New Jersey Assemblyman, Troy Singleton, says that he has been inspired by New York State’s attempt to ban declawing. In New York State a ban remains possible but the Bill has yet to be enacted. Nonetheless Troy Singleton wants to try the same thing in New Jersey.

In this instance, he wants to make declawing of domestic cats an act of animal cruelty by adding the operation to the list of existing animal cruelty offences. This is highly appropriate and a very sensible way to proceed. It would mean simply amending an existing New Jersey statute.

Under the proposed amendment, a veterinarian caught performing declawing would be convicted of a criminal offence with a sentence of up to 6 months in jail or a $1000 fine. In addition, the client, the cat’s owner, would also be subject to the same criminal charges and punishment.

The good thing about this development is that New York state has inspired another legislator in another state to think about eliminating the cruel operation of declawing from an entire state. Up until now there have been 8 city bands of declawing, all in California, but a statewide ban would be something else. It would be a massive advance in the anti-declaw campaign.

People like me who hate declawing, of which there are many people, would like to see a snowball effect if and when one state bans declawing or makes it a criminal offence. It will be possible, even likely, that other states would follow, leading ultimately to a nationwide end to this aberration within the veterinary profession. There is no place for it. It is out of place in the 21st-century.

Source: KSDK.com