There are many barbaric practices still employed in today's society, especially when it comes to animals, and I'm not just talking about wild animals. Whenever you see a Doberman Pinscher walking around with perfectly straight ears, that's because a doctor cut off the Doberman's ears to achieve that look.
Although the way we think and care about animals has evolved over the decades, practices like chopping off Doberman's ears are still widely employed. These practices do nothing more than appease the owner. They certainly don't help the animal, that's for sure. So why should we continue doing these things?
One extremely common practice involves house cats. I'm talking about declawing cats. Sure, it is awful to come home to find your couch ripped apart by your cat's claws, or to get a scratch from them, but what's the cost of taking away this vital and natural part of the cat anatomy?
There are many cat enthusiasts who absolutely abhor the practice of declawing cats. That's because a cat's claws are a natural and vital part of their anatomy. Just because it bothers us humans does not mean that it's something we can simply remove on a whim. Recently, cat lovers have won a great legal battle. A ban on cat declawing was passed by New York Lawmakers on Tuesday. That would make New York the first state to outlaw the inhumane practice.
The bill isn't exactly new. Over the last couple of years it has circulated through capitol hill, gaining traction over time. Oddly enough, the bill passed on Animal Advocacy Day of all days. That's a day where the Legislative Office invites animal advocates to join them to "further strengthen Buster's felony animal cruelty law."
A bill has to go through several levels before becoming a law (haven't you listened to SchoolHouse Rock?). It must go through both houses of the legislature, and then there is one more step. Governor Andrew Cuomo must sign off on the bill. This would make New York the first and only state to ban cat declawing.
Linda B. Rosenthal is the woman responsible for helping push the bill along. She thinks the practice is "brutal." On her Facebook page she says, "Declaw leads to a lifetime of pain and discomfort for a cat, all in the name of protecting a cat owner's furniture. Today, though, every cat and kitten in New York State lands on its feet as we prepare to make New York the most human, paw-some state for cats in the United States."
The Human Society also agreed with Linda B. Rosenthal. They state that it is an "unnecessary surgery that provides no medical benefit to the cat." There is, however, a good argument to keep the practice as an option. The New York State Veterinary Medical Society says that it should be an option "when the alternative is abandonment or euthanasia." If you are a pet owner who is considering euthanizing or abandoning their cat because it has claws, maybe you're the problem.
The Veterinary Medical Society continues in their statement by saying, "The decision to declaw a cat is a medical decision that should be made by the owners in consultation with a trained, licensed and state-supervised veterinarian operating within the appropriate standards of practice. Declawing of domestic cats should be considered when its clawing presents an above normal health risk for its owner(s) or after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively."
