Yes, declawing is a crime in Los Angeles, if it is done for non-therapeutic purposes, which accounts for 99.99% of all cases. The law came into force on 17th November 2009.
Allegedly Mission Animal Care Center were in breach of the law. This has been reported on the Paw Project Facebook site yesterday, 6th June 2013. Note: I have used the word “allegedly” to protect PoC in case something has been misrepresented.
We are told that the clinic was caught performing illegal declaw surgery by a representative from an LA City Council member and a law enforcement officer who visited the facility. It seems they were caught red handed. A straight bust.
The ordinance (the law) in question states that the crime of declawing for non-therapeutic purposes is a misdemeanor. What is a misdemeanor? It is a low level crime with sentencing to match. However, the sentencing on conviction for a standard misdemeanor in California is a maximum six-month county jail sentence and a maximum $1,000 fine1. Yet the clinic owners will only get an official warning from the city.
The interesting part of the criminal legislation that makes declawing a crime (Ordinance No: 180986) is that the following people are guilty of the crime on conviction:
- the person or persons performing the surgery;
- the person or persons who assisted;
- the person or persons who “procured” the surgery – this means the cat’s owner or anyone who assisted the owner in procuring the surgery or who, for example, paid for the surgery. It covers a wide range of people, potentially.
On the basis that the allegation is true, what the hell happened to the cat’s owner? It appears that he or she has not been mentioned. Potentially, everyone at the vet’s clinic plus the cat’s owner could have been jailed for 6 months and fined $1,000. Yet nothing. As I understand it, no one was charged with the crime of declawing.
This is a big mistake as it sends very much the wrong signal to others. I sense that enforcement of this very important ground breaking legislation is not being taken seriously enough.
Apparently neither the owner nor the clinic’s staff including the vet had heard of the law banning declawing in Los Angeles! It is impossible to believe that and, in any case, it is not a defense to a crime.
Polite message to LA officials: Well done in creating the law. Please ensure that you fully enforce it because if not the law will become an ass and quite pointless.
Note: My thanks to Ruth aka Kattaddorra for showing me the news.
Ref:
- shouselaw.com
Yes, Ruth. I was grazing my index finger against the pad on my laptop, while reading your comment. I cannot bear to read the article above.
I suffer from neuropathy in my toes. When I was a young child, I saw a kitten with bandages on it’s paws. It affected me for life. Watching it try to walk, suffering in pain. Little did I know that it would be suffering much more after the bandages were removed by the money-hungry vet.
Well, now that I am beyond those childhood years, when I hear about a potential declawing—it breaks my heart. HOW COULD ANY INTELLIGENT petlover do such a thing, to a cat?
‘He never seemed to miss his nails in the least’
Any pro declaw reading that might say ‘Oh it’s fine to have declawing done to kittens then’
So I need to point out to them that cats are very stoic and hide their pain as long as they can, maybe all cats don’t suffer pain after the first shock and agony after the surgery has worn off, every declawed cat misses his nails but they have to adjust to life without them, what else can they do?
Merlin was declawed when he was neutered so that means he wasn’t very old and was declawed routinely instead of being taught to use a scratching post. This is the problem, declawing isn’t supposed to be a routine operation, it’s supposed to be a last resort for serious scratching problems. His owners had no right to have his essential claws taken from him forcing him to live a disabled life, he couldn’t do what clawed cats do so he missed out on a full quality life no matter that he seemed OK.
Carol I’m so glad you put your cats health and happiness above inanimate replaceable furniture, how I wish every one did that.
Good for you Carol. Well done, I say. Merlin sounds as if he was OK with declawing but we are never totally sure what a cat is feeling. However, lots of cats are declawed badly causing long term pain and discomfort and lots behavioral problems, we are told. Many are relinquished at shelters.
I have NEVER had a kitteh declawed…that having been said, my late husband and I had a wonderful, sweet boy named Merlin ‘The Wizard’ Halbert, who had been declawed when he was neutered, by his previous parents. He was a very happy camper and never seemed to miss his nails in the least. If everyone who does have kittehs with claws has furniture like mine, I can see exactly what prompts peeps to do the deed. My Italian Leather sofa, chair and ottoman is scrolled all over and gnawed on and would win the ‘distressed leather’ contest hands down! But…my kitteh kids still have their claws that God gave them.
You’re right Leah. The whole thing is farcical.
I agree with you all there is absolutely no way that this clinic didn’t know that de-clawing was illegal how could they have missed such an important piece of legislation?
Good on all those who have complained to the police as well after all what sort of message does this send out?
In the UK ignorance is no defence in the eyes of the law I’m sue it applies in the US as well.