Declawing your Cat

If you declaw your cat, he or she won’t be able to do this. 

But declawing your cat is now illegal in the City of Los Angeles. Not that anyone will be able to enforce it…

Declawing means amputating a cat’s first paw joints. Despite what many vets claim, this is a cruel procedure (explanation here), but it’s the selfishness and lack of empathy of pet owners defending the practice that’s surprising. With vets I can understand it’s all about the money.

The ban was passed November 17.  Los Angeles City Councilman Paul Koretz, who reps Encino, proposed the ban, calling it “mutilation.”  Los Angeles Animal Services disagreed and said they wouldn’t enforce it anyway since they don’t have oversight of private veterinarians and because of budget cuts. So it is a symbolic victory only…

Why is this important now? Because on January 1, 2010, a state law SB 762 goes into effect preventing California cities and counties from passing ordinances to ban any medical procedures whatsoever – and cat de-clawing surgery would be included. Santa Monica, Beverly Hills and Berkeley now have all passed similar ordinances. In Europe it’s banned or considered unethical.

When Koretz was mayor of West Hollywood, it became the first city in California to ban declawing, in 2003. The California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) successfully sued the City but, in 2007, the California Court of Appeal upheld the right of cities to outlaw procedures they consider inhumane.  The CVMA then pushed for SB 762 and got it signed into law in July. In fairness to California vets, there are many who are opposed to their organization’s stance.