California Residents: Support a Bill to Ban Declawing

This action is ONLY for residents of California

Cat on a deck

The California Senate Business, Professions and Economic Development Committee is considering a bill, SB 585, that would prohibit the declawing of cats throughout the state. Please ask your state senator to support this bill and Keep Cats’ Claws on Their Paws!

Declaw surgery is not a nail trim, but a surgical amputation of the last joints of a cat’s toes. The procedure is almost always nontherapeutic, meaning it has no medical benefit to the cat. Claws are a very important part of a cat’s anatomy, so declawed cats cannot perform many of their everyday behaviors, can feel unsafe without their natural protection, and can experience issues with walking and balancing. The pain and discomfort caused by declaw surgery can lead to permanent physical and mental harm.

Ask your state senator to support SB 585 to protect cats from declawing in California.

Title

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

Address 1

City

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ZIP Postal Code

Dear {contact_data~title} {contact_data~firstName},

As a resident of California, I am writing to urge you to protect the health and wellbeing of cats throughout our state by voting in favor of Senate Bill 585. If enacted into law, SB 585 would prohibit declawing, a painful procedure that involves the surgical amputation of the last joints of an animal's toes, in a manner that is virtually always nontherapeutic.

Cats rely on their paws, including their claws, for their everyday behavioral and grooming needs. Their claws help them to protect and defend themselves, and scratching removes dead nail sheaths and stretches and strengthens their muscles. Declawing cats to address unwanted scratching behavior hinders these natural behaviors, and can cause trauma, chronic pain, and lifelong damage.

Side effects from declawing can include hemorrhaging, paw pad lacerations, swelling, radial nerve damage, lameness, infections, and chronic pain. Cats who suffer from these side effects may develop behavioral issues such as aggression, biting, and urinating outside the litter box. It is these behaviors that are the most common reasons cited for relinquishment of cats into shelters, rather than scratching behavior.

Additionally, humane alternatives to declaw surgery are widely available, including scratching posts, spray deterrents, and nail caps. There is no need for a nontherapeutic surgery that can cause permanent physical and mental harm to cats.

These are all reasons laws and policies to ban declawing have been adopted worldwide. Policymakers in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, Berkeley, Culver City, Burbank and West Hollywood, New York state, seven Canadian provinces and at least 42 countries have passed legislation to outlaw declawing cats and other animals. Several veterinary associations and hospital groups have also taken action against the practice.

I want the entire state of California to exhibit the compassion and forward-thinking values that have already been demonstrated in so many of our cities. I ask you to support SB 585 to prohibit declaw surgery.

Kind regards,
{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}
{user_data~Address 1}, {user_data~ZIP Postal Code}