Kitty Softpaws

If you've seen the new Puss in Boots movie, you know exactly who Kitty Softpaws is as well as how she got her name.  Well...the Bethea household how has our own Kitty Softpaws.  We had to take Mika in today to get her claws removed.  I understand that this is a controversial issue, but once she started lacerating our furniture, our arms, and our other cat, we decided it had to be done.  And it wasn't an easy decision - trust me!
When a cat gets declawed, it's entire first knuckle is removed.  Take a look at your hands.  Can you imagine what it would be like to have the first knuckle of each of your fingers removed???  Honestly, every time I think about it I wince.  It makes me sad inside and I start to feel more empathy for our helpless little cat than any human should for any animal.  I'm not saying a person shouldn't feel sad or be compassionate toward animals; I'm just saying that this really isn't as big of a deal as I make it in my head.
Think about it this way: serious ballerinas often have their toe nails removed from their big toes in order to adapt to standing on the tips of their feet.  Much along those lines, when a cat lives permanently indoors, they often also need to adjust to their circumstances, which often means removing their claws.  People may argue that it's inhumane or that the owner's taking away any ability for the cat to protect itself, but if a cat lives indoors only it no longer has the need to protect itself.  The pain is temporary - just like any surgery - and the outcome is greatly advantageous to the other options for both the cat and the owner.  If we didn't get Mika declawed, we'd have to take her back to the shelter.  I love her way too much to send her away!
I've actually spent most of my night making sure she's okay.  Pathetic, I know.  She just looks so groggy and out of it from the pain medication and her paws look somehow deflated.  It's weird, actually.  I don't know if I'm imagining it, but the tips of her toes look thinner than they used to.  She's so social, so she's enjoyed me coming in and checking up on her every once in a while.  She even scooted around on her little chair so she could put her head on my arm (I was sitting on the floor, resting my head on my arm on top of the chair).  It was pretty cute.
Anyway, I highly doubt anyone even cares about this post - this is more just me thinking and processing through my fingers - and I have to admit that it rambles a bit, but I just had to get it out.  I had to write about it.  It doesn't hurt that I'm trying to be better about posting more frequent blogs, either :)