i totally disagree with declawing! if you do agree with it then stick out your hand and let me declaw you!

A cat is not just adopted into a home by me, but the right home. I don't agree with declawing, it is inhumane. The process of declawing is more like amputation – And the ordeal is extremely painful because it requires removal of the claw, part of the bone and tendons.

Using "soft paws" or a comparable product is a humane alternative to declawing.

mt cats aren't declawed but my mom's cat is ( front only). I think it's a personnel thing

This is something the owner has to decide on, I do not do it to my cats, they do have lazer declaw not which is to be easier on the animal, I worked in a shelter and alot of cats that were surrendered were declawed and some of the reasons were that they were not using the litterbox, they were always crabby, infection in the toes from a bad job, but on the other hand if it means life and death i would probably choose declaw, alot of times elderly people want cats, but they are declawed because of scratches that can cause problems in elderly, trim the claws, give them a good sturdy scratching post, deter them from scratching where they shouldnt will help I have 11 cats, 2 declawed because they came that way from a rescue, but mine do not scratch me or things they shouldnt.
I will say that if a person would consider 4 pay declaw , I would have to not agree

I'm ok with declawing if it is necessary for a pet owner to have it done (i.e. your lease requires it). If a cat will have a lifetime home than it is definately worth having done.

It it guarantees that a cat will get a great home, I'm for it. Alot of elderly people live in apartments that require declawing. It's a better option than having to live on the streets or worse yet, having to be euthanized.

<span>this comment has been removed from the system</span>

Onychectomy is an operation to surgically remove the claws, most often of a household cat, though occasionally of other animals such as circus lions or dancing bears. This process involves amputating all or part of the distal phalanx, or end bone, of the animal's toes, and is popularly known as declawing.

Although common in North America, declawing is rarely practiced outside North America and is considered an act of animal cruelty in certain other regions...

This is something else! I dont know is I have the right to take away the animals 'claws' like that..... CRAZY!!!!!

Cat's don't want their toes cut off. They still try to sharpen them after they are gone.

<span>this comment has been removed from the system</span>

I am proud that my state has banned declawing. It is immoral and very painful for the animals. Imagine not having your fingers!

I heard the same as the previous commenter, that the entire state banned cosmetic surgery on animals and that included declawing. It appears that information is not correct.
I support laws banning declawing, tail docking and ear cropping. At the shelter where i voulunteer, we've animals when the surgery has gone wrong and they are left disabled. Your pet is not a fashion accessory. If you don't understand the nature of the animal or how to easily trim claws, then go to a store and buy a stuffed toy.

Guess I heard about this wrong. I had understood that all of Calif. had banned declawing. But according to this, it's just that individual communities are allowed to make ordinances against it if they want to.

I would NEVER declaw my cat-ever!!!!! If the cat gets outside (which they do) they have absolutely no way to protect or hunt for themselves. A good owner trims the nail-not declaws and maims them!

I wish all states would do this. Intentionally maiming an animal like this is cruel and unnecessary. Use scratching posts and nail trimmers instead!!

Cosmetic surgery on a cat (declawing) for the owners convenience is wrong. Nail traimmers are cheap and easy to use. Some would be owners need to go to WalMart and buy a stuffed toy rather than a living animal.

Good for California

i am happy to hear this and hope that other states follow suit. declawing is mearly a convenience for the owner. how would you feel if you could never scratch an itch? it is also a cat means of protection. people will say they are indoor cats but i can not tell you how many "lost cat" reports i took at our shelter that said their declawed cat got out. instead take your cat to the vet to have his/her nails trimmed for only a few dollars, its more humane!

Declawing should be banned everywhere. It's just mean to your cat. All cats can be taught to sharpen their claws in an approriate place. All you need is a little patience and a water bottle.

Declawing your cat is a terrible tortune!!!!!! If a person wants their cat declawed then they can get their fingers "surgically" removed to see how they like it. For cats it's not just the nails but part of their "hand" also!!!!!!

Declawing is horrible. It can cause other behavior problems that can not be fixed. You CAN train a cat to use a scratching post. However, the statement that shelters won't adopt to someone who is thinking about declawing shows that they are not forward thinking shelters. Is it better to house a cat at a shelter for a longer time than adopt it to a family who will love it. A home is better than a shelter any day!

A declawed cat is nicer to have in the house--they don't ruin what they scratch. However I think that I couldn't put a cat through the pain just for my convenience.

i suppose this ok for acceptional situations ex. indoor cats that claw the furniture, law passed

I think if that law is passed it needs to have exceptions for certain situations.

we have 3 cats and none of them are declawed and we don't have any problems.

but on the other hand...... it is somewhat hard to imagine an animal for absolutely no reason being declawed or have any other painful thing happening to them

this is a touchy situation
but i am somewhat for it.
cats need homes. and if they are testy then maybe that is the best way to go

I hope more places get anti-declaw laws. Some European countries don't allow it, which I think is awesome. Declaw surgeries are not only painful but can change the behavior of a cat in a bad way. Declawed cats are more likely to bite because they feel less safe without their claws. It's also fairly common for them to have litterbox problems because their poor, mutilated feet hurt. A lot of them are dumped on shelters for these reasons, and they aren't always adoptable because of that. Nobody wants to adopt a cat that bites seriously or can't/won't use a litterbox. So they get euthanized. While I do know of some cats who never had problems from being declawed, I've also seen a lot of cats come into the shelter I volunteer at because they had problems related to being declawed.

If you can't get a cat to stop scratching with proper toys and training, then look into Soft Paws nail covers. Don't mutilate your cat.

So since they are going after declawing....what about clipping of the dog tail or ears?

declawing creeps me out---I couldn't have it done but if it means declawing a cat will allow it to have a home then I'm for it

I do not believe that it should be outlawed. I think that the owner of the animal should have final say in what they want. It is like saying that no dogs should have their tails docked. I don't think that a boxer or german shorthair for instance would look good with a long tail. I am sure that it is painful for the puppy to get its tail cut off. Have you ever thought about that?

I rescued a cat that was declawed. His previous owner said he started having litter box issues when he was declawed. She thought his little paws hurt too bad to get in the litter. Since he's been with us, he's had no litter box issues, but his little paws look weirdly small...Just the thought of my fingers being cut off at the first knuckle makes me a true believer that declawing is wrong!

cats shouldnt be declawed just because you dont want your curtains shredded...if you are that type of person, you dont need to own a cat..declawing should only be done if it actually benefits a cat...for instance it is infected and needs removed( though i have never heard of that occurring, i will it open, just in case) other than to save the life of the cat, declawing should be outlawed

i had two cats, one went on to heaven...but I didn't declaw for two specific reasons. 1-if they got out of my home, what would they have to defend themselves? 2-I loved their paws intact and just the way they were. I am sure there are reasons to declaw, but I won't do it.

I wish this law was nationwide. Frequently, declawed cats are biters when they are brought to our feline facility. They cannot understand why the cat bites. I believe, if you must declaw a cat, YOU SHOULD NOT OWN ONE.

I personally have mixed feelings on the issue of declawing a cat. I don't agree that there should be laws against it per say, but I do believe that it is the responsibility of the vet doing the procedure to educate the pet owner of the procedure, the pain involved, the possible difficulties with recovery and the possible complications. When I was 19 my exhusband and I got a very expensive kitten from the pet store. At 12 weeks of age we had him neutered and front declawed. This cat had virtually no recovery time. He was fine the day he came home (after one overnighter at the vet). He did have other health issues that developed later and had nothing to do with the operations, so he was a regular indoor house cat. At 22, after my divorce, I moved away and my new boyfriend got a 6 month old kitten from a vet office because he had been dumped there with his sibling and mother who were all very sick (worms and URI) and the rest didn't survive. He became a sort of vet pet, but because he was black and it was getting close to Halloween they were getting a lot of inquiries on him. My exboyfriend's grandmother was in the office with her cat and decided to take him and give him to her grandson so he would have a safe home. Within about 2 weeks he decided to get him declawed (front) because he had a waterbed and took him back to the same vet. This poor cat army crawled for almost 2 weeks. He cried and cried, even after going back twice for pain medicine. We had to keep him in the bathroom because he just kept bleeding from the one paw. It was horrific. We were constantly changing bandages which required one of us to hold him down and the other to change them. I know that it isn't always this bad, but I know it can be. He did recover and was a very docile, lovable cat. Just typing this and remembering has me almost in tears thinking of what he went through. My oldest, Chevy, is 10 days older than he was and she is also front declawed. She belonged to someone else and they had her spayed and declawed at the same time. She came from the same vet the other cat had. She was fine. I got her when she was about 9 months old and the only thing I notice about her is that she bites when she feels threatened. Sometimes she will slap first, as a warning. Usually there is no warning though. She is very skittish and insecure, especially with children. Usually she hides so it really hasn't been a major issue. My other 2 are not declawed and they only scratch on their own scratching posts. I trim their nails about once a week just to cut the hook off and everyone is happy. I can honestly say that I myself will never put another cat through that. The only exception I can see is a Polydactyl with a superclaw or an imbedded/ingrown claw. It is my understanding that those conditions can be much more painful than the amputation because that pain goes away, but getting constantly snagged or infected leaves a constant pain.

Let's stop this barbaric practice forever.

I could never declaw my cat! It's even worse because a few of the strays my friend brought home were already declawed, they couldn't defend themselves.

it should be illegal averywhere. take off the fingertips of people and see how they like it

This is great. I am against declawing. How can someone call themselves their cat's "guardian" and that the cat is a "member of their family" and then proceed to amputate their claws? That's hypocritical to me.

I don't think a low should be passed but I do think the public should be more informed...thanx zootoo!

Good. This form of amputation and mutilation is just plain cruel and unnecessary.

should be up to the pet owner not the state

I don't think this is something the government should legislate. It should be up to the pet owner.

I don't like declawing but I don't think it's fair to make it illegal

Wow. this is interesting. Declawing is horrible but so is taking a cat to a kill shelter because they tear up furniture.

good for the cats

I had one of my cats declawed. He was running around in the vets office before he came home. I would do it again if I had another cat that destroyed things like he did.

I was never a fan of the surgical process of declawing, however, walk into any shelter and see how they are overrun with cats. This decision should be left to the owners. Describe any surgical process and you can make it sound disgusting and inhumane.