I never thought that I would ever be embarrassed to say I lived in Malibu. Lately, while traveling, I sidestepped questions about where I lived, especially when I encountered an animal rescuer/activist. Recently, various cities in Los Angeles County have been passing laws to support a ban on declawing cats. Declawing isn’t merely the removal of a cat’s claws, as the term “declawing” implies, but a series of extremely painful amputations that cause physical and psychological trauma.
The last bone of each of the ten front toes of a cat’s paw is removed, and tendons, nerves and muscles that enable normal function and movement of the paw are severed. An analogy in human terms would be cutting off each finger at the last joint. As alternatives to declawing exist, there is no reason for anyone to declaw a cat.
So while Malibu pretends to be such a “green” city, ready to fight the Regional Water Board over septic tank issues, and applauds itself for banning plastic bags, some smoking and commencing the building a water treatment facility, its council members think up lame excuses to not pass the ban, always forgetting that there are animal rescuers who will keep an eye on all the vets to make sure they adhere to the declaw ban (ready to turn them in!) and the many cat rescuers who focus on finding homes especially for declawed cats.
Declawing is illegal in many countries around the world because it is regarded as inhumane.
Malibu hired a public relations firm to improve its image but it neglects to see how not passing this ban has affected the image of Malibu drastically. Those I encountered on my travels look at Malibu as a joke and commented that when one drives from Malibu Canyon down Pacific Coast Highway toward the Colony Shopping Center, how the stench is overwhelming.
Malibu is still fighting septic issues. Maybe this brings a new meaning to the phrase “the filthy rich.” Let’s rephrase it-“the filthy inhumane rich.”
Sandra Rosenthal