Declawing banned in Madison, Wisc.December 8, 2021Declawing has officially been banned in Wisconsin’s capital city.
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Declawing cats may soon be illegal in New YorkMay 3, 2019Legislation is currently moving through New York's state assembly in an effort to ban the declawing of cats. Declawing is already banned in several cities in California, as well as many countries around the world, including Switzerland, Israel, and the U.K. If Bill A01303 is passed, it would make New York the first state to ban the practice. "Claws play an important role in various aspects of cats' lives. They use their nails to assist in climbing and maintaining balance, to help them fully stretch, to relieve stress through kneading, and to escape danger," reads a state assembly memorandum memo. The memo goes on to say, "When the claws are removed, the animal tends to shift its gait and where it places most of its weight, causing strain on its leg joints and spine, which can lead to early onset arthritis and prolonged back and joint pain." Should the bill pass, anyone who performs an onychectomy, a partial/complete phlangectomy, or a tendonectomy procedure on a cat faces a fine of up to $1,000. Declawing will be permitted when it is necessary for therapeutic purposes, including: an existing or recurring illness; infection; disease; injury; or an abnormal condition in the …
Cat declawing may soon be a thing of the past in CaliforniaFebruary 27, 2019Assemblyman Bill Quirk has introduced a bill that would ban the declawing of cats in California. "Declawed cats can suffer long-term physical complications as a result of declawing—it's not just a fancy manicure," Quirk said upon introducing AB 1230. "It's painful, unnecessary, and needs to stop… When this bill becomes law, only licensed veterinarians performing the procedure for specific therapeutic purposes will legally be able to declaw a cat, saving them from a lifetime of pain and possible lameness." The practice is already illegal in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and six other California cities. Further, in several other parts of the world, declawing has been banned. "Declawing is one of the most painful and unnecessary surgeries in all of veterinary medicine," said Jennifer Conrad, DVM, CVA, founder of the veterinarian-run nonprofit Paw Project. "We've seen what these cats go through. We are veterinarians who are standing up against the status quo because it is the right thing to do. We want veterinary medicine to be about helping animals, not helping couches." Studies have found declawed cats are more liable to bite or have other behavioral issues and often end up in animal shelters as a result.
Veterinarian guilty of illegally declawing lions at zooOctober 25, 2018A lawsuit by PETA against Rick L. Pelphrey, DVM, has been settled after the veterinarian admitted to declawing lions and tigers illegally without pain medication at Wildlife in Need zoo in Charlestown, Ind.
Nova Scotia outlaws cosmetic surgery on animals unless medically imperativeSeptember 24, 2018Nova Scotia has introduced changes to the Animal Protection Act intended to strengthen the welfare of livestock and companion animals in the province.
Claw counselingAugust 31, 2018Declawing is banned in more than 20 countries worldwide. As bans start to take effect in municipalities and regions throughout North America, veterinarians will need to shift their focus to living with clawed cats and without partial digital amputation (PDA). Developing a thorough understanding of feline scratching behavior is the first step.
College of Veterinarians of British Columbia bans onychectomyJune 14, 2018The College of Veterinarians of British Columbia (CVBC) has banned the practice of partial digital amputation, also known as onychectomy or declawing, of domestic cats, effective immediately. The province is the second in Canada to ban declawing, following the procedure's condemnation from the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA). "Elective and nontherapeutic declawing is ethically problematic and not an appropriate means of dealing with feline behavior issues," reads CVBC's statement. The college acknowledges there are medical conditions that may necessitate partial or full digital amputation as an appropriate medical therapy, such as biopsy for diagnosis, severe trauma, or medical conditions affecting the health of the nail (i.e. onychodystrophy, paronychia, neoplasia of the nail bed/phalanges), but adds there is no medical condition or environmental circumstance of the cat's owner that would justify declawing. Declawing has already been banned in the United Kingdom, Europe, Australia, and several cities in California. Earlier this year, Nova Scotia became the first Canadian province to ban the procedure, with the Nova Scotia Veterinary Medical Association amending its code of ethics to declare the practice, when performed electively, "ethically unacceptable." While CVMA does not regulate veterinarians in Canada and cannot enforce a nationwide ban, the association announced …
American Association of Feline Practitioners revises declawing positionSeptember 7, 2017The American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) has revised its previous 2015 position statement on declawing to strongly oppose onychectomy as an elective procedure.
