On Monday, November 13, in the state of Colorado, the Denver City Council voted unanimously to pass a proposed cat declawing ban, making Denver the first city outside the state of California to do so. Hopefully we're just getting started, with two proposed statewide bans in the works in New York and New Jersey!

The surgical process of declawing is barbaric. Declawing cats involves the surgical removal of each of the cat’s toes back to the first knuckle. This surgery is one of the most painful of all the most routinely performed surgeries of veterinary medicine. It’s also one of the most unnecessary.

The procedure is primarily used to try to stop the natural behavior of scratching on furniture by cats, but it almost always leads to more behavioral problems, like litter box avoidance and biting. These behaviors often leave declawed cats dumped at shelters where they are often killed because they are considered unadoptable.

Denver veterinarian, Dr. Aubrey Lavizzo, a representative with The Paw Project, was instrumental in getting the ordinance heard by the Council and passed. The Denver declawing ordinance still allows for the procedure to be done if deemed medically necessary.

The Paw Project works hard on behalf of cats to get declawing bans passed nationwide. Thank you Dr. Lavizzo, and The Paw Project for passing this important ordinance! We also thank you, our supporters in Denver, for responding to our alert with your calls and letters. It couldn't be done without the hard work of individuals coming together on the local level.

If you wish to pass a declawing ordinance where you live, please contact The Paw Project. Thanks for caring!