[FEL-L] expert in the field sharing

[Brian Werner]

Thank you for posting, we should all put a stop to misinformation 
without being afraid of be made to look bad by those who are sending out 
misinformation! That is all that I have trying to say here. Look closely 
List, yet another expert in the field sharing what is best for the cats. 
The Cat Survival Trust is very recognized for it's work!
BMW
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Message: 3
Date: Sat, 12 Aug 2006 05:03:39 -0400
From: cattrust at aol.com
Subject: [FEL-L] Re: Felines-L Digest, Vol 2, Issue 14 - Declaw debate
To: felines-l at catbox.com
Message-ID: <8C88C05562B4482-A2C-20F at FWM-R11.sysops.aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii"

I agree with everything stated by Brian Werner. Claw, teeth and tail removal in any animal is totally unacceptable. Claw removal prevents a cat carrying out many of the normal instinctive behavioral traits, which every cat has a right to retain. Climbing trees, maintaining balance in trees, prevention of falls, protection against other cats and animals, which could be a threat...,the list goes on. Our only experience of a declawed cat was an ocelot which we rescued from a very nasty unbalanced owner who had the animal declawed in order to make it 'safe' and who was alleged to have beaten the cat as it still refused to be friendly. It displayed fear of any approaching human, had not been fed correctly apparently as a punishment and was mentally unbalanced.
 
Endangered cats are not toys and the private ownership of these animals by anyone failing to respect them should be withdrawn. Our collection of cats in captivity here in Welwyn contains cats, which were sold by zoos and private collections to misguided humans who believed they would be able to tame them and keep them tame. As they reach sexual maturity and get bigger and become 'dangerous to the owner', the owner looses interest and we pick up the pieces. Seeing cats in the wild on the occasions I travel abroad or to our reserve in Argentina provides me with priceless pleasure. Cats are one of the few animals that if fed, watered and cared for correctly do not appear to display dissatisfaction. None of the cats here at The Cat Survival Trust display any of the stereotyped and self mutilation behavioral traits seen in some of the worst zoos and private collections I have visited. Providing they are allowed to sleep for 20 plus hours, fed (but not over fed) correctly and give! no good quality water, they seem to be content. 
 
If you are lucky to look after a 'tame' cat it is a bonus. Experience over the years with over 300 captive cats has only presented us with 9 'tame' wild cats and only 2 of these could be considered absolutely 'bomb proof'. Cats should be protected in the wild with as little human intervention as possible! For those already in captivity, we should provide them with as natural a life as is possible.
 
Dr Terry Moore
The Cat Survival Trust
www.catsurvivaltrust.org