The Horrors of Declawing

WHAT YOUR CAT WANTS YOU TO KNOW…

WHAT IS DECLAWING?

The best way to understand the operation a veterinarian does to declaw a cat is to hold up both your hands, fingers outstretched.

Then imagine that your thumb and all your fingers are cut off at the joint just below your fingernails. It sounds like something Saddam Hussein and his sons did to their political enemies, doesn’t it? Something you wouldn’t want down to anyone, much less a companion you love.

Well, that’s what you’re doing to you cat if you have it declawed. It is literally mutilation of your cat’s paws. And no matter what any veterinarian may tell you to the contrary, it is excruciatingly painful to the cat, both physically and mentally.

HOW DOES THIS HARM THE CAT?

In many, many ways. First of all, it deprives the cat of its primary means of defense. Since cats walk and run on their toes, it cripples the cat, making it unable to run fast.

It prevents your cat from ever being able to climb a tree to escape a vicious dog or other attacking predator.

It prevents the cat from being able to catch prey for its food if it escapes into the wild. Without claws, a cat in the wild can starve to death, if it isn’t first killed by a predator.

And perhaps most frustrating of all, it prevents your cat from being able to scratch if a flea or something else is bothering it.

WHAT IF THE CAT NEVER GOES OUTSIDE?

People who know cats know full well how easy it is for a cat to escape from any house or apartment. How many times have you read in the newspaper’s lost and found column an ad for a poor cat or kitten who is missing–and who had been declawed?

The sad fact is that the psychological effects of a the pain and disfigurement of declawing often cause the cat to run away from home, and it will find a way to get out the door no matter what. Usually it will never been seen again.

IF DECLAWING IS SO BAD, WHY ARE VETERINARIANS ALLOWED TO DO IT?

They aren’t, in most civilized countries of the world. It’s against the law.

Unfortunately, the United States is not yet one of these countries. But many responsible vets in the United States flatly refuse to perform this cruel, brutal operation.

BUT IF THE CAT HAS ITS CLAWS, WON’T IT SCRATCH THE FURNITURE?

Probably. But there are many safe and painless alternatives to declawing. Read the ads in any of the popular cat magazines, and you will find many different products and procedures to keep your cat from using your furniture to remove the ragged edges of the sheaths of its claws-something cats must do to keep their claws sharp.

And any caring person with a little patience can train a cat not to claw furniture.

BEWARE OF COYOTES!

If your cat likes to go outside, check all information available to see if coyotes have been seen in your area.

Coyotes are small wolves, and they are rapidly taking over many areas of our country. They love cats –as meals.

Why are coyotes taking over our country?

Lots of people and organizations are to blame, starting with western cattle men who thought that coyotes were killing their herds. The cattlemen drove the coyotes east with gunfire and everything else available.

Also, blame the federal government, which literally moved hundreds of coyotes from the west to many eastern areas of the country.

The result has been that coyotes are now living all over Southeastern states and are moving to the north and northeast. A coyote was seen recently in New York’s Central Park, and it took much manpower to catch it.

Coyotes prey on cats and small dogs and often become very bold if garbage with food is left where they can find it.

The number of pets killed and eaten by coyotes is growing, and this means you’d better keep you cat inside if coyotes are in your area.

How do you drive away this animal?

It’s tough to do but there is one other animal it is afraid of, besides humans. Though, the coyote itself is a breed of wolf, it is very much afraid of wolves and will not go where it knows wolves are.

How does it know?

It knows by the signs wolves leave — mostly urine, which is how many animals identify other animals, friend or foe.

There are companies which sell urine of various animals, including wolf urine, which can be sprayed or placed around a yard to keep coyotes out.

But if you have a cat companion, don’t chances. If there are coyotes are around, keep you kitty indoors. It’s the only sure way to protect its safety.

A New Election, A New Generation…

Politicats 2012

Politicats: 2012

As The Politicats book ended with a clear victory of Napoleon and Mr. Grover over the evil Senator Desmond Durth during the 2000 presidential campaign, three kittens were born to Becky Goodfellow’s beautiful white cat, Victoria.

A lot of has happened since then, and now the kittens have grown up and face an election challenge all their own as the 2012 presidential election approaches.

Can they handle it with the cleverness of their ancestors?

You’ll find the answers in this book!

Regular price $9.50, marked down to $7.50 during our Summer Book Sale!

Quotations to Remember

It’s a shame we don’t know the identity of the person who wrote the following very beautiful lines to a cat. But all we can find is that writer is “anonymous.”

Certainly, though, this is a quotation to be remembered:

“You see the beauty of the world

Through the eyes of unalloyed content.

And in my study chair upcurled,

Move me to pensive wonderment.

I wish I knew your trick of thought,

The perfect balance of your ways;

They seem an inspiration caught

From other laws in older days.”

-Anonymous

Lessons from Cats

The Importance of Listening: Something Cats Know, But Humans Too Often Forget

A very wise person once said, “Everybody lies. But it’s okay, because nobody ever listens.”

When we humans are young, and our hearing is good, we often forget to pay attention to what is being said to us. That means we’re not listening. And by not listening we’re missing something — something that could very well be extremely important. Something that might keep us from making a mistake. Or from getting hurt or even killed.

Maybe what’s being said to us isn’t very important, because humans, particularly young humans, have a way of talking a lot but saying very little. Still, it’s a fact that the world loves a good listener. And just the act of listening can help up win friends and influence people.

As we grow older, we all lose our hearing. Some of us are wise enough to invest in hearing aids. Others are too proud to admit they’re deaf and struggle along trying to figure out what’s being said. But there’s one thing we all learn: How important it is to listen.

Cat’s already know this. The’ve known it all their lives, and nature has endowed them with a couple of remarkable listening devices —ears that rotate like acutely sensitive satellite dishes, to tune in on the sounds around them.

Watch your cat’s ears move when it hears something. Your cat knows how to listen. What it hears may be something endangering it. Or it may be the sound of prey —something to eat. Or a refrigerator door opening. Or the sound of an automoblie bringing its human home from work. Cats know how to listen. How to pay attention. They don’t want to miss anything.

Think how much you and I might be missing when we simply tune somebody out by not listening. Unless your’e old and hard of hearing, it’s very easy to do. And it could result in problems. Small problems and big ones. So let’s all learn to listen.

Cats can show us how.