Eseme's Den

Discussion of the size of my new bathroom in the previous post has revealed my desire for a cat.

And I can have a cat in the new apartment... with some stipulations:

1) Cat must be indoors only. Check. This was my plan anyway

2) Cat must be spayed or neutered. Check. I am a responsible pet owner

3) Cat must be declawed. Abort, abort...


I am not at all in favor of rule number three. Declawing is an extremely cruel maiming of an animal, and it is illegal in most of Europe as well as Australia.

It also results in health problems (spinal issues due to the cat being forced to walk on its heels as opposed to the toes) and some severe behavioral problems (bting due to the lack of claws to defends itself).

Of most interest to my apartment complex, and how I would hope to convince them to change their policy, is the fact that declawed cats often stop using the litter box. Right after declawing, walking of any kind is extremely painful, and walking of a rough surface is doubly so. Many cats then associate the litterbox with pain, and end up preferring to urinate and deficate in locations that are softer on the feet. Like carpet.

I'm also considering offering more than the $100 deposit they ask for to have a clawed cat. However, between getting supplies for the kitty, having the money for a first vet visit, and paying an adoption fee (one local shelter charges $75 per cat)... well it's going to take a few months to save up money and a larger deposit will extend that wait. If I didn't need to pay off some credt card debt from years ago when I was working temp jobs I could work through money issues much faster.

It is not as though I intend to get a kitten- I'd prefer an adult cay anyway. So this is not a question of me having a vet declaw a cat. And there are cats in shelters and in need of good homes who have been declawed by (badly misinformed) former owners.

So I while I want to take a stand on an ethical issue, I could just comply with the complex's rules and take the easy route. I'll have plenty of tiem to decide.

Oh, and the wait for a cat gets longer, because I love cat trees!