Inhumane Practice of Cat Declawing Is About to Be Illegal in Virginia
Gov. Glenn Youngkin signed a bill that states veterinarians will not be allowed to declaw cats in Virginia starting in July. This should be fantastic news and reason to celebrate. But the bill has two great big caveats that makes this new law not as big of a win for cats and the people who love them who think declawing is unnecessary and inhumane.
The pending law has two exceptions that put a damper on this new law.
WRIC reports:
The pending law has exceptions that include:
To address an existing or recurring infection, disease, injury or abnormal condition in an animal’s claw, nail bed or toe bone that jeopardizes the animal’s health, and for which addressing the infection, disease, injury or abnormal condition is a medical necessity, as documented by a licensed veterinarian - or-
To protect the owner’s life or health, as documented by a licensed physician, when such owner has been diagnosed with an infection, disease, disorder or similar condition that could reasonably be expected to worsen if such owner were to be scratched by a cat.
Related: Cruel Practice of Declawing Cats Just Became Illegal in Another State
The Paw Project Founder and Director Dr. Jennifer Conrad is quoted as saying, "The original version of the bill was good and would have made Virginia the third US state to ban declawing. Unfortunately, the Virginia Veterinary Medical Association was able to introduce an amendment that ignores current scientific evidence and guts the original intent of the bill. We hope that this law can be fixed to really protect cats and that lawmakers in other cities and states do not fall for bad science."
States were declawing is illegal are New York and Maryland. States that have cities with jurisdictional bans include Los Angeles, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Madison, West Hollywood, Austin, Denver, Beverly Hills, and Berkeley.
Alternatives To Declawing Your Cat
The Humane Society of the United States explains that declawing can cause paw pain, back pain, infection, tissue necrosis (tissue death) and lameness. Removing claws changes the way a cat's feet meet the ground and can cause pain like wearing an uncomfortable pair of shoes. Improperly removed claws can regrow, causing nerve damage and bone spurs.
Your vet or pet groomer should be able to trim your cat's nails for free or for a nominal fee during an appointment. You can trim your cat's nails yourself using a pair of special nail clippers. Pick a time when your cat is calm and relaxed (After a nap is great) and make sure you reward them with plenty of treats.
Supply your cat with plenty of cat scratching posts or cardboard cat scratching mats so they can indulge in their natural instinct to scratch.
You can also use things like nail covers to make it so their nails aren't sharp, thus saving your upholstery.
If you absolutely must have a declawed cat, get a previously owned one. There are plenty of declawed cats at your local Humane Society or animal shelter.
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