While researching information to share with you regarding National Cat Day I came across The Paw Project a non-profit organization located in Santa Monica, California. The following information is posted on their website. "The Paw Project's mission is to educate the public about the painful and crippling effects of feline declawing, to promote animal welfare through the abolition of the practice of declaw surgery, and to rehabilitate cats that have been declawed.
The Paw Project is supported by private donations and the sale of LaLa Cards, animal-themed greeting cards. The tax-deductible contributions are used for costs of surgical facilities and supplies, educational programs, and anti-declawing efforts.
The Paw Project educates the public about why declawing is inhumane. Many people, including animal lovers, do not realize that declawing is a surgical procedure in which the animal's toes are amputated at the last joint. A portion of the bone, not just the nail, is removed. Declawing may result in permanent lameness, arthritis, and other long-term complications. The practice, although common in the United States, is actually illegal in many countries. Great Britain's Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons goes so far as to declare declawing "unnecessary mutilation."
The Paw Project actively advocates campaigns to legally ban declawing at the community and state level. Some of our legislative milestones:
In 2002, Dr. Conrad approached West Hollywood (California) City Councilmembers and convinced them that declawing of all animals should be banned. The council adopted an anti-declawing ordinance soon after (April, 2003) and became the first city in all of North America to ban declawing.
In 2003, Dr. Conrad and The Paw Project team provided data about the debilitating effects of declawing to the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA), which then changed its position on declawing of wild and exotic cats to no longer condone it. The Canadian Veterinary Medical Association quickly followed suit.
In 2009, The Paw Project team led the successful campaigns to legally ban declawing of domestic cats in 7 more California cities: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Burbank, Santa Monica, Berkeley, Beverly Hills and Culver City.
Declawing is illegal or considered inhumane in many countries throughout the world, including over 12 European nations, Australia and Brazil.
The American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) does not approve of the declawing of cats as a matter of supposed convenience to cat owners. It is a form of mutilation and it does cause pain."
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