Israel passes Cat "Declaw Law" with $20,000 Fine

Cat declawing is now officially — and legally — off limits in Israel.

On November 28th, the Israeli legislature voted unanimously to make cat declawing illegal. Imagine the collective meow of relief that was heard across the country! If someone is caught declawing a cat they can expect up to one year in jail and a hefty $20,000 fine. Israel joins the U.K., Brazil, most of Europe, and Australia for taking a strong stand on this cruel practice. In the United States, declawing unfortunately remains legal except in a handful of cities.

Onychectomy (the medical term for declawing) is a procedure where the claw and part of the bone of a cat’s toes are removed, usually to keep the feline from ruining furniture, catching birds or scratching children. Cat claws however are rooted deep in the bone, so partial bone removal is necessary in an onychectomy. To put this in perspective, the bone removed on each digit is akin to removing up to the third knuckle on each human finger. OUCH!

In addition to being painful, declawing leaves a cat virtually defenseless. For an indoor cat, this may not be much of an issue, but for a cat that spends time outdoors and meets an unfriendly dog, being declawed can be fatal. Cats also need their claws for stretching their tendons, climbing, balance and marking their territory. Oh, and shredding your favorite reading chair.

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Rachael M.

8:57PM PST on Feb 1, 2012

I'm glad to hear this!
My cat came declawed when I got her from an animal shelter, but I've had other clawed pets before (rabbits), and have pretty gotten used to trimming animal claws as a result.
My friends with clawed cats recommend getting Kitty incredibly high on catnip before starting, and wrapping a towel around the animal to keep squirming to a minimum.
I recently read about a product that are blunt nail tips for cats and dogs that you glue on to the animal's nail. Does anyone know how well these work?

send a green star

Cate W.

3:20AM PST on Jan 8, 2012

Well done Israel! Wonderful news for kitty cats everywhere :)

Adela P.

9:42AM PST on Dec 21, 2011

TO SUZE O. My goodness what a stone heart you and PAM have!!! To think nothing of MUTILATING a helpless animal for your convenience!!!!!!!!

And madam, no one has an agenda for Israel here...except to defend it from some ignoramus people here who insulted it by using lies! But it IS a great deed that Israel did to ban such bloody horror.

I'm SO SORRY FOR YOUR POOR MUTILATED KITTIES!!!

Read this for goodness sake and see what the poor poor felines have to go through for YOUR SELFISH CONVENIENCE (and these people have no Israel agenda as you are accusing me and others here!): A Veterinarian's View: http://www.declawing.com/ ;
http://cats.about.com/cs/declawing/a/declawing.htm ... I can send you tons more...

Suze O.

8:17AM PST on Dec 21, 2011

Cherise U--cats indoors vs outdoors is indeed a personal thing, unless of course there are laws in your local area regarding outdoor (off leash) roaming. Where I live your dog/cat can only be on your property--unreasonable as most cats will not stay within their own boundaries. Some are street smart, others are not. Some cats or dogs will stay right on their own lawn or porch, etc., most will not. Please also be aware that cat and dog mentality is about that of a 2, 3, or 4 year old child depending on intelligence, Would you let your 2, 3, or 4 year old child roam the neighborhood?, don't think so.......so why should your cat/dog?
I stand with Pam on the declawing issue, I have cats I have declawed and others that were not, my cats remain indoors and they have lived healthy lives, regular vet visits and many have lived into their late teens, I also find that many folks on this article are using it as their bandwagon for other agenda linked to Israel. Please keep it to the article content, not your agenda!

7:45AM PST on Dec 21, 2011

TO BARBARA D.

Then...the decent thing to do is DO NOT HAVE A CAT!!!!!! Just go and find a human companion!!!! You have no right to mutilate a being just because he/she "damages your home". They aren't a piece of wood to cut according to need!!! But you do the right to NOT HAVE A CAT until you understand the value of and rights of a captive being!!!

Rosedala :(

Sarah M.

8:34PM PST on Dec 20, 2011

Declawing is evil, period. No one would think of doing this to a dog--so why cat's?! It's should be illegal everywhere.

Barbara D.

9:15PM PST on Dec 19, 2011

I think, this is good. One one side, it is the humane thing to do, but on the other hand, we had a cat who literally clawed through a wall, so I can also see how declawing can spare damage to the house.

Eternal G.

9:37PM PST on Dec 15, 2011

Good, now the rest of the world to follow!!!

Linda O.

7:03PM PST on Dec 15, 2011

Bravo, Israel!

Marie M.

2:29PM PST on Dec 15, 2011

I'm liking Israel more and more. What compassionate people to make de-clawing a thing of the past. Congratulations to them.