Cat Declawing To Become Illegal in this Washington Town

Cat owners dealing with scratched-up couches and mattresses turned to animal doctors who had just begun the practice of Onychectomy or “nail removal” in the 1950s.

What Washington City issued the banning of declawing cats?

Earlier this week, Tacoma City Council voted to be the first city in the state to ban declawing cats. The Tacoma News Tribune broke the story.

‘Council member John Hines sponsored the ordinances. “I think it’s beyond time for us to make this choice and prevent something that we now see as inhumane,  Choose cats, not couches.’ -Tacoma News Tribune

 

The Humane Society stresses that cat declawing results in:

• paw and back pain
• Infections
• tissue death or lameness in cats. 
• Improperly removed claws can regrow, causing nerve damage and bone spurs.

The city of Tacoma’s recent decision joins San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, and Washington DC to ban cat declawing. This ban will officially take effect on March 31st, 2024. 

There are two types of cat owners. 

Those who believe in declawing and those who don’t.

Jackson Galaxy, a popular YouTuber, known for informing cat owners around the world. He has informed, both me and many others, on various topics about cat behavior. Jackson recently weighed in on declawing and claimed that he didn't want cat owners - who have declawed their cats in the past - to not feel like terrible people. 

Jackson says he only wants to educate with the facts. 

"Cat behaviors people try to reduce by declawing their cats will likely make those behaviors WORSE.  I lay out every reason why you shouldn’t declaw your cat, as well as dispelling some of the myths that you may have been told were facts.   It’s essential to educate yourself so that you can help yourself and educate other guardians about the ugly truths of declawing cats." -YouTuber Jackson Galaxy

INFO: Tacoma News Tribune, Jackson Galaxy YouTube Channel