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Good News for Cats in Israel

cat with clawsA law was passed in the Knesset (the Israeli Parliament) yesterday, making it illegal to declaw cats. Cat owners who will get their cats declawed are facing up to a year in jail or a fine seventy-five thousands shekels (that's the equivalent of just over $20,000).

 

The new law does permit declawing in cases where the owner suffers from a medical condition that puts them in danger of cat scratches. In the rare cases where declawing is performed due to medical reasons the vet is required to fully explain the implications and make sure the cat is kept indoors-only following the procedure. The cat must be micro-chipped as well.

 

Legislation pertaining to pet care is fairly controversial in the United States, but in most of Western European countries declawing has been made illegal years ago.

 

Declawing is not a popular procedure in Israel. Most vets will not perform the procedure, and declawed cats are not a common sight. Therefore, this is less about saving cats from declawing and more about positive message it sends: Israeli legislators can take a break from security issues, to make a point concerning animal welfare.

 

Comments (8)

Rosiemac 11/30/11 at 2:42am
Excellent news Anne!!!. Hopefully the US will eventually adopt this awful procedure :(
xocats 11/30/11 at 6:46am
What wonderful news Anne....
As you know US kitties do not have that protection.
If a client requests that their cat be declawed, most vets will do it.
Some even advertise that they declaw ...
their greed is shameful.
Bravo to all the countries who put the welfare of cats over profit.
Congratulations Israel!
Rockcat 11/30/11 at 7:22am
Oh, thank God! That is wonderful news! I so pray that the US will follow suit someday.
Ducman69 11/30/11 at 2:39pm
Interesting to see if this impacts the number of adopted cats, or if more and more cats will become outdoor cats.
Catkiki 11/30/11 at 8:19pm
Fantastic news! I just wish they would pass this in the States.
Anne 11/30/11 at 10:14pm
Ducman, since declawing is unpopular here as it is, and since shelters require that you never declaw the cat anyway, I highly doubt it will have any impact, other than sending a message. An interesting comparison can be made in the US, between shelters that have a "no-declaw" clause to those who do not - not sure the latter are having more adoptions and I have a feeling they're getting more returns...
CatWoman78 12/10/11 at 5:06pm
Most ppl who don't know any better have the misconception that declawing a cat is just removing the claw when in fact, the first part of the toe is also removed if I remember correctly. That is why if done incorrectly, some cats are in pain for the rest of their lives. I refuse to do that to any of my cats, the claws come with the package and the territory of being owned by cats. I am totally against declawing, I think it's cruel to do that to any animal. If the cat was indoors and got out how would they defend themselves w/o their natural "knives" they can't climb a tree to escape a dog for example. I wish that law were here too.
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