Great News! The city of Tacoma, Washington, has banned declawing!
Tacoma joins several other civilized, forward-thinking U.S. cities and almost 40 countries in recognizing that declawing cats is nothing less than intentional mutilation.
Declawing does not just harmlessly cut the cat's "nails.”
Instead, it is the severe version of "cutting off their claws.”
Declawing is the physical amputation of the entire last bone on each toe.
If we did the exact same thing to you, we would cut off the last knuckle on all ten of your fingers. We would mutilate all of your fingers forever.
Now that their claws have been cut off, they can no longer defend themselves properly.
Because they can no longer defend themselves with their claws, cats often turn into "biters" – biting everything and everybody – bites which often require people to take a trip to the emergency room.
But first, imagine the intense pain endured, right after the mutilation surgery. It's not just about the wounds from the amputations, it's about pain suffered every single step your cat tries to take to move anywhere.
Every time they try to walk, jump, or even use the litter box, they feel pain. Thank goodness this particular pain should become less of a problem over time, but not always.
But the trouble doesn't end there.
Worse yet, there are often new lifelong problems caused by the declawing.
A) As mentioned above, now that their claws have been cut off, cats can no longer defend themselves the way nature intended.
B) Some cats start to walk abnormally as they try to avoid the pain. This can cause secondary problems with the way their bodies work, and this can lead to even more pain in their legs, hips, and or back.
Because they cannot defend themselves or climb as they used to, some cats become much more timid and more afraid – all around more scared and stressed – negative changes that no one wants in their companion feline.
Personality Changes
Pain can also change a cat's personality. A cat who used to be cuddly and playful can become defensive.
As mentioned above, many declawed cats become "biters" and begin biting excessively, because they no longer have their claws to protect themselves.
Some declawed cats even stop using the litter box because the litter hurts their now excessively tender or sore paws.
1) You can ask your elected officials to help ban declawing, and at the end of this message is sample language that you can copy and paste for this purpose.
You can let them know that almost 40 countries have recognized that declawing is mutilation, and have made declawing illegal or have very strict guidelines for when it can be performed.
2) Fortunately, there are many alternatives to declawing that can protect your furniture without harming your cat, such as:
3) Regular Nail Trimming: Regularly trimming your cat's nails can prevent them from becoming too sharp.
4) Scratching Posts and Pads: Providing plenty of scratching posts and pads around your home can encourage your cat to scratch there instead of on the furniture.
5) Furniture Protectors: Using furniture protectors can guard your couches and chairs from cat scratches.
6) Training and Positive Reinforcement: Training your cat to use scratching posts and rewarding them can be highly effective.
7) Keep reading below for more you can do to help cats!
Worldwide an estimated 600 million stray dogs and 480 million cats roam the streets on any given day.
Each year they give birth to over one billion homeless pups and kittens, and most are born into a life of hunger and suffering.
At the age of 6 months, those who are still alive also begin to reproduce – creating a Cycle of Suffering that is repeated every year.
This Cycle of Suffering has become the Number One cause of suffering and death for dogs and cats worldwide.
Approximately 50 countries have essentially no laws against cruelty to animals. Strays are killed by inhumane methods including poisoning, beating them to death, shooting, crushing them to death in the back of garbage trucks, electrocution, mixing food with broken glass (which causes them to bleed to death) and worse.
Here in the United States, tax dollars have been spent to kill stray dogs for the last 100-plus years.
We believe this situation is outrageous and has gone on for far too long – this is why we are focused on the root of the problem.
Our nonprofit science-based mission is:
To end the #1 cause of suffering and death for dogs and cats – overpopulation – by developing a safe, permanent-lasting, one-time birth control cookie for stray dogs and cats.
A cookie that will only need to be eaten one time, and it will in effect spay or neuter – without surgery.
A one-time cookie that will artificially induce a type of human menopause – but in dogs and cats, without using hormones.
We are a small grassroots nonprofit charity, carrying out work that pharmaceutical companies should be doing – but they refuse.
We receive no help from any of the drug companies, no grants from the government, no help from any dog food companies or other large companies.
Instead we rely 100% on small donations. Small gifts from people who care, like you.
We are dedicated to ending this global problem – and a gift of any amount will help – no gift is too small.
If you're like me and you don't have much to spare right now, there is an easy way to help for $1 a month.
Yes, the good news is that each of us can pitch in and help animals now for only $1 a month!
Together we will save entire future generations of animals, from cruelty and suffering.
Thank you in advance for helping and for caring!
1) Does your state or city allow declawing? According to ALDF, “New York and Maryland are the first U.S. states to ban declawing cats. Many large cities have jurisdictional bans, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Pittsburgh, Madison, West Hollywood, Austin, Denver, Beverly Hills, and Berkeley.” Reach out to your state or local officials and insist that the laws demonstrate compassion and care for cats!
2) You can use the following link to find contact information for your elected officials:
3) We’ve drafted a message below you can use. Just copy/paste!
I am writing as a concerned constituent to request your help in banning the inhumane practice of declawing cats.
Declawing is a procedure involving the amputation of all of a cat's last digits – amputating the last toe bone of each of their 10 toes on their front paws.
It often leads to severe health and behavioral problems such as the excessive biting of people and other animals – bites which often require a trip to the emergency room.
Declawing goes against our community's values regarding the need to treat animals humanely. Many cities and almost 40 countries around the world have already banned this inhumane amputation.
I urge you to introduce legislation to prohibit cat declawing. By doing so, you will stand out as a humanitarian and a leader. In addition, your constituents will be very grateful to you, for protecting companion animals from needless suffering.
Thank you very much for your support and for your humanitarian action.
Sources:
Коментари