Israel Bans Declawing … Take Action to Ask Your Representatives the Same: Sample Letter

FROM COALITION TO PROTECT AND RESCUE PETS
CONTACT: CPRPets@aol.com

This cat is lame as a result of declawing. Declawing is amputation, not a manicure.

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On Monday, the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) banned declawing nationwide except for rare cases of medical necessity. Penalties are stiff: jail time of up to a year or a fine of 75,000 shekels. This humane action will spare cats untold suffering, including lifelong, chronic pain.

The legislation was backed by a wide coalition of political parties, sponsored by Knesset members Eitan Cabel, Yoel Hasson, Dov Khenin and Nitzan Horowitz.

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THE TRUTH ABOUT DECLAWING

Conventional declawing is actually amputation of the last bone of each toe. It’s the same as having your fingers cut off at the last knuckle. Using laser is not more humane; it’s just more expensive.

Tenectomy (tendonectomy) severs the tendons that extend the toes so the claws can’t retract; they’re useless to the cat. The incidence of bleeding, lameness and infection is similar to that of conventional declawing. And because tenectomy leaves cats unable to maintain their claws, they’ll grow into the paw pads causing infection and extreme pain if a human doesn’t continually trim them. The irony is, trimming claws routinely makes declawing and tenectomy unnecessary in the first place!

Veterinary specialists say declawing is among the most excruciating procedures a cat can undergo. “Watching a cat wake up after declawing is horrible. Some throw themselves against the walls of their cages as if trying to escape the pain; others roll up in a ball, as anguished as if they’d been hit by a car,” says Dr. Jennifer Conrad, DVM, founder, The Paw Project. And cats can suffer the rest of their lives from chronic infection, atrophied paw pads that expose the remaining bone, and chronic muscle and joint pain.

Take Action! Tell Congress: It’s high time the United States followed suit. Find your elected officials and send them a letter.


WHOM TO CONTACT

Find your lawmakers and send them all a letter at the same time HERE


SAMPLE LETTER | COURTESY KINSHIP CIRCLE

Dear Representative and Senators,

Please consider enacting a ban on declawing of cats in your represented constituencies. Declawing is illegal or restricted in over 20 countries, including the United Kingdom and Canada. Cities such as San Francisco, West Hollywood, and Norfolk, Virginia, ban declawing — while Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, Berkeley, Malibu, and Santa Monica are evaluating similar legislation. The Humane Society of the U.S. and ASPCA oppose declawing. The Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons rejects the operation, describing it as “mutilation.”

Overwhelming evidence shows declawing causes severe behavioral problems that often lead guardians to abandon their animals in overcrowded shelters. Undesirable behavior in 33% of declawed cats begins post-procedure, according to a 2001 study in the Journal of the American Veterinary Medicine Association (JAVMA). National shelter surveys reveal that 70-80% of cats surrendered for offensive behavior are declawed.

Cats with intact claws are surrendered for reasons such as “moving” or “new baby,” whereas declawed felines enter shelters with behavioral issues like biting or not using the litter box, claims shelter director William Lombardi of Gloucester County, New Jersey. For the estimated 70% of declawed cats who are euthanized, the surgery is a death sentence.

Moreover, declawing generates suffering and permanent disability. The invasive procedure amputates not only the claw, but also the entire last “knuckle” of a cat’s toes. Veterinary experts recognize laser or scalpel declawing as among the most painful surgeries routinely performed.

Please make your communities more humane towards our companion animals and make progressive efforts to begin a  ban on declawing in the United States.

Thank you very much,

NAME



SEE MORE: COMPANION ANIMALS

the cat says:

you have your nails
i want my claws
to the great nation
of israel
a round of
a-paws♥

Karen Lyons Kalmenson