Position Paper: Final Draft

Declawing Cats

Cats. Loveable, furry friends who roam their owner’s houses as their own domain. Cat owners would do anything to make their feline comfortable and out of harm’s way. Unfortunately, many cat lovers have unknowingly subjected their cats to a painful procedure that has become a ‘quick fix’ to scratching; declawing. This procedure cannot only cause phantom pains post-procedure, but the cat has to re-learn how to walk, due to its altered balance. Furthermore, scratching is a natural behavior that can be used as an alternative to declawing. Claws are the cat’s first line of defense as well, so while a cat may be strictly indoor, if the animal were to ever escape outdoors it would have no way of defending itself.

This method of scratch prevention is much more involved than most people think. Many believe the misconception that declawing is simple; like trimming human toenails.  According to an article online written by Dr. Drew Weigner, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and past president of the Academy of Feline Medicine; “There are several different techniques, but they all involve one thing. You have to remove the claw, and you have to remove the little piece of bone that the claw grows from. If you don’t, the claw will try to grow back… The way cats are normally declawed, there’s an instrument with a sliding blade, almost like a guillotine, and it cuts a straight line through the joint between that little piece of bone and the next piece of bone, which is much bigger.” Essentially, it’s like cutting off the first part of the toe to prevent further claw growth.

While declawing is a sure way of preventing unwanted scratching, what cost is it to the cat? There are many complications that can occur during or post- surgery. Pain for the animal is the most common side effect. In an article written on All Feline Hospital’s website; “If not enough pain control was utilized with the procedure, the cat can actually develop a hypersensitivity of the nerves in the toes that can result in a lifetime of acute pain every time your cat puts weight on their paws.  This can result in cats holding their paws up every time they sit down from chronic pain.  Sometimes this hypersensitivity can be reversed with certain combinations of medications, but not always. In people, after an amputation, they can commonly experience phantom pain, where they feel pain in the limb that has been removed.  While we can't really ask cats if they feel this, each declaw is a toe amputation, so there is a very high likelihood that they also experience this phantom pain.” I personally have fallen victim to the common misconception of the procedure when I put my own cat through it eight years ago. She ended up having phantom pain for three months post- procedure. It was heart breaking to watch her sit with her paws held up like a prairie dog, or watch her painfully shake her front paws every time she put weigh on them. Imagine yourself being put through a surgery that cuts off the tips of your bones in your fingers, and being in so much pain that you cannot express clearly to anyone. It’s a horrifying thought to imagine yourself, let alone an animal go through that pain. Yet another drawback of declawing to the cat is that it must re-learn to walk. Since a part of their paw has been removed, they have to adapt how to evenly distribute their weight.

Cat scratching can be a natural way of displaying affection, marking territory or simply for exercise. Using the cat’s natural instinct to scratch to the owner’s advantage by providing a positive outlet for them to scratch on is a happy alternative for both the cat and the owner. These routes are also more cost-friendly methods to prevent scratching as opposed to surgery. Scratching posts, cardboard pads, and cat condos are all ways for the cat to exercise its needs without destroying furniture. Another way to prevent scratching on furniture is to put caps on the cat’s claws that allow them to exercise the motions of scratching without the sharpness of the claws. Using unpleasant scents like orange or vinegar sprays to deter felines away from areas that are not suitable for scratching or using good smelling odors like catnip to encourage the cat to scratch in a specific area are also easy options for cat-owners.

In conclusion, another important factor to consider with the consequences of declawing is that claws are the cat’s main way of defending itself. If the cat for some reason gets lost outside, there are many dangers that could threaten a cat’s life, and a cat without claws being outside has far more risk of encountering a danger and not being able to walk away from it. It doesn’t matter where the owner lives, there are always dangers outdoors for cats in general, and for a cat without claws, the odds of the lost cat surviving are much smaller than those with intact claws.

So while the method of declawing is the only permanent fix to unwanted scratching, the risks of complications overwhelmingly outweigh the ending benefit. Forcing the cat to change its weight distribution to maintain simple balance due to removal of important bone. Taking this natural instinct to scratch away from a cat is simply cruel when there are so many more natural and cost effective ways to prevent scratching. Taking away the feline’s defense mechanism is also a secondary consequence that would be robbed from the cat. With all of these points described, would you choose to declaw your cat?

Works Cited

"Above All, Don't Declaw." CatScratching.com. N.p., 2 Dec. 2010. Web. 01 Dec. 2015.

"Declawing Cats: Far Worse Than a Manicure." RSS. Humane Society of the United States, 11 June 2011. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

"Declawing Cats Q&A: Positives, Negatives, and Alternatives." WebMD. N.p., 6 Oct. 2008. Web. 01 Dec. 2015.

"Declawing of Domestic Cats." Declawing of Domestic Cats. AVMA, 20 Apr. 2010. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

HOFVE, Jeane, 7. "Thinking of Declawing?" Robot Check. LNREkonen, 7 Feb. 2015. Web. 19 Nov. 2015.

"Menu." Our Hospital. N.p., n.d. Web. 01 Dec. 2015.

Comparing papers 2 and 3

When writing the second paper, I felt like I had an understanding of rhetorical writing but after writing this position paper, it has forced me to acknowledge even more rhetorical devices that should be incorporated into my work. I enjoyed writing the third paper more than the second because I was able to boldly state my thoughts and ideas in a way that may convince people to agree with my opinion, where as the second paper was more of an analysis. Although, I also did enjoy writing the analysis paper because I was able to appreciate more perspectives of an advertisement, and was able to express each viewpoint clearly. I am glad to have been able to choose the topics that I wrote about, and also enjoyed the ability to have my peers review my papers and give me honest feedback on both.

In Class Lab: Analyzing an Argument

Bethany's Paper

1. What is the claim?
a. The main point the reader is trying to make is that it is important to maintain the health of your teeth.
b. There is a clear thesis that describes the consequences of not taking care of your oral hygiene properly, and later describes in detail the two sub-topics of the essay; "causes of and how to avoid oral calamities."

2. What support does the writer offer for the claim?
a. How to avoid oral calamities; picking the right toothbrush, comfort of brush, head size
Causes of oral calamities; consequences of hard bristled toothbrushes, Gum disease
b.soft bristled is most effective, receding gums, exposed roots, source describing the consequences of a hard- bristled toothbrush
c. The reasons are well supported with relevant information from reliable sources from many dental backgrounds

3. How evenhandedly does the writer present the issues?
a. In the third paragraph, she discusses the counterargument of hard bristles dong a better job, then she goes into a rebuttal. She does another counterargument towards the end of the paper when she writes; "Many people say that it takes too much time, effort, and finances to determine what type of toothbrush is the best for them and then to actually find one." She then connects this counterargument personally, and then rebuttals using relevant data to further support her decision.
b. She acknowledges the counterarguments, but uses them to support her position by giving stronger information
c. The writer respects the other arguments, but also makes her position look more positive as it contains stronger support based arguments.
d. The writer is specific to each argument as she backs up her statements with relevant and specific information from her sources

4. What authorities or sources of outside information does the writer use?
a. The writer integrates her sources to strongly emphasize her statements by describing their credibility along with specific information to support such as; "Dentist Caitlin Batchelor from Virginia explains that brushing with a hard bristled toothbrush bites and chews away at the user's enamel, which is a kind of shield against cavities, bacteria, and gum disease.
b. The sources used are all relevant and credible, as they are all either from dental websites or quoted from dentists themselves.
c.Yes, all are within the last three years of publication

5. How does the writer address you as the reader?
a. Yes; the topic is simple and is something that everyone can relate to
b. The author doesn't include the reader directly, merely describes using phrases like "one should", or "people in general"
c. Yes; As I read the counterargument for soft-bristled toothbrushes, what she wrote was exactly my thought process and I felt I connected with her position in that moment.


Anthony's Paper

1. What is the claim?
a. There is no clear claim that relates to the title of this essay. The main point may be that it is important to manage stress?
b.There is an implied thesis. Again, since I did not see a clear statement, I have nothing to really correlate it to.

2. What support does the writer offer for the claim?
a. education; physical and mental, managing healthy stress levels, meditation.
b. Statistics throughout, quotes form scientific studies and one from a teacher.
c. The reasons are plausible and sufficient to support his position.

3. How evenhandedly does the writer present the issues?
a. There are two counterarguments that are addressed and rebutted positively
b. Acknowledges them and reasonably responds supporting his belief
c. The writer respectfully discusses other points of view and describes his own position to coincide with them
d. The writer is specific with multiple quotes and statistics to back up his claim

4. What authorities or sources of outside information does the writer use?
a. The writer uses relevant sources such as psychologists, educators, and meditation study results to support his claims
b. The writer includes the reader by using phrases like "one of the primary ways of helping us navigate..."
c.  I can relate to the author's beliefs and position on this subject because the way he presented the information made me re-asses what I previously thought and opened my mind to other ideas

Position Paper polished rough draft (pre-peer review)

Declawing Cats

Cats. Loveable, furry friends who roam their owner’s houses as their own domain. Cat owners would do anything to make their feline comfortable and out of harm’s way. Unfortunately, many cat lovers have unknowingly subjected their cats to a painful procedure that has become a ‘quick fix’ to scratching; declawing. This procedure can not only cause phantom pains post-procedure, but the cat has to re-learn how to walk, due to its altered balance. Furthermore, scratching is a natural behavior that can be used as an alternative to declawing. Claws are the cat’s first line of defense as well, so while a cat may be strictly indoor, if the animal were to ever escape outdoors it would have no way of defending itself.

This method of scratch prevention is much more involved than most people think. Many believe the misconception that declawing is simple; like trimming human toenails. According to an article online written by Dr. Drew Weigner, Doctor of Veterinary Medicine and past president of the Academy of Feline Medicine; “There are several different techniques, but they all involve one thing. You have to remove the claw, and you have to remove the little piece of bone that the claw grows from. If you don’t, the claw will try to grow back… The way cats are normally declawed, there’s an instrument with a sliding blade, almost like a guillotine, and it cuts a straight line through the joint between that little piece of bone and the next piece of bone, which is much bigger.” Essentially, it’s like cutting off the first part of the toe to prevent further claw growth.

While declawing is a sure way of preventing unwanted scratching, what cost is it to the cat? There are many complications that can occur during or post- surgery. The main issue being pain after the procedure. In an article written on All Feline Hospital’s website; “If not enough pain control was utilized with the procedure, the cat can actually develop a hypersensitivity of the nerves in the toes that can result in a lifetime of acute pain every time your cat puts weight on their paws.  This can result in cats holding their paws up every time they sit down from chronic pain.  Sometimes this hypersensitivity can be reversed with certain combinations of medications, but not always. In people, after an amputation, they can commonly experience phantom pain, where they feel pain in the limb that has been removed.  While we can't really ask cats if they feel this, each declaw is a toe amputation, so there is a very high likelihood that they also experience this phantom pain.” Imagine yourself being put through a surgery that cuts off the tips of your bones in your fingers, and being in so much pain that you cannot express clearly to anyone. It’s a horrifying thought to imagine yourself, let alone an animal go through that pain. Yet another drawback of declawing to the cat is that it must re-learn to walk. Since a part of their paw has been removed, they have to adapt how to evenly distribute their weight.

Cat scratching can be a natural way of displaying affection, marking territory or simply for exercise. Using the cat’s natural instinct to scratch to the owner’s advantage by providing a positive outlet for them to scratch on is a happy alternative for both the cat and the owner. These routes are also more cost-friendly methods to prevent scratching as opposed to surgery. Scratching posts, cardboard pads, and cat condos are all ways for the cat to exercise its needs without destroying furniture. Another way to prevent scratching on furniture is to put caps on the cat’s claws that allow them to exercise the motions of scratching without the sharpness of the claws. Using unpleasant scents like orange or vinegar sprays to deter felines away from areas that are not suitable for scratching or using good smelling odors like catnip to encourage the cat to scratch in a specific area are also easy options for cat-owners.

In conclusion, another important factor to consider with the consequences of declawing is that claws are the cat’s main way of defending itself. If the cat for some reason gets lost outside, there are many dangers that could threaten a cat’s life, and a cat without claws being outside has far more risk of encountering a danger and not being able to walk away from it. It doesn’t matter where the owner lives, there are always dangers outdoors for cats in general, and for a cat without claws, the odds of the lost cat surviving are much smaller than those with intact claws.

So while the method of declawing is the only permanent fix to unwanted scratching, the risks of complications overwhelmingly outweigh the ending benefit. Forcing the cat to change its weight distribution to maintain simple balance due to removal of important bone. Taking this natural instinct to scratch away from a cat is simply cruel when there are so many more natural and cost effective ways to prevent scratching. Taking away the feline’s defense mechanism is also a secondary consequence that would be robbed from the cat. With all of these points described, would you choose to declaw your cat?