As a veterinarian, I am pleased that Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Berkeley, Beverly Hills, and other cities across California are joining West Hollywood in voting on ordinances to outlaw declawing cats, a barbaric practice that is performed for the convenience of a person and never for the benefit of the cat.
Declawing is a severely painful procedure that involves amputating a cat’s claws, bones, and cartilage. It scars many cats for life, both physically and emotionally. Many of the rescue groups I work with have language in their adoption contracts that prohibits potential adopters from declawing a cat because they know that declawed cats bite more and use the litter box less. This is why declawed cats lose their homes more often than cats with their claws.
There is no need to sacrifice cats’ claws to save the couch. Twice-monthly nail trims, providing plenty of scratching posts, and temporarily covering furniture with plastic or double-sided tape until the cat learns to scratch in appropriate places will humanely and effectively discourage scratching. I am grateful to the mayors and city council members of these municipalities who have enacted these bans on declawing cats. They have chosen the most compassionate action.
Jennifer Conrad, DVM