Other Cities Veer Toward Cat Declawing Bans While Malibu Appears Poised Not to Do So

Santa Monica, San Francisco, Beverly Hills, Los Angeles and other municipalities all appear headed toward approving a ban on cat declawing, described by its critics as forced amputation that results in ongoing pain, but Malibu appears to have bowed to veterinary pressures and council members declawing of their own pets and will not be one of them when it revisits the matter on Nov. 9.
The issue is of immediate interest because successful industry lobbying has resulted in a state law that will prevent cities and counties from passing ordinances banning such procedures, much as local governments were precluded from regulating rehab facilities.
Supporters of the bans took their case this week to L. A. City Council hearings where Councilmembers Bill Rosendahl and Paul Koretz spearheaded the argument that declawing means “unnecessary pain, anguish and permanent disability” for cats.
“Anyone who cannot handle the claws of a cat should not have a cat to begin with,” said Rosendahl, a cat owner. Other testimony said people who don’t understand feline anatomy and psychology would “be better off with a stuffed toy.”
Declawing critics maintain that “part of felinity is the stretching and extension of claws [and they think that] declawed animals have not just been crippled, they lose their identity.”
The city of West Hollywood already has a ban on declawing.