The Connecticut General Assembly is taking up a debate over whether removing a cat's claws is cruel and inhumane.

After a public hearing on Feb. 25, Bill HB-5656, which would prohibit declawing unless there is a medical emergency, was sent to the Environment Committee for discussion.

Dr. Stephen Tobin, a Meriden veterinarian, said he is opposed to declawing under most circumstances.

"Imagine that your hand was a claw," he said, curling his left hand a bit for effect. With his right index finger he drew a line with his nail across the end of one of his fingers.

"They generally cut the whole end of the bone off. It's like having the tips of your fingers cut off. I think it's really cruel."

Tobin said that although he does not perform declawing, he's not in favor of an outright ban. "At times I've been glad that a cat I've been dealing with was declawed," he said.

Some animals are simply not friendly around humans and will scratch. "But it should only be done as a last resort," he said.


The Connecticut Humane Society and the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals both oppose declawing.

Alicia Wright, a spokesperson for the Connecticut Humane Society, said that her organization absolutely opposes declawing in anything but a medical emergency.

The organization will not let anyone adopt a cat if they say they intend to declaw it, she said.

The society does not agree with the assertion of some veterinarians that there are a small number of cats that need to be declawed because they may attack humans and refuse to use a scratching post, Wright said.

"Statistically, the evidence indicates that cats without claws are more prone to biting," Wright said.

"Cat bite wounds are going to mean a bigger threat than claws will. Other statistics show that they're more prone to lifelong issues with skeletal problems. It alters the way they walk on their feet. What we suggest is that you have to, as a cat owner, understand that there might be some scratching. All of the humane preventive measures may not do the trick for you."

Kathy Grasso, manager at the Yalesville Veterinary Hospital in Wallingford, said vets there perform a handful of declawings every month.

"The view we've always had is, we will declaw a cat only as a last resort," she said.

Veterinarian James St. Clair of the Meriden Animal Hospital also opposes the bill but views declawing as a last resort.

Declawing procedures were inhumane even 10 years ago, St. Clair said, but the use of painkillers is now common, so cats don't suffer much.

"It's a situational thing," he said. "You have to make sure that the proper pain management is done."

Though not available for comment, Rep. Marilyn Giuliano, R-Old Saybrook, introduced the bill. Her spokesperson, Joe Santangelo, said one of Giuliano's constituents had suggested the measure.

Rep. Mary Mushinsky, D-Wallingford, said she is a co-signer of the bill.

She noted that declawing had already been banned as inhumane in a number of European countries, but Connecticut would be the first state in the country to outlaw it if the bill becomes law.

She urged people with opinions for or against the bill to call their representatives, especially if they're on the Environment Committee.

The committee will decide whether the bill should go forward.

03/07/2008
Fighting for lost claws
By: Andrew Perlot , Staff

http://www.myrecordjournal.com/site/tab1.cfm?newsid=19372157&BRD=2755&PAG=461&dept_id=592709&rfi=6

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