Yay! Maryland gov Hogan signs bill banning declawing of cats!

[Ginevra]

https://www.wusa9.com/amp/article/news/local/maryland/cat-declawing-banned-maryland-second-us-state-to-do-it-governor-hogan-cheryl-kagan/65-8e4e74e7-b006-4f63-9d30-a7077829382f
 

Though I’m sure it will do nothing to convince current members of his party that he is not a (name that means he’s really the other party), and while I don’t doubt he has legacy on his mind in the last days of his final term; still. This is great news for our furry friends. The kitties thank you for caring. 😊

[JustEm]

Good to hear. 

[Ellie]

Excellent!

[Terabith]

Okay, controversial stance, but I think this is a terrible law. I am opposed to declawing cats, and I think it should only be done in emergencies, but like abortion, I think sometimes it’s the least wrong choice.  
 

When I got pregnant with oldest kid, we had a cat who was loving and loved and had no ability to control her claws.  She would jump on laps with claws fully extended and slide, shredding skin as she fell.  Both my husband and I had several instances in which her claws resulted in us needing stitches.  She didn’t mean to.  She wasn’t aggressive.  We talked to the vet about training, and he had no idea what we could do that we weren’t doing, because this wasn’t aggression.  When I got pregnant, he said that even though she was an adult, we needed to declaw her.  So we did, using lots of pain meds.  She was fine.  But if declawing hadn’t been an option, we would have had to euthanize.  (No realistic chance of finding a home for an adult cat in San Antonio who couldn’t manage claws.)

There are people who develop cancer and have to declaw cats.  My mother wouldn’t have taken in the stray cat she did if declawing wasn’t an option.  I don’t think it was right of her to do it to choose furniture over the cat’s well-being, but I think it was better for her cat than having to remain homeless.  
 

It is cruel and I don’t like declawing,  but I think there are times it’s better to have the option.  

[Spy Car]

Hogan seems like a good guy.

As a personal aside, I think I saved our application/interview to adopt Desmond with my answer to the questions about scratching and declawing. I said something like, "Heaven forbid, I would never do such a thing. Declawing is inhumane."

Made up for my answer with the crazy cat lady in charge of approvals to the indoor/outdoor cat question, where I said "indoor only, except when on a harness and leash when out in the garden." That answer got a big frown and my wife had to jump in and confabulate that I must me talking about the dog (or sumpin') LOL

Bill  

[Spy Car]

10 minutes ago, Terabith said:

Okay, controversial stance, but I think this is a terrible law. I am opposed to declawing cats, and I think it should only be done in emergencies, but like abortion, I think sometimes it’s the least wrong choice.  
 

When I got pregnant with oldest kid, we had a cat who was loving and loved and had no ability to control her claws.  She would jump on laps with claws fully extended and slide, shredding skin as she fell.  Both my husband and I had several instances in which her claws resulted in us needing stitches.  She didn’t mean to.  She wasn’t aggressive.  We talked to the vet about training, and he had no idea what we could do that we weren’t doing, because this wasn’t aggression.  When I got pregnant, he said that even though she was an adult, we needed to declaw her.  So we did, using lots of pain meds.  She was fine.  But if declawing hadn’t been an option, we would have had to euthanize.  (No realistic chance of finding a home for an adult cat in San Antonio who couldn’t manage claws.)

There are people who develop cancer and have to declaw cats.  My mother wouldn’t have taken in the stray cat she did if declawing wasn’t an option.  I don’t think it was right of her to do it to choose furniture over the cat’s well-being, but I think it was better for her cat than having to remain homeless.  
 

It is cruel and I don’t like declawing,  but I think there are times it’s better to have the option.  

I did wonder about such hypotheticals myself. When the literal choices are euthanasia and declawing, absolutist laws that are w/o medical/behavior exceptions are concerning.

I have not read the statute to know, but I take your point.

Bill

[itsheresomewhere]

59 minutes ago, Terabith said:

Okay, controversial stance, but I think this is a terrible law. I am opposed to declawing cats, and I think it should only be done in emergencies, but like abortion, I think sometimes it’s the least wrong choice.  
 

When I got pregnant with oldest kid, we had a cat who was loving and loved and had no ability to control her claws.  She would jump on laps with claws fully extended and slide, shredding skin as she fell.  Both my husband and I had several instances in which her claws resulted in us needing stitches.  She didn’t mean to.  She wasn’t aggressive.  We talked to the vet about training, and he had no idea what we could do that we weren’t doing, because this wasn’t aggression.  When I got pregnant, he said that even though she was an adult, we needed to declaw her.  So we did, using lots of pain meds.  She was fine.  But if declawing hadn’t been an option, we would have had to euthanize.  (No realistic chance of finding a home for an adult cat in San Antonio who couldn’t manage claws.)

There are people who develop cancer and have to declaw cats.  My mother wouldn’t have taken in the stray cat she did if declawing wasn’t an option.  I don’t think it was right of her to do it to choose furniture over the cat’s well-being, but I think it was better for her cat than having to remain homeless.  
 

It is cruel and I don’t like declawing,  but I think there are times it’s better to have the option.  

I agree.  A friend’s cat had a similar issue and they had to choose declawing or euthanasia.  They tried everything and she was extremely opposed to declawing. I do hope they have some allowances in the law to help those who truly need to have the option. 

[Guest]

@Terabith I have read that declawed cats are *more* likely to be surrendered. I have not had an opportunity to research this - and, TBH, it is unlikely I will because I have no (cat) in this fight - but declawing supposedly increases other negative behaviors. 
 

There is a case-by-case “loophole” in the declawing law, as I understand it. 

[marbel]

1 hour ago, Spy Car said:

Hogan seems like a good guy.

As a personal aside, I think I saved our application/interview to adopt Desmond with my answer to the questions about scratching and declawing. I said something like, "Heaven forbid, I would never do such a thing. Declawing is inhumane."

Made up for my answer with the crazy cat lady in charge of approvals to the indoor/outdoor cat question, where I said "indoor only, except when on a harness and leash when out in the garden." That answer got a big frown and my wife had to jump in and confabulate that I must me talking about the dog (or sumpin') LOL

Bill  

Wait, she thought it was bad to keep the cat indoors unless harnessed? I thought that would be a good thing? Better for the cat, better for the birds? 

(I also have no cat in this fight, as we are all allergic to cats here, and will never have one. I don't like seeing neighborhood cats lurking around my birdfeeders though.)

BTW I don't  mean to be starting something. I honestly have always thought it would be better for a cat not to roam. Well, I did once live in an area with a lot of coyotes and a lot of lost cat signs... so it always seemed prudent to me.  That and the birds. 

Edited July 27, 2022 by marbel

[Terabith]

Just now, Quill said:

@Terabith I have read that declawed cats are *more* likely to be surrendered. I have not had an opportunity to research this - and, TBH, it is unlikely I will because I have no (cat) in this fight - but declawing supposedly increases other negative behaviors. 
 

There is a case-by-case “loophole” in the declawing law, as I understand it. 

Oh, it definitely can increase problematic behaviors.  But sometimes it’s necessary anyway.  And it doesn’t always cause behavior issues.  

[Terabith]

17 minutes ago, marbel said:

Wait, she thought it was bad to keep the cat indoors unless harnessed? I thought that would be a good thing? Better for the cat, better for the birds? 

(I also have no cat in this fight, as we are all allergic to cats here, and will never have one. I don't like seeing neighborhood cats lurking around my birdfeeders though.)

BTW I don't  mean to be starting something. I honestly have always thought it would be better for a cat not to roam. Well, I did once live in an area with a lot of coyotes and a lot of lost cat signs... so it always seemed prudent to me.  That and the birds. 

No, a lot of people think cats should never step outside under any circumstances, even on a harness.  

[marbel]

3 minutes ago, Terabith said:

No, a lot of people think cats should never step outside under any circumstances, even on a harness.  

OH OK, I took that completely wrong! I read it that the woman believed the cat should be allowed to roam. Makes more sense now!  Thank you!

 

Edited July 27, 2022 by marbel

[Pawz4me]

37 minutes ago, Quill said:

@Terabith I have read that declawed cats are *more* likely to be surrendered. I have not had an opportunity to research this - and, TBH, it is unlikely I will because I have no (cat) in this fight - but declawing supposedly increases other negative behaviors. 
 

There is a case-by-case “loophole” in the declawing law, as I understand it. 

I've worked in  cat rescue and I think it's overall a bad law. I'm not "for" declawing. I doubt I'd ever have it done to a cat of mine. But I think it should be an available choice. I've known numerous cases where being able to have it done very likely saved the cat's life. I've not seen anything personally to indicate to me that declawing causes long term problems.The number of declawed cats we got into rescue was tiny. Tiny tiny. Almost never, really.

I hope Maryland shelters and rescues have available capacity for more cats.

[Kanin]

1 hour ago, Terabith said:

Okay, controversial stance, but I think this is a terrible law. I am opposed to declawing cats, and I think it should only be done in emergencies, but like abortion, I think sometimes it’s the least wrong choice.  
 

When I got pregnant with oldest kid, we had a cat who was loving and loved and had no ability to control her claws.  She would jump on laps with claws fully extended and slide, shredding skin as she fell.  Both my husband and I had several instances in which her claws resulted in us needing stitches.  She didn’t mean to.  She wasn’t aggressive.  We talked to the vet about training, and he had no idea what we could do that we weren’t doing, because this wasn’t aggression.  When I got pregnant, he said that even though she was an adult, we needed to declaw her.  So we did, using lots of pain meds.  She was fine.  But if declawing hadn’t been an option, we would have had to euthanize.  (No realistic chance of finding a home for an adult cat in San Antonio who couldn’t manage claws.)

There are people who develop cancer and have to declaw cats.  My mother wouldn’t have taken in the stray cat she did if declawing wasn’t an option.  I don’t think it was right of her to do it to choose furniture over the cat’s well-being, but I think it was better for her cat than having to remain homeless.  
 

It is cruel and I don’t like declawing,  but I think there are times it’s better to have the option.  

Huh. I never thought about that side of it. I agree with you, then.... declawing for the majority of cats, with exceptions for extenuating circumstances like the ones you listed.

[Terabith]

I think it would be far better to have a public relations campaign on why declawing is a bad idea.  Laws regulating health care for people or cats is just rarely a good idea.

[Selkie]

Our shelters here get a lot of declawed cats. Unfortunately, many of them are strays that were left outside with no claws to defend themselves.

Two of my adopted cats are declawed. They were both declawed years ago (long before I got them), and they both limp and hold their front paws up.

Edited July 27, 2022 by Selkie

[kbutton]

I have heard about caps for claws now--are there a variety of options to avoid declawing? While one-size won't fit all, it seems like a good faith attempt to be more humane.

Our cat was not declawed growing up (many around town were not) and roamed freely (also typical). She had to be trained where to scratch, but it worked out. Past kitten-hood, she didn't tend to climb, etc. in the house unless she was accidentally left inside while we were at school/work (by accident), and she needed a drink (she did have a water bowl, but it was small because she was usually only in the house if we were there too), and even then she'd try the toilet before the sink. She climbed freely outdoors (the garage roof was a favorite place on summer evenings, lol!) and brought us a lot of trophy pests. 🙂 

I don't think she'd have liked to be indoor only, and I am certain she wouldn't have liked being declawed. She liked her freedom for sure! 

[Terabith]

We have never had luck with the caps on claws.  Honestly, our cats do scratch our furniture.  I know some people are able to train their cats not to do so, but we have never been successful, even with scratchers all over the place.  It's not a big deal.  Our aesthetic is "lived in."  But my mother, for instance, would not have a cat in her house if it had claws.  I disagree with her priorities, but I have a hard time faulting her for taking in strays that otherwise wouldn't have had a home.  We trim our cats' claws regularly.  We have lots of scratchers.  It's not a huge deal for us.  

But I still have a lot of scars from Trinity of blessed memory's inadvertent flaying of us, and we couldn't have brought a newborn into a house with a cat who could have caused that kind of damage without intending to do so.  I fully support cats defending themselves from toddlers who pull tails or squeeze too hard or whatever, but that was not the situation we had.  I felt horribly guilty declawing her, and we treated her pain aggressively.  Even though she was an adult, she recovered well and didn't have any issues from the surgery, and she was able to live with us until she died of natural causes many years later.  

[Spy Car]

1 hour ago, marbel said:

Wait, she thought it was bad to keep the cat indoors unless harnessed? I thought that would be a good thing? Better for the cat, better for the birds? 

(I also have no cat in this fight, as we are all allergic to cats here, and will never have one. I don't like seeing neighborhood cats lurking around my birdfeeders though.)

BTW I don't  mean to be starting something. I honestly have always thought it would be better for a cat not to roam. Well, I did once live in an area with a lot of coyotes and a lot of lost cat signs... so it always seemed prudent to me.  That and the birds. 

Crazy cat lady did not approve of having a cat outdoors--even on a harness.

I'd already come to the determination that having an outdoor cat in my neighborhood (where we have many predators) was too risky for me. But I do take Desmond outside with me on a harness so he gets to enjoy being outside.

He is one of those cats who pines to be outside. The harness is a reasonable compromise in our situation.

Sorry if my earlier post was unclear. The rescue wanted a promise of "indoor cat" only as a condition of adoption.

Bill

ETA: Adding a picture of Desmond from yesterday out working with me in the garden

 

 

Edited July 27, 2022 by Spy Car

[Pawz4me]

9 minutes ago, kbutton said:

I have heard about caps for claws now--are there a variety of options to avoid declawing? While one-size won't fit all, it seems like a good faith attempt to be more humane.

 

There are caps. They seem to be somewhat effective. The problem is that many owners have difficulty applying the caps themselves. And the caps only last a little while, until the nail grows a bit. So many cat owners require rather frequent assistance from a groomer or vet ($$).

The best option IMO and IME is frequent nail clipping. Clipping a cat's nails is super duper easy--much, much easier than doing a dog's nails--IF (note the big honkin' bold) the cat is reasonably cooperative. Many are not, especially if they aren't exposed to regular nail clipping while young. So again--assistance from a groomer or vet is often needed on the regular.

[Farrar]

5 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

There are caps. They seem to be somewhat effective. The problem is that many owners have difficulty applying the caps themselves. And the caps only last a little while, until the nail grows a bit. So many cat owners require rather frequent assistance from a groomer or vet ($$).

The best option IMO and IME is frequent nail clipping. Clipping a cat's nails is super duper easy--much, much easier than doing a dog's nails--IF (note the big honkin' bold) the cat is reasonably cooperative. Many are not, especially if they aren't exposed to regular nail clipping while young. So again--assistance from a groomer or vet is often needed on the regular.

My cat used to LOVE having his claws clipped. The first time I did it, I was super nervous and people told me to wrap him in a towel and really be careful and so forth. But no issues and from there on out, we tried to do it often. He practically seemed to be getting off on it, he would purr and show his belly and be really overexcited by it. I definitely felt like it was on us when he was clawing stuff. Mostly because it was usually a sign that he needed to be clipped again.

[kbutton]

5 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

There are caps. They seem to be somewhat effective. The problem is that many owners have difficulty applying the caps themselves. And the caps only last a little while, until the nail grows a bit. So many cat owners require rather frequent assistance from a groomer or vet ($$).

The best option IMO and IME is frequent nail clipping. Clipping a cat's nails is super duper easy--much, much easier than doing a dog's nails--IF (note the big honkin' bold) the cat is reasonably cooperative. Many are not, especially if they aren't exposed to regular nail clipping while young. So again--assistance from a groomer or vet is often needed on the regular.

That's why I wondered if there were other options out there. It's been a long time since someone in the extended family had a cat, so even the caps were a new idea to me. But it sounds like clipping and/or caps are something that would work for those that can start young--lots of pets need their nails (or beaks, etc.) trimmed. 

[mellifera33]

When we lived in rentals and had to prevent our cat from scratching molding we used the SoftPaws caps. Cameron was a medium-cooperative cat, so the caps worked reasonably well. They would have been impossible to apply to the grouchy cat I grew up with, and would be super easy with our current, chill, cats, but the current cats aren't super destructive and we don't care about light scratching. 

[skimomma]

I am 100% anti-declawing.  But I have to chuckle a the claw caps idea.  I get it and I know they work for some people but I have never had a cat that would cooperate for the installation.  It takes two people to clip one of my cat's claws weekly.  I literally have to sit on her while someone else holds her head.  She would absolutely chew off a finger if given the chance.  She was a stray and had never had anyone handled her paws prior to being adopted.  Not to mention, even with my reading glasses on, I find clipping difficult,  Applying caps would be very amusing to watch me attempt.

We are OK with slightly mangled furniture and the occasional scratch.  While I think declawing should almost never happen, I would prefer that over euthanasia in extreme situations.  Rather than make it illegal, I wish there was something within veterinarian licensing that held the bar very high for allowing declawing.

[Terabith]

When we had Trinity declawed, I got the impression that the vet would normally be reluctant to do the surgery.  But given the scars and bloody wounds we were sporting, how hard we’d tried for other options, and our obvious reluctance to do the surgery, he was very supportive and even insistent on it.  I was grateful he didn’t make us feel like abusive cat owners.