City Council Meeting: 11-10-2009
ORDINANCE NUMBER (CCS)
(City Council Series)
AN
ORDINANCE OF THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
THE
ONYCHECTOMY AND FLEXOR TENDONECTOMY PROCEDURES
WHEREAS, onychectomy, or declawing, and flexor tendonectomy procedures are routinely performed on cats even though the procedures are painful, cruel and dangerous to the cats and are very seldom medically necessary; and
WHEREAS, onychectomy is not a "cosmetic" procedure but is instead akin to amputation in that it involves removing not just claws, but also bones, nerves, joint capsules, collateral ligaments and extensor and flexor tendons up to the joint; and
WHEREAS, in human terms, this procedure is akin to cutting off the last joint of all ten fingers; and
WHEREAS, at least twenty-one European countries have concluded that declawing cats is inhumane and have therefore banned or condemned the procedure; and
WHEREAS, research has demonstrated that the rate of complications from onychectomies is relatively high as compared to other "routine" procedures, with one study reporting acute short term complications in 50% of cases and long-term complications in 20% of cases; and
WHEREAS, these complications include excruciating pain, damage to the radial nerve, hemorrhage, bone chips, chronic back and joint pain resulting from weakened shoulders, legs and back muscles and painful re-growth of a deformed claws inside the paws; and
WHEREAS, this procedure robs cats of integral means of movement and defense, normal posture, normal use of toes in walking and running, and their ability to satisfy instinctive impulses to climb, exercise and mark territory; and
WHEREAS, consequently, declawing causes serious secondary health risks to cats such as arthritis and other complications associated with postural and skeletal changes; and
WHEREAS, declawing also leaves cats unable to defend itself against attacks by other animals, placing cats at risk of serious injury or death; and
WHEREAS, flexor tendonectomy, a procedure in which cats' toes are cut so that the claws cannot be extended, likewise deprives cats the ability to engage in normal behaviors and defend themselves against attack and thereby imperils its health and safety; and
WHEREAS, these procedures are usually undertaken not for the welfare of cats, but for the perceived convenience of owners, caretakers and other persons who often procure the procedures to protect their furniture and other personal property and without adequate information about complications and consequences; and
WHEREAS, alternatives that involve no harm or risk to cats are readily available to protect furniture and other property; they include regular nail trimming, training cats to use scratch posts, using deterrent pheromone spray, covering furniture, restricting access to certain areas of homes, using plastic nail covers, and more; and
WHEREAS, in addition to the harm these procedures cause to cats, they also have detrimental consequences for humans; and
WHEREAS, research has shown that declawed cats are more prone to defend themselves by biting people and other animals, and cat bites are associated with higher infection rates than scratches; and
WHEREAS, research has shown that declawed cats tend to avoid use of litter boxes because the rough surface hurts their paws, and this causes sanitation problems and attendant health risks to humans and other animals; and
WHEREAS, behavioral problems of declawed cats, such as increased biting and litter-box aversion, frequently result in declawed cats being relegated to an outdoor existence to which they are ill-suited because, among other things, they cannot adequately defend themselves;
WHEREAS, cats living outdoors in urban environments often end up on roadways where they are in danger themselves and where they cause accidents and thereby imperile people; and
WHEREAS, declawing cats and attendant behavioral problems also increase the number of cats relinquished to animal shelters; and
WHEREAS, declawed cats are generally not adoptable from shelters because of their behavioral and other problems, and they are therefore usually euthanized; and
WHEREAS, the public bears the burden of increased costs of shelter operation and euthanasia; and
WHEREAS, the California Constitution, Article XI, Section 7, empowers the City of Santa Monica to make and enforce within its limits all local, police, sanitary and other ordinances and regulations not in conflict with the general law; and
WHEREAS, at present, the law of the State of
WHEREAS, the City Council finds that prohibiting these procedures, subject to exceptions necessary to protect the health of individual cats, will protect and promote the general health, safety and welfare of cats and humans alike.
NOW, THEREFORE,
THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
APPROVED
AS TO FORM:
_________________________
MARSHA
JONES MOUTRIE
City
Attorney