<i></i> <i></i> <i></i> 0<p><img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/11/c-users-mahad-downloads-21-11-2964-jpg.jpeg"/></p> <p>In a move that has been hailed by animal rights activists, the city of Denver, Colorado has moved to ban the very controversial practice that has been adopted by many pet owners, namely the declawing of their pet cats.</p> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/11/word-image-1178.jpeg"/>wikipedia <p>The city council of the city of Denver voted to ban the practice in a unanimous vote on the grounds that the practice was cruel and inhumane.</p> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/11/word-image-1179.jpeg"/>Wikipedia <p>This is the first ban on declawing cats outside of the state of California. Over the past twelve years a total of eight cities have taken measures to ban the practice of declawing cats. The general public had been very supportive of the law as large numbers of the public object to subjecting animals to any kind of pain that is not absolutely essential.</p> <p>Not everyone was happy however, many pet owners objected to the new law as a limit on their freedoms. The pet owners contend that although declawing is a painful procedure the pain very brief and temporary and does not constitute in any way cruel or inhumane action.</p> <p>The bill has only banned optional declawing. If declawing is deemed to be a medical necessity or is a part of any medical procedure than it will be allowed in such cases. The Colorado Veterinary Medical Association has surprised many with its opposition to the bill.</p> <p>The Veterinary Association has stated that the matter of declawing pets is something that should be left to the discretion of pet owners and their veterinarian doctors.</p> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/11/word-image-1180.jpeg"/>Wikipedia <p>The practice of declawing cats is something that has been practiced across the planet for a very long time. It is done so that cats do not claw at and then ruin the furniture of their owners. The practice is controversial because declawing can be done in many different ways.</p> <p>There are different ways to declaw a cat some ways are more painful than others. The most common way is the guillotine method which cuts under the soft tissue of the cat and is very painful indeed. The recovery time from such an operation can easily extend to a week or even two weeks as the cat struggles to walk. This method is easy to carry out and is thus widely practiced.</p> <p>Cosmetic declawing is something that is more complicated and the penetration from the surgical procedure is kept to a minimum. The procedure however takes longer to do and not a lot of veterinarians can carry out this surgical procedure.</p> <p>Declawing is as complicated for the doctor as it is painful for the poor cat which is under knife. In total there are an eye watering total of ten amputations involved in declawing a cat. For a comparison it is like amputating the last joint of our finger; a horrifyingly painful thought for anyone.</p> <p>Another alternative to declawing the cats outright is to get them nail caps. These nail caps are shaped like a paw and can be attached to the nails of a cat. The adhesive used to attach it is also very safe and non-toxic.</p> <p>Soft paws blunt the impact of the cat scratching. Thus not only does it serve the same purpose as declawing namely; to protect the furniture of the owner from damage.</p> <img src="https://cdnone.netlify.com/db/2017/11/word-image-1181.jpeg"/>Shutterstock <p>The process allows cats to keep their claws and at the same time allows the cat to continue to pursue its natural urge scratch with its nails intact and best of all of course is the fact that it makes declawing redundant and saves the cute little creatures a world of pain.</p> <p>Lastly, although declawing is still better than the cat owners throwing them out on the road or euthanizing the furry little animals it is time to introduce more humane methods to save our furniture. The practice of animal amputation is very cruel and this bold step by the Denver city council is a step in the right direction.</p> <i></i>