Declawing cats would be illegal in Minnesota under proposed new law

ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) – The days of declawing cats could be coming to an end in Minnesota.

A bill making its way through the legislature this year would make most of the surgeries illegal.

Stopping surgeries?

No knuckles:

The most common surgery is called onychectomy, and it involves cutting off the first phalange, so picture a cat without the first knuckle on all of its paws.

Veterinarian associations support a ban on declawing, but the Minnesota association doesn’t like the proposed fines for violations.

Why declawing is done

Cat scratch fever:

For decades, a solution for carpets and couches ruined by cats has been declawing.

Thousands of pets undergo the procedure every year and even critics say the veterinarians who do it think they’re doing the right thing.

“They firmly believe that they're keeping a scratching cat in a good home,” said Dr. Ronald Gaskin, a veterinarian at Main Street Veterinary in Shakopee. “That was 20 years ago. Now, the last five years, we've got irrefutable evidence that it's just the opposite.”

Maintained by myth?

Lifelong loss:

Dr. Ronald Gaskin says declawed cats are actually more likely to end up surrendered.

He stopped performing the surgery about 20 years ago when he realized the pain was immense and often lasted for the rest of a cat’s life.

“Long term, we also know there's potential complications physically and from a behavioral, you know, mental well-being standpoint,” said Dr. Rob Memmen, a veterinarian at Gerhrman Animal Hospital in Minnetonka and president of the Minnesota Veterinary Medicine Association (MVMA).

X-rays show how amputated bones can take new shapes and cause chronic pain.

Taking stands

Surgery support slim:

The MVMA agrees with the Humane Society that cats shouldn’t be declawed unless medically necessary — to remove a tumor, for instance.

And the University of Minnesota (U of M) Veterinary School only teaches students about the procedure in theory.

“We don't have the students perform declawing on any animals,” said Dr. Erin Burton, an associate dean at U of M Veterinary School.

But the new bill prohibiting elective declawing doesn’t have universal support.

The veterinarians association's position is that the prohibition is okay, but the fines are not.

They say a doctor should have room to decide whether declawing is necessary, especially for clients with autoimmune diseases or blood clotting issues making them vulnerable to scratching.

“You and I both know it's a cruel procedure,” said Dr. Gaskin. “It's painful for the rest of their life. It changes who and what they are. Do we have the right to do that to a sentient, intelligent species for our own ends and convenience?”

What's next?:

The bill had a committee hearing this week, but it doesn’t have bipartisan support in the House yet, so its fate is still up in the air.

PoliticsMinnesota