Let’s ban declawing in Ontario!
Cats need claws!
As you’ve probably noticed, I’m pretty opposed to declawing. Declawing - which is more accurately an amputation of the last joint on a cat’s paw - is still legal in Ontario and we’re the only province in Canada where that’s still true.
So, I’m hoping to help the Paw Project in their efforts to get it banned here to make Canada an officially declaw free country! MPP Marit Stiles tabled legislation in 2020 that would have banned declawing. As Marit stated at the time, “Cats are our cherished companions and are often treated as members of the family, but the practice of declawing can cause lifelong pain and discomfort.” I believe that protecting our kitties is apolitical and Ms Stiles deserves our support to get this legislation back on the table.
Here are some ways you can help.
Write to your MPP. You can find letter writing tips at The Paw Project and a copy of the letter I wrote to my MPP at the bottom of this post (make sure to include your address and contact info!). Not sure how to contact your MPP? Find their contact information here.
Write to (or cc) MPP Michael Kerzner, the Minister of the Solicitor General of Ontario, who has responsibility for animal welfare in the province.
Find out if your vet still declaws cats and ask them not to.
If you have a declawed cat (either they were adopted that way or you had them declawed when younger), it’s important to have your vet take x-rays of their feet. Declawing can leave bone fragments and this can be a massive source of pain for your cat. For more information, please email me and I’ll get you in touch with a veterinary paw specialist who can advise your vet and perform repair surgery if necessary.
Sign the petition: https://www.change.org/p/the-college-of-veterinarians-of-ontario-stop-declawing-cats-in-ontario
Thank you all for your efforts and support of this important issue! For more information about declawing, please visit The Paw Project.
Here’s the letter I sent to my MPP, Ms. Bhutila Karpoche.
Dear Ms Karpoche,
I am writing to you today in regards to declawing in Ontario. I am a cat owner, but I am also a cat professional. I worked in veterinary clinics from 2006-2012 as an assistant and administrator and I have run my own cat grooming business since 2005. In 2022, I added behaviour consultations as well.
My first experience with declawing came in 2000. I was in my second year of university and had gotten my first cat. The vet I saw for his neuter presented declawing to me as if it was just a routine procedure that went along with the neutering. I would later learn how false this is, but I am not the only person with this story.
Declawing is a procedure where the last bone of each toe on a cat's foot is removed. I saw this first hand many times working at the veterinary office. I would be in charge of cleaning up the amputated toes and helping bandage (and often rebandage) their feet. When I would say how horrible it was to see, the response from the owner veterinarians was that they had to keep declawing because otherwise, the client would go somewhere else and that other place may not be as adamant about pain control. That is why I believe we need to ban the procedure entirely. As long as vets can perform it, some will.
This procedure has absolutely no benefit to the cat. There is never a medical reason for it. Often, the impetus is saving furniture from damage, but if a child finger painted on a wall, we wouldn't cut off the last bone on their hand, we'd get the paper and teach them where it is appropriate to paint.
Another common argument is that immunocompromised and elderly people cannot be scratched and this allows them to keep their cat. However, this is inaccurate for several reasons. First, declawing only removes the front toes and the back ones can still scratch. Second - and more importantly - cats without their claws turn to biting as a defence and this is way more dangerous to an immunocompromised person. Finally, there are better alternatives, such as regular nail trims or nail caps. As a groomer, I've had many clients in seniors homes that I visit to keep their cat's claws short and this has worked for all of them.
Behaviourally, declawing can lead to issues that may wind up getting cats surrendered to shelters. Declawing advocates say that it prevents cats from being surrendered due to scratching, but in the many countries where declawing is already banned, there has not been an increase in surrenders. However, declawing leads to issues that do cause cats to be surrendered. This includes not only the aforementioned increase in biting, but also litter box avoidance. If the procedure isn't completely accurate, it can lead to a lifetime of pain due to bone fragments left behind in the paw, which among other issues, can cause the cat to avoid their box.
To me, this is the most important reason to ban declawing - we are permanently injuring our cats and causing them a lifetime of pain.
I know much more than I did at 20 when I got my first cat. I've had four other cats throughout my life and all have had their claws. Scratching is an instinctive behaviour for cats and it is simply part of sharing your space with one. I ask you to help Ontario join the rest of Canada so we can finally ban this awful practice.
Thank you for your time.
Sarah Wendling