Regarding the council’s refusal to ban cat de-clawing, I think that they did the right thing. A good vet will discuss the myriad of options just as a good doctor will discuss the options for abortion to the woman carrying a fetus. Human rights are what it is all about and whether one wants to admit it or not, a caretaker to a pet must make choices; sometimes easy and sometimes the decisions are made with great difficulty. And don’t get me started on what politicians label “partial-term abortion.” If we hadn’t had the abortion option when we discovered my wife’s still-born at 20 weeks, I don’t know what we could have done to save my best friend’s life.
To those who oppose the de-clawing process, what about animal castration. Well, “that’s OK,” they say, but for some male dogs, hogs and bulls, if they had a vote, I can guarantee you, the shout would be “no.” Have the anti-claw activists dared to follow the doomed animals that we eat ever seen the de-horning of cattle getting ready for shipping? Blood spurts a foot into the air before the rancher pulls out the offending artery with a pair of pliers. I’ve seen it and it’s not pretty. How about the cowboys who prefer to bite off the testicles of young sheep, rather than use a knife? Where are their supporters? How about holding down a 2-year-old boar while performing the de-balling process on him. It’s done every day.
So animal lovers, don’t be so restrictive. If you are going to push for legislation, better cover all of God’s creatures.
Tom Balfour