For many cat owners, the idea of having their cat declawed would make them shudder at the thought of it, but in many cities including Duluth, this procedure is still an option to have done to your cat.

According to The Humane Society of The United States many people think of declawing as removing a cats finger nails but it actually involves way more than that. Typically the procedure involves the actual ampuation of the last bone of each toe on a cats front paws. This would be like a human being having their finger cut off at the last knuckle. For most cats this is an uneccesary surgery that has no medical benefit to the cat.

Some negative effects of declawing include but are not limited to pain in the paw, infections, tissue death, problems walking and back pain. Also some cats who get declawed may start to bite as a way to defend themselves.

According to WMTV the Madison Wisconsin Common Council unanimously passed a ban on elective cat declawing in a meeting last week putting an end to the practice in the city of Madison. Madison Alder Lindsay Lemmer stated:

Today, every cat in Madison lands on its feet as we set an example for the rest of the state and join the numerous cities throughout the country that have already banned this archaic practice.

According to Alleycat.org  In the United States, declawing is outlawed in the following cities:

  • Austin, Texas
  • Denver,Colorado
  • City of St. Louis, Missouri and St. Louis County
  • Pittsburgh, Pensylvania
  • Madison, Wisconsin
  • West Hollywood, California
  • Los Angeles, Calfornia
  • San Francisco, California
  • Berkeley, California
  • Beverly Hills, California
  • Culver City, California
  • Santa Monica, California
  • Burbank., California

In In 2019, New York became the first state in the United States to outlaw declawing. So far their are not any bans in effect in any cities in Minnesota and the only city in Wisconsin is now Madison. This does not mean that all veterinarians will agree to do the procedure where it is legal, that is up to the veterinarian's office itself.

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