Thankful Thursday: New York State Bans Cat Declawing

From The Paw Project:

New York Is First State In US To Ban Declawing!

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Seriously, this is the first of many hopeful gains in the movement to end the practice of onychectomy, which removes all or part of the distal phalanges of cats.  Commonly called declawing, the surgery forces a cat to walk on the ends of their dismembered toe bones, which can lead to the lack of litter box usage, personality changes like aggression and biting, and the onset of arthritis and other skeletal problems caused by the off-balance gait that a cat is now forced to walk.  

Although there are some people who swear that their cats never had a lick of problems with being declawed, and think we anti-declawers are all alarmists and shamers, the real onus of this type of legislation is on the veterinary world.  They are the ones who 'sell' the surgery, without proper information given to cat parents, on the possible (and probable) ramifications to their feline housemembers.  

I live in Michigan, which apparently is the hotbed of declawing vets, according to research done by City The Kitty.  I am so very thankful for City, and The Paw Project, and other hard-working, cat-loving advocats who fight against the powerful veterinary lobbies. How can they say they do no harm, while performing such harsh surgeries?

What's right for the animal should be paramount, not that 'that's the way we've always done it', and 'if a kitten is declawed, it won't know what it's lost'.

Onward, and let's keep working to save the claws everywhere!

Paws Need Claws!
Manny shows off his toe beans

Let's Hop!

Thankful Thursday: Whew, my toes are okay!

Manny was concerned that sunshine on his toes and ears would damage them in some way!  I reassured him that glowing extremities was an terrific thing, as it means that Spring is almost here.  He is thankful, knowing he needn't worry, although he looks unconvinced...

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Let's Hop!
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Tuesday Toes

 

Sweetie has curious little bits of white fur speckling her feets, and it's rare to be able to snap some photos of them.  And of course, if I'm paying close attention to Sweetie, then Patty O'Malley has to step into the frame too!

Toesy Tuesday

 

 

 

Look at Angel's little jelllybeans!

Guess The Toes Thursday

Is a cat sleeping under there?

Someone's got their feets sticking out!

Mystery toes...?

Sweetie's Toe Rings

Reclining Sweetie

Close-up of her anklet

Sweetie today!

See her toe rings?

Remember, back when I told you about Sweetie's anklet here?  Today I snapped a photo of her, and you can see her toe rings!  Sweetie really dislikes having her photo taken, but I was relentless as I clicked so many photos of Patty O'Malley (for a later post), that Sweetie grew bored with the whole thing and just sat there and watched.  That's when I casually aimed the camera (read: phone!) in her direction.  The close up still doesn't do her toe rings justice, but at least you get the picture...pun intended!

Shopping

My little cat statue area

The blue porcelain cat was only $5! 

On July 4, with a day off from work, my friend and I went SHOPPING!  Good sales everywhere, but we were hunting in the resale shops.  Looking to update our wardrobes,  we spent some money and had a great time together.  I managed to purchase a blue-and-white porcelain cat, so I added it to my wall of cat stuff.    The 'Cats Welcome' sign was found at a garage sale a few weeks ago.  The maneki-neko was a gift from my sister and family for an important birthday, and after setting it on the shelf, I found a job a couple of weeks later.  Coincidence...?  I think not!  That's why it's still sitting there after four years!  The cat painted with flowers was found in the basement; we think it was an art project by one of the hubby's sisters years ago.  Oh, and the glass thing in the middle is an antique mail box, which was still is use on our house until we decided it was too valuable to allow to remain outside.  Glass mail box...how weird is that!

Mama Mia looking good in the sunshine

Patty ALWAYS photobombs Mia!

Mia's back toes; think she may have injured the one foot that appears pink 

The now mold-free and freshly painted Cat Hotel is airing out; all seams are caulked.  While home at lunch today, the deck was Mama Mia's lazy spot, and she allowed me to snap some photos of her...until Patty got between us again!  Mia was limping for a few days; looks like she may have scuffed her toe pads on one foot; they usually are dark brown/black like the rest of her.  Today she is walking totally normal, and both Mia and Patty appear to be in good shape—perhaps my worries about the mold affecting their health may have been a bit overwrought.   I'm such a helicopter cat-mom!