Can I pierce my kitten's ears?

berry25

pixy_stix:

berry25:

But declawing isn't illegal.  Neither is tail docking or ear cropping for dogs.  That's my point.  (I also don't think spay/neuter is necessarily basic care.)

It should be, and I would wager soon will be (declawing and other cosmetic procedures).  There are laws being passed that animals must be speutered when leaving a shelter/rescue.

I don't disagree with you on that point, just that since there's no law now, and no standard that an animal should be able to consent to a procedure (which is impossible anyway), those types of arguments don't hold water when it comes to this particualr case.

The answer is to ban this (and declawing etc) but to recognize that this woman's defense attorneys, at this point in time, are right.

pixy_stix

c_joy:

Which goes back to the original point: neither can an infant. But it's "okay" in that case. Why?

Wouldn't it go back to my previous point in that it's dangerous for the law to start comparing human and animal procedures?

bunnybean

c_joy:

Which goes back to the original point: neither can an infant. But it's "okay" in that case. Why?

(Again, this is stupid and awful and nobody should pierce a cat's ears. I just think the defense made a pretty interesting point about the different standards for cats and human and babies.)

A baby will be able to at some point. Also, another article about this (I had to google because there is no link provided here) said these cats suffered balance issues and hearing loss as well. Cats and humans are different biologically.

Don't worry, I don't think you're all about cat ear piercing! Similarly, I'm totally against baby ear piercing, but they are different animals.

Also, from the article I found, PETA was on top of this issue first:

http://news.ninemsn.com.au/world/1008187/woman-gave-piercings-to-gothic-kittens

 

c_joy

pixy_stix:

c_joy:

Which goes back to the original point: neither can an infant. But it's "okay" in that case. Why?

Wouldn't it go back to my previous point in that it's dangerous for the law to start comparing human and animal procedures?

Oh, I don't think it's necessarily wise in the grand scheme of things. I just think they made an interesting argument in this one particular case.

meshaliu

That poor kitty. If I ever see a cat with earrings, I'm stealing the cat and then egging the house.

MarynJoe

c_joy:

berry25:

Defense attorneys argued that parents allow children to get pierced ears at young ages, and it would be wrong to hold cat owners to a higher standard.

They kind of have a point.

I agree, even though I'd never pierce an animals or a child's ears.  And, what about ear cropping for dogs?  Isn't that solely cosmetic?

Sydney02

A cat's ears are so different than a baby's that you really cannot compare. A human earlobe can hold an earing. A cat's ear is so thin, that I see it eventually tearing out or drooping down and really causing infection. 

Sydney02

MarynJoe:

c_joy:

berry25:

Defense attorneys argued that parents allow children to get pierced ears at young ages, and it would be wrong to hold cat owners to a higher standard.

They kind of have a point.

I agree, even though I'd never pierce an animals or a child's ears.  And, what about ear cropping for dogs?  Isn't that solely cosmetic?

 

I've never had a dog's ears cropped and personally I wouldn't. However it is done under anesthesia. The ears take a LONG time to heal and when I was a vet's assistant, I saw many pups with infected ears because the owners did not listen when the vet said they need to be cleaned multiple times a day. Anyway, I don't know if cropping could be put in the category as piercing.

Docking is done when the pup is several days old, no anesthesia. It's horrible to watch because those puppies scream when their tails are cut. Don't let anyone tell you they don't feel it. That's horsesh*t. They do. They seem to settle down quickly after it's done though.  

Emmybean

Oh, those poor, little Moos.

PoundCake

I live here where this is taking place.  FTR, I don't see it mentioned but their tails were also wrapped so tight as to cut off flow so they would fall off.

sweetmelody123

I disagree with that statement, I had my ears pierced when I was about 5 or 6.I did not ask to get that done my parents decided. I wasn't old enough to comprehend what getting my ears pierced meant. I don't think most kids know what that means until they're maybe 11 or 12.

doeydo

sweetmelody123 this post is from 2010.  It is also about piercing a kitten's ears...  If you want to talk about something, feel free to start a new thread.