Rhode Island Residents: Help us End Cat Declawing

Rhode Island Residents: Support the Bill to Ban Declawing

This action is ONLY for residents of Rhode Island

The Rhode Island legislature is considering a bill, HB 5616, that would prohibit the declawing of cats throughout the state. Please ask your state representative to support this bill in the House and ask your state senator to support it when it arrives in the Senate.

Declaw surgery is not a nail trim, but a surgical amputation of the last joints of a cat’s toes that is almost always nontherapeutic, meaning it has no medical benefit to the cat. Without their claws, cats can’t perform many of their natural 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 legislators to support HB 5616 to protect cats from declawing in Rhode Island.

Title

First Name

Last Name

Email Address

Address 1

City

State

ZIP Postal Code

Dear {contact_data~positionHeld} {contact_data~firstName} {contact_data~lastName}:

As a resident of Rhode Island, I am writing to urge you to protect the health and wellbeing of cats throughout our state by voting in favor of House Bill 5616, “An Act Relating to Animals and Animal Husbandry – Cruelty to Animals.” If enacted into law, HB 5616 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. New York state, 11 major U.S. cities, 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 Rhode Island to exhibit the compassion and values that New York state and other communities have already shown by prohibiting declaw surgery. I ask you to support HB 5616 to keep cats' claws on their paws.

Kind regards,
{user_data~First Name} {user_data~Last Name}