Putting straight some facts about declawing

I just want to put a few incorrect facts straight for the benefit of anyone who thinks declawing cats is acceptable.
1. Some people say a cat's pain threshold is higher than ours.That is untrue, cats hide their pain remarkably well,for instance a cat can be seriously ill before the owner knows anything is wrong.To a cat, showing pain is a sign of weakness.
2.Some people compare the pain of declawing to the pain of spaying.Untrue again,the pain after declawing is much worse than after spaying, which as we know is an internal procedure.Cats need very strong pain killers after declawing, actually the same strength given to terminally ill people.A spayed cat goes home the same day and is up and about in no time.A declawed cat stays at the vets at least overnight, some throw themselves around the cage in their pain, which shows how bad it is,I’ve already said cats prefer to hide their pain,so you can only imagine the intensity of that pain! The more stoic cats hunch in the corner. Some tear at their bandages, they bleed, the cage walls are splattered with their blood, their stumps have to be reglued…. imagine that, sore bleeding stumps being handled …and all declawed cats are shocked and bewildered.
3.Some people think lasering is less painful than amputation. Untrue ! the only difference between lasering and amputation, is that lasering is less bloody and heals quicker.
4.Some say but cats don't actually need their claws.Oh yes they do !Claws are necessary for everything a cat does,grooming,regulating the body temperature, walking, yes cats walk on their toes,like a ballerina dances, it takes a fortnight after being declawed to learn to walk differently, and this walk, along with being unable to stretch their muscles properly,as cats need to dig in with their claws to stretch and strengthen their leg, shoulder, and back muscles,being unable to do this can lead to arthitis in later life.There’s no more pitiful sight than a declawed cat trying desperately to scratch for exercise.
5. Some reckon it's daft to compare declawing a cat with a human losing their finger tips.No it's not daft at all, it really is equivalant to a person having their finger ends amputated.A person like that would be disabled, well so is a cat, they are classed as disabled once they are declawed. Anyone taking a perfectly healthy cat to be declawed is making it into a disabled cat.The last joint of the cats toes, along with the claws are gone for ever.Some operations are botched,in which case, in time,the claws grow painfully back and the cat has to go through another operation,as I’ve said and will say again, cats hide their pain, so the first the owner knows of this, is when the cat is in so much pain, he starts limping.Another botched job is when a splinter of bone breaks off and the vet doesn’t notice, the splinter is glued in the stump, can you imagine the pain from that ? These painful situations can happen years after the declawing was done.
6.Some people say well vets wouldn't do it if it was so cruel.Well, yes some would, the money from declawing tops up their bank balance very nicely.Declawing is banned or considered extremely inhumane in 38 countries as it is animal abuse and even before it was banned many caring vets in those countries wouldn't do the procedure,vets are trained to help animals, not to mutilate them.
7.Another misconception is that there would be more homeless cats if their owners couldn't have them declawed. Well that's untrue too as Rescue Shelters are full of declawed cats,the very people who have them disabled, turn them out when the behavioural problems from being declawed begin. Many start biting as they feel (and are) defenceless without their claws, many have litter tray problems,imagine having to dig with sore stumps, they find the carpet or soft furnishings much less painful to use.Having urine soaked furniture is far worse that a few sctatches on it !
8.Some people say well indoor only cats should be declawed.Not so ! Indoor cats need their claws to exercise too, so should not be declawed, also you can’t guarantee they will never get out or that someone won’t break into your house sometime and the cat will escape through a broken window ,easy prey for animals out there,and if the cat didn’t get out,people who rob others homes couldn’t care less about cats, the poor defenceless cat would be totally at their mercy.
9.Some people say well it's no big deal for a kitten to be declawed.But, that's wrong too, declawing is supposed to be, according to the AVMA , a last resort procedure for serious scratching problems, not a routine operation on kittens the owner isn’t even going to bother to train.It is very very easy to train a cat to a scratching post:
http://clawsforever.ning.com/group/anniesbible/forum/topics/scratching-posts-and-training
To deprive a kitten of its claws just incase it scratches is very wrong !
10.Some say but cats are more cuddly without claws.But that's morally wrong,cats are born with claws because they need claws,they have a right to keep those claws.People know cats have claws, so why get a cat only to adapt it, it’s only for human benefit that cats are put through this barbaric procedure,it is of no benefit at all to the cat.
11.Some say but cats with claws are dangerous around babies and children. Wrong again. Cats don’t have to be declawed if you have a baby, we in countries where it is banned, bring up our babies and children alongside our cats,watching over them and teaching children to handle pets gently and to respect them.They don’t grow up thinking that cats can be adapted and treated like soft toys.They learn that they are living feeling beings, just like us.Besides, a declawed cat, if abused by a child, will naturally retaliate by biting and a cat bite is far far worse than a warning scratch.
We have 2040 people who have signed our ban declawing petition so far, including 12 USA vets,authors who are trained cat experts and other educated well known people.the signatures come from 43 different countries, but 50% are from USA citizens who are against declawing.
http://www.petitionthem.com/default.asp?sect=detail&pet=4312