A proposed bill that would ban the cruel (but currently legal) act of declawing cats in the City and County of Denver is picking up steam.
To some of us, declawing is an unnecessary and harmful amputation. To many others, it’s a requirement before they’ll bring a cat into their home. And while this always heated debate will probably continue for a long time, Denver veterinarian Aubrey Lavizzo will present a proposal authored by Denver Councilwoman Kendra BlackDenver veterinarian Aubrey Lavizzo will present a proposal authored by Denver Councilwoman Kendra Black during Wednesday’s Safety, Housing, Education, and Homelessness committee meeting at 10:30 a.m. If adopted, the measure would make it illegal to declaw cats in Denver and would be effective immediately.
To be clear, The Catington Post is a strong advocate against declawing. It’s a painful amputation of a cat’s knuckles – not simply removing claws, as many people still believe. It’s a procedure that’s extremely painful and can have lasting, even lifelong, emotional and physical effects on a cat, whose very nature is to use his claws.
Lawmakers in New Jersey and New York have recently been trying to get similar bans passed on a state-wide level. California cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco, Burbank, Santa Monica, Berkeley, Beverly Hills and Culver City have enacted declaw bans but so far there is no state-wide ban in the United States. Declawing is already illegal or considered extremely inhumane in many other countries, including most of Europe and Australia.
Would you support a similar ban in your city?
