The fun of having an animal (or two) in your life.
nolan-ash, you're just too damned inspiring sometimes. Reading your entry on Jynx has caused me to think of the fun we had back in January when we had our cats declawed.
First of all, I must say this: My mother and I do not believe in declawing cats. For the longest time, she swore up and down she'd never get any cat declawed. However, that was before she got brand new furniture for her brand new house. When the cats started to use them as scratching posts, her decision had been made very quickly.
And I was the one stuck with making the phone calls to various vets' offices to find the best place to have Sam declawed. (Simon had been let outside at the time, and we hadn't seen him for three weeks. He came home a few days before I started making the calls.)
Oh what fun I had, especially after I had commented about having our old vet do the declawing. Poor guy died from sudden onset leukemia, hence me doing the "research" for my mom and stepdad.
I really didn't mind, either. I could understand why my mom wanted to have Sam and Simon declawed, and I couldn't really blame her, either.
So I called around. One lady gave me flat rates, especially since our cats were of a certain age. She also came off as a bit snippish, but I chose to ignore it. Armed with the information she gave me (it was basically cost of declawing, antibiotic shots, pain shots, and something else they required for cats six years and older), I called the next place.
One, I received a much better reception about my call, and I pretty much got the same type of information as I had with the previous place, except Sam (our mother cat) was the one who required the one type of shot because of their age requirements (it was for cats seven and older, thus making the type of shot optional for Simon). The receptionist also asked me if we'd be interested in laser surgery for the declawing. It was optional and it cost a little extra, but it was more beneficial to the cat in the end (cleaner cut for a quicker recovery time). Otherwise, the claws are ripped out, and that really is not cool. (I don't know how vets in larger cities are about declawing, if they've gone completely with laser surgery or what, but people where I'm at are money hogs. Usually cheap is the way they'll go.)
In the end, I tallied up the costs for both vets' offices. The first place I had called would have been cheaper than the second, BUT the second had mentioned an option for declawing that was safer for our mother and son. And they weren't going to nitpick on a shot for a cat under the age of seven. (The second place even asked if we wanted an EKG done on Sam, because of her age, but we declined. If she has a heart problem, there isn't much we can do about it, and my stepdad figures we're better off just not knowing about it. I don't think Sam has a heart condition, anyway. Acts like she might have allergies sometimes, but is otherwise a very healthy cat.)
We went with Vet #2, which I was happy about. I don't like the thought of declawing a cat but if the process can be done as painlessly as possible I'll be okay with it. (I've seen cats who have not had laser declawing and their paws have blood matted on them. Not cool.) The extra for having the laser done wasn't an issue for my mom or stepdad, and I think my stepdad was actually grateful that the place even commented on it. He likes declawing about as much as my mom and I.
As you may have guessed, the appointment was made, I gave the information they needed, and what I couldn't tell them (basically when the cats had their shots last), they called the old vet's office to obtain. I also had the fun of loading both cats into my car to take them to the vet. Thank goodness Sam rides well.
And I think I've taken up enough space for today. The cats are still with us, and they like to follow me like puppies. They'll even chase each other off my bed.
Cats are such strange creatures.
First of all, I must say this: My mother and I do not believe in declawing cats. For the longest time, she swore up and down she'd never get any cat declawed. However, that was before she got brand new furniture for her brand new house. When the cats started to use them as scratching posts, her decision had been made very quickly.
And I was the one stuck with making the phone calls to various vets' offices to find the best place to have Sam declawed. (Simon had been let outside at the time, and we hadn't seen him for three weeks. He came home a few days before I started making the calls.)
Oh what fun I had, especially after I had commented about having our old vet do the declawing. Poor guy died from sudden onset leukemia, hence me doing the "research" for my mom and stepdad.
I really didn't mind, either. I could understand why my mom wanted to have Sam and Simon declawed, and I couldn't really blame her, either.
So I called around. One lady gave me flat rates, especially since our cats were of a certain age. She also came off as a bit snippish, but I chose to ignore it. Armed with the information she gave me (it was basically cost of declawing, antibiotic shots, pain shots, and something else they required for cats six years and older), I called the next place.
One, I received a much better reception about my call, and I pretty much got the same type of information as I had with the previous place, except Sam (our mother cat) was the one who required the one type of shot because of their age requirements (it was for cats seven and older, thus making the type of shot optional for Simon). The receptionist also asked me if we'd be interested in laser surgery for the declawing. It was optional and it cost a little extra, but it was more beneficial to the cat in the end (cleaner cut for a quicker recovery time). Otherwise, the claws are ripped out, and that really is not cool. (I don't know how vets in larger cities are about declawing, if they've gone completely with laser surgery or what, but people where I'm at are money hogs. Usually cheap is the way they'll go.)
In the end, I tallied up the costs for both vets' offices. The first place I had called would have been cheaper than the second, BUT the second had mentioned an option for declawing that was safer for our mother and son. And they weren't going to nitpick on a shot for a cat under the age of seven. (The second place even asked if we wanted an EKG done on Sam, because of her age, but we declined. If she has a heart problem, there isn't much we can do about it, and my stepdad figures we're better off just not knowing about it. I don't think Sam has a heart condition, anyway. Acts like she might have allergies sometimes, but is otherwise a very healthy cat.)
We went with Vet #2, which I was happy about. I don't like the thought of declawing a cat but if the process can be done as painlessly as possible I'll be okay with it. (I've seen cats who have not had laser declawing and their paws have blood matted on them. Not cool.) The extra for having the laser done wasn't an issue for my mom or stepdad, and I think my stepdad was actually grateful that the place even commented on it. He likes declawing about as much as my mom and I.
As you may have guessed, the appointment was made, I gave the information they needed, and what I couldn't tell them (basically when the cats had their shots last), they called the old vet's office to obtain. I also had the fun of loading both cats into my car to take them to the vet. Thank goodness Sam rides well.
And I think I've taken up enough space for today. The cats are still with us, and they like to follow me like puppies. They'll even chase each other off my bed.
Cats are such strange creatures.