FW: Lets Hear it for an SF Ban on Cat Declawing

September 10, 2009

Hello all you animal people,

I am forwarding an email alert regarding the proposed ban on cat declawing in San Francisco (W. Hollywood was the first city to pass such a ban several years ago). If you are in favor of the ban, the Board of Supervisors needs to hear from you: letters/faxes/emails/calls -- this is especially important if you are a San Francisco resident. The proposal has been referred to the City Operations Committee, and the members of that committee are Supervisors Dufty, Daly and Elsbernd, so it would be good to contact them FIRST, but of course all the others as well. Supervisors' contact info is below, plus talking points. The cats of San Francisco thank you, and I thank you!

Nadine May

Hey cat lovers, We need your cards, letters and e-mails. The California Veterinary Medical Association is putting the heat on Supervisor Mirkarimi, not to mention the rest of the Supervisors, to kill a ban on Cat Declawing that Supervisor Mirkarimi has introduced. Unfortunately the article that came out in the SF Chronicle 2 weeks ago, written by a former Chron writer who is an SPCA volunteer, framed the issue as a doctor's right to choose whether to declaw or not, not as an issue of animal cruelty. There are some talking points below. We need all the support on this we can get. Please send this to any cat lists you are on, and if you know any veterinarians who are against declawing and not afraid to speak out on the subject, please ask them to contact me: Susan Wheeler, rappwheel or Sally Stephens, stephensfwThank you, Susan

SUPPORT SF BAN ON DECLAWING CATS

San Francisco Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi has proposed legislation to ban the

non-therapeutic declawing of cats in the city. Declawing, the amputation of the

last bone in cats' toes, is widely considered animal cruelty when done to

protect furniture from scratching or for other non-therapeutic reasons. It has

been banned in over 20 countries, including nearly every European nation. Now SF

is considering a ban on declawing, except when it is medically necessary for the

cat itself (e.g., infection or injury to the toe itself). It is a matter of

preventing a form of animal cruelty in the city.

The California Veterinary Medical Association is organizing opposition to the

ban and has already started to reach out to Supervisors to vote against it.

Please let the Supervisors know that you support a ban on non-therapeutic

declawing of cats. Let them know if you are a San Francisco resident and one of

their constituents. Points you can make include:

1. Society's values have changed and non-therapeutic declawing is no longer

acceptable.

2. Declawing can cause intense, lasting pain and cause cats to be more likely to

bite and avoid the litter box. These problem behaviors make cats more likely to

be surrendered to shelters, where the problem cats are then more likely to not

be adopted and therefore more likely to be euthanized in shelters.

3. Humane alternatives to declawing exist, even for people who are

immune-compromised.

4. SF tried education about declawing in 2003 when the Board of Supervisors

passed a resolution calling on cat guardians and veterinarians not to declaw

cats. Advocates considered pushing for a ban then, but decided to try education

first. It did not work. There are still people in SF who will not try the

alternatives and there are still people who will do the procedure simply because

they are asked to do so.

5. Declawing is not necessary for immune-compromised individuals. Cat bites

(more likely in declawed cats) pose a more serious health risk of infection than

cat scratches. The US Public Health Service "Guidelines for the Prevention of

Opportunistic Infections in Persons Infected with HIV" state: "Akthoughdeclawing

is not generally advised, HIV-infected persons should avoid rough play with cats

and situations in which scratches are unlikely."

6. The proposed ban will not effect medically necessary declawings done to

protect the health of the cat, e.g., infections or injuries to the toes

themselves.

7. Opposition to the proposed ban is being driven largely by the California

Veterinary Medical Association, who have a financial stake in whether or not

larger numbers of declawings are done.

Please thank Supervisor Mirkarimi and let him know that you support the ban. Let

the other Supervisors know you support the ban on non-therapeutic declawing of

cats. Contact info is given below:

Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi

(415) 554-7630 - voice

(415) 554-7634 - fax

Ross.Mirkarimi

Supervisor David Chiu

(415) 554-7450 - voice

(415) 554-7454 - fax

David.Chiu

Supervisor Bevan Dufty

(415) 554-6968 - voice

(415) 554-6909 - fax

Bevan.Dufty

Supervisor Eric Mar

(415) 554-7410 - voice

(415) 554-7415 - fax

Eric.L.Mar

Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier

(415) 554-7752 - voice

(415) 554-7843 - fax

Michela.Alioto-Pier

Supervisor Carmen Chu

(415) 554-7460 - voice

(415) 554-7432 - fax

Carmen.Chu

Supervisor Chris Daly

(415) 554-7970 - voice

(415) 554-7974 - fax

Chris.Daly

Supervisor Sean Elsbernd

(415) 554-6516 - voice

(415) 554-6546 - fax

Sean.Elsbernd

Supervisor Sophie Maxwell

(415) 554-7670 - voice

(415) 554-7674 - fax

Sophie.Maxwell

Supervisor John Avalos

(415) 554-6975 - voice

(415) 554-6979 - fax

John.Avalos

Supervisor David Campos

(415) 554-5144 - Voice

(415) 554-6255 - Fax

David.Campos

All Supervisors can be reached by snail mail at:

City Hall

1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place

San Francisco, Ca 94102-4689

Sally Stephens <stephensfwrappwheelSent: Tue, Sep 8, 2009 3:33 pmparagraphs to send out to groups

Susan,

How's this for a few paragraphs to be sent out to your various groups? Feel free

to edit it as you see fit. -- Sally