This action is ONLY for residents of Maryland

Update—March 19, 2020:

Due to the COVID-19 emergency, the Maryland legislature has adjourned early. Unfortunately, that means MD 445 will be put on hold indefinitely. Thank you to everyone who took action to support this critically important bill that would end cat declawing throughout Maryland. We will update you when a declaw ban is up for consideration again.

Original Message

A bill to ban declawing in Maryland, HB 445, could face a dangerous amendment that would render it effectively useless.

We must speak now to let legislators know it is critical to support the declaw bill as written, without any amendment that would create loopholes and render it useless.

According to experts, declawing does not protect human health or keep more cats in homes. In fact, just the opposite. 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 relinquished.

Claws are an extremely important part of a cat’s anatomy and should stay on their paws. 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, with NO possible loopholes.

Ask your legislators to support the declaw ban in Maryland and reject any harmful amendments.