WildMaven’s World

I did a little man-on-the-street poll at work today and realized that 90% of those I asked didn’t realize what is involved in declawing a cat. Most thought just the claws were removed. If it were only that easy.

First, I want you to do something for me. While barefoot, stand up and take a few steps forward, but keep your toes up off the floor. Notice the unusual pressure points put on your other foot parts. If you continued to walk this way, you’d experience back and joint pains. Now hold up your hand and look at the part of your fingers where the nails grow. Bend your fingers, noticing the joints. Sit for a few minutes until you get an itch. Try to scratch it with your knuckle. Tomorrow, when you wake up and go into the bathroom to get ready, don’t use that comb or brush. Confused? You should be. You’ve just been declawed.

Now, the info:
Declawing is such a misinforming term. True, the claws are removed, but also part of the toe is actually AMPUTATED: “Contrary to most people’s understanding, declawing consists of amputating not just the claws, but the whole phalanx (up to the joint), including bones, ligaments, and tendons! To remove the claw, the bone, nerve, joint capsule, collateral ligaments, and the extensor and flexor tendons must all be amputated. Thus declawing is not a “simple”, single surgery but 10 separate, painful amputations of the third phalanx up to the last joint of each toe. A graphic comparison in human terms would be the cutting off of a person’s finger at the last joint of each finger.” Source

You know how humans get phantom pains after an amputation? How even a simple injury or surgery can turn into arthritis later in life? No one knows if a cat experiences these things. They can’t tell us. But why should they even have to?

Many animals were sacrificed to assure space flight was safe for humans. The larger creatures were given names, but the countless mice, frogs, tortoises, rats, insects, eggs, fish, and newts will forever remain nameless, heroes nonetheless. Here are some of their stories:DOGS (all Russian):
Laika, a stray mutt, was the first dog in space. The U.S.S.R. placed the three-year-old female Siberian mix into a capsule and sent it into orbit. Some claim she lived for days during the flight, but others say that she was dead within hours from the stress and overheating. Laika meant “barker” in Russian. She also went by Kudryavka (Little Curly). The Americans nicknamed her Muttnik. The capsule was never meant to be safely recovered, and it burned up on re-entry into our atmosphere. A statue of Laika can be found in Star City. Her statue was placed peeking out behind statues of other fallen Cosmonauts.

Other dogs followed:
Bars (Panther) and Lisichka (Little Fox)- died when the capsule exploded during launch.

Belka (Squirrel) and Strelka (Little Arrow) - survived one day in orbit and were safely returned to Earth. Strelka went on to have puppies, one of which was presented to Caroline Kennedy. Both dogs, when they died, were placed in the Memorial Museum of Astronautics in Moscow.

Pchelka (Little Bee) and Mushka (Little Fly) - died when the capsule re-entered the atmosphere at too steep of an angle.

Damka (Little Lady) and Krasavka (Beauty) - the upper rocket stage failed but the dogs returned safely.

Chernushka (Blackie) - Blackie travelled with mice and a guinea pig. All returned safely after one orbit.

Zvezdochka (Little Star) - another successful mission of one orbit. Also onboard: a wooden mannequin.

Verterok or Veterok (Little Wind) and Ugolyok or Ugolek (Little Piece of Coal) - the winners of the longest space flight taken by a dog! They spent 22 days in orbit.

MONKEYS:
Albert I, II, III, and IV: (U.S. 1949) Parachutes kept failing and the V-2 rockets kept crashing. All perished.

Yorick: (U.S. 1951) Survived a test in an Aerobee rocket, shooting him 45 miles up (technically not into space).

Patricia and Mike: (U.S. 1952) The two Phillipine monkeys flew to 36 miles and were subjected to the 2,000-mile-per-hour acceleration of the Aerobee rocket. They both survived and spent the rest of their lives at a zoo in Washington, D.C.

Gordo: (U.S. 1958) The squirrel monkey died when the Jupiter AM-13’s flotation device failed.

Able (female rhesus monkey) and Baker (male squirrel monkey): (U.S. 1959) As was the routine at the time, sensors were surgically implanted in the monkeys to monitor their vital signs. The monkeys survived their 300 mile height and 10,000 mile per hour trip, becoming weightless for 9 minutes. However, Able died from complications when the sensors were removed.

Sam and Miss Sam: (U.S. 1959 and 1960) Both rhesus monkeys survived their Mercury capsule trips. When Sam came back down to Earth in 1959, it is reported that he gave Miss Sam a big hug.

Ham (chimpanzee): (U.S. 1961) Ham had been trained to perform tasks and was sent up in a Mercury capsule to test the theory that monkeys could function in space. Problems arose, and Ham was subjected to a longer weightless period than planned. The capsule also flew severely off course. Ham, however, did as he was told perfectly. Because of the capsule was so off course, it didn’t land anywhere near the rescue ships. The capsule capsized and water poured in. Just before it totally submerged, Navy helicopter pilots lifted the craft out of the water. Ham survived the ordeal and was retired in 1963 to the zoo.

Enos (chimpanzee): (U.S. 1961) Enos’ successful Mercury capsule flight paved the way for John Glenn’s launch in 1962.

Bonnie (male pig-tailed monkey): (U.S. 1969) Bonnie was supposed to remain in Biosatellite 3 (a satellite designed to test biologic organisms reactions to space) for a month, but he quickly lost body fluids after only 8 days and was brought back down. He died soon after.

Spiders:
Arabella (orb weaving garden spider): (U.S. 1973) Arabella was sent into space for 59 days as part of a student’s science experiment. The student wanted to see if the spider would be able to weave a web in space. Arabella performed well, and wove a traditional orb web after some practice.

CATS:
Felix: (France 1963) Felix was recovered safely after a 120 mile altitude ride.

Today, animals are seldom taken into space, since computer models can do the same job without the risk of injury or death. However, some conditions warrant animal research, and the safety of the animal is top priority (claims NASA).

I discovered an aspect of animal ownership I never knew. It seems many owners are having their pets pierced and/or tattooed.

Most of us have heard about tattooing animals for identification purposes to aid in their recovery should they become lost or stolen. With recent innovations in computer chips that can be placed under an animal’s skin, the need for tattooing should have become almost zero. However, chipmakers didn’t count on body art for pets.

Tattooing:
Most tattoo artists would turn away a pet owner who asked for an appointment for Fluffy, but there are some unscrupulous individuals out there who will do anything for a thrill or a hefty price. There were some pictures floating around on the internet for a while of a poor white dog, whose belly was elaborately tattooed. On the plus side, research has shown that a horse with tattoos placed below the eyes gets fewer incidences of cataracts and melanoma caused from the reflection of the sun.

Piercing:
No longer is the bull out in the field the only creature with a nose ring. Giving a dog or cat a pierced ear or nose is all the rage today in certain circles today. I’ve seen pictures of pit bulls with multiple piercings, including lips, eyebrows and cheeks. For a human with these body ornaments, that’s fine. We know how to take care of them, not to scratch with our toenails or to get our earrings caught in a fence. Animals will only learn the lesson when the piercing is pulled violently out of their flesh by accident. Oh, did I mention that some aquarium owners have pierced their fish??

Physical alteration - ears:
Doberman Pinschers sure look cute with those ears that stand at attention, don’t they? Well, they’re not born that way. Those ears have been physically altered to have that perky appearance. I saw a recently-docked dobbie in the vet’s office and the number of stitches on his ears made me cringe.

Physical alteration - tails:
Docking of tails is an emotional issue amongst pet owners and animal advocates. Most veterinarians, when asked, said they would love to see the practice banned, but find it hard to say “no” to a persistent owner. Those who support docking say that it prevents their working dogs from getting their tails damaged.

Physical alteration - claws:
I have a lot to discuss about this. Watch for a future blog on this subject.

Recent legislation in some parts of the world are seeking to put an end to the unnecessary body art and physical alteration of pets. However, I find it unfortunate that a law has to be made to prevent an animal from being treated with cruelty.