Susan Barrett feeds Mighter (left) and Cat (right), in her New York City apartment on Wednesday, Feb. 10. Barrett ran afoul of animal adoption organizations for intending to declaw her new cat but instead adopted Cat, who was already declawed. (Photo by Christian Yarnell/CNS)

Susan Barrett, a 42-year-old advertising sales director, returned to New York City last year after a stint abroad with a longtime companion, her 14-year-old cat, Mighter.  An avowed animal lover, Barrett was ready to take in another pet.  Hoping to adopt a homeless cat that might otherwise be euthanized, she approached a local animal rescue organization but was surprised to learn that they would not let her adopt if she planned to remove the cat’s claws.

“I would never do anything to hurt an animal,” Barrett said, but she was worried a cat with claws might destroy her furniture, scratch her or hurt Mighter, who had been declawed as a kitten.

Barrett found herself in the middle of a growing, nationwide battle over declawing.  While the practice was banned in England as inhumane in 2006 and is outlawed in dozens of other countries for the same reason, it is still legal in much of North America.  Many animal rights activists would like to see it banned, and many cat rescue groups, like the one Barrett went to, now insist that anyone wishing to adopt promise to leave the claws intact.

The debate has become particularly heated in California.  After the city of West Hollywood voted to ban declawing in 2003 and the courts upheld the ban, veterinary groups successfully lobbied for a state law barring other cities from doing the same.  The law came into effect on Jan. 1, but not before seven other California cities moved to ban declawing just before the deadline.

“Declawing is oftentimes seen by the public as a radical manicure,” said Barbara Hodges, a veterinarian in Dixon, Calif., and a consultant to the Humane Society Veterinary Medical Association, which is based in Washington, D.C. and endorses a ban.  “Actually, a declawing procedure is an amputation.”

Estimates vary widely as to how many of the 82 million house cats in the United States have had their claws removed.  Vets who study declawing put the number somewhere between 25 and 43 percent.

Cats scratch to keep the growth of their nails in check, mark their territory and stretch their muscles. Owners usually declaw a cat to prevent damage to furniture, which cats tend to use as their personal nail file.  Some are also worried that a cat with claws will hurt them or their children.

Removing a cat’s claws, however, is no simple matter. It requires removal of the entire nail bed, which is the tissue underneath the nails themselves.  The usual practice by most vets is to remove the last portion of the cat’s toe bone with a scalpel.  Those opposed to declawing compare it to cutting off a human’s fingers at the first knuckle.

“I’ve seen it up close and personal,” said Laura Sherlock, 40, a pet store owner in White House Station, N.J., who previously worked for four years as a veterinary technician, assisting a vet who performed declawing.  “Every cat woke up in pain.”

Mighter shows off a declawed front paw. (Photo by Christian Yarnell/CNS)

But defenders of declawing say that it is actually more humane because it prevents cats from being abandoned by owners frustrated by their scratching.  Many vets also counter that the practice itself does not have to be too painful.

Robert Rider, a vet in State College, Pa., declaws with a laser, which seals the cat’s nerve endings and, he said, reduces pain.  “It’s a reasonable approach to take as long as it’s done properly,” said Rider, who removed his own cat’s claws.

Those who oppose the practice claim that some cats suffer long-term effects.  After declawing, stepping into a litter box can be painful.  Some cats then mentally associate the litter box with pain, and stop using it.  Because they use their claws for defense, a declawed cat cannot live outdoors.

“Some cats will start to bite because they feel that they can’t defend themselves,” said Hodges, the consultant to the Humane Society.  Losing its natural defense mechanism, a declawed cat may become more aggressive, she warned.  Alternatives like scratch pads, temporary plastic tips that cover the cat’s nails and regular nail filing can stop unwanted scratching without resorting to declawing, she added.

The epicenter of the debate over declawing is California.  The city of West Hollywood was apparently the first in America to ban declawing in 2003. The California Veterinary Medical Association challenged the ban in court, but it was eventually upheld on appeal.  As other cities throughout the state considered a ban, the California State Assembly took up the issue, drafting legislation to prevent cities from unilaterally banning a particular procedure.

Mark Nunez, the president of the California Veterinary Medical Association and a vet in Van Nuys, Calif., said he opposed the city bans because declawing is preferable to having a cat thrown out on the street.  Nunez also complained that politicians were injecting themselves into what should be a private matter.  “It is a decision that should be left to veterinarians and cat owners,” he said.

The bill eventually passed and was signed into law in July 2009, effective Jan. 1.  Cities that banned declawing before that date were grandfathered in, however, and seven additional cities managed to impose a declawing ban before the deadline: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Monica, Burbank, Culver City, Beverly Hills and Berkeley.

Opponents of the law remain upset with the California Veterinary Medical Association for its role in pushing the legislation.  They are concerned that money, not the welfare of animals, was behind it.

Declawing generally costs between $100 and $450, depending on the vet and the type of procedure used.  The more advanced laser method, for example, carries a higher price tag.  “I’m sure many think that it would severely impact their bottom line if they stop,” Hodges said.

But Nunez, the California Veterinary Medical Association president, denied that financial motivations were behind the push for the new law.  He said that most vets view declawing as a procedure of last resort, adding that he convinces most cat owners interested in declawing to try something else, like a scratch pad or plastic tips.

Jennifer Conrad, a veterinarian in Santa Monica, Calif., and the director of the Paw Project, which advocates against feline declawing, is a leading figure in the push to ban the practice in the United States.  Conrad said that while she and her compatriots would not try to overturn the California state law until the political winds shifted, they would continue efforts to stop declawing.  Federal legislation would be most effective, but she admitted that was more of a long-term goal.  “I think it’s too early,” she explained.

In the meantime, she said that the Paw Project would work with other cities interested in imposing a local ban.  Activists from several cities, including Boulder, Colo., and Sedona, Ariz., were interested, she said.

While the debate over declawing continues, Barrett, the New Yorker hoping to adopt a second cat, found an elegant way to sidestep the issue.  Local rescuers helped her find a homeless cat that was on the list to be euthanized, yet happened to have already been declawed.

“His name is Cat,” said Barrett, who reports that they are getting along well together, although she is afraid Cat may have been abused by his former owners.  Still, Barrett is happy to have rescued him and is confident that he is going to do fine.

“He’s tougher than nails, this new cat.”