss	To sound like a snake and snakes are known by animals to be dangerous. It accompanies spitting another snake action.
Wag its tail when hunting on a lawn	This is due to mental conflict. The urge to hunt is countered by the lack of cover provided by the lawn
Chatter teeth when seeing a bird	To practice the movement of her teeth when biting into the neck to break the spinal cord of the prey
Sway the head when staring at prey	To get a more accurate fix on distance using binocular vision.
Eat Grass	To eat folic acid, a vitamin, in the grass for dietary reasons.
Eyes glow in the dark	Because there is a reflective layer at rear of the eye that magnifies the light for better night vision.
Eyes form slits	The iris (opening) is verical to allow better light input modification by half closing the eye.
Move kittens to a new nest	For convenience, to bring the kittens nearer the source of prey for them to begin eating prey for the fist time.
Throw toys into the air	Kittens do this to practice catching an escaping bird that had just been caught as prey. Or practicing catching a fish.
A tom cat bite the scruff of the females neck when mating	To pacify her. This mimics the actions of a mother cat when she picks up her kittens. They go limp to make carrying easier.
Female scream during mating	The males penis is barbed. It hurts when removed.
Sneer	To smell better by bringing into action a gland on the roof of the mouth in facilitating air flow.
Lick it nose for no reason	This is displacement behavior. It is like us scratching out heads or biting our nails.
React to catnip	There is a natural chemical in catnip that causes this. It is like a mild drug for humans.

The reason why cats do things is often not obvious and the obvious reason why cats do things is not often the right reason. The answer to why cats do things is usually found in the wild cat instincts and basic animal behavior.



From Why Cats Do Things to Home Page

Why cat do things source:

• Maine source - Cat Watching by Desmond Morris
• Internet

HCM Testing at Cat Shows

HCM testing at cat shows is something that I have only recently picked up (I know I am being slow). But it seems to me to be a wonderful idea. You've got a lot of cat breeders all in one place showing their cats with long pauses with nothing much to do in between. And the cost is a very modest $90 (that used to be about £45 in the UK). This is a perfect combination and presents little obstacle to getting the test done, something that may have been put off for various reasons.

A big cat show where this service is being offered is the Thunderkatz Show April 24-25 in Oklahoma City (OKC) , USA. The service, as I understand it, is being run by PetSafe Diagnostics. People can book a slot at the show from their website (the link goes to their website). PetSafe Diagnostics specialize in Veterinary Ultrasound Imaging. HCM is tested through this method. Screenings for the OKC show take place on the 24th April (Friday) after 3 pm and on the next day between 8 am and 4 pm (I think!). They are also attending The Cats Unlimited Store (presume in or near Dallas) on Saturdays April 4th between 8 am and 5 pm.

Although any cat can at least potentially develop HCM, a heart disease found in cats and people (and other animals, I presume) some cat breeds are predisposed to the disease. Two that come instantly to mind are the Bengals and Maine Coons. Some Bengal breeders think there is a need for a more open approach by the breeders to the problem of HCM. What they mean is that all breeding cats and their parents (going up the breeding line) should be tested and the results published. Only in this open and collective manner can the disease be removed from this extremely popular breed of cat. Not all breeders want to follow that route, sadly. I am for it because it benefits the cat.

HCM testing at cat shows greatly facilitates the testing of cats and cat shows are a great forum to discuss these issues too. I think the cat show should also be a place where seminars and talks can be given to discuss these very important issues. This does not happen as far as I know. See HCM in Bengal Cats.



HCM Testing at Cat Shows to Home Page

Photo of cat at Montreal cat show is by appaIoosa and published under a Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs creative commons License -- this site is for charitable purposes in funding cat rescue.

Cat Fiber Art

You're complaining that your cat scratches the furniture. Or you've had little kitty declawed. Well you' ll never become the companion of a famous cat artist. I had no idea what cat fiber art could possibly mean. Until I found YouTube and Henry. He turns tearing things to shreds into an art form and if Jackson Pollock created art by chucking paint on to the floor in a random and chaotic manner why can't a cat do something similar?



With fiber art you also get the texture and the unexpected. He creates unique textured art for hanging at home. He does this shreding bits of old carpet pinned to the wall. God, he enjoys his work!


Cat Fiber Art

Henry is a bona fide artist now and he has his own internet store: Henry's Cafe Press Store. Henry's work has a very earthy and natural quality. It is elemental and hugely decorative. It would look stunning in a large apartment overlooking central park. Here is a picture of a Jackson Pollock painting. I'd defy anyone to tell me that the cat fiber art is worse and has less "reach". Henry knows when to stop. It's when the carpet has been destroyed. Pollock didn't know when t stop so produced overly heavy, compressed images.


Pollocks No. 5. Copyright stuff:- I adopt the arguments for justification to reproduce this picture that are used by the Wikipedia author on this page.

Henry exhibited at the Bangor Public Library. He was the first cat to do so. See these posts on cat scratching but not by Henry, just artist yet to be discovered......

• Cat scratching furniture
• Cat Scratching a New Approach - this turns furniture into works of art!
• Cat Scratching - a wrong approach.
  

Cat Fiber Art to Home Page