To declaw cats or not? New Jersey could be first with ban

[douglas9]

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) — Cats would keep their claws under a bill that would make New Jersey the first state to prohibit declawing.

The measure, which cleared the lower chamber of the Legislature last month, bans onychectomies and flexor tendonectomies on a cat or any animal unless a veterinarian deems them medically necessary. Sponsors in the state Senate are reviewing possible changes, and it's not clear when it will move forward.

The practice, often undertaken to prevent cats from shredding furniture or injuring humans or other pets, is already banned in several California cities and in nearly 20 countries. A similar bill died in New York last year.

"Declawing is a barbaric practice that more often than not is done for the sake of convenience rather than necessity," the bill's sponsor, Democratic Assemblyman Troy Singleton, said in a statement.

http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/386c25518f464186bf7a2ac026580ce7/Article_2017-02-08-US-Cats-Keep-Claws/id-6be03852c519417f949e028782bea0c9

[sinkingfeeling]

1. I Agee, declawing is barbaric.

[TreasonousBastard]

2. When I lived in Joisey, my vet had a big sign saying she would NOT declaw...

she also had a huge parrot in a cage and several handicapped adopted cats and dogs.

Pretty cool vet.

[ret5hd]

3. Only if the human has the last joint of all their fingers removed at the same time.

[Phoenix61]

4. I've never understood how a vet could do that

[catbyte]

5. My vet is my vet beause he refuses to declaw cats. He says it's barbaric & unnecesary

if you get a decent scratching post or 2. He's right. I love vets who love animals--not all of them do.

[shenmue]

6. True

[Kimchijeon]

7. It's already illegal in many other places in the world

It will be interesting to see more places finally banning the practice. Shouldn't declaw kittens just to protect your expensive leather couch.

My thought is if you can afford the fancy-ass furniture and the pedigreed kitty, you can fuckin' deal with the claws. So horrible to see declawed kitties just for the sake of some rich asshole's living room. We have persians, and one of ours was rehomed to us - the prior owner had adopted her at a young age and she'd been declawed on all four paws, presumably to protect the "investment" of the furnishings.

If ya wanna fancy kitty to "match" your decor, Fine- but they are a living creature and the claws come with 'em! Deal with it! Or don't get a cat if you can't bear claw holes on the $12,000 leather couch set!

And besides, claw marks are so chic and "in" nowadays, adds to that boho lived-in vintage vibe, along with all the cat hair, don'tcha know.

[In_The_Wind]

8. Cats should not have their claws removed.

[TexasBushwhacker]

9. Can we quit cropping ears and docking tails too?

Last edited Tue Feb 14, 2017, 04:00 PM - Edit history (1)

I find those practices barbaric as well.

[Citrus]

10. Yes!

Any time I'm looking for a new local vet, I ask these things:

- Do you euthanize on demand?
- Do you declaw, dock or crop?
- Will you insist that I use toxic chemicals on my pet(s)?
- Will you refuse to work with my holistic vet, who is out of the area, but who may contribute to quality of care at times?

If any of these answers are yes, I keep looking. I only want to work with veterinarians whose ethics are similar to mine and whose minds are open. Although fewer and fewer vets are doing the first and second things, it surprises and saddens me that there are so many who still do.

TexasBushwhacker is right that these amputations are barbaric. Sadly, most docking are done by the breeder who is likely to tie off the tail of the newborn puppy so that circulation is stopped and eventually the tail drops off. Breeding needs to stop, too. Adopt one until there are none.

[TexasBushwhacker]

11. I didn't realize breeders tied off tails of puppies

Of course it would make a big difference if breed standards in the show dog world didn't require docking for certain breeds.

[Citrus]

12. True

Those "standards" have been changed to normal appearance in most of Europe. I can't even read articles about dog shows because it makes me physically ill and emotionally devastated. (I make my living as an intuitive and nearly half my work is animal communication.)

I used to know the estimated infection and death rate for puppies with tails tied off (often with rubber bands), but it's been a while since I had that information. It's always been an estimate because breeders aren't required to report...well, anything. But the last time I was aware of any numbers, it was shockingly high. I don't know if there are any estimates online anywhere because I just haven't checked in a while.

[TexasBushwhacker]

13. Seems ridiculous that breeders

would do anything that risked the puppies health or could even kill them. Those puppies are MONEY. But then, they'll just breed some more. Disgusting.

[Citrus]

14. Yep...

They'll just breed some more. And if one or two puppies out of 6 or 7 should die, it's not a huge loss. It's the same sort of thinking that carriage horse owners have. They pay very little for the horses, who are usually already worked damn near to death, and then they work 'em till they drop. One carriage ride usually pays for the horse and the driver/"guide". The rest is pure profit. The entire animal-use industry is disgusting.