Yup. Us (and I am one) anti-declaw types need to remember this. This is one of the reasons I think a law is the only way to end declawing. The primary reason declawing shouldn't be done, but the reason that isn't going to be enough for most who want to declaw, is that it is just wrong to so drastically surgically alter an animal to fit our needs. It's just wrong.I like that this MSN article points out the conflicting findings in studies.
I've heard that some cats don't tolerate them.Originally Posted by mschauer
I wish they said why the Soft Paws didn't work.
so true!Originally Posted by meow meow
Before I got my kitty, my DH was very firm that we would be declawing him. Having grown up with a clawed cat, I was not happy about it but decided to cross that bridge when I got him. Well, I started in the negatives to declawing and my DH was still not convinced. He said I was "drinking the Kool-Aid" on those websites that are anti-declaw and to not believe everything I read.
So, I wrote an e-mail to Dr Nicholas Dodman at the Tufts University School of Veterinary Medicine and asked if there were any real, scientific studies on the affects of declawing. He was out of town but actually had his secretary respond. They mailed me a study, I showed my DH, he was so impressed that this guy responded to me that he changed his mind. In the study, Dr. Dodman noted that what an owner considered a "success", the researchers considered a failure (for instance post-operative pain following surgery).
Anyhow, bottom line is studies on the effects of declawing are long over-due.
meow meow;2206838 said:In the study, Dr. Dodman noted that what an owner considered a "success", the researchers considered a failure (for instance post-operative pain following surgery).[/QUOTE
Whoa! Why would post-operative pain be enough to warrant a "failure" label? Unless you mean long term pain, not just short term pain during healing?
I'd love to see this study also.
BTW - Congrats on going the extra mile to convince DH not to declaw!