New York Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) and New York state Senator Joseph A. Griffo (R-Oneida County) have introduced legislation to the New York state assembly for the third straight year. The bills would impose a state-wide ban on the practice of declawing cats, except in cases in which it's medically necessary for the cat.
Declawing may seem like a minor, innocuous procedure, but it's not. Many animal medical experts say it's essentially amputation of the first joint on each toe of a cat's front paws. A veterinarian amputates most or all of the last bone of each toe on the front paws with a guillotine-type cutter, scalpel or laser. Nearly 50 percent of the time, this surgery results in significant negative health consequences for the cat.
People do it because they don't want their cat scratching up their furniture or they're worried about people in their household being scratched. Neither of those concerns justifies the cruelty inherent in this procedure.
Please help urge New York's lawmakers to pass this legislation this time around. There's no good reason to allow the inhumane practice of declawing to continue, particularly when so many people use thoughtlessly use it as a convenience.
Dear New York Lawmakers:
Those who have signed this petition, like many other members of the public, are contacting you today to encourage you to pass A.595 and S.3376, bills which would make declawing cats illegal in the state of New York and punishable by a fine of $1,000.
Declawing may seem like a minor, innocuous procedure, but it's not. Many animal medical experts say it's essentially amputation of the first joint on each toe of a cat's front paws. A veterinarian amputates most or all of the last bone of each toe on the front paws with a guillotine-type cutter, scalpel or laser. Nearly 50 percent of the time, this surgery results in significant negative health consequences for the cat.
Twenty percent of the time, cats suffer long-term negative effects like paw pain, paw pad atrophy, tissue death, bleeding, arthritis and loss of balance. Cats can never fully stretch their toes again. Some cats even experience painful regrowth of a claw inside the paw, where it can't be seen.
We applaud Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) and New York state Senator Joseph A. Griffo (R-Oneida County) for introducing these bills to the Assembly and the Senate this term. We submit our signatures to this petition to urge you to vote to make declawing illegal in New York. Cruelty is always wrong.
We thank you for giving this matter the attention it deserves.
