Declawing: Disclose and Wait

Your signature on this petition will help put a stop to an inhumane and cruel procedure which is routinely performed on cats with no disclosure of the nature of the surgery to the cats' owners.

To our Honorable State Legislators:

We, the undersigned, agree that the surgical act of declawing a cat (amputation of the toes below the third distal member) is an inhumane procedure which is rarely done for the benefit of the cat. Indeed, many veterinarians refuse altogether to perform this surgery, and at least one veterinary association actively advocates against its use. Declawing is illegal in England, Japan, Australia, and many European countries.

It is also our belief that most cat owners would NOT have this "routine" surgery performed if they knew the details of the procedure along with the possible long-term physical and psychological effects.

The intent of this petition is to request legislation be introduced on the State level, in which an owner would be required to review certain educational material, along with a three-day waiting period before a veterinarian could legally perform the declawing procedure. Such legislation would require veterinarians to disclose in writing the following facts about declawing:

1) The exact nature of the procedure: how the surgery is performed. (Ideally, the written disclosure would be accompanied by a video, but lacking that, color photographs should be included.)

2) The pain factor: both short and long-term

3) The possible physical downside (crippling, infection, regrowth)

4) The potential psychological and behavioral effects on the cat

5) The need for keeping declawed cats indoors permanently, as the loss of their claws permanently deprives them of their major source of protection.

5) All of the humane alternatives (training, scratching posts, clipping claws, Soft Paws

The owner of the cat would be required to read the material at home and view the video (if supplied) during a mandatory three-day waiting period. If the owner still wanted the surgery to be performed, a written release would be required at the end of the three days.

Respectfully submitted by the undersigned: