Malibu California Rejects Pending Declaw Ban

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| Print | By Jo Singer | October 14, 2009 10:43 AM

To say that those of us who passionately abhor the practice of declawing cats are disappointed by the decision that the City of Malibu, California made yesterday, Monday October 12, with their vote against a motion for a citywide ban on declawing cats, is a huge understatement. Numerous people sent emails, letters and faxes imploring the City Council to support a ban, following in the footsteps of the West Hollywood, California's pioneer and courageous ban which is in place, as it is in over 37 countries around the world as it is considered cruelty to animals.

Since cats need their claws to be able to balance, stretch and mark their territories, and is of course their first line of defense, depriving them of their claws can have serious and painful implications, with many declawed cats refusing to use litter boxes, resort to biting, and often end up surrendered to shelters where they are considered unadoptable. The USDA has already banned the practice of declawing big cats in the United States.

Dr. Mark Nunez, President of the California Veterinary Medical Association, (CVMA) and Dr. Timothy Metzger, President of the Southern California Veterinary Medical Association, (SCVMA) and other CVMA members travelled to Malibu to testify at the meeting held in the evening. Dr. Dana DePerno, and Dr. Lisa Newell from Malibu testified against the pending declaw ordinance by saying that they only perform the procedure as a last resort.

Dr Nunez said, "We do not want to see cats declawed routinely. We do believe that it is an option of last resort. We believe that this should be a decision between a cat owner and their veterinarian. The decision should be made by the professionals; it should not be made in the City Council chambers."

Council Member and Mayor Pro Tem, Sharon Barovsky disputed information provided by the people who were proposing the ban. She claimed that the research she had undertaken in regard to the declaw bans that already exist in many European countries proved to be not true.

What is most disturbing about her statement is in fact, that in the United Kingdom declawing was outlawed by the Animal Welfare Act of 2006 which clearly prohibits ""interference with the sensitive tissues or bone structure of the animal, otherwise than for the purposes of its medical treatment". Declawing was extremely uncommon even before the 2006 Act and many people had never seen a cat that had been declawed.

Most British veterinarians consider the practice inhumane and refuse to perform the surgery unless there is a compelling medical reason. In the Guide to Professional Conduct of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, regarding declawing it is stated that it is " "only acceptable where, in the opinion of the veterinary surgeon, injury to the animal is likely to occur during normal activity. It is not acceptable if carried out for the convenience of the owner ... the removal of claws, particularly those which are weight bearing, to preclude damage to furnishings is not acceptable."

Additionally, Finland, Estonia, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland are other European countries where declawing cats for non-medical reasons is always illegal under their laws against cruelty to animals.

While the CVMA's stand on declawing states that any medical decision should be made between the veterinarian and client, and that veterinarians must provide education and counsel to clients on all medical procedures that the "unintended consequences of cat declaw bans will be cat relinquishment and euthanasia"

In fact many declawed cats are routinely surrendered to shelters due to unacceptable behavior, and healthy young cats are frequently euthanized. Visit http://www.thecattherapist.com/dont_declaw.htm for more information.

SB 762, the bill which prohibits cities and counties from passing ordinances that ban medical procedures that are already legal statewide, was sponsored by the CVMA in 2009. However there are a few remaining California cities still considering passing an ordinance to ban the practice of declawing cats and must do so before the 1/01/2010 deadline.

These cities are Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Santa Monica
With such a wide variety of alternatives to declawing available today, such as rough textured scratching posts and cat trees and plastic covers for claws, I find it difficult to understand Malibu's very disappointing decision.

What is your opinion on the results of the Malibu failure to pass the declaw ordinance? Leave a comment and share.

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Michelle October 14, 2009 11:21 AM

Disgusting. A huge disappointment.

SuziQ October 14, 2009 11:50 AM

My heart is just broken . I fully understand what happens to cats as a result of declawing. My dads cat couldn't even be touched without getting bitten. Sad sad sad is all I can say. And shame on the person who does such a horrible cruel thing as declawing their cats!

Michele_Cat_Cyprus October 14, 2009 11:57 AM

I am bitterly disappointed that they did not vote in favour of banning it. How many more cats are going to be mutilated before the AVMA stop turning a blind-eye to the fact that is a form of animal cruelty?

Thank you also for exposing the falsehood perpetrated by Ms Barovsky that declawing is not banned in the UK or Europe. I have already written to her personally taking her to task about this and provided her with the relevant legislation.

Barbara in England October 14, 2009 12:28 PM

This result is so wrong, despite what the CVMA might like to think declawing is practised routinely and even advertised openly on veterinary practice websites. If declawing was really a last option then obviously it would seldom be performed, whereas we all know it happens daily and a large number of cats and kittens are being mutilated for owner convenience with no dialogue between owner and vet except how soon can it be done and how much does it cost. The repercussions of this decision will affect hundreds of thousands of cat and a large percentage of those cats, deliberately disabled, will end up being dumped or surrendered to shelters. It is a crying shame and a disgrace for Malibu.

Paula October 14, 2009 1:19 PM

I applaud the Malibu Council. They were the first council to actually take the time to learn THE FACTS. They researched the literature, they reviewed the position statements of all of the major animal welfare agencies, and they thought through the unintended consequences.

They had the courage to question the "expert" testimony and felt that they were being misled and that the data was being manipulated to appeal to emotional, not factual reasons.

The Council refused to be bulldozed by misinformation and made a decision that they and many others believe will save many lives.

Ruth from England October 14, 2009 1:53 PM

Paula you've got that so wrong !!! The council relied on advocates against declawing to give them information,but the all powerful CVMA set out to have their own way come what may !!! some excerpts from correspondence between Andy Stern and a person requesting him to vote for a ban prove this.
His first reply to her .....
From: AndyStern1@
> > Subject: Re: Declawing of cats - please vote to ban it
Date: Sunday, 11 October, 2009, 4:00 PM
Please provide specific proof of your position. Thank you.
Her reply to him....
Thankyou for taking the time to reply.
You dont need proof from me. All the research you will have done on the topic prior to making an objective, informed vote will be proof enough.
His second reply to her.....
From: AndyStern1@aol.com
Subject: Re: Declawing of cats - please vote to ban it
Date: Sunday, 11 October, 2009, 4:30 PM
Not so.You are asking that I vote on your position. Please be specific with respect to your support. I do not do the research. That is the advocate's job.

Note..he wrote I DO NOT DO THE RESEARCH !!!!!!
Lives will be lost not saved, because the people who can oh so easily have their cats declawed do NOT love cats and as soon as the problems which arise from the declawing begin, the cat will be thrown out or sent to a Rescue Shelter and be virtually unrehomeable.
It's all about making money and not about the welfare of cats !

Vicki October 14, 2009 2:39 PM

What a terrible disappointment. I just can't believe that they didn't pass this. Maybe they should be better educated inorder to make a better decision.

jmuhj October 14, 2009 3:35 PM

Perhaps we should think about banning the AVMA. They have been so counterproductive over the years, and compassion for animals is clearly NOT their top priority.

As for Malibu, I'm simply *SPEECHLESS*

Edward October 15, 2009 2:11 AM

A lot of people put a lot of hard work into this and all for nothing because the AVMA are so almighty and the CVMA set out to have their own way. It is bad that a cruel operation which is banned in many other countries is done every day to innocent kittens and cats cos some people don't think they can feel pain and fear.I'm gutted man.

Sue from UK October 15, 2009 5:49 AM

In my opinion it is all about politics. The council and the CVMA and the AVMA too come to that, had gathered together to stop this proposed ban succeeeding.The world needs to know of the corruption which is going on.How many more cats are going to suffer by having their very essential claws removed ?The AVMA do not educate people,they are too busy being in love with power and money.
I was shocked to find out that the council did no research before such a very important decision!

Mel October 15, 2009 12:41 PM

This is not about the CVMA or AVMA. It's not even about cats! This action is about citizen's rights and government interference! Thanks to the council that decided this is not an area that government needs to stick its' nose in! Do you want to stop cat owners from having their cats declawed? Put together a campaign to educate the public! Don't expect government to do everything for you.

realitycheck October 15, 2009 12:43 PM

I've had clawed and declawed cats both over the years and have seen NO differences in their behavior or enjoyment of life. Sometimes declawing a cat can prevent it from losing its home. You see very few declawed cats in shelters so the statement that they end up in shelters is bogus. The decision should be between a vet and the client, not a new law!

George October 15, 2009 1:26 PM

Declawing should remain an option of last resort. I don't like that so many Vets treat it as a routine procedure. It often seems like they put profits ahead of the welfare of the cat. But there are circumstances, such as immune compromised owners, where declawing is a necessary evil. To ban all declawing is just as bad as to declaw routinely. Medical or Veerinary decisions should not be based on political absolutes. It should be done as an informed decision between Vet and owner and only when necessary. But it needs to remain an option. Politcs should not override proper treatment.

Jenifer, RVT October 16, 2009 12:33 PM

Sometimes it takes your own personal experience to form an opinion on this topic:

My sister adopted a DLH Orange Tabby 'Rufus' from the shelter; he came already all-four declawed. I lived with her while I was in college. In a few months I noticed he was limping, but not always the same leg. One night while I was petting him I was playing with his feet and I noticed his toe pads felt hard, right in the center, and it seemed painful to him. I was in school at the time, studying to be a Veterinarian Technician, so fortunately I was able 'practice' doing an x-ray on him. What we found was that all of his claws were growing back, right thru his toe pads. At the time, the only answer was surgery on each toe to go back in and 'fix' what was done wrong in the first place. Even then, there was no guarantee that he wouldn't be in pain after.

I now have 5 male, neutered, NOT declawed cats living with me. Amazingly enough, if you take the time to train your cat, yes I said it, 'train you cat' to use scratching posts (lay them flat on the ground so they are less likely to confusing standing on their back legs to scratch the post vs. scratching the side of the couch) use positive reinforcement, etc....it can work out. Don't get me wrong, they still get that look in their eye, their ears lay flat back and they attack the stairs, but hey, they aren't in pain! And they still use the litter box and don't have behavior issues.. :-)

Kat November 24, 2009 10:17 PM

I rescue cats, never wanted to declaw...then ended up saving them from death row (the shelter) and trapping them in the wild. It just makes me sick...it should be banned everywhere!!!! Those vets against the ban should not be doctors...they are not looking out for the welfare of the cats...they just want their money. Shame on them!!!

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