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Dusty and Smokey's story

I adopted Dusty and Smokey when they were a year old from the local shelter. They were neutered, UTD on shots and to my husband's joy Declawed...(We had only been married 3 days). I didn't let the fact that they were declawed turn me away from them...they are big (15 and 20lbs respectively) and beautiful and in danger of being put down...Okay I'm a sucker for a hard luck story.

If I had only known what was to come! About a year after I adopted them I noticed Dusty was limping...I put him a cage and called the vet...I about died when we got to the vet and he told me that I would have to leave him because he had a nail regrowing! OH MY GOD! I had never heard of this. It was explained to me that what most likely happened is that when they 'snipped' his nails they did it at an angle and part of the bone was left in and it tried to regrow. My poor boy! He was left for a 're-declaw' on that toe and to make sure none others were doing the same...I hated doing it...I left with tears in my eyes and returned the next day with tears in my eyes to get him. Thankfully Dusty was glad to be rid of the extra pain.

I notice a BIG difference in my cats...there are 5 that are declawed (all adopted that way!) and 2 that are not (not to mention the non declawed fosters) and the difference! My clawed cats run and play more.

I guess while I'm at this I should also mention the problems of one of my fosters turned personal cat who was turned in for not using a litter box and who was adopted and returned for the same reason...I have a litter box of play box sand just for him! He won't use anything else...his poor feet hurt him so...especially on cold damp days.

Then there are the two girls...They are fosters...one is an 8 year old front declaw victim...her owner was put in a nursing home...but boy did she BITE like the devil when she first came here...you couldn't walk into the bathroom with out getting your leg bitten! She has calmed down now that she has her own bedroom and feels safe...but let one little thing threaten her and you are in for blood loss.

Then there is Tiggy...Tiggy is an owner turn in...Such a sweet cat...such a shame we can't keep her (the owners house had been destroyed and she was living with family so I accepted this). SWEET MY FOOT!!!!!!! She is to this day...4 months after coming here mean as all get out!!! Thankfully she gets along with the 8 year old and they share a room.

Those are the worst cases in my home...I have adopted three other cats since I got Dusty and Smokey...One came declawed...and the other two didn't...thankfully hubby listened when I told him he didn't want the new cats declawed (they were adopted before Dusty's surgery)...it was either they kept their claws or he lost his wife!

October 02, 2002




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