Nova Scotia Officially Becomes the First Province to Ban Cat Declawing

The debate regarding the elective declawing of cats has long raged on among pet owners. Once seen as a completely safe surgical option for cat owners who were hoping to save their furniture from the sharp claws of their furry friends, today it is seen by many as a barbaric practice.

The act of scratching is a normal and expected feline behaviour. It is a means of marking their territory, stretching out the body and sharpening and condition the nails. While this natural behaviour cannot be completely stopped, there are steps that one can take to minimize the damage to their belongings include providing an adequate scratching post, rubbing catnip on the scratch post to attract the cat’s attention, covering furniture that you are most concerned, keeping your cat’s nail trimmed or using Soft Paws, a nail cap solution.

Among those who view declawing as a feasible option, many aren’t aware of what the actual procedures involve. Rather than simply removing the claw, as most assume. When a veterinarian carries out a declawing procedure they traditional remove not only the claw but the last bone of each toe beginning at the last knuckle. Not only is this comparable to cutting off our fingers at the last knuckle, a barbaric thought, it can also carry a number of risks including lameness, behavioural problems, bleeding, bone spurs, nerve damage, and ongoing pain.

The practise has been banned in U.K and Europe, as well as in a number of cities across the United States including Denver, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Berkeley, Beverly Hills, Culver City, West Hollywood, and Burbank. Meanwhile, in Canada, the process is less common but continued to be seen as completely legal across the country.

In March 2017 the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA) revised its previous position statement from 2011 to state that it “opposes elective and non-therapeutic Partial Digital Amputation (PDA), commonly known as declawing or onychectomy, or domestic cats,” an important step in the right direction.

In December a landmark announcement was made by the Nova Scotia Veterinary Medical Association. The province became the first to officially ban elective claw declawing. The decision included a three-month grace period, allowing veterinarians to make the necessary shift. The decision means that the procedure now violates the medical association’s code of ethics in the province, which would carry a hefty penalty which could even result in the loss of a veterinarian’s license to practice.

Supporters of the decision hope that this is only the first of many such announcements, as additional provinces follow suit.