The Delaware General Assembly has the opportunity to take a humane step forward by passing House Bill 333, that would outlaw declawing, a procedure that can cause lifelong harm to cats.
Declawing is a needless, inhumane surgery on cats, and its harmful long-term effects can be so disruptive that cats can end up being relinquished to shelters. It is a surgical amputation of the last joints of a cat’s toes. Not only are the bones cut off, but tendons, nerves and ligaments in each paw are also severed. Side effects can include hemorrhaging, paw pad lacerations, swelling, radial nerve damage, lameness, infection, reopening of wounds, chronic pain, biting and urinating outside the litter box.
Declawing has been outlawed in the state of New York and 13 major U.S. cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver and Pittsburgh, along with many countries. Delaware can take its place at the forefront of this movement by becoming one of the first states to outlaw this inhumane procedure.
Becky Robinson
President and founder, Alley Cat Allies
Bethesda, Maryland
