Alley Cat Allies has sent a letter of support and is rallying Rhode Island residents with a goal of ensuring the Ocean State becomes the third in the nation to ban cruel cat declawing.
Rhode Island’s declaw ban bill, HB 6508, already passed in the state Senate. Right now, it is with the House of Representatives for a vote. If it passes there, the next step is for Rhode Island governor Daniel McKee to sign it into law.
If you live in Rhode Island, ask your state representative to outlaw declawing by voting YES on HB 6508.
HB 6508 would outlaw declawing across the state, with the exception of very rare cases in which declaw surgery is medically necessary. In the vast majority of cases, though, declawing is treated as a nail trim carried out to protect furniture from cats’ natural scratching behavior.
But declawing could not be further from a nail trim. It is a severe procedure that involves the surgical amputation of the last joints of a cat’s toes–up to 18 amputations in total.
The consequences can be just as severe. Declawed cats can suffer from hemorrhaging, paw pad lacerations, swelling, radial nerve damage, lameness, infections, chronic pain, and more. The pain in their paws can lead to cats avoiding the litter box, and the loss of their natural protection leaves many cats more prone to biting out of stress and fear. These behaviors, not scratching, are the most common reasons cats lose their homes and are relinquished to shelters.
Furthermore, humane alternatives to declaw surgery are widely available, including scratching posts, spray deterrents, and nail caps. These approaches redirect cats’ natural scratching instincts rather than surgically remove a critical part of their anatomy. Cats rely on their paws, including their claws, for their everyday behavioral and grooming needs. Their claws are their first line of defense, and scratching removes dead nail sheaths and stretches and strengthens their muscles.
Declawing cats to address unwanted scratching behavior hinders these natural behaviors and can cause trauma and lifelong damage.
Thanks in part to tireless advocacy by Alley Cat Allies and The Paw Project, policies to ban declawing are picking up steam around the country. New York, Maryland, Washington D.C., and more than a dozen major U.S. cities have passed laws against declaw surgery. Nearly all Canadian provinces and at least 42 countries have also passed official legislation to prohibit declawing cats and other animals. Several veterinary associations and hospital groups like Banfield, VCA, and BluePearl have also taken action against declawing in their clinics.
Rhode Island could become the next state to lead the way in the humane treatment of cats and inspire more states to pass their own declawing bans. Alley Cat Allies will continue to fight for HB 6508 and every law that will protect cats from cruel, unnecessary, and traumatizing procedures.
Watch our Action Center for ways you can act for cats in your community.
Learn the facts about declawing through our Keep Cats’ Claws On Their Paws campaign.