Off with Their Claws! | God's World News

Off with Their Claws!

09/06/2016
  • 1 declaw 1000x677
    “How do you like my claws?” (AP)
  • 2 declaw 1000x681
    Kids play with Rubio, a poster cat for The Paw Project, an organization that opposes declawing cats. (AP)
  • 3 declaw 1000x716
    A pet grooming technician clips a cat’s claw in California. (AP)
  • 4 declaw 1000x667
    A vet in New York says he doesn’t agree with declawing, but it’s better than putting a cat to death. (AP)
  • 1 declaw 1000x677
  • 2 declaw 1000x681
  • 3 declaw 1000x716
  • 4 declaw 1000x667

A New York legislative proposal has sparked a frisky debate among pet owners and veterinarians. Should it be illegal to declaw a household cat?

For many decades, declawing cats was routine. But this is no simple pedicure. To remove a cat’s claws, a veterinarian must put the animal under anesthesia. Then more than just the nail has to be removed. Feline claws are attached to the bone. Declawing requires amputating the tips of each toe. That reality is the reason opponents are lobbying to outlaw the procedure. They say it is an inhumane practice.

New York is the first U.S. state to propose banning declawing. But some animal lovers say it should be allowed as a last resort for felines that won’t stop scratching furniture, carpets, and people.

“None of us love the procedure,” says Richard Goldstein. He is a veterinarian at New York City’s Animal Medical Center and a former faculty member at Cornell University’s College of Veterinary Medicine. “But when the alternative is condemning the cat to a shelter or to death? That’s why we do it.”

That’s the same reasoning behind state and national veterinary organizations that don’t want declawing made illegal. Cats with behavioral problems such as excessive scratching might keep their claws—but lose their lives. Without an option to declaw, those cats are far more likely to be abandoned or euthanized, the veterinarian groups say. Such decisions should be left to the professionals and cat owners, not lawmakers, they add.

The debate comes as Americans’ feelings for their four-legged friends continue to evolve. Another bill in New York’s Legislature would remove sales taxes on pet food. In many states, even food for humans is still subject to sales taxes. Several states have banned surgeries to remove a barking dog’s vocal cords. And all 50 states now have statutes making severe animal cruelty a felony.

Australia, Britain, and several European countries already ban cat declawing. Estimates are that about a quarter of all household cats will be declawed in their lifetimes—though vets say the operation is on the decline. There are other options to try first, they say. These include providing scratching posts, regularly clipping a cat’s claws, and even placing small caps over the cat’s nails.

“Vets are educating clients on the alternatives that are available,” says New York State Veterinary Medical Society president, Susan Wylegala. But even so, “It needs to remain that last option.”