Posted on 01/14/2015 11:28:21 AM PST by Responsibility2nd
New York State Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, known for showing her claws against animal cruelty, is pouncing on a new topic: cat declawing.
Rosenthal, who represents district 67, mainly covering Manhattan's Upper West Side, has penned a bill that would ban removing cats' claws unless necessary for medical reasons, the New York Daily News reports.
The bill has not yet been introduced to the state Senate, but it has been backed by the Humane Society of New York.
"Too often, people think that declawing is a simple surgery that removes a cat's nails—the equivalent of having your fingernails trimmed. Sadly, this is far from the truth," the Humane Society says on its website. "Declawing traditionally involves the amputation of the last bone of each toe. If performed on a human being, it would be like cutting off each finger at the last knuckle."
The Paw Project, a non-profit dedicated to educating the public about the effects of declawing, is also behind it. The group has successfully led campaigns to make declawing illegal in cities across California, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, and in 2014 helped get a law in Rhode Island enacted to prohibit landlords from requiring tenants to declaw their pets.
If Rosenthal's bill is enacted, New York would be the first in the country to introduce a state-wide ban on the practice.
Rosenthal's previous efforts include fighting to extend orders of protection to domestic animals and limiting cosmetic testing on animals. Just last month, her bill banning pet tattoos and piercings was signed by Governor Andrew Cuomo.
You did a good thing for your beloved cat. We have leather couches, and unfortunately, the kitties scratched them up a bit when we first got the set. There are plenty of posts for them to scratch and they've long stopped scratching the couches, but the marks remain. I shrug it off. The couches are still comfortable and the cats are happy and affectionate. I would never remove my cats's distal phalanxes (that's what declawing is) just for the furniture's sake.
Might want to reacquaint yourself with FR's stated purpose...
"As a conservative site, Free Republic is pro-God, pro-life, pro-family,..."
Declawing a cat is stupid. If criminal thugs break into your house and you can’t grab your .357 mag quickly enough, you throw the clawed cat on your lap into the mugger’s face.That gives you time to grab the shotgun and exercise your God-given right to defend yourself.
Hoorah for cats with big, sharp claws.
You mention getting new furniture in your post, and that made me think of the one time we ALMOST had a scratching problem.
Years ago, I came into possession of a beautifully-crafted old wing chair. It was lovely, with a channel-back and wonderful woodwork. Trouble was, the upholstery was extremely worn and need replacing. So that’s just what I did. I picked out some nice (too expensive) fabric, and had the upholsterers do their magic.
Thrilled, I brought it home and placed it in JUST the right spot in the house.
The cats went berserk. I could barely keep them away from it, and I feared that they would destroy it if I left it unattended. Anyway, I think I figured out why they were so fascinated by this chair. I think the smell of the new upholstery upset them because it didn’t smell like home.
So...I covered the thing in some old flannel nightgowns of mine and left it there for about a week. The cats suddenly lost interest, and when I took the nightgowns off, they no longer gave it a second look.
These days, that chair still looks really good, but it seems that it has become the dog’s favorite sleeping spot when we’re not home. (It’s right next to the front door; I think he thinks it’s his sentry post.)
Anyway, that’s my story and I’m sticking to it!
Regards,
cats ought not be declawed... their “hooks” are needed to do kittie things like climb trees, defend themselves, and climb screen doors. Bwhahahahha!
I think the spaying and neutering of Liberals is a more rational solution :>}
preferably declawed
My buddy had a cat named Simon which he trained from a kitten. When cute widdo Simon kitty would scratch or bite - WHAM !! - he was thrown against the wall at high velocity.
It took some persistence and effort, but Simon grew into the best behaved, most lovable cat I ever met. And Simon had all his claws AND his balls.
He was an indoor/outdoor cat, and the terror of the nearly rural neighborhood. My buddy decided to raise German Shepherds. They were a 110 pound female, and a 140 pound male (gargantuan). Simon weighed around 20 pounds. The dogs grew up around him.
He was truly a wonderful cat. You could call him and he would gladly come. If you invited him on your lap he was always polite about it. Even if he was FALLING off your lap or the couch, you NEVER saw or felt a claw, and he had big sharp ones. If you told him to get down, he would immediately jump down.
Aha, say our cat fanciers. "An most unnatural wuss cat, RUINED by abuse !"
If you had seen, like I did, Simon hanging from the FACE of one of those German Shepherds, by his claws, you'd quickly lose that "wuss" idea. Simon's somewhat torn up ears would give you a clue about his fearless attitude about challenges from other animals. The shepherds had already learned "You don't mess around with Simon" no matter what.
But claw or bite a human, even a relative stranger ? NEVER ! Kick ass around the whole neighborhood, dominate two very large German Shepherds like they were puppies ? YOU BETCHA !
But then Simon was a properly trained cat. A joy to his owners, and to their guests.
Unfortunately many cat owners allow their cats to train THEM, and end up with obnoxious, ill-mannered animals that destroy their property and are annoying pests to their guests.
You know, you’re definitely onto something, something so obvious that it never occurred to me! Cats don’t always get along right away with newcomers, whether it’s another cat or furniture. Why didn’t I think of something so simple as putting some old blankets on the couches for a few weeks and letting them get used to it? They just want everything in the house to be familiar. Oh well, we’ll know better when/if we get new couches in a decade or so. Thanks!
My old doggie used to sleep by the front door, too. He was a poofy 30 lb Eskie (brushed him twice daily but he’d still shed hair everywhere) who thought of himself as a ferocious guardian. Not the old bull terrier, she was a baby and would only sleep on the bed or she’d cry at night. I miss them both. :(
Thanks for the common sense advice!
Like New York has nothing else to worry about, have solved ALL problems in the state and the universe...
*sigh*
Callz me anytime. I haz reasonable rates.
You’re right, you have to be as firm with a cat as you would with a dog and properly train them. Sometimes even more so than a dog.
I have an old torbie who was ferocious when we got her. She’d bite, scratch and hiss and we had to physically teach her not to (nothing too drastic; a smack of the nose or firm swat). She looks like a mini-Scottish wildcat and I think her primitive little mind respected that physicality. Our black-and-white boys, however, were natural-born mushes and never needed such disciplining.
She’s still a hissy, mean old cat, but she’s as sweet as pie when she wants to be be, drooling and purring and rubbing up against our legs for affection. Her scratching and biting days are over and she still has all her teeth and claws. As she was the undisputed Queen of the house she kept the dogs in place with just one paw raised menacingly but had learned better than to ever bite or scratch any humans again.
WHAM !! - he was thrown against the wall at high velocity.
.............
Lulz. While many may be freaking out at your cat training techniques,
I find it funny.
I am quite familiar with FR. I AM A CONSERVATIVE, AND PRO-LIFE. I am NOT a FANATIC who concludes that having a cat declawed is on the same level as having an abortion.
Read post 156. To each their own.
My pleasure. In my case it was fairly easy. The cats were not babies, they had never done anything like that before, and it came to me pretty quickly that the only thing different in the house was this one chair.
Heck, even I could tell that it smelled different than anything else in the house! It had that “new” smell that some people like but must drive animals bananas. Since I couldn’t take away the “new” smell, I decided to just cover it up with a ME smell. The cats seemed to like how I smelled, so... crisis averted.
LOL
Regards,
She has two scratching pads and a post. She prefers the furniture. I’ve used “Keep Off” spray but it only lasts about an hour. There are times I think she’s just ornery. She’ll look dead at me and start digging, only stopping when I yell. She reminds me of some people I’ve known.
“People who declaw an animal would probably find abortion OK too.”
One’s an animal, one’s a little baby. Not even close to being comparable, even if you were a vegetarian.
I wish my daughter’s cats were declawed. They have scratched the grandkids, my dog in the eye, and anything else they can get their grubby claws into.
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