Declawing is actually an amputation.

[Catherine]

I saw a declawing performed about 45 years ago and I knew it was an amputation procedure then. I am glad the veterinary associations are finally admitting it. (We won't ask what took them so long) Since declawing is an amputation and serves no good medical purpose, it really can't be medically justified. It causes a lot of suffering and sometimes the pain is chronic.
In the light of this admission it makes sense to ban declawing and make it illegal.

https://globalnews.ca/news/5354534/decla...d-experts/

What doesn't make sense is why it is taking so long to make it illegal. It doesn't make sense that not all veterinary associations have condemned it. Yes there is progress being made, but it is slow and inconsistent. 
I hope making things public like this article has done will serve to motivate the veterinary associations and individual vets to refuse do the surgery. Something needs to be done. It is a cruel operation and they have always known it is a cruel operation.

[Tobi]

Of course they knew! They wouldn't have got through their exams without knowing anatomy!

Why did they do it? They did it for the money. Shame on them.

[Catherine]

Quote:Why did they do it? They did it for the money. Shame on them.

That's the point isn't it. People asked them to mutilate cats paws and were willing to pay for it. So they did it. 
The basic medical oath starts out with the words "First do no harm". There is no part of a declawing that isn't harmful.

It is like tail docking and ear cropping in dogs. It serves no medical purpose and is cruel. It prevents the animal from exhibiting natural behavior. The vets did it because they were paid to do it.

I hope they develop some integrity and all of them refuse to do cruel unnecessary procedures. 

Better still I hope governments react and pass laws to ban such procedures.

[LPC]

This barbaric practice is still commonplace in the USA. It is banned in many countries. See:

https://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-48528968
and
https://www.declawing.com/countries-that...-declawing

[Catherine]

It is hard to believe that declawing is as common as it is in the USA and in Canada as well. Attitudes are changing, but we are a long way from banning declawing and making it illegal. Our attitudes towards out pets are different from the countries that have already banned declawing. I think England especially has respect for its cats. We have a lot to learn.
It is a big step that out vets are refusing to perform the operation. In the past vets recommended the operation. Now vets will at least try to discourage people from asking for it. It is just sad that it has taken so long.

[Catslave]

It's been banned in Australia for a long time,anyone that has this done has no real appreciation of cats it's barbaric, I had Edwards claws clipped when they got overlong being an inside cat they don't wear down and were overlong but the vets only clipped the tip off,their claws are part of their personality there has been cases of cats that have been declawed getting loose or being dumped that couldn't climb to escape or defend against predators,Edward has a cat tower in his outside enclosure with scratchy things on it and two scratchy things inside he doesn't claw the furniture they also can't walk properly if they're declawed it's just a lazy owners way out.

[Catherine]

I am glad to hear Australia has banned declawing. It sounds like you are ahead to the rest of us.
It is not that hard to get a cat's claws cut. Declawing is cruel and destructive of the cat's natural behavior.
I think it is very selfish to inflict so much pain on a pet because it is more convenient and less trouble than getting the claws cut.

[Tobi]

Well, in my experience with all the cats I've known, I have never known their claws to grow.
They always stay the same, unlike dogs' claws which need regular trimming just like our nails.

My opinion is, if people want a cat, they have to be prepared for a bit of "sharpclaws" now and again (such as when kneading, etc) I always made sure there was a blanket on my lap before Sally jumped on to start purring and kneading.

As for children getting scratched....we had cats about all the time when I was a baby....young child, and older child, and we were taught not to bother the cats, to upset them in any way. A cat will only attack with claws out if it is really feeling upset or threatened. None of our cats ever did that. And one of them -Baxter was his name -was a real little devil, so we coo-coo'ed at him from a distance mostly and never got scratched by him. We could tell when he was in the mood to be gently stroked, and when he was not!

And as for furniture....well anyone who has a sharpclaws in the house should train it to use a particular hard piece of wood or scratching post. They soon get into the habit of having a favourite place to scratch.

Sally had two particular places she liked to scratch, and never did it anywhere else.

[Catherine]

Quote:And as for furniture....well anyone who has a sharpclaws in the house should train it to use a particular hard piece of wood or scratching post. They soon get into the habit of having a favourite place to scratch.

You are right. Cats will learn to scratch a certain place if it is suitable and you encourage them to do so from a young age.
That means doing a little work when raising the cat and getting a proper scratching post. 

Children can and should learn to respect a cat. If the child is not bothering the cat the child won't be scratched.

Declawing is the choice of a lazy selfish person. They don't want to do any work, but they still want a cat. Cat claws don't grow long like dogs, but the sharp tips can be taken off. Sometimes cat claws will catch on certain types of carpet. Just cutting a bit off solves the problem. Amputating the end of the toe is a drastic way to stop claws catching. 

I wonder who started the idea of declawing in the first place.