Vive Claw de Chat!

The Berkeley City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to ban the veterinary practice of declawing cats within city limits, making it a misdemeanor punishable by a $1,000 fine or six months in jail.

"It's a complex and painful procedure — you remove the bone at the end of the paw — and it's only for the benefit of the owner," said Jesse Arreguin, who co-authored the law with Councilwoman Susan Wengraf.

"A survey of Southern California veterinarians showed that 95 percent of vets are declawing cats to protect furniture," said Veterinarian Jennifer Conrad. "I urge you to protect cats in your city. It's an amputation of the last bone in the cat's toe."

Retired veterinarian Jean Hofve confessed that she regrets the times she declawed cats. "I declawed hundreds of cats and it is horrible, cruel and inhumane," Hofve said. "After declawing cats develop behavior problems, biting and litter box avoidance problems. To create a situation where more cats are likely to bite is unconscionable."

San Francisco passed a similar law on November 3rd, and on November 6th the Los Angeles City Council, in a preliminary action, voted unanimously to ban declawing cats, which council members described as unnecessary and abject animal cruelty.

I have been against declawing since I learned about the procedure at age five, when my family adopted Mariah, a sweet little Tortie who’d already been declawed. She didn’t seem to suffer… until old age began to sink in.

I’ve always loved playing with cats’ paws, and I remember how her paws felt. There were extra flaps of furry skin at the end of each finger, and I could feel that the bones within felt butchered. As she aged, I could tell how it hurt her to jump and do other Cattish things. I know how hard it is for me to walk when I’ve got a blister from an ill-fitting kitten heel, so imagine the pain of dealing with the effects of amputation for the rest of your life.

Now that I am a cat parent myself, I understand how frustrating it can be when Theo or Ollie decides to sharpen a claw or two on a new piece of furniture. That said, if they’re able to do any damage, I’m to blame. Trimming their claws is very simple. Ollie, thus far, has not tolerated SoftPaws, but Theo is completely amenable. There are all sorts of cat scratchers that range from cheap and easy cardboard (stay tuned for a review on my new Theo’s new scratcher later) to the gorgeous creations often featured on ModernCat.net.

Are YOU a Crazy Cat Lady?

Voters in Dudley, Massachusetts, passed a ballot measure last Tuesday making it illegal to own more than three cats without a special license. The caterwauling and rampaging of one female citizen's 15 cats led to many complaints from her neighbors, and served as the inciting incident for creating the new law.

In light of this ruling, Slate.com re-posted a 2005 article that asks its readers, “What's the deal with cat ladies? Are there cat gentlemen, too?”

According to Slate, we first need to define the difference between a woman (or man) who cares for several cats versus an animal hoarder.

“Animal hoarding has also been viewed as an addiction, like compulsive gambling or alcoholism, or as a form of dementia… No one knows why women are more susceptible than men. One member of the Hoarding of Animals Research Consortium points out that women are also more likely to become veterinarians and less likely to perform acts of animal cruelty.”

I hate the stigma of the term “cat lady,” but Slate highlighted two pieces of damning evidence:

• Not all animal hoarders are cat ladies, but most are. The typical person who gets caught with more pets than she can handle is a woman over the age of 60 who lives alone.
• They found that two-thirds of the obsessive collectors were women and that 70 percent were single.

Yikes! I know how hard it can be to say no to “just one more” animal. As a foster volunteer, my heartstrings have been tugged again and again. Anytime I visit my local shelter, or even Petco with its weekend adoption events, I want to whisk all the cats away with me!

But wanting and doing are two totally separate things. I consider how my cats would feel, how much food I can afford, how much attention I can share equally and how much actual space I have… These are things that hoarders don’t seem to consider.

So, how many cats really IS too many? I’d love to hear your thoughts on the topic!

Why You Can't Afford a Dog (or Cat?)

This morning, I came across an article on MSN.com that I'd like to share with you, in case you haven't seen it. ("Why You Can't Afford a Dog")

Why You Can't Afford a Dog

The content isn't all about canines; cats are discussed, too. Donna Freedman writes,

How much is that doggy in the window? At least $8,000 over his lifetime--and that's just for basic expenses. Fido costs a lot more if he gets sick, chews up your work boots or ruins the rug. Cats are even pricier: It costs about $10,415 to be ignored until you run a can opener.

In short, if you can't find at least an extra $800 to $1,000 in your budget every year, don't get a pet. If you get laid off, start looking for foster care for your pets until times are better -- and if the job market is particularly bleak (think "unemployed in Michigan"), you may have to give them away outright.

While I agree that anyone under financial constraint, recession or not, should reconsider adopting a pet, I question her recommendation to seek foster care.

It's hard enough to find foster homes for the stray animals that are found and taken to shelters. I personally don't know of any free foster programs for cats that already have owners, but it's possible that they're out there. (Email me if you know of one.)

I have heard of people being transferred to another state or country for a set amount of time that will find a foster for their pet, and pay the foster home a fee for food and litter costs while they are away, but the cost is comparable to what the cat owner spent when they were at home with their cat, so this isn't a solution for people who can't afford their pet anymore, period.

My best suggestion, if you can no longer afford to care for your pet but you think your situation is temporary, is to ask a family member to help out in the meantime. If you're not at that point, but are getting close, then the first step you should take is making sure your cat is indoor only. That will greatly reduce the risk of injuries, illness and accidents, and consequently minimize the likelihood of expensive veterinary bills.

Otherwise, if you truly feel you have to give your cat up for good, then do your best to help him or her make a transition to a happy home. You could post signs in your local Starbucks, or pet food stores. Sometimes libraries or other community gathering places will allow this, too. If your cat is purebred, there are often dedicated rescue groups that will help specific breeds. And if worse comes to worst, taking your cat to a shelter as an "owner surrender" is a last-ditch effort to get your cat into a new home. There's normally a small charge for this, but at least your pet will be given a place to live with fresh food and water.

Whatever you do, please don't let your cat loose into the wild. I have heard that some take this route, thinking that the cat will be better off eating birds, mice, and whatever scraps it can find, and maybe even being lucky enough to win over another family after hanging around for a while--rather than taking their pet to a shelter. The great outdoors are not the place for a domesticated animal. Though shelters are crowded constantly, they are well-organized and run by people who love animals dearly. So as scary as it sounds, please consider a shelter before you opt for abandonment.

Phew! Sorry to bring up a less-than-cheerful topic. I'll post a Lolcat next!