HomeMy WebLinkAbout86-O-24__Amending_Title_9__Chapter_4_of_the_City_Code_to_Prohibit_Declawing_of_Cats10/28/2024
86-O-24
AN ORDINANCE
Amending Title 9, Chapter 4 of the City Code to Prohibit Declawing of Cats
WHEREAS, declawing, also known as onychectomy, is a surgical
procedure that involves the amputation of the last bone of each toe of a cat and removal
of nerves, joint capsules, collateral ligaments, and extensor and flexor tendons up to the
joint, akin to amputation of a human finger at the last knuckle; and
WHEREAS, declawing is not merely a cosmetic procedure akin to
trimming nails but a severe surgery that can lead to significant physical and behavioral
issues in cats; and
WHEREAS, declawing 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 stretch; and
WHEREAS, numerous studies and veterinary organizations, including the
American Association of Feline Practitioners, have highlighted the detrimental effects of
declawing, including chronic pain, lameness, behavioral changes such as increased
aggression or anxiety, and other long-term health problems; and
WHEREAS, the Humane Society of the United States, the Humane
Society Veterinary Medical Alliance, the Animal Legal Defense Fund, and the Paw
Project support legislation to prohibit the declawing of cats unless the medical
procedure is medically necessary for therapeutic purposes and performed by a licensed
veterinarian; and
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86-O-24
WHEREAS, more than twenty cities and three states across the United
States, as well as many countries around the world, have already recognized the cruel
and unnecessary nature of this procedure and have banned it or have taken steps to
ban it; and
WHEREAS, prohibiting the declawing of cats more accurately and
thoroughly protects the safety of the residents of Evanston than declawing, as declawed
cats are 4.5 times more prone to defending themselves by biting than those with claws,
according to a 2017 study published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery, and
cat bites are associated with higher rates of infection than scratches, such that the
Centers for Disease Control does not recommend declawing as a way to protect human
health, even for the immunocompromised; and
WHEREAS, multiple studies and statistics from multiple jurisdictions
where declawing has been banned indicate that the prohibition of declawing procedures
does not lead to an increase in the number of cats relinquished to shelters; and
WHEREAS, the Evanston City Council finds that it is in the best interest of
the City of Evanston residents to amend the City Code to prohibit the declawing of cats.
BE IT ORDAINED BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF
EVANSTON, COOK COUNTY, ILLINOIS:
SECTION 1: Title 9, Chapter 4 of the Evanston City Code of 2012, as
amended, is hereby further amended by adding the following section:
9-4-22. - DECLAWING PROHIBITED
(A) Definitions: As used in this Section, the following words, terms,
and phrases have the following meanings:
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CAT: An animal of the taxonomic family felidae.
DECLAWING PROCEDURE: An onychectomy, partial or complete
phalangectomy, partial digital amputation,
tendonectomy, or other procedure to alter
a cat’s toes, claws, or paws to prevent the
normal functioning of the cat’s toes, claws,
or paws. “Declawing procedure” does not
include the trimming of nonviable claw
husk or placing nonpermanent nail caps.
ONYCHECTOMY: A procedure in which a portion of the paw
of a cat is amputated to remove or disable
a claw, including, without limitation,
procedures commonly referred to as
declawing.
PARTIAL DIGITAL AMPUTATION: A procedure for the excision of some or all
of one or more of the phalanges of the
paw of a cat.
PHALANGECTOMY: A procedure for the excision of one or
more of the phalanges of the paw of a cat.
TENDONECTOMY: A procedure in which the tendons to the
limbs, paws, or toes of a cat are cut or
modified so that the cat’s claws cannot
function normally.
THERAPEUTIC PURPOSE: A medical necessity, as determined by a
licensed veterinarian, to address an
existing or recurring infection, disease,
injury, or abnormal condition in the claws,
nail bed, or toe bone that jeopardizes the
cat’s physical health. “Therapeutic
purpose” does not include cosmetic or
aesthetic reasons for the purpose of
making a cat more convenient to keep or
handle.
(B) Prohibition: A person may not perform a declawing by any means
on a cat within the City of Evanston unless the procedure is necessary for a therapeutic
purpose. Any declawing procedure performed in compliance with this Section 9 -4-22(B)
shall be performed by a licensed veterinarian.
(C) Violation:
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Any person who violates Section 9-4-22(B) shall be
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fined $2,000. Each declawing procedure shall constitute a separate and distinct offense
to which a separate fine shall apply.
SECTION 3: All ordinances or parts of ordinances in conflict herewith are
hereby repealed.
SECTION 4: If any provision of this Ordinance or application thereof to
any person or circumstance is held unconstitutional or otherwise invalid, such invalidity
shall not affect other provisions or applications of this Ordinance that can be given effect
without the invalid application or provision, and each invalid application of this
Ordinance is severable.
SECTION 5: This Ordinance shall be in full force and effect after its
passage and approval.
SECTION 5: The findings and recitals contained herein are declared to
be prima facie evidence of the law of the City and shall be received in evidence as
provided by the Illinois Compiled Statutes and the courts of the State of Illinois.
Introduced: _________________, 202 4
Adopted: ___________________, 202 4
Approved:
__________________________, 2024
_______________________________
Daniel Biss, Mayor
Attest:
_______________________________
Stephanie Mendoza, City Clerk
Approved as to form:
______________________________
Alexandra B. Ruggie, Corporation Counsel
December 09
December 09 December 09
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Testimony in Support of Ordinance 86-0-24
Prohibiting the declawing of cats
City Council
City of Evanston
November 25, 2024
The Humane Society of the United States, the nation’s largest animal protection organization,
supports passage of Ordinance 86-0-24, which would end the practice of nontherapeutic declawing
of cats in the state. Declawing has serious implications for felin e welfare and the bond between
people and their cats. If passed, Evanston would join a rapidly growing number of communities
taking a stand against this inhumane practice.
Convenience declawing of cats is already illegal in New York State , Maryland, Virginia and the
District of Columbia. It is banned in eight California cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco,
the city and county of Denver, Colorado and the city and county of St. Louis, Missouri, in Austin,
Texas, Pittsburgh and Allentown, Pennsylvania, Madison, Wisconsin and Volusia County, Florida,
among others. Nine out of ten Canadian provinces prohibit non-therapeutic declawing.
Nontherapeutic declawing is banned or considered an unethical veterinary practice in a vast number
of countries, from New Zealand to Brazil to the United Kingdom. The European Convention on the
Protection of Pet Animals prohibits the procedure throughout the European Union.
The veterinary community is increasingly opposed to declawing. The Feline Veterinary Medical
Association, the American Animal Hospital Association, the Canadian Veterinary Medical Association
and the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Alliance are opposed. The major veterinary hospital
chains, VCA, Banfield, and Blue Pearl, do not offer elective declaw procedures on cats. Many U.S.
veterinary schools no longer routinely teach declaw procedures.
However, we can’t continue to wait for the veterinary profession to end declawing on its own. These
amputations are still too commonly practiced, and cat owners are often not made aware of the high
risk of permanent adverse effects on cats or of the procedures’ controversies – that many
veterinarians won’t amputate a cat’s toes unless there is a valid medical need.
There are no valid reasons to declaw a cat.
Arguments in favor of declawing often center around the desire to prevent unwanted scratching of
either furniture or people. Amputation is an extreme response to what can be addressed with regular
nail trimming, a variety of scratching posts and a better understanding of feline behavior. Moreover,
declawed cats are at a greater risk of developing more serious adverse behaviors after amputation,
such as litter box aversion or an increase in biting and aggression, than the o nes the amputations
were meant to prevent.
In pain, and no longer able to defend themselves with their claws, cats may resort to biting. The
documented increased biting behavior of declawed cats can lead to more severe disease in people
than cat scratches. Cat bites carry a dangerously high infection risk to healthy and
immunocompromised people alike. Infectious disease specialists do not recommend declawing. The
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National Institutes of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Infect ious Diseases
Society of America jointly stated that declawing is “not advised” to protect the health of even
severely immune-compromised patients.
Scratching is a natural behavior for cats.
Declawing is not done for the benefit of the cat as it prevents the cat from performing natural
behaviors. The act of scratching removes the dead husks from their claws, marks territory, both
visually and with scent glands in their paws, and stretches their muscles. Scratching is important for
a cat’s physical and mental wellbeing. In appropriate scratching can be managed with training and a
better understanding of cat behavior. What is natural behavior for a cat often is considered
misbehavior by humans, especially when furniture or other household objects are damaged in the
process. While veterinarians can counsel their clients, veterinary behaviorists and certified cat
behavior consultants can be employed for more difficult cases, as declawing should never be
considered a “last resort.”
Declaw bans do not lead to more cats being surrendered to animal shelters—in fact, they may help
keep cats in their homes.
There is a false narrative that a cat owner unable to get their cat declawed is likely to relinquish that
cat to an animal shelter or abandon that cat outdoors. The risk of a cat ending up homeless or
worse, euthanized, due to a declaw prohibition is grossly overestimated. A recent study of data from
British Columbia shelters covering the three years prior to and three years after a province -wide
declaw ban went into effect showed that there was no increase in cats being relinquished or
euthanized. The number of owner-surrender cats actually decreased after the ban. Publicly available
data from Los Angeles and other California cities at the forefront of enacting declaw bans also show
no increase in cat intake at shelters citywide once declawing was prohibited.
The reality is that due to the higher prevalence of long-term adverse impacts of multiple
amputations, declawing puts cats at a greater risk of eviction from their homes and relinquishment
to shelters and rescue organizations. According to a study published in the Journal of American
Veterinary Medical Association, among relinquished cats, 52.4% of declawed cats were reported to
exhibit litter box avoidance, compared to 29.1% of non-declawed cats.
Declawing is no good for cats or people. It’s time to end the practice.
Given the facts laid out above, the HSUS asks for your favorable vote on Ordinance 86-0-24, a
humane bill which will protect the health and well-being of family pets.
Danielle Bays
Senior Analyst, Cat Protection and Policy
The Humane Society of the United States
dbays@humanesociety.org
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