To declaw, or not to declaw. That is the question.

Declawing cats has become an increasingly controversial issue in the U.S. today, many states are trying to pass laws for it to become illegal.

Declawing may seem ethical and unharmful to some, while others think it is unethical and damaging to cats. The process is not just a makeover, it is a serious surgery! The procedure involves the removal of the last bone in the cats "toes" which ends in a long recovery for the cat.

As you could tell from the picture, it is a very serious surgery. Comparing the surgery to a human, would be like cutting off the last digit in your finger, ouch!

Not only is this an incredibly painful recovery for the cats, it can also alter their personalities to an extent. Many people to not know that cats tend to claw our valuables as a way to mark territory since they have scent glands in their paws, if their claws are removed, they tend to go with the other option of spraying urine onto valuables to mark their territory instead. This issue can be just as bad as them clawing. Also if the cat is an indoor cat, digging in their litter box can become quite uncomfortable without claws, so they might resort to doing their business elsewhere, which is not a good thing! 

Cats claws are there for a purpose, they are a form of defense and actually help aide in muscle movements and muscle stretching. Many owners have discovered that their cats have now resorted to biting rather then scratching after their surgery. What's next, fang removal?

Personally I believe that declawing is unethical to an extent. When a cat is under the age of a year, or more specifically around 14-17 weeks of age, their claws are not fully developed into bone, they are just cartilage. This makes surgery, and recovery for the cat much easier. When the cat becomes older and that bone begins to form, is when the surgery is harder and the recovery is painful and takes longer to heal.

As mentioned before, many states have tried to pass bills to make declawing illegal, but none have actually passed. California is considered the most active state against declawing today. Though no states in the U.S. have made it illegal, many other countries have, including: England, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Ireland, Japan and Australia.

On another closely related topic, is the docking or cutting of tails on cats and dogs. Many breeders like the look of the shorter tail, and claim that the animal has an easier life without a tail. Are we controlling our animals too much? Are these surgeries completely necessary for the well being of our animals?

Now I have a few questions. Do you think declawing and tail docking are ethical? Should the U.S. try and ban it?

Here is my link!
Declawing Controversy 

Spaying and Neutering Animals

The non-profit organization I am choosing is the Oregon Humane Society. Not only have I volunteered there and thought it was a beneficial company to surrounding households, but also to the animals of the community.

There are many different current controversies surrounding companion animals today. One of the most common topics surrounds spaying and neutering animals. I think we are now at a time in our society where there is more focus on our animals, and the well being of our animals compared to other decades. We are not only spaying and neutering our animals, but micro chipping them as well so they do not get lost, and we can track where they are.

In my Companion Animal class that I took my freshman year, we discussed many ethical issues pertaining to companion animals. One of the topics was specific to spaying and neutering animals, but went into detail about how old the animal should be before it is ethically and physically ready to be spayed or neutered. Though this is a specific controversy, should all household animals be spayed and neutered? Should strays be fixed?

I know here in Oregon, there is a Feral Cat Coalition that lets the public bring in feral cats to their facility to be spayed and neutered free of charge. This is to help the wild cat population decrease, since there are so many stray and homeless cats. Corvallis actually holds sessions here twice a year, and has many participants involved.

The article I chose highlighted the fact that these techniques are not only more ethical then the latter "trap and kill" techniques, but also that they are more effective. Results show that there is now a stabilization, and even a decline on free roaming cats in the country. Not only have these conventions lowered stray cat populations, but they are also less expensive and better for the morals of everyone involved.

Now I have a question. Though these conventions seem ethical, is it fair to the stray cats? Should it be our responsibility to reduce the cat population?


Here is the link to my article:
Spaying and Neutering Stray Cats

Here is my article to the Feral Cat Coalition as well if you want to check it out, or sign up to volunteer!
Feral Cats

I'd love to hear your guys' thoughts! Have a great day! :)