To Declaw or Not to Declaw?

To declaw or not to declaw? That is a question that many cat owners ponder. While this is not a post designed to "debate" this issue so much as it is to explain "why" someone would choose to declaw their cat.

You see, I have done my share of research and homework regarding the declawing of cats and I feel that this is NOT a cut and dry issue as the animal organizations would have you believe! 

When I lived in my first apartment many years ago, I was told that the only way I could have a cat was if I had them spay and/or neutered and if I had their front paws declawed. Rather than be unable to give a cat or two (or in my case three!) a good, loving home, I indeed declawed my cats. You bet!

What these animal organizations fail to understand is, while declawing is undeniably an unpopular surgery for a lot of people due to the fact that it is a type of amputation to the toes, it must be an alternative in my view! If nothing else, as a last resort should other options fail (and believe me, they can and do!) leaving many cats homeless!

There are a lot of countries which have already made declawing illegal. So far, the United States is not one of them. Think of it this way if you will, most landords and/or apartment complexes do not allow cats ~ period!!!  Around here, you would be hard pressed to find anyone willing to let you have any kind of animal at all no matter what it was. Making declawing illegal limits cats options for getting adopted into good homes tremendously! Not everyone can afford a house!

I find it so ridiculous that these animal organizations are so against declawing at any cost to the cat, but yet they beg you to give one of their cats a home and actually force you to sign a document promising that you will not declaw the cat and they make supervised trips to your home to make sure that you didn't!  This makes absolutely no sense at all to me, really it doesn't.

My cats want for nothing and never have. They are happy, healthy, loving, "got it made in the shade" cats! If the animal activists and organizations have their way, declawing for any reason will be illegal here in the States. In which case, all they are really doing in the end is hurting the cats chances of gettng good homes ~ Period!!! I love animals and have seen too many of them hurt and/or killed over extremists groups such as PETA, etc..

I used to give to organizations like PETA until I found out that they were so extreme that some members of their group decided to put anti-freeze in dogs water at dog shows because they believed that the dog was better off dead than to "live like that!" PFFF!!! I am not kidding and I find things such as this an unexceptable mind set!!

Getting back to the subject of declawing, making it illegal is extreme to me. Our cats rule our home and we like it that way! As soon as you walk into our home, you can tell right away that we live in "the cats" house. We adore our cats. They are beloved members of our family and we can not imagine our life without  having them in it! Our cats are 100% INDOOR kitties and therefore, are never exposed to the dangers of the outdoors. I do not believe; however, that declawing is a good idea for cat owners who (and I can't fathom for the life of me why they would want to?) allow their cats to be so-called "indoor/outdoors" cats. Personally speaking, I feel that this is far too risky as there are too many variables that can happen to the cat.

Bottom line, declawing is a personal choice, atleast for now, and I believe it must remain a viable option for both cat owners/guardians and their beloved cats!!!