The declawing of cats is an inhumane and unethical procedure. Declawing cats is an unnecessary surgical procedure designed to modify a cat’s behavior by robbing them of their primary form of defense. Many people believe that declawing cats is like the equivalent of trimming your nails, when in reality, if done on a human, it would be more like the equivalent of cutting off each finger at the last knuckle.

Not only is it inhumane, declawing is both ineffective at solving behavioral issues and harmful to cats’ long term health. Research by the Humane Society of the United States and others has shown that declawed cats are significant more likely to have problems with biting and using litter boxes. They are also more likely to experience chronic stress and back problems, and the surgery puts them at unnecessary risk for infection.

Scratching is a normal cat behavior. It allows cats to stretch their muscles and mark territory. Using a surgical procedure to correct completely normal and healthy behavior is inhumane, especially considering the alarmingly common long terms health and behavioral impacts of the procedure. The procedure is already banned in several cities in the US. Please consider signing this petition and helping to add Wichita to the list.