{"id":12372,"date":"2014-05-19T04:50:45","date_gmt":"2014-05-19T08:50:45","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/?p=12372"},"modified":"2016-01-21T15:55:27","modified_gmt":"2016-01-21T20:55:27","slug":"scratching-the-surface-on-declawing-cats-and-trying-to-uncover-the-reality-of-martha-stewarts-opinion-on-the-controversial-subject","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/zeezoey.com\/blog\/scratching-the-surface-on-declawing-cats-and-trying-to-uncover-the-reality-of-martha-stewarts-opinion-on-the-controversial-subject\/","title":{"rendered":"Scratching the Surface on Declawing Cats and Trying to Uncover the Reality of Martha Stewart’s Opinion on the Controversial Subject"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"facebook\"<\/a>I came across a post on Facebook the other day from The Paw Project,<\/a> an organization based in California that is devoted to educating the public about the painful and crippling effects of declawing on cats and is working to create legislation to abolish the procedure in the United States. In this post they indicated that pet loving mogul, Martha Stewart, advocated declawing on her Sirius XM Martha Stewart Live<\/a> radio segment that aired on May 5th, 2014. They politely asked people to help educate Martha by tweeting the following message to her: @MarthaStewart – Declawing cats is NOT humane – it is outlawed in 30+ countries for animal cruelty.<\/p>\n

Being that I did not personally hear the episode, I could not substantiate the claim but it is a topic I am personally invested in because at one point in my life I had considered having the procedure done with my cats that were destroying some of our furniture. I knew several people who had declawed cats and I was under the false impression it was not an invasive procedure. Once I did some research and realized it involved the amputation of each of the ten front toes of a cat\u2019s paws (something that would be equivalent to us losing the entire tip of every finger at the first knuckle), I knew that I could never willingly subject my cats that I loved, and who also loved and trusted me, to something as horrific as that. Cats are born with claws for a reason and I felt I had no right to take an integral part of their body away from them for the sake of something as\u00a0meaningless as an inanimate object.<\/p>\n

\"decl1\"<\/a>

This information was all I needed to know to realize declawing was not a viable option for my cats…<\/p><\/div>\n

That is when I decided to contact Martha \u2013 I didn’t want to believe she would advocate the procedure to a mass audience in this day and age and I wanted to know if there was more to it than met the eye. I reached out to her via email to get her side of the story and I even invited her in a very nice and polite way to share her thoughts on my blog. By this time, her page on Facebook had been inundated with angry comments and shares from animal lovers who were outraged she would encourage declawing and I told her that perhaps by speaking with me the situation could be turned into a positive by allowing a fair-minded platform to discuss in detail what the declawing procedure really entailed, how it could adversely affect a cat\u2019s well-being, health, personality, and behavior, and what some of the alternative solutions to declawing are to deter cats from scratching and destroying furniture.<\/p>\n

\"martha<\/a>
\nSince nobody initially got back to me, I tried everything I could to find a clip of the radio airing and the closest thing I could find was a video from a November 2007 segment from her Martha Stewart television show in which she does a segment called \u201cAsk Martha\u201d where an audience member gets to ask her a question. In this case, the audience member specifically asked Martha’s opinion on declawing cats and\u00a0yes, Martha\u00a0did indeed give her okay to the procedure.<\/p>\n

Based on the contents of this video, I wouldn’t go so far as to say she champions the surgery, but, in her words, if someone does decide to go through with the procedure, she offers advice that \u201cit has to be done humanely.\u201d (Click here<\/a> to see video link and go to the 4:40 minute mark for the “Ask Martha” segment). She went on to say that although she no longer declawed her cats, that was due in large part to the\u00a0fact that her cats were indoor\/outdoor cats and might need their claws in defense of hawks and coyotes in her yard which is an alarming statement in and of itself.<\/p>\n

This casual recommendation of declawing is when I became extremely concerned and put an all-out effort to contact Martha for clarification. How a procedure that is inhumane at its very core can be done \u201chumanely\u201d is beyond me, but since I know that her Sirius radio show combines live air talk with old video clips, I had no way of knowing whether or not Martha was advocating declawing in the present tense on her May 5th show or if it was a rerun from the 2007 clip. And naturally when I say I reached out to Martha, I know I am reaching out to Martha\u2019s staff. I sent numerous emails to everyone and anyone related to Martha Stewart or Sirius Radio to no avail. I was either completely ignored or I got form letter responses such as \u201cthank you for contacting us\u201d without really answering any of my questions.<\/p>\n

\"martha-stewart-pets-petsmart\"<\/a><\/p>\n

All I can say is that my treatment speaks volumes towards Martha\u2019s credibility and integrity. I could forgive her for advocating declawing cats at one time. We don\u2019t always know everything and we all have room to learn and grow. Maybe years ago she didn\u2019t have the wealth of information available that we do today and that is perfectly understandable. But, the world has changed \u2013 we have long since learned so much about things like feline diet, spay\/neuter, vaccinations and so much more that we didn’t know back then. So now in 2014 with her position and stature, no, I can\u2019t condone her comments. She is a self-proclaimed animal lover with an entire line of pet products at Petsmart.<\/a> She has a staff at her disposable to do her research and she has interviewed numerous pet behaviorists and veterinarians on her various venues throughout the years of her career so I find it highly irresponsible of her to be talking about declawing in such a casual manner.<\/p>\n

\"Rev-Declaw-poster\"<\/a>

I take one look at my precious Jazmine and I can’t imagine every breaking her trust with me to bring her to the vet to have her claws amputated. If you agree with me, I invite you to share this compelling image to help spread the word. Click image to enlarge.<\/p><\/div>\n

Martha has a strong voice and a large audience \u2013 so much good could have come from this had she chosen to step up to the plate and given a more informative conversation about the potentially debilitating side effects of declawing rather than sweeping the whole situation under the rug hoping it would go away. I say this because not only have my emails been deliberately ignored, but someone is very carefully taking the time to remove any negative comments she is getting on facebook<\/a>. Clearly she is very much aware of the bad press and that is where my frustration stems from.<\/p>\n

When you become a celebrity, you bear certain responsibly to your fans. You know people are going to trust what you say, especially if you call yourself a pet lover and that is why I am bringing all of this up. We live in a world where everything is disposable \u2013 food, appliances, cars, and even our pets. As humans we are addicted to plastic surgery and have become desensitized to reality. Don\u2019t like your nose? Get a new one. Have a cat that scratches? Just take away its claws. So much of what we care about now is fleeting, artificial, and superficial.<\/p>\n

\"all-cats\"<\/a>

One the best ways to deter your cat from scratching your furniture is to provide them with lots of scratching options. This multi-level cat condo that we use in our house is sturdy and has lots of vertical posts that allow the cats to stretch their muscles while scratching.<\/p><\/div>\n

And yes, I know there are many declawed cats that live a long and healthy life and that they are well loved. I also know that many cats are saved from an eminent trip to the shelter because they no longer destroy precious pieces of furniture. And there are also certain instances when declawing is necessary such as those rare cases in which a cat has a medical problem that would warrant surgery, such as the need to remove cancerous nail bed tumors.<\/p>\n

For those people who do elect to have it done, many of them say that their pet did not suffer or feel pain after the surgery. Maybe that is true, but since cats are prone to hiding symptoms of weakness or pain, that is highly unlikely. Since removing claws changes the way a cat’s foot meets the ground, walking for them is comparable to the painful “pebble-in-the-shoe” sensation when they stand or try to walk. This can lead to abnormal posture and movement and may even produce arthritis in the legs, which, in turn, may cripple the cat further and cause it more suffering. And some of the pain is masked by behavioral tendencies that ironically might land them in the shelter after all such as biting or litter box problems.<\/p>\n

\"softpaws\"<\/a>

Another alternative to declawing is Soft Paws. Soft Paws are vinyl tips that are designed to prevent cats from harming furniture or humans when they scratch. Photo courtesy of Pet Radio Show.com<\/p><\/div>\n

The bottom line \u2013 I never intended to call Martha Stewart out nor am I saying that people who declaw their cats are bad. Everyone has different circumstances and it is not my place to judge. But since she has elected to let her comments slide, I felt it prudent to let my readers know that declawing a cat is a life changing, serious surgery and that careful consideration of the procedure should be taken into account before you decide to declaw a cat if that is something you are\u00a0thinking of\u00a0doing.<\/p>\n

Perhaps with some behavioral and training corrections, such as a few well-placed scratching posts, you might find that declawing is not necessary.\u00a0I know at our house we have a simple mindset to declawing that was born of the everyday joy, love and companionship our cats give us \u2013 if you can\u2019t take it to the grave with you, does it really matter in the long run? And I know in my case, I don\u2019t plan on taking any couches to the grave with me\u2026<\/p>\n

I think my friend and fellow cat advocate, Jackson Galaxy<\/a>\u00a0from Animal Planet’s “My Cat From Hell” sums up my feelings best in this video he did several months ago to help spread the message about the inhumanity of declawing in conjunction with the Paw Project. It’s informative, easy to understand, compelling, and the best argument I have seen to help illustrate why declawing should be banned.<\/p>\n