Declawing practices
Declawing is uncommon outside North America, and laws governing its practice vary. Many European countries prohibit or significantly restrict the practice, as do parts of Australia, Brazil, Israel, New Zealand, Japan and Turkey. The list below gives an overview of the situation in different parts of the world.
Australia
In Australia, legislation concerning animal welfare is enacted at the state level and is highly inconsistent. There are ongoing efforts to develop a National Animal Welfare Act; in its current state, the bill would prohibit the declawing of cats except for medical reasons. However, some pro-wildlife campaigners advocate declawing (and possibly defanging) to protect native wildlife from pet cats.
Europe
In many European countries the practice is forbidden under the terms of the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals[4] , unless there is a medical indication for the procedure, or a veterinarian considers it beneficial to the animal.
Some European countries go further, such as Finland, the Netherlands, Germany and Switzerland[5], where declawing cats for non-medical reasons is always illegal under their laws against cruelty to animals.
United Kingdom
In the United Kingdom, declawing was outlawed by the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which explicitly prohibited "interference with the sensitive tissues or bone structure of the animal, otherwise than for the purposes of its medical treatment".[6]
Even before the 2006 Act, however, declawing was extremely uncommon, to the extent that most people had never seen a declawed cat. The procedure was considered cruel by almost all British vets, who refused to perform it except on medical grounds. The Guide to Professional Conduct of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons stated that declawing was "only acceptable where, in the opinion of the veterinary surgeon, injury to the animal is likely to occur during normal activity. It is not acceptable if carried out for the convenience of the owner ... the removal of claws, particularly those which are weight-bearing, to preclude damage to furnishings is not acceptable."[7]
United States
Declawing is legal in most US jurisdictions.
Declawing was outlawed in West Hollywood, California, in 2003, the first such ban is the US.[8]. The California Veterinary Medical Association challenged the law in court[9], leading to a court ruling that temporarily suspended the law. In June 2007, the California appeals court overturned the 2006 ruling, thus reinstating the law banning declawing in West Hollywood.[10]. The CVMA's court challenge held that West Hollywood had overstepped its municipal authority by enacting an ordinance that infringed on licensed professionals state-granted rights. It did not address declawing as an animal welfare issue.
In 2004, California became the first state in the USA to enact a statewide ban on the declawing of wild and exotic cats.
In 2006, the United States Department of Agriculture enacted a ban on declawing of all wild and exotic animals held by USDA-licensed owners.[11]
In April 2007, the city of Norfolk, Virginia outlawed declawing.[12]
This thread is gonna get interesting...
I have worked at a busy shelter and have NEVER seen a cat surrendered because a vet refused to declaw it. I also work at an emergency service at the Uni's teaching hospital and get a lot of calls about complications due to their cat's recent declaw. And obviously, there are exceptions to every rule.
