Re: Council File 09-2213 Re: Proposed declaw ban (scheduled for consideration on Nov 2, 2009) We request the attached information be provided to the Councilmembers. Please contact me if you need additional information. Jim Jensvold The Paw Project 818 404 1633 The Paw Project ● PO Box 445, Santa Monica, CA 90406 ● [email protected] ● (877) PAW-PROJECT Partial list of countries with laws against declawing: United Kingdom Click here: http://www.opsi.gov.uk/ACTS/acts2006/pdf/ukpga_20060045_en.pdf Section 5: Mutilation (1) A person commits an offence if— (a) he carries out a prohibited procedure on a protected animal; (b) he causes such a procedure to be carried out on such an animal. (2) A person commits an offence if— (a) he is responsible for an animal, (b) another person carries out a prohibited procedure on the animal, and (c) he permitted that to happen or failed to take such steps (whether by way of supervising the other person or otherwise) as were reasonable in all the circumstances to prevent that happening. (3) References in this section to the carrying out of a prohibited procedure on an animal are to the carrying out of a procedure which involves interference with the sensitive tissues or bone structure of the animal, otherwise than for the purpose of its medical treatment. Switzerland http://www.animallaw.info/nonus/statutes/stchapa1978.htm Section 8: Prohibited Practices Article 22. 2. It is also forbidden: g. to cut off the claws of cats and other felines, to clip or prick the ears of dogs, to remove the vocal organs or employ other methods to prevent animals from giving tongue or reacting to pain in another audible manner; Austria http://www.ris.bka.gv.at/Dokumente/Erv/ERV_2004_1_118/ERV_2004_1_118.pdf § 7. (1) Interventions carried out for other than therapeutic or diagnostic purposes or for the expert marking of animals in accordance with legal regulations applicable, are prohibited, in particular 5. declawing and defanging, Germany http://www.animallaw.info/nonus/statutes/stdeawa1998.htm Article 6 (1) The amputation of all or part of parts of the body or the removal or destruction of all or parts of organs or tissues of a vertebrate shall be prohibited. This prohibition shall not apply if: 1. the operation in the specific case a) is necessary according to veterinary indication... Sweden http://www.sweden.gov.se/content/1/c6/09/03/10/f07ee736.pdf Surgical procedures etc. Section 10 (1) Animals must not be subjected to surgical procedures or given injections except where they are necessary for veterinary medical reasons. The Paw Project ● PO Box 445, Santa Monica, CA 90406 ● [email protected] ● (877) PAW-PROJECT Croatia http://www.prijatelji-zivotinja.hr/index.en.php?id=470 Procedures prohibited for the purpose of protecting animals Article 4 (2) It is prohibited to: 17. cut off sensitive parts of the body of live animals, Interventions on animals Article 8 (1) The partial or total amputation of a sensitive part of the body of an animal shall be prohibited, including: 1. the marking of animals contrary to the provisions of special regulations, 2. ear cropping and tail docking in dogs, declawing of cats, devocalisation and other interventions aimed at changing the phenotypic appearance of the animal. (2) By way of derogation from the provision of paragraph 1 of this Article, the partial or total amputation or removal of a sensitive part of the body of an animal shall be permitted if performed with prior anaesthesia and post-operative analgesia and if an intervention: 1. is justified for animal health reasons Malta http://www.commonlii.org/mt/legis/consol_act/awa128.pdf Part V - Surgical Operations on Animals Surgical operations. 9. (1) Surgical operations for the purpose of modifying the appearance of an animal by which any part of the animal’s body is removed or damaged, other than for a curative purpose, shall be illegal. Other localities that ban declawing are: Catalonia, Spain http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0623/p15s02-woeu.html Rome, Italy http://articles.latimes.com/2005/nov/09/world/fg-pets9 Council of Europe http://www.conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Treaties/Html/125.htm Article 10 – Surgical operations 1. Surgical operations for the purpose of modifying the appearance of a pet animal or for other non- curative purposes shall be prohibited and, in particular: a. the docking of tails; b. the cropping of ears; c. devocalisation; d. declawing and defanging; The signatories to this convention as of 6/16/2009 were: Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Romania, Sweden, Switzerland, and Turkey http://www.conventions.coe.int/Treaty/Commun/ChercheSig.asp?NT=125&CM=8&DF=6/16/2009&CL=E NG The Paw Project ● PO Box 445, Santa Monica, CA 90406 ● [email protected] ● (877) PAW-PROJECT World Small Animal Veterinary Association (WSAVA) There are also a number of national veterinary associations that are signatories to the WSAVA Conventions. In those countries veterinarians find declawing, as it is commonly performed in the US, unethical. http://www.wsava.org/Conventi.htm Section 10 Non-therapeutic surgical operations on companion animals i) Surgical operations for the purpose of modifying the appearance of a companion animal for non-therapeutic purposes should be actively discouraged. ii) Where possible legislation should be enacted to prohibit the performance of non-therapeutic surgical procedures for purely cosmetic purposes, in particular; a. Docking of tails; b. Cropping of ears; c. Devocalisation; d. Declawing and defanging. iii) Exceptions to these prohibitions should be permitted only: a. If a veterinarian considers that the particular surgical procedure is necessary, either for veterinary medical reasons or where euthanasia is the only alternative.... These are the signatory organizations (note: the AVMA is not a signatory): Argentina - AVEACA Asociación de Veterinarios Especialistas en Animales de Compañía de Argentina Australia - AVA Australian Veterinary Association Austria - VOEK Vereinigung Oesterreichischer Kleintiermadiziner Belgium - SAVAB Small Animal Veterinary Association Belgium Bosnia Herzegovina - BHSAVA Bosnia-Herzegovina Small Animal Veterinary Association British Columbia - BCVMA British Columbia Veterinary Medical Association Columbia - VEPA Columbias Croatia - CSAVS Croatian Small Animal Veterinary Section Czech Republic - CSAVA Czech Small Animal Veterinary Association Denmark - DSAVA Danish Small Animal Veterinary Association Estonia - ESAVA Estonian Small Animal Veterinary Association Finland - FAVP Finnish Association of Veterinary Practitioners Greece - HVMS Hellenic Veterinary Multinational Society Hong Kong - HKVA Hong Kong Veterinary Association Hungary - HSAVA Hungarian Small Animal Veterinary Association Ireland - VICAS Veterinary Ireland Companion Animal Society Israel - ICAVA Israel Companion Animal Veterinary Association Italy - AIVPA Associazione Italiana Veterinari Piccoli Animali Italy - SCIVAC Società Culturale Italiana Veterinari per Animali da Compagnia Japan - JSAVA Japanese Small Animal Veterinary Association Lithhuania - LSAVA Lithuanian Small Animal Veterinary Association Malaysia - Malaysia Small Animal Veterinary Association (MSAVA) Mexico - AMMVEPE Asociación Mexicana de Médicos Veterinarios Especialistas en Pequeñas Especies Netherlands - NACAM Netherlands Association for Companion Animal Medicine New Zealand - NZVA CAS New Zealand Veterinary Association - Companion Animal Society Norway - NSAVA Norwegian Small Animal Veterinary Association Poland - PSAVA Polish Small Animal Veterinary Association South Africa - SAVA South African Veterinary Association Spain - AVEPA Asociación de Veterinarios Españoles Especialistas en Pequeños Animales Taiwan - TVMA Taipei Veterinary Medical Association United Kingdom - BSAVA British Small Animal Veterinary Association Uruguay - SUVEPA La Sociedad Uruguaya de Veterinarios Especialistas en Pequeños Animales IVENTA International Veterinary Ear Nose and Throat Association The Paw Project ● PO Box 445, Santa Monica, CA 90406 ● [email protected] ● (877) PAW-PROJECT POSITIONS ON DECLAWING Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association (HSVMA) "The Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association is opposed to cosmetic surgeries and to those performed to correct 'vices.' Declawing generally is unacceptable because the suffering and disfigurement it causes is not offset by any benefits to the cat. Declawing is done strictly to provide convenience for people." American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) "Declawing is expensive, painful surgery. Think of it as having the first joint of all your fingers removed. And because their first line of defense has been taken away, declawed cats may resort to biting more often than their intact counterparts. Some veterinarians around the country refuse to perform declawing surgery." Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) "The pain and expense of this surgical procedure are unnecessary. Educated cat owners can easily train their cats to use their claws in a manner that allows cat and owner to happily coexist" San Francisco Animal Care and Control Department "Cats use their claws to exercise, play, stretch, climb, hunt, and mark their territory. Although your cat might use your hands or furniture for these activities, declawing is NOT the answer. Declawing is a painful and difficult operation. It is the same as removing the first joint on all your fingers. It impairs