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Claws law with a clause

Published Nov. 20

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When Grandma’s heirloom sofa becomes an irresistible target for a cat bent on shredding prized furniture, pet owners often seek the advice of their veterinarian.

Declawing has long been a surgical option, but several California cities have recently sought to ban the practice. The flurry of action was spurned by a state law that will kick in at the end of the year to block local governments from passing laws governing the practice of veterinary medicine.

Some local veterinarians are unconvinced that banning declawing is necessary. Instead, they argue the decision should be between a pet owner and a licensed professional, and that existing state laws are adequate.

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Comments

Barbara

I’m sorry, but Joycelyn Qaun is talking a lot of thoughtless twaddle.

How on earth can she say declawing is “not such a painful process” with a clear conscience? Of course it’s painful. How could amputation of the toe ends be less than painful, and does she know that some veterinarians offer pain relief as an optional chargeable extra, and still others recommend no pain relief in case the cat doesn’t realize that the toes have been amputated and becomes too active and splits the wounds open?

How can anyone justify surgically altering a cat to make it acceptable to them and to protect furniture? In England, where I live, and in 37 other countries, declawing is banned by law unless a medical necessity for the cat, and it is considered grossly inhumane. We can’t all be wrong.

It’s time the U.S. as a whole woke up and realized that declawing is not acceptable, it is not a manicure and it is clearly not being performed in compliance with recommendations that declawing be a last option when all other means of controlling clawing have been tried and failed.

So I applaud the City Council for intending to stop that which the people of America and their veterinarians have not had the gumption or compassion to put an end to themselves.

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Everycat

It’s all very well for pro-declaw vets to say that the decision to declaw should be between client and vet; the trouble is pro-declaw vets can hide the truth about declawing from their clients.

Many don’t even bother giving appropriate pain meds and offer them as “optional.” Yes, the surgery is amputation of the third distal phalanx of the cat’s toes — that’s a bone. It cripples cats for life.