Free Lunches And Declawing

"The next cat I get is going to be declawed."

So said Marilee, at the beginning of a conversation we just had. The conversation lasted for all of 45 seconds or so.

"Can you imagine how wonderful they'd be if they didn't have claws?"

"Oh yeah. The doctor's bills would be astronomic."

"Is it expensive?"

"Not the vet bill, the doctor's bills."

"But they wouldn't scratch anymo..."

I cut her off.

"When a cat doesn't have their claws to defend themselves, what do you think they use?"

"Oh. I hadn't thought of that."

"Most people don't. They think they answer is to remove the claws to save their furniture, only come to find out the cat is now biting to defend itself. And off the cat goes to a shelter, a humane society, or an animal rescue group. And it scars the cat for life."

"So why is it that when you think of something that's the end-all do-all idea, that something comes up and scatters the idea to the winds?"

"Because there's no such thing as a free lunch."

And that was the end of the conversation. And the end of that whole idea.