Austin bans cat declawing

We have a cheer for the Austin City Council for becoming the first city in Texas to ban the declawing of cats for “aesthetic” reasons or for a pet owner’s convenience.

The ordinance follows two years of public input, commission meetings, and discussions with area veterinarians.

Friends of Animals has been educating the public about how declawing is a painful and unnecessary surgical procedure for decades. Declawing means far more than leaving your pet defenseless against an attack if it gets outdoors. It means:

●The severing of ligaments and tendons that bring pain

●The creating of an imbalance that could lead to injury

●A change in personality or temperament

FoA recommends regularly trimming cats’ nails and giving them their own “furniture” to scratch on, such as sisal scratching post or a board covered with a carpet remnant.

To educate your own community about this issue, you can purchase a bundle of 50 of our “Paws Come with Claws” brochure for $4 at friendsofanimals.org.