My point of this post is to show another one of the hundreds of reasons why we MUST BAN DECLAWING. Too many of these pro-declaw vets will NOT educate cat owners about the truth on how declawing is inhumane and mutilating for their cats. They WON’T take the time to counsel clients on the humane alternatives and let them know that declawing is always bad for their cats.
AND these BIG veterinary companies like AAHA, AAFP, and VCA will NOT enforce any of their declawing positions as far as last resort or counseling cat owners about declawing. They just LOOK THE OTHER WAY and care more about keeping these due paying member vets than they do for the welfare of cats.
LAST MONTH THIS PRACTICE POSTED THIS ON FACEBOOK. MANY PEOPLE WERE OUTRAGED AND UPSET. I SENT A NOTE TO AAHA and AAFP to ask them for a comment about this facebook post and received no reply.
Here you have a standard of excellence veterinary hospital (AAHA) that is a Cat Friendly AAFP practice with AVMA veterinarians and is one of the big chain veterinary companies. (VCA)
Yes, declawing is legal and they aren’t breaking any laws but they are doing very unethical things by posting about declawing to stop furniture scratching and deceiving a lot of cat owners to believe that declawing is just fine for their kitties.
These were two facebook posts that were within one week of each other that have since been deleted.
I wonder why they also deleted the Cat Friendly AAFP post too? Hmmmmm. It’s obviously an embarrassment to the American Association of Feline Practitioners and their Cat Friendly title that AAFP gives to their veterinary practices that they consider “cat friendly.”
Here is VCA’s declawing information and this hospital is using one of these links on their website. [button href=”http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/cat-behavior-problems-scratching-behavior-and-declawing/205″ color=”black” newwindow=”yes”] VCA and Declawing[/button] [button href=”http://www.vcahospitals.com/main/pet-health-information/article/animal-health/declawing-in-cats/82″ color=”black” newwindow=”yes”] VCA- Are there any negative aspects to declawing my cat?[/button]
I also had my mom send this information about this facebook post to 3 people with AAHA. The PR person, the Veterinary Advisor of Professional and Public Affairs, and the President of AAHA, and also to Dr Susan Little of AAFP (Catvets) and asked them how they justify not having any accountability with their declawing position and why they won’t help protect kitties and not allow any practice that declaws cats to be an AAHA or “Cat Friendly” AAFP hospital, but never got a response.
I was thinking that they probably would send their Declaw Communications Toolkit to this practice since that’s why AAHA made it, to help their hospitals that declaw cats stay under the radar and address “people who are opposed to declawing.”
Yep, if you haven’t heard, AAHA actually used lots of resources and took lots of time to make a Declaw Toolkit to help their vets who support declawing. Here it is [button href=”https://citythekitty.org/declaw-communications-toolkit-by-american-animal-hospital-association/” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] AAHA’s Declaw Communications Toolkit[/button]
My FBI (Feline Bureau of Investigation) team reached out to this Lake Jackson veterinary hospital to see if they have become more ethical since they posted this photo to the world of them advertising how great declawing is for the welfare of furniture.
My FBI team called as a first time cat owners, asking what is recommended as far as care for the cats they were getting and were a 5 month old kitten and a 2 yr old cat.
Employee 1- FBI team asked about getting the 5 month old spayed and if a declaw goes with the spay. The employee said that yes you can do them together. For the declaw you would have to do the pre-surgical blood work for $120 and the spay/declaw is $362. (Pre-surgical bloodwork isn’t required for a spay) Asked if they should get 2 paws or 4 paws and employee said, “that’s totally up to you. We recommend two paw just in case your pet gets out. “
Asked if the cats would be ok after the declaws. Employee said, “There’s no guarantee for anything with any procedure.”
“First time cat owner” said that they read online that declawing is bad for a cat and they’ve never had a cat before so is that true. Employee said, “Oh I have had a cat before and I’ve done the declaw and he was just fine.”
Employee 2- FBI team asked about wellness plans for a 6 month old and 2 yr old and that the 6 month old needed to be spayed. Employee gave prices for plans and then was asked if a declaw was included in the wellness plan and if a declaw was ok to do to the kitten. Employee said the declaw wasn’t covered in the plan but the blood work was already done so you wouldn’t have to pay the $120.
“First time cat owner” asked the employee is it best to get two paw or four paw since they didn’t know much about it. Employee said it depends on the circumstance. They said, “Like right now we do have a client that just came in and got all four done but she is an elderly person and the cat was really scratching her because their skin is very thin, whenever she would pick it up to play with it, and when it scratched her, she would bleed and on blood thinners they would really bleed.”
First time cat owner asked what to do if it is scratching furniture, “Generally they just do two.” (There was no counseling about nail trims, sturdy scratchers, soft paws or the use of deterrents.)
Asked if the cats would be ok. “I’m going to be honest with you, we do those so regularly around here and I have not seen one in 10 years that have had a limping problem or problem.” Asked if their vets are skilled at them and do them well, employee said, “Oh yea, you know how many we did today, 3 (employee laughs). And adds, ” I don’t own cats myself but I have girlfriends that do and they declaw their cats and they are fine.”
Here is AAHA’s position statement which strongly opposes declawing yet most AAHA hospitals don’t follow this at all. [button href=”https://www.aaha.org/professional/resources/declawing.aspx” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] AAHA position statement[/button]
Here is American Association of Feline Practitioners position statement- [button href=”http://www.catvets.com/guidelines/position-statements/declawing” color=”purple” newwindow=”yes”] Cat Friendly position on declawing[/button]
Remember Cat Friendly practices are supposed to be all about the health and welfare of cats. Yet AAFP gives their CAT FRIENDLY status to all veterinary hospitals that declaw cats and some even offer coupons, some deceive cat owners and they purposely don’t counsel cat owners about what declawing is or the humane alternatives, and some AAFP vets even talk the cat owners OUT of the humane alternatives….all because they put greed over the welfare of cats.
These veterinary associations write politically words that they put no accountability in as far as declawing. It’s the most hypocritical thing you will ever read about and it needs to end. Listen to what the AAFP says about their “Cat Friendly” practices [button href=”http://www.catvets.com/cfp/cat-owners” color=”red” newwindow=”yes”] AAFP Cat Friendly Talk[/button]
Disclaimer- PLEASE JUST BE EDUCATIONAL AND INSPIRING WHEN YOU REACH OUT TO ANYONE IN REGARDS TO OUR CA– USE. PLEASE DO NOT THREATEN OR BE RUDE. WE MUST TAKE THE HIGH ROAD EVEN IF THE PRO-DECLAW VETS ARE HARMING AND TORTURING THOUSANDS OF CATS. IT ONLY HURTS THE CA– USE WHEN YOU ARE THREATENING OR RUDE.