Whatever you do, don't take my finger!

[wendybeth]

Sammy drives me nuts when he rips at the rug, but he so obviously loves doing it I can't get too upset. It's just stuff- cats are living beings, and so much more important. I learned that when we had the fire nearby- the only thing I was concerned about were our animals. Same with Tori- she was worried about her kitty, and not all her 'stuff'. Good kid.

[Jazzman]

Originally Posted by Prudence

I would also be willing to try those things you glue on their claws.

I just saw those for the first time last week at Petsmart and couldn’t believe what I was seeing! Does anyone actually use those? I laughed all day long at the mental image of my cat clicking along on the linoleum with bright blue fake nails. It made me giggle to the point of snorting! Of course, that ended when I started thinking about what the process of applying them would entail. Short of a kitty proof chain mail suit, that wouldn’t work at all.

Originally Posted by Prudence

Then again, there's already a special circle of hell for me because I plan to have any future male children circumcised.

Must..... not..... reeee... plyyyyyy..........

[Scrooge McSam]

Originally Posted by Prudence

Then again, there's already a special circle of hell for me because I plan to have any future male children circumcised. Stoke the fires!

Sorry to hear that

[Prudence]

(technically that one's my husband's call, but I've got no problem going along with it. Circle of hell for two please! Oooh! Buffalo wings!)

[alphabassettgrrl]

I had heard something about a laser procedure to destroy the nail bed. Sounds like it'd be better than the usual chopping off her finger routine. I've never had a cat declawed, and I guess our furniture shows a little bit of wear. The cats don't scratch on the furniture (they loved scratching on the cat tower) but they dig in when they launch off the back of the sofa, or when they're playing psycho-kitty.

We're down to one indoor-outdoor kitty now and she's calm. No more damage to the furniture. She scratches on wood outdoors (my deck, my fence, and my trees) or on the cardboard boxes in the back room. Good kitty.

As far as spaying goes... yes, both female pets are spayed and my male dog is neutered. The cat handled her spay quite nicely, the dog was spayed when we got her, and the other dog handled his neuter with no problem as well. He even still humps the other dog when he gets feeling frisky. I'm sure he's not thrilled about being neutered, but I didn't want him running off when he smelled a female in her time.

[Morrigoon]

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

I see these two more alike that different. I mean Basenjis don't bark and socialize allright - I guess (I'm not really a dog person). And if they're a house pet, what do they need to bark about anyway? Seems about the same annoyance level as clawed furniture - possibly a greater annoyance factor for the neighbors. Sure a house cat, doesn't need to be clawing anything.

But, I'd pass on either procedure as they both seem unneccessary to me.

Yes, but basenjis don't have their vocal chords cut. They make plenty of sounds, just not "barks".

[Tito's Kitten]

Hey not to get off topic (but since Prudence brought it up) I had my son circumcised and I do not regret it. So Prudence, I will buy you the first round of beers in hell. (but you have to share the wings with me!!)

[Prudence]

W00T! Beer in hell!

[Scrooge McSam]

Hey... What's a little genital mutilation among family?

Will you also be nipping off the breast buds of any female children? That breast cancer is such a nasty disease. Better to go ahead and do that rather than risk having to deal with a possible case of cancer years later.

[Cadaverous Pallor]

Originally Posted by Not Afraid

For males, neutring is very minor surgery. It could easily be done at home without anathesia. You basically just name a small slit in the sac, squeez out the little marble-sized thingie inside and it heals on its own. Easy as pie and not at all disruptive to the cat - but it sure makes him a nicer boy.

Yes, many cats have no problem with this. Yes, by all outward appearances, it is a less major surgery than the declawing. But I can't possibly believe that removing a creature's testicles is ok and simultaneously believe that removing their claws is not ok.

If you want to discuss the pros and cons of whether each surgery is good or bad for the cat, that's another thing. But to say that it's "inhumane" to do one surgery but the other is "humane" doesn't make sense. They're both surgeries.

As for my stance, I personally wouldn't own a cat, period, so it's hard for me to understand a decision regarding altering an animal so it wouldn't destroy my property. I'd get a dog fixed because I do not want more dogs put to death in shelters.

Originally Posted by Prudence

Then again, there's already a special circle of hell for me because I plan to have any future male children circumcised. Stoke the fires!

A Jewish person more sensitive than myself might be offended by this. I'm not (I know you meant nothing by it), but I wanted to mention it. You might not want to talk about it being a damnable offense in mixed company. My kids are getting a traditional circumcision. Again, no hurt feelings, just a heads up