Israel's parliamentary committee in charge of animal rights voted in favor of banning cat declawing, paving the way for the ban to become Israeli law.
The bill is sponsored by multiple Israeli political parties, including Kadima and Meretz. It is also supported by the Agriculture Ministry, which is responsible for animal rights in Israel.
The bill would render illegal the surgical declawing of cats, which permanently removes their claws, except in rare cases in which the owner's health could be compromised if scratched.
The bill has tremendous support in Israel, making it likely to pass, in which case Israel would join various European nations which have already banned the practice.
Read more about it here.
Off to pet my two cats, hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday. Till next time,
J
On November 28th Israel’s legislature unanimously passed a bill that outlaws the declawing of cats, except for certain medical reasons, making it a crime punishable by up to one year in prison and a fine of about $20,000 (or 75,000 shekels).
ReplyDeleteDeclawing is a somewhat misleading term; in the procedure, called an onychectomy, the veterinarian typically removes all or most of the cat’s outer toe joint, bone and all. As declawing opponents have often pointed out, the human equivalent would be the amputation of your fingertips at or just above your third knuckle.
It’s estimated that about 25 percent of American cats are declawed, typically done to protect the owner’s furniture.
Some studies have shown declawed cats to be more likely to exhibit problematic behaviors, like jumping onto tables or more frequent biting.
One study found that 20 percent of cats underwent complications, like infections, after declawing.
Source: Discover Magazine
http://blogs.discovermagazine.com/80beats/2011/12/07/israel-bans-cat-declawing-punishment-one-year-in-prison-20k/