This action is ONLY for residents of New Hampshire
On January 16, New Hampshire’s Environment and Agriculture Committee will hold a meeting to discuss an important bill to prohibit the declawing of cats, an outdated surgery that does harm to a cat’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being.
According to top experts, declawing does not protect human health or keep more cats in homes. In fact, the behavior and medical issues caused by declawing, such as biting, avoiding the litter box, and chronic pain and arthritis, are the main reasons cats are abandoned.
Claws are an extremely important part of a cat’s anatomy and should stay on their paws. There is never a need to declaw, as there are inexpensive and effective ways to redirect unwanted scratching. Declawing is a non-therapeutic practice, meaning it has no benefit for a cat. It’s time for it to end.
Before January 16, ask your Environment and Agriculture Committee to support HB 1387 and ban declawing in New Hampshire.
Please Support House Bill 1387 to Prohibit the Declawing of Cats
Dear [Decision Maker],
As a resident of New Hampshire, I thank you for introducing HB 1387 on behalf of my fellow constituents and our state's animals. I am writing today to urge you to support this critical bill to prohibit the declawing of cats, a practice that has negative effects on a cat's physical, mental, and emotional well-being.Declawing, an amputation also known as onychectomy, is not done for medical purposes. The most common reason for this non-therapeutic surgery is the protection of furniture. However, there are inexpensive and effective deterrents to redirect a cat's natural scratching behavior, such as regular nail trims, nail caps, deterrent sprays, and even training the cat to scratch in appropriate areas.Declawing will not keep more cats in homes--a fact that the American Association of Feline Practitioners (AAFP) acknowledges. A recent study found that the primary reasons people relinquish their pets are behavioral issues and medical costs that are direct consequences of declawing. These issues include, and are not limited to, increased biting, litter box avoidance, chronic pain, balance issues, arthritis, and back problems.Declawing does not protect human health. The National Institutes of Health, The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the U.S. Public Health Service, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the Canadian Medical Association, all have specifically stated that declawing is "not advised" even for the cats of persons who are severely immunocompromised, including those with HIV. There is never a reason to remove a cat's claws, which are an essential part of her anatomy, unless a medical procedure requires it to improve her health. That surgery is not declawing. I want New Hampshire to enact a declaw ban just like New York State, seven of the ten Canadian provinces, eight cities in California, St. Louis, Missouri, and the City and County of Denver, Colorado. Declawing is not performed in most of the world. I would like our state to join that humane community. That is why I ask you to support HB 1387 and ban declawing.
Sincerely,[Your Name] [Your Address] [City, State ZIP][Your Email]
