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Cat Declaw Ban in California

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The California Supreme Court ruled this week that cities in the sunshine state can ban the declawing of cats.

The California Veterinary Medical Association challenged a 2003 ordinance created by the City of West Hollywood that bans declawing. It was the only law of its kind in California, but now it's open for debate statewide.

According to declaw.org, 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.

The West Hollywood ordinance being challenged says, “mere convenience to the pet's guardian does not justify the unnecessary pain, anguish and permanent disability caused to the animal.”

Coming to Hollywood's defense was the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, which filed papers to support the ban. Apparently, San Fran's shelters won't adopt out a cat if they know its guardian plans to declaw.

The movement appears to be gaining traction in the west. But we want to know what you think. Should declawing be banned where you live?

Post your opinions and comments under this story. Want to share your pet's story? Submit video at the ZootooTV tab.

Or you can email us at news@zootoo.com or call 877-777-4204.



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332 comments found.
 
Tordog1980
Tordog1980
2 years ago
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I agree with this how would you like your nails ripped out. they also need to defend themselves
 
Jeff W.
Jeff W. (scoobydoo)
2 years ago
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I do not think de-clawing a cat is cruel. This can cause a lack of enthusiasm for adopting cats. As we now cats can destroy homes with their front claws.
 
Cornbread1106
Cornbread1106
2 years ago
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get them all declawed
 
Cynthia B.
Cynthia B. (Sindy4)
2 years ago
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While I do not favor "mutilation" in any sense for animals, I do understand the supposed need for some indoor cats to be declawed. However, indoor/outdoor cats such as mine would never be declawed. Driftwood set around the yard and family room along with hemp wound scratching posts seems to keep destruction to a minimum.
 
dangleingsquid
dangleingsquid
2 years ago
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This ban is going to cause alot of potential adopters to decide not to adopt a shelter cat. I personally don't like declawing but I have worked in shelters and know that many people want a declawed cat... Many landlords only permit declawed cats in their buildings. People also don't want their furniture shredded. If declawing a cat means that it will have a better chance at being adopted and loved rather than sitting in a shelter waiting to be euthanized, then I say declawing is the lesser of the evils.
 
vakey
vakey
2 years ago
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I dont believe this is wrong. My cat is not declawed, but my paretns is. They both act the same, my paretns cat does not act like he is ever sad. Besides, how many people would not adopt cats if they think they are going to mess up the $3,000 sofa. If someone will give a cat a home, then who cares if it is declawed or not?
 
candy29944
candy29944
2 years ago
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I think it is the owners right to declaw if they want to.
 
davidlewis
davidlewis
2 years ago
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Has anyone seen a cat after its been declawed???? Heaven forbid pet owner education on alternatives
 
luvndogs
luvndogs
2 years ago
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Most owners that have their cats declawed do it so that the cat can stay inside.If somebody is willing to spend the money to have this done they are going to take good care of them.I have seen plenty of declawed cats and they don't seem to be hurt by it.At least declawing is done for a good reason,I think docking tails and trimming ears of dogs is worse.
 
clynn
clynn
2 years ago
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I think the ban on declawing will put off a lot of adoptors. With all the cats that are waiting for homes, I rather see a cat declawed and loved, cherished and kept indoors than euthanized in a shelter because they could not find the cat a home. I am sure it hurts more to die than to live a loved life as a declawed cat.
 
bartwalton
bartwalton
2 years ago
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It is wrong to declaw a cat. It can't defend itseflf and it will teach the cat to bite. This takes away the natural defense
 
Cornbread
Cornbread
2 years ago
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I personally do not agree with declawing. The shelter I work at has had numerous cats surrendered that are declawed for behavioral issues. Several have had paw issues due to declaw procedure. Cats were meant to have claws that is why they were born with them. Giving the cat something to claw, works wonders. If someone wants a declaw I suggest they look to their local shelter, I'm sure there will be one available.
 
Sheila
Sheila (HayleysMom)
2 years ago
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Hurray for California and hopefully many other states will soon follow suit. There are many veteranarians that have already chosen not to do this mutilation to our beloved pets - we need many, many more to follow that lead
 
Missy
Missy (MissyW)
2 years ago
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I feel that if you want your cat declawed you should be able to. My cat is declawed and I would have it no other way. I also have a small child and who adores our cat and probably wouldn't if he still had his claws. We also have a large dog, the cat and the dog play all the time and if the cat has had enough of the dog he just swats his nose and thats that. Cats are not awake when they are declawed and they are given pain medication after the declawing, it doesn't take that long for them to heal after surgery especially now with it being done by lasers.
 
emo
emo
2 years ago
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It is totally wrong. Our vet offers caps that can be put on the cat without any surgery. Any time you have to sedate an animal it is risky. I don't think it should be done for something that is ultimately a cosmetic type surgery. If the animal were ever to get outside their life would be in danger as they couldn't defend themselves or climb to escape. Yay for the ban.
 
Rebah55
Rebah55
2 years ago
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I use to have my cats declawed. I hated what the cats would do to my furniture. Then I saw first hand what a cat goes threw when it is declawed and it would be like someone removing your fingernails at the first joint in your finger. And I think that is inhuman to do that to an animal. I don't have any inside cats now, but if I had I would not get them declawed.
 
fugi
fugi
2 years ago
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declawing a cat not only is wrong but it causes life long problems they will bite and they will not want to use the litter box because it hurts them in the long run they are way meaner
 
nicepets
nicepets
2 years ago
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This is a form of discrimination towards people who are within their rights to alter their animal to fit their living needs. This is not a cruel or inhumane alteration, just like spay or neutering, which is also a form of amputation if you want to look at it that way.
 
fergiep
fergiep
2 years ago
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Would Doctors be allowed to cut off the first knuckle of a child becasue the parent didn't want the kid to ruin the furniture?
 
kedoran
kedoran
2 years ago
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I believe this is an excellent law. To me, declawing a cat would be like removing the entire first knuckle of a human. The shelter I work at has a clause in the adoption contract which does not allow any of our cats to be declawed. I am content to cap or trim my kitten's nails, it's just as effective to prevent clawing and doesn't cause any discomfort.
 
Kelly C.
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Good For the California Supreme Court! California is the leader in the fight against animal cruelty. Our shelter used to allow declawing of cats until a vet showed us the video of seeing it done. Then we took a survey to see how many cats being surrendered for biting were declawed. It was almost 70%!
 
cheryle
cheryle
2 years ago
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Finally, someone is coming to their senses. If it takes passing a bill to prevent cats from being declawed then I would vote for it in a moment.
Cats need there claws for protection as well as grooming.
I fully support this bill
Yeah for California
 
Julie B.
Julie B. (moxywonder)
2 years ago
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Declawing is considered animal cruelty in many countries around the world and I won't be sad if it happens here. I personally wouldn't want the top knuckle of my fingers and toes removed, so why would I do that to my pets? Declawing is a sick reminder that people value thier possessions over the health of thier pets.
 
adrienne n.
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Ok..Now.. This IS from experience. I used to declaw ALL my cats.. Now I DO NOT. I worked in a shelter for more then 4 years and Did a persian cat rescue for more then 6. I see the cats come in at a certain age and with the same problems. So i did my research. what i have concluded is when they get declawed it cuts the ends of fingers off.. and like us humans if we have an injury or arthritis what happens.. it hurts to use the limbs/parts etc. well cats have to step on rocks to pee right.. if they have arthritis in there hands..wouldnt you think that hurts.. well thats my opinion and i think that is part of what happens to older cats that are declawed and get dumped off with me for not using the litter all the time...
 
mwhaley
mwhaley
2 years ago
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I think it is cruel-even with pain meds and drugs can you imagine having this done to you???
 
Sarah
Sarah
2 years ago
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Working at a shelter I have seen many declawed cats come through our doors. Most tend to be either: over aggressive and borderline feral or very shy and so timid they can't eat or drink or even use the litter box. It's one thing to be in a completely different area but it's a whole other game to be without a decent weapon. Think about it. They have had claws far long before we were even prominent why take away what has been apart of them for nearly a millennia? It's really selfish should you stop to think about it. Yes cats tend to claw up couches but that's just their nature. Dogs dig so how about we set up an operation to remove their claws? And they tend to follow you everywhere too. How annoying. Let's take off their legs while we are at it. We'll be on a roll.

There are many ways to stop a cat from clawing up precious furniture: cat trees, scratching posts ect. Any person with a brain can look up such things. It's not rocket science.

I'm glad they are banning this horrible mistreatment of animals. And any one who objects should get their fingers removed. Let's see how much fun they have then.

Want an animal that won't destroy furniture? I'm sure they have plenty in the toys department.
 
tignpooh26
tignpooh26
2 years ago
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I do not think declawing is cruel and it should not be banned. If the vet performs the surgeries properly and gives the cat pain meds, they do just fine.
 
beaglelover
beaglelover
2 years ago
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I do not believe in declawing cats. I think it is inhumane and cruel! I am glad that one state was able to ban it. I hope the rest of the US gets the message!
 
hhaf
hhaf
2 years ago
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In my opinion the issue of banning declawing will stand in the way of many cats finding loving homes. Do we want to sentence even more homeless cats to a life in a shelter or the gas chamber rather than be open minded about this issue. This issue should be dealt with between a knowledge licensed vet and the pets owner.
 
Nathan
Nathan (bellna7734)
2 years ago
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My mother works in a vet's office, and she hates declawing. We don't do it on any of our animals.
 
CatLover501
CatLover501
2 years ago
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This topic I beleive is more owner's choice, though I personally wouldn't have it done, and certainly not to any cat over six months. After that age I feel it would just be too painful for them to tolerate, even with pain meds. I mean, if you got all the toes on your feet amputated, would you want to walk around hours after the surgery even with pain meds? Plus there's the fact that declawing can cause a cat's paws to become extremely sensitive, and they can at times have adverse reactions to cat litter causing them to actually stop using the litter box. The one cat that I do have at this time is declawed, but only because I was living with my parents when I got him as a kitten. Their house their rules. He'll be the only declawed cat I'll ever have, and he was just about six months when he got done.
 
Christina
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Im glad that California put a ban on declawing. Not only does it cause the cat a massive amount of pain, but it also takes away the cats way to defend there selves. Declawing should be banned in every state, not just California. If a person wants there cat not to scratch of there house then get a scratching post or put caps on there nails.
 
Jim M.
Jim M. (jmonheim)
2 years ago
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they make a item that goes over cats nails called soft claws that is a inexpensive painless way to declawing and still alows the cats it natural ability to scratch with out any damage to furniture
 
samantha h.
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wow that's intresting
 
MellyBelly
MellyBelly
2 years ago
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If you wouldn't want your nails to be plucked out one by one, don't do it to your cat. Just like we need our nails, they need their claws. It's cruel to take something like that away just because it's the easiest way out of scratches and furniture markings.
 
Justine
Justine
2 years ago
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Declawing in only for those people who can't handle a water sprayer or are too lazy to. Just because you're sleeping when someone cuts the tips of your fingers off doesn't mean its okay. Would you like it if someone did this to you because it was more convenient? Go California!
 
grace32
grace32
2 years ago
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i think its good and bad. many people like to get their cats declawed beause of scratching up furniture, especially indoor cats. but i think that cats shouldnt get declawed because god made them with claws and he did it for a reason.
 
eddyg1982
eddyg1982
2 years ago
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i dont think that it is a bad thing, if it is done young enough and by the right clinic it can be a simple procedure.
 
libeaches
libeaches
2 years ago
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declawing is cruel.
 
doggirl041
doggirl041
2 years ago
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I think if you want the cat declawed it should be done at a young age not when its an adult.
 
jsmosier
jsmosier
2 years ago
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Another point to be made is that it taking away that defense only increases biting. We have had cats come into the shelter that are declawed that are bad at biting. Some of the cats with the worst attitudes have been the declawed cats. Well if you cut the ends of my fingers off I'd probably bite you too!
 
jsmosier
jsmosier
2 years ago
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Personally I think declawing is cruel. If God did not want them to have claws he wouldn't have made them that way. I can understand why people want a indoor cat declawed but I just can't do it to any of my cats. I'll just put up with the claw marks. There is a new laser procedure for declawing that is much less painful for them, maybe more vets need to check into that. As far as banning it, how many cats wouldn't get a home because they couldn't be declawed? That would just cause more cats in animal shelters that are already crowded with them. I would rather see a cat declawed that have to be euthanized.
 
Coyote
Coyote
2 years ago
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I can see the pros and cons of declawing indoor cats. On one hand, your furniture is protected but on the other, a part of an animal is being removed. My cat was already front declawed when I adopted him, so the choice was thankfully not mine to make. I probably would not be able to make the decision. So, I personally would not do it to a cat but I completely understand why people do and respect thier choice.
Every jurisdiction should have the right to allow declawing or to ban it. It's no different than any other decision.
 
abby
abby
2 years ago
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I believe that declawing a cat isnt wrong at all as long as it is going to be a inside cat. I think that however it does need to be done when the cat it a kitten and not when it is any older. But otherwise why not.
 
Bepirett
Bepirett
2 years ago
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Does not seem like the right thing to do. They do start to bite if they are declawed. I've seen declawed cats at the shelter I volunteer at and they do bite. That's there last means of defense.
 
Roguesqdldr
Roguesqdldr
2 years ago
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While I personally do not support nor care for declawing and would never do it to my pets, I think that making it a law is a bit radical. It seems like cats have almost become and epidemic. At the shelter I work at we turn away about 3 cats a day (our towns population is 45,000 and there are two shelters). We have over 50 kittens in foster care. If declawing allows just one more cat to find a home, then so be it.
 
dlover60
dlover60
2 years ago
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I believe that pet owners should be able to decide what they do. I personally would never declaw my cats, but I also volunteer at an animal shelter and see how many cats are brought in because they are destroying furniture. Shelters are so overcrowded with cats, that many are euthanized. I believe if it comes down to a loving owner that has to decide between declawing or giving up their pet to a shelter, then I say declaw it and keep the pet in its home. The owners must do their research before having the procedure done, as not all vets are created equal. Do not bargin shop for major surgeries!

The more regulations that are passed, the less people will be able to do to for their pets. Spaying/nuetering has pain associated with it too as does any surgery! When a good vet does it, they manage the pain with pain medication, but not all vets do this and that is where the problem lies, not with the procedure. Now you will find people trying to do it themselves, which will lead to more issues than have vets do it. Let pet owners decide.

Personally, properly placed cat furniture in various shapes, sizes and textures has worked to give my four cats some place suitable to mark their territory. Most people will get one piece and put it it a corner. This is not typically the areas that the cat is concerned with mark/scratching. Get the cat furniture out of the corner and get more than one! But if push comes to shove, do what you need to keep your cats out of the shelter systems!
 
calicolover
calicolover
2 years ago
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I think declawing cats is not right at all. It is a very painful process and can cause other problems along the road. ex: not using the litter box. It is a 50/50 thing, would you rather teach them to not tear your stuff up, or have them poop and pee on your floor. I think declawing is an act of animal cruelty. I have never once declawed any of my cats, and they have all done just fine in the process of learning not to tear my furniture, floor, ect. up.
 
Cornbread1106
Cornbread1106
2 years ago
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I think they should be declawed
 
Tim
Tim
2 years ago
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Thats wrong
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