hi, all my favorite munchkins and their owners.
 
all this declawing stuff has been floating around here on the ferret
mailing list, and, if i may, i'd like to add my humble opinion.
 
we all know that declawing is not fun.  i read all the postings about it,
and it makes me sad.  no one on this mailing list wants to hurt our
favorite little terrorists-in-fur-coats.
 
but sometimes it may become necessary.  while my three little furry-faced
weasels have all their claws, my four cats do not.  about 10 years ago when
my husband and i decided that it was time for us to have kids, we realized
that we had two alternatives: 1) either declaw our four beloved pusses, or
2) get rid of them.  we could not, anyway, anyhow, anytime, get rid of
these cats.  they were our first 4 kids.  they were kinda furry, with big
ears, and bad table manners, but they were our kids.  sometimes you just
have to make these difficult choices.  so we had their little front paws
declawed.
 
as it turned out, we can't have kids.
 
but my point is that, if it comes down to a choice between keeping your
little furry friends or not, keep them.  without claws, if need be.  our
four cats are 13 and 14 years old, and we love them with all our hearts.
and, absolutely truthfully, we saw no change in their personalities after
declawing.
 
i guess that my point is this: if you must declaw your little furry kids,
be they ferrets or cats, do so, and don't let anyone make you feel guilty
about it.  you are the only one who knows your particular situation.  our
beloved cats showed absolutely no long-term traumatic effects from this
procedure.
 
i'm sure i'll get all sorts of flames about this message.
 
but our 4 cats and 3 ferrets are our family. we did what we had to do.
 
it's a zoo around here!
 
linda
 
and cats: joshua, misty, raven, and flossie
and ferrets: alvin, sally, and dweezil
oh yeah, i almost forgot - and husband: joe
[Posted in FML issue 1357]