Today is a very "special" Pet of Week on Frequently Feline. It is no secret that I am a strong advocate for banning declaw surgery in cats, A new support and advocacy group has started on Yahoo groups to work toward that goal. Through this group I have "met" some amazing folks. One of them is Susan.
Susan adopted a purebred Abysinnian from a local, high-kill shelter. Since he was declawed he has caused more urine/property damage than any of her other pets combined. Susan had his paws x-rayed due to the continuing sensitivity in his paws. Her vet suspects that he has developed arthritis in his paws, which is a common "side-effect" of declaw surgery. Her vet also thinks that he has never recovered from the initial shock/pain of his declawing surgery.
He was discovered on Petfinder. An excerpt from the description that Petfinder provided to find a home for this kitty, "Here's a beautiful Abyssinian, Mushu Dragon, that we rescued from a high kill humane shelter. He suffers from chronic urinary tract infections and paw pain, and unfortunately the result of these issues is that he doesn't use the litterbox. He is on several homeopathic remedies & medications, plus a special diet to keep his urinary tract as clear as possible. His diet and remedies cost about $100 a month to maintain. Because of the discomfort from his declawed paws, Mushu will not use them to dig litter in the litterbox. He is a nervous cat and routinely tears the fur from his backside with his teeth so he is mostly bald on his back & sides. Despite his daily discomfort, Mushu still loves a warm lap to cuddle in and his most favorite past time is rolling around in cat nip!"
Mushu has been chosen as our Pet of the Week. He is an ambassador for the cause in helping to spread factual information about the common negative and painful side-effects of declaw surgery. Please save paws and do not declaw.
A hearty welcome and round of conCATulations to this beautiful boy, and thanks to Susan who also cares for over 30 cats a day, combining her purrsonal cats with a feral colony that she protects. Please leave both of them a comment of support.
5 comments:
I know Susan personally and she is awesome as a people person, but also the most loving cat person I know. I've seen firsthand her love and care of the kitties and her ongoing dedication to them is astounding. I've met Mushu in person as well and am so happy that he found a home with Susan and got to be one of the too few that escape the shelter.
Mushu is beautiful and deserved to end up with Susan, who although I haven't met her personally,I've had lots of contact with on-line and she is certainly an Earth Angel and definately one of my kind of people !
This world is a better place for having Susan and those like her who work tirelessly for cats. Mushu is a gorgeous cat, he ended up with the best person he possibly could to care for him.
Big congrats on being chosen Pet Of The Week. Mushu is a beautiful creature, and a very lucky one. My cat is declawed, but it was done years ago. If I knew then what I know now, it would have never happened.
Thank You for the wonderful comments, Mushu loves being a "star" this week! While I can't say that living with a cat that doesn't use the box is easy, I will say that I hope the story of his pain & suffering from arthritis will help save other cats from this same fate. Watching what declawing has deprived him from on a daily basis has made me a more vigilant advocate for saving cat claws. Blessings, Susan & Mushu
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