Purrs In Our Hearts - Cat Forum UK
Cat General => Cat related Petitions => Topic started by: Babz on April 19, 2009, 18:00:47 PM
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http://www.petitionthem.com/default.asp?sect=detail&pet=4312
Unbelievably even though declawing is banned in over 25 countries, including the UK, cat owners in the USA are still having kittens and cats declawed. Declawing is actually a misnomer because as cats claws are really part of the bone of the toe their toes are amputated at the last knuckle joint, a bit like us losing the ends of all our fingers and toes and of course cats still have to use their sore paws to walk on, groom, stretch and scratch in litter trays with.
According to American Veterinary Medical Association guidelines declawing should be a last resort for clawing problems (though I disagree with declawing for any but dire medical reasons) and yet some veterinary practices offer it routinely along with neutering and vaccination as a "package" for kittens, hardly last resort when the kittens have barely had the chance to gain control of their claws let alone demonstrate whether or not they're going to use them destructively. The reasons people give for declawing are that they don't want their furniture or curtains clawed, they have young children or they don't want their cats to scratch each other, but how do they think people in more enlightened countries have managed for many years without resorting to amputating cats toes? None of our children have come to any harm, a swift scratch has taught them a valuable lesson in not mithering cats. The fact is that they are too idle to buy scratching posts and train their cat how to use them.
We have a petition here http://www.petitionthem.com/default.asp?sect=detail&pet=4312 (http://www.petitionthem.com/default.asp?sect=detail&pet=4312) calling on the AVMA for a ban on declawing, because although many vets now refuse to do it there are still many more that are prepared to do it and who make big money from it. People have said why bother, it's America not here? But cats are cats and all cats deserve to keep the claws they were born with.
We have met up and become friendly with Annie Bruce a USA author and cat behaviourist who along with colleagues has been trying for fifteen years to get a ban so it's going to be a long hard battle but we will fight on until cats toes are no longer amputated for the sake of a sofa.
Here is our group dedicated to the cause http://clawsforever.ning.com/ (http://clawsforever.ning.com/)
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I signed it but I can't see Americans listening to anyone
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Yes but if we don't try then there is NO chance, thank you very much for signing.
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Not 100% sure, but I think someone on here said it isn't actually illegal in the UK; just that most vets in this country don't feel comfortable performing the operation. I could be wrong. Either way, a very worthy reason to start a petition.
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Well if you're splitting hairs maybe "banned" isn't the word, :) of course if it is a medical necessity for example a broken or infected toe that can't be saved then a vet needs to be able to amputate that one particular toe without fear of reprisal but the following is a list of countries in which declawing cats is either illegal or considered extremely inhumane and only performed under extreme circumstances.
England
Scotland
Wales
Italy
France
Germany
Austria
Switzerland
Norway
Sweden
Netherlands
Northern Ireland
Ireland
Denmark
Finland
Slovenia
Portugal
Belgium
Brazil
Australia
New Zealand
Yugoslavia
Japan
Whichever way you look at it the US has a lot of catching up to do! So did you sign please? :stop:
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signed. Thanks for putting this up
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Not 100% sure, but I think someone on here said it isn't actually illegal in the UK; just that most vets in this country don't feel comfortable performing the operation. I could be wrong. Either way, a very worthy reason to start a petition.
It is actually illegal now. The recent Animal Welfare act made it illegal. Before that, it wasn't technically illegal (although it could have come under the banner of cruelty as it is an unnecessary medical procedure), just wasn't practiced.
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Thanks for that, I've been searching the Net for hard proof, :Crazy:,never thought about the welfare act.
My sister used to be a veterinary nurse (now retired) she can remember one day anout 20-25 years ago someone coming into the practice where she worked and asking about having their cat declawed, she said the vet absolutely blew them out and their feet never touched the ground. She was relieved because she said she would have walked out of her job rather than assist with the operation.
I can't get my head around why people in the USA (and Canada) don't see it for what it is.
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Signed! :(
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I can't get my head around why people in the USA (and Canada) don't see it for what it is.
They still do that horrible ear thing to dogs too :(
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signed
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Much appreciated, :thanks:
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Signed
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Already signed.
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Thank you, you're all stars :best 2:
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So very signed
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Signed - makes me so sad and angry that America calls itself a civilised country.
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I have signed
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Whichever way you look at it the US has a lot of catching up to do! So did you sign please? :stop:
Of course I did! It's a typically human thing to do; decide we're domesticating an animal and then expect it to act a certain way to fit into our lifestyle. :doh:
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signed
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Done
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Thank you, we're on 1353 at the moment but need m-o-r-e, if anyone is in any other groups and could post the link we'd be so grateful, this is a horrible thing and needs to be stopped.
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My god you should see the state of my house lol but I would never dream of doing this >:(
Signed!!
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Signed and emailed it to loads of people too.
mary
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Brilliant! Thank you so much. 1383 on the petition now. it's got to happen. :boxer:
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Sadly those kind of numbers are a drop in the ocean and the numbers need to be in the 100s of thousands, if not millions for authorities to sit up and listen :(
I got really wound up last night as I was watvhing an American comedy called "king of Queens" - one of the characters was supposed to be a sad cople who called their cats their babies. The woman was complaining that "the babies" were acting up at bathtime and that she would have them declawed >:(
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http://www.declawing.com/ (http://www.declawing.com/) Good link.
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Signed
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signed. Someone should start one for Canada to it's commen practice here most people take there cats in and have them spayed and declawed the vets even given discounts if you do both.
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It's an uphill battle, I know, and for our little group it's especially difficult because some of us live in England where it's already banned and we don't know the ins and outs of the USA at all well. It was just that we were so incensed at the end of last year when we realised how much it is going on in the USA that we have to try and do something to stop the madness, it seems to be almost common practice and we've seen the ads on USA veterinary surgery websites for "packages" of neutering, vaccination and declawing for kittens, we've even seen "low cost" declawing with OPTIONAL pain relief and yet the AVMA's supposed policy is that declawing should be the last resort when all else has been tried and failed. That is a load of bunkum and means diddly squat, and the AVMA know it! We have evidence from USA vet technicians of what really happens and what the kittens and cats go through post op, some people even get older and larger cats declawed and their extra weight sometimes causes the wounds to split open when they start hobbling on them. We are collecting stories from people who have had it done to their cat and without knowing that "declawing" is actually amputation of the toes and have come to regret it due to the mess made of their cats paws and the behavioural changes of them afterwards, also the loss of limbs and the loss of life, these will be presented along with the petition but meanwhile we're going to be writing to the major USA media with some of these facts and figures.
It wasn't until we had the petition up and running that we got the bad news that it's happening in Canada too, sometimes it's overwhelming because we spend a large part of our free time every day trawling sites and trying to reply to people who don't know what it entails and are asking about it while considering it for their own cats. We know for a fact that we have talked 38 people out of declawing their cats by educating them to the facts. 38 might be a drop in the bucket but that's 38 cats that would have been crippled by now.
It's awful that it's being featured on so called comedy shows, a cheap laugh for most people along with the silly habit of bathing cats weekly and then wondering why they are getting scratched.
Thanks to everyone who's signed the petition there are 1435 signatures now, we know we have a long way to go and a huge fight, there are a few members in the USA doing what they can from that end but no one seems to want to get out there on the streets and shout about it. If I was younger and not so hard up I'd go over myself and raise a fuss.
We have been told that we're wasting our time and why bother when it's not even happening in the country we live in, but having seen the horrors of it and loving cats for what they are - beautiful free spirits - we can't bear to think of any cat being modified to suit someone's lavish couch or curtains.
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1459 signatures so far http://www.petitionthem.com/default.asp?sect=detail&pet=4312 can anyone forward the link anywhere? thanks
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1538 signatures now, including one from a vet who used to declaw but won't do it now. Also Annie Bruce US author of "Cat Be Good" and a long term opponent of declawing, Roger Tabor broadcaster, author, biologist and behaviourist, Vicky Halls cat behaviourist, Terry Pride, humane educator; USA, Flora Fleming for Cat Action Trust (AYRSHIRE BRANCH) and Dr Peter Neville cat behaviourist.
And of course San Francisco is considering banning declawing, it's already banned in West Hollywood so surely the rest of the USA must follow.
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I have signed several petions against declawing, but didn't realise that the toes were amputated. Horrific (sp) but you know what I mean.
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Signed.
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Thanks very much, we now have 1,689 signatures, as well as those from wonderful people like the members of Purrs in our hearts we also have signatures from some influential people:
1.Dr Benjamin Zephaniah (UK) Poet/writer/honorary patron of the Vegan Society/Animal Rights Advocate
2.Kit Berry (UK) Author
3.Annie Bruce (USA) Cat behavioural expert/author
4.Roger Tabor (UK)Broadcaster/author/biologist and behaviourist
5.Dr Peter Neville BSc (Hons)(UK) Animal Behaviour Consultant
6.Michael Broad (UK)Retired lawyer
7.Dr Laura Dixon (UK) Animal behaviourist
8.Vicky Halls (UK) Author/cat behavioural therapist
9.Terry Pride (USA)Humane educator
10.Jeffrey Masson (NZ)Author
11.Jane Johnson ( pen name Gabriel King) (UK) Author
12.Flora Fleming (UK)Cat action Trust
13.Jeremy Angel (NZ) Zoologist/Author
14.Peter Tatchell (UK) Human and animal rights activist
15.Fiona Oakes (UK) Elite Marathon Runner/Owns Tower Hills Animal Sanctuary/Champion of captive animals/rights
16.Richard James Brown DVM (USA)Veterinarian
17.Struan Stevenson (UK)MEP
18.Jonathan Balcombe (USA)Author/ethologist)
19.Ann Widdecombe (UK)MP/TV presenter/Author
20.Michael Allaby (UK)Author
21.Heather Mills (UK)Famous charity worker and animal rights campaigner
22. Britta Jaschinski (UK)World class wild life photographer
23.Celia Haddon (UK)Journalist/author
If anyone can think of any more celebs etc that might sign, please give me a shout ;)
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Thanks very much, we now have 1,689 signatures, as well as those from wonderful people like the members of Purrs in our hearts we also have signatures from some influential people:
1.Dr Benjamin Zephaniah (UK) Poet/writer/honorary patron of the Vegan Society/Animal Rights Advocate
2.Kit Berry (UK) Author
3.Annie Bruce (USA) Cat behavioural expert/author
4.Roger Tabor (UK)Broadcaster/author/biologist and behaviourist
5.Dr Peter Neville BSc (Hons)(UK) Animal Behaviour Consultant
6.Michael Broad (UK)Retired lawyer
7.Dr Laura Dixon (UK) Animal behaviourist
8.Vicky Halls (UK) Author/cat behavioural therapist
9.Terry Pride (USA)Humane educator
10.Jeffrey Masson (NZ)Author
11.Jane Johnson ( pen name Gabriel King) (UK) Author
12.Flora Fleming (UK)Cat action Trust
13.Jeremy Angel (NZ) Zoologist/Author
14.Peter Tatchell (UK) Human and animal rights activist
15.Fiona Oakes (UK) Elite Marathon Runner/Owns Tower Hills Animal Sanctuary/Champion of captive animals/rights
16.Richard James Brown DVM (USA)Veterinarian
17.Struan Stevenson (UK)MEP
18.Jonathan Balcombe (USA)Author/ethologist)
19.Ann Widdecombe (UK)MP/TV presenter/Author
20.Michael Allaby (UK)Author
21.Heather Mills (UK)Famous charity worker and animal rights campaigner
22. Britta Jaschinski (UK)World class wild life photographer
23.Celia Haddon (UK)Journalist/author
If anyone can think of any more celebs etc that might sign, please give me a shout ;)
Joanna Lumley! :hug:
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Sadly a few of us have tried and failed to contact her or get her to sign. Do you fancy having a try?
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Thanks very much, we now have 1,689 signatures, as well as those from wonderful people like the members of Purrs in our hearts we also have signatures from some influential people:
1.Dr Benjamin Zephaniah (UK) Poet/writer/honorary patron of the Vegan Society/Animal Rights Advocate
2.Kit Berry (UK) Author
3.Annie Bruce (USA) Cat behavioural expert/author
4.Roger Tabor (UK)Broadcaster/author/biologist and behaviourist
5.Dr Peter Neville BSc (Hons)(UK) Animal Behaviour Consultant
6.Michael Broad (UK)Retired lawyer
7.Dr Laura Dixon (UK) Animal behaviourist
8.Vicky Halls (UK) Author/cat behavioural therapist
9.Terry Pride (USA)Humane educator
10.Jeffrey Masson (NZ)Author
11.Jane Johnson ( pen name Gabriel King) (UK) Author
12.Flora Fleming (UK)Cat action Trust
13.Jeremy Angel (NZ) Zoologist/Author
14.Peter Tatchell (UK) Human and animal rights activist
15.Fiona Oakes (UK) Elite Marathon Runner/Owns Tower Hills Animal Sanctuary/Champion of captive animals/rights
16.Richard James Brown DVM (USA)Veterinarian
17.Struan Stevenson (UK)MEP
18.Jonathan Balcombe (USA)Author/ethologist)
19.Ann Widdecombe (UK)MP/TV presenter/Author
20.Michael Allaby (UK)Author
21.Heather Mills (UK)Famous charity worker and animal rights campaigner
22. Britta Jaschinski (UK)World class wild life photographer
23.Celia Haddon (UK)Journalist/author
If anyone can think of any more celebs etc that might sign, please give me a shout ;)
Pamela Anderson .... she's a big PETA supporter.
Other Cat lovers:
Christina Ricci
Halle Berry
Bill Clinton
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I've signed and cannot believe that the USA carry out such a barbaric practice. They should be ashamed.
Henrietta
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Thanks evertone for ideas! And thanks for signing Henrietta :naughty:
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Signed, also emailed Doctor Christianne asking if we can do anything else from UK. Heartbreaking!
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Good idea. My sofa is in shreds under the throw as my cats prefer that to the scratching posts but we accept it and wouldn't dream of declawing.
What is wrong with these superficial people. If you have pets you accept the good and bad and love them for it.
Henrietta
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Sadly a few of us have tried and failed to contact her or get her to sign. Do you fancy having a try?
I wonder if now would be a good time to approach Joanna Lumley in light of her show this Sunday...? I will make enquiries. :hug:
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That's brilliant Judecat, the more the merrier! Sparklecat, yes, yes yes! Go for it pleeeease.
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From what I hear Joanna is off to the Nile on Monday but something awaiting her return would be brilliant.
Bill Clinton is a cat lover and it is on his home patch - that would be interesting to hear his response!
Henrietta
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I think maybe Bill Clinton likes cats, and there's nothing lost by sending the petition to him, but here's a bit from this page
http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/6157/socks24.html
"In a recent interview, Hillary Clinton disclosed that Socks has been declawed in December 1996. The First Family's decision to declaw Socks was in part at the insistence of the Secret Service, after Bill was seen wearing a bandage on his cheek. At first, he said he had cut himself shaving, but later he revealed Socks had scratched him. Perhaps the declawing was postponed until until after the presidential electlion to avoid it becoming a campaign issue. In response, author Annie Bruce wrote the following article exclusively for Socks The Cat Fan Club Newsletter. ....." (Annie Bruce is a well respected author and cat behaviourist and is a member of both of our declaw groups, she has battled for years to end declawing)
I thought I remembered Sox the first cat as being declawed, and I think Hillary Clinton actually got the blame but he must have agreed to it too, and see what it says about leaving it until after the election..... I'm also sure I read somewhere that presidential cats are almost always declawed in the end because of the presidential furniture. What a world.
Keep the ideas coming, and thanks. Another US vet signed yesterday.
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Jeez,the things people will do to stay in power! The double standards of some never fails to amaze me. Brigitte Bardot and I think Celia Hammond might be worth a
try as a long shot!
Henrietta
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Signed :( >:(
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I'm sure Liz Smith (actress) would sign - she is the patron of Rhodes Minnis cat sanctuary and could be contacted through them. Twiggy is another animal rights preson (although I did contact Uncaged to ask why she was a judge on America's Next top model when it is sponsored by P&G - they said they had contacted her already about it. She is no longer a judge so don't know if they had any influence there).
I also sent an email to the producers of Oprah about declawing but not surprisingly, they didn't reply :tired:
A really good one if you could get a message through is Ellen Degeneres. She loves cats. Maybe you have seen the foorage on youtube of the cat that had been sneaking into the studio at night. She arranged for food, water and a scratching post to be put out for it :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gjuDe4w3m8U&feature=related
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dXrCUSHWpC4
Ellen home video http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uk6VZaSFhzU&feature=PlayList&p=52CF4CE0A9BDF17F&playnext=1&playnext_from=PL&index=35
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Lovely videos, I laughed at the second one, it's five minutes long and the cat is eating for all but about 10 secionds of it, he's having a few glances at the scratching post though. The final one has me a little bit puzzled. It's plain to see that Ellen and the cat love each other and when they're playing there is a lot of swatting by the puss, afterwards when he's rolling in the sink I've paused it and looked long and hard but I just can't make out if that cat has claws or not. She didn't seem scared of getting scratched. Anyway I'm going to try and contact her, also Liz Smith (never heard of her like) and old Bill Clinton and see if I can shame him into signing. Bridget Bardot and Celia Hammond alas have yet to reply.
I'm not sure if anyone in our group has tried Twiggy, I'm going to check before I try contacting all of these people as we don't want to harrass them. Twiggy is at the moment the face of Olay products, who are up to their eyes in animal testing, she has now been sent the brutal facts about the people she is working for and it remains to be seen if she severs connections or goes on with the job.
Thanks again everybody, 19 sigs since yesterday the petition now stands at 1708 , we're today's top petition.
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Lovely videos, I laughed at the second one, it's five minutes long and the cat is eating for all but about 10 secionds of it, he's having a few glances at the scratching post though. The final one has me a little bit puzzled. It's plain to see that Ellen and the cat love each other and when they're playing there is a lot of swatting by the puss, afterwards when he's rolling in the sink I've paused it and looked long and hard but I just can't make out if that cat has claws or not. She didn't seem scared of getting scratched. Anyway I'm going to try and contact her, also Liz Smith (never heard of her like) and old Bill Clinton and see if I can shame him into signing. Bridget Bardot and Celia Hammond alas have yet to reply.
I'm not sure if anyone in our group has tried Twiggy, I'm going to check before I try contacting all of these people as we don't want to harrass them. Twiggy is at the moment the face of Olay products, who are up to their eyes in animal testing, she has now been sent the brutal facts about the people she is working for and it remains to be seen if she severs connections or goes on with the job.
Thanks again everybody, 19 sigs since yesterday the petition now stands at 1708 , we're today's top petition.
What about Ricky Gervais? He LOVES animals!
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That's brilliant Judecat, the more the merrier! Sparklecat, yes, yes yes! Go for it pleeeease.
I will! :hug:
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Thanks very much, we now have 1,689 signatures, as well as those from wonderful people like the members of Purrs in our hearts we also have signatures from some influential people:
1.Dr Benjamin Zephaniah (UK) Poet/writer/honorary patron of the Vegan Society/Animal Rights Advocate
2.Kit Berry (UK) Author
3.Annie Bruce (USA) Cat behavioural expert/author
4.Roger Tabor (UK)Broadcaster/author/biologist and behaviourist
5.Dr Peter Neville BSc (Hons)(UK) Animal Behaviour Consultant
6.Michael Broad (UK)Retired lawyer
7.Dr Laura Dixon (UK) Animal behaviourist
8.Vicky Halls (UK) Author/cat behavioural therapist
9.Terry Pride (USA)Humane educator
10.Jeffrey Masson (NZ)Author
11.Jane Johnson ( pen name Gabriel King) (UK) Author
12.Flora Fleming (UK)Cat action Trust
13.Jeremy Angel (NZ) Zoologist/Author
14.Peter Tatchell (UK) Human and animal rights activist
15.Fiona Oakes (UK) Elite Marathon Runner/Owns Tower Hills Animal Sanctuary/Champion of captive animals/rights
16.Richard James Brown DVM (USA)Veterinarian
17.Struan Stevenson (UK)MEP
18.Jonathan Balcombe (USA)Author/ethologist)
19.Ann Widdecombe (UK)MP/TV presenter/Author
20.Michael Allaby (UK)Author
21.Heather Mills (UK)Famous charity worker and animal rights campaigner
22. Britta Jaschinski (UK)World class wild life photographer
23.Celia Haddon (UK)Journalist/author
If anyone can think of any more celebs etc that might sign, please give me a shout ;)
Simon Cowell...HUGE animal lover! :hug: Always at animal charity events and, I believe, has written many into his Will! :Luv2:
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I've emailed Ellen DeGenerey, I could only find an online contact form so I'm not confident she'll read it but it's the best I can do, I put as much as I could with the 1500 characters allowed, added the petition link and asked for her help with publicity. I see she has a new series about to start, probably all pre-recorded, but wouldn't be great if she mentioned our campaign?
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Jason Mraz (musician) is a big cat/animal lover. He's got a gorgeous cat called Holmes. He did have another called Ozone but sadly he got out one day and was killed by a couger :( Jason has a massive fan base and a huge number of people who follow him on facebook/myspace and he ALWAYS blogs especially on issues that matter to him!
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Holly Willoughby (SP?) she is a cat lover and also Justin Hawkins (The Darkness) loves cats too! ;) :hug:
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PHEW!! Right, I found an address for Halle Berry so she's done. I wish we could get to Simon Cowell, we've tried more than once, we even wrote to SuBo asking her to pass it on to him...no luck! But I'm inspired to try again so I'll keep you posted ;D
This is a sad message I received from one of our other members:
Out of the 24 people I initially emailed asking for a signature, the following have not signed, nor bothered replying. It could be that my mail got caught in their spam filters..
Temple Grandin - Ethologist Prof Animal Science - Colorado State Uni
Marc Bekoff - Ethologist
Minette Walters - author of crime fiction and cat/animal lover
Richard Dawkins
Jane Goodall
Tom Cox - Journalist, cat bloke, author, blogger
Jackie Morris - artist, author illustrator, cat lover, blogger
Shelley Bovey - author, journalist & cat lover
Elizabeth Marshall Thomas - author of "The Tribe of Tiger"
Ben Goldacre - Author of Bad Science in The Guardian (doc & journo)
Angela Smith MP - member of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Animal Welfare
Randy Malamud - Patron of Captive Animal Protection Society
Mike Hancock MP - Patron of Captive Animal Protection
Tom Cox recently interviewed Jackie Morris and Joanna Lumley. Joanna Lumley interviwed Jackie Morris for tonights Cat Documentary presented by Joanna Lumley. Both Tom Cox and Jackie Morris have books for sale in America. So the cynical amongst you might draw the same conclusion as me about why they didn't bother replying or signing.
Jane Goodall's email sent me an "out of office" answer so I don't think my email to her got caught by the spam filter.
I emailed Cynthia Hammond as well but no response there again!
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How about Rolf Harris he might be responsive?
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I wrote to Rolf Harris pretty much at the beginning of the campaign last November, I had a response from his agent to say he was out of the country until the new year and she would draw his attention to it when he returned, sadly I'm still awaiting a response. It's so hard to actually get TO the person themselves, mostly emails are blocked by agents who likely delete most of them. Writing by post is the same, mostly only C/O addresses are available and of course it is less convenient to provide the link by post because the person has to be interested enough to physically tye the URL in rather than just clicking on the link. I wrote to Simon Cowell last night, by post to a london address, because there wasn't an email contact, it feels like a waste of time and postage but always worth a try. 1711 signatures this morning.
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How about Stephen Fry? Although I'm not on twitter I know he has a strong network - is it worth finding a 'twitterer' to help out?
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I signed it but I can't see Americans listening to anyone
I'm an American, I've signed it.
My mum's an American, she's signed it.
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I'm sure that people don't really know what it involves - I'm sure raising awareness will help no end
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Well done to Sparklecat and Mum for signing it. Onwards and upwards!
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I second that! Well done Sparklecat and her mum. There are many more kind American citizens than there are unkind, we just need to reach them and teach them (OOh I just made a mantra there LOL)
Stephen Fry - good idea, I know someone in the SavingCatsClaws group who's on twitter so I'll post it to her.
Thanks everybody, your input is wonderful, keep the ideas coming. We now have 7 USA DVM's (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) signatures on the petition including Dr Michael Fox the author of this page
http://www.twobitdog.com/DrFox/specialreport_Article.aspx?ID=46b4b2c4-93d6-4582-b4ec-7d311782aab8&seword=declawing who has said we can link to his website
The petition is now at 1717
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:wooooo: You go girls! :wow:
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Letter to Joanna Lumley is in the post!
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Well done to Sparklecat and Mum for signing it. Onwards and upwards!
Thank you. My American relatives will also sign.
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I second that! Well done Sparklecat and her mum. There are many more kind American citizens than there are unkind, we just need to reach them and teach them (OOh I just made a mantra there LOL)
Stephen Fry - good idea, I know someone in the SavingCatsClaws group who's on twitter so I'll post it to her.
Thanks everybody, your input is wonderful, keep the ideas coming. We now have 7 USA DVM's (Doctor of Veterinary Medicine) signatures on the petition including Dr Michael Fox the author of this page
http://www.twobitdog.com/DrFox/specialreport_Article.aspx?ID=46b4b2c4-93d6-4582-b4ec-7d311782aab8&seword=declawing who has said we can link to his website
The petition is now at 1717
Thank you.
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1804 signatures now
No Simon Cowell, Joanna Lumley, or any of that type of celeb have signed so far :(
But Warren Eckstein USA pet psychologist and radio show host and Jim Willis USA world animal day ambassador (world animal day is Oct 4th) have signed also up to now 9 US veterinary surgeons who are anti declaw and refuse to do it have signed the petition.
It's a long hard haul BUT this was a tremendous boost
SANTA MONICA, CA: In a 5-1 vote, Santa Monica City Council passed an emergency motion Tuesday, September 22, 2009, to draft an ordinance that restricts the practice of amputating the toes of animals, also known as “de-clawing.”
It's not signed and sealed yet but we are hopeful!! There is also to be a similar vote in San Francisco and Los Angeles. These all need to be passed and in place before December 31st or Arnold Schwarzenegger will put the kybosh on it with his new bill that gives the state authority over medical scope-of-practice issues and prevents cities from passing ordinances banning medical procedures starting Jan. 1.
:thanks: everyone for recent efforts
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1903 signatues and about 2 weeks until the petition has been live for a year, we'd love to get to 2000 by then, so 97 to go. We've had 37 since yesterday! ;D
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Fab news! Best of luck for this....And your doing a great job btw! :hug:
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Just had a thought! I am registered on an American forum (not cat related) but the subject has came up before whilst I was chatting and got a few responses....I will cross post on there okay hun! :hug:
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OK? OK? BRILLIANT more like, thanks very much. Americans are either for or against, there doesn't seem to be any half measures and there's a lot of bad feeling towards people who are trying to take away their right to amputate cats toes so don't get yourself into any strife. :givein:
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OK? OK? BRILLIANT more like, thanks very much. Americans are either for or against, there doesn't seem to be any half measures and there's a lot of bad feeling towards people who are trying to take away their right to amputate cats toes so don't get yourself into any strife. :givein:
One of the "higher ups" on the forum is in agreement with me so hopefully it should not cause to much hassle....Will let you know the outcome! ;) :hug:
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Much appreciated, thanks again.
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New total! 2036 :wow: :hug:
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Isn't it brilliant!!! thank you very much to everyone who is helping with this, sorry I haven't been on with an update for a while, I can't catch myself up. But you are all much appreciated be sure of that :thanks: :wow:
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It has been a tremendous time for cats in California! You may already know but these cities have now all voted to ban declawing of cats.
The cities of West Hollywood 2003 ,
Santa Monica Oct 27th 2009, who voted 6 to 1,
San Francisco November 3rd 2009, who voted 9 to 2,
Beverly Hills November 5th 2009, who voted 5 to 0,
Thecity of Los Angeles November 6th 2009 voted 11 to 0 to Ban Declawing of All Animals
A sad thing is that the vote was defeated in Malibu.
Hopefully the fact that Los Angeles, the second largest city in the US has banned declawing should surely make an impression on other cities in other states.
The fight goes on, and our petition is now at 2041, thanks to everybody who has signed and passed it on, every one of you is helping to save cats from having their toe ends amputated for the sake of settees.
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Someone you may feel the need to get in touch with Babz, this witch needs telling!!! >:( :( :hug:
http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,28844.0.html
Happy about the states that have signed up to the ban! This is the start Im sure! ;) :hug:
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I commented yesterday when her c%a&py article popped up in a google alert, this drives me mad, such smug ignorance. Thanks very much for all you're doing to help and for this heads up, I'd hate to miss an opportunity of letting a prodeclawer have it right between the eyes! They're voting in Berkeley today, one of the council members has replied to all of us who wrote asking him to support the ban, see below
Dear Compassionate Cat Lover,
Thank you for writing to express your support for the proposed ban on declawing cats in the City of Berkeley. I appreciate hearing your thoughts about this issue, and I share your opinion that humane relationships with pets are of the utmost importance. While I wish I could declaw some in the right wing, we need to stop the inhumane declawing of cats immediately.
Again, thank you for writing. If you have further questions or comments, please contact my office at (510) 981-7170. Best regards.
Sincerely,
Kriss Worthington
Councilmember
City of Berkeley, District 7
2180 Milvia Street, 5th Floor
Berkeley, CA 94704
I hope they're all of a like mind! :crossed:
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Well done on this also Babz, Its a long up hill struggle, but a battle well worth winning! ;D :Luv2: :hug:
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Absolutely! There are a lot of splendid people in the USA fighting declawing and I feel so sorry for them having to witness first hand the physical effects on cats.
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That's it....Nothing will hit home harder than to actually be face to face with one of these poor cats! :(
Keep up the fantastic work! ;) :hug:
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There are times when I am so ashamed of my homeland... :( :-[ :'( :censored: >:(
Sparklecat :-[
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Not your homeland, but some of the inhabitants, thankfully they are balanced out by other people who wouldn't dream of crippling their cat in this way. There's good and bad in every country, there are times when I despair of England.
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Not your homeland, but some of the inhabitants, thankfully they are balanced out by other people who wouldn't dream of crippling their cat in this way. There's good and bad in every country, there are times when I despair of England.
You are right, we must overpower the evil ones! >:( I am sure that we can all do it together. Just one snowflake cannot do much on its own but look at the havoc a blizzard can cause! :wow:
Love,
Sparklecat and Tulip
xxxx
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Cats rule OK :scratch:
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Now this is a much better pic! ;)
Add a scratching post and hey presto! :hug:
[attachment deleted by admin]
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Great News I've just had word
The Berkeley City Council voted unanimously Tuesday to ban the veterinary practice of declawing cats within city limits, making it a misdemeanor punishable by a $1,000 fine or six months in jail.
Calling it a "horrific" procedure that only benefits the owner of the cat, Councilman Jesse Arreguin, who co-authored the law with Councilwoman Susan Wengraf, said in passing the law Berkeley stays true to its "history of being humane to all its creatures."
"It's a complex and painful procedure — you remove the bone at the end of the paw — and it's only for the benefit of the owner," Arreguin said.
:party:
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great news!
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Fantastic news! Onwards and upwards! :wow: :wow: :wow: :hug:
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;D ;D ;D ;D
HURRAH!!!!
:wow: :wow: :wow: :wow: :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2: :Luv2: :wow: :wow: :wow: :wow: ;D ;D ;D ;D
Love,
Sparklecat and Tulip
xxxx
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;D
lovely photo Baz :Luv:
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Thanks, that's my two pride and joys - boys.
A bit of good news like this from Berkeley gives you new hope doesn't it? Surely in the end all cats will have the right to whole, healthy paws.
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Another email from Kriss Worthington in Berkeley
Dear Compassionate Cat Loving Community,
I am happy to report that the Declawing Ordinance in Berkeley passed by a 9-0 vote.
Thank you very much for writing to express your support.
I added an amendment to the written proposal to treat this as a “wobbler”
giving discretion to the citing officer to treat it as an infraction or as a misdemeanor,
which is how the City of Berkeley treats many offenses.
Thanks for your advocacy.
Feel free to let us know any other issues we can help with. Kriss W
Kriss Worthington
Councilmember
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This is humbling, this email just came to my sister from Jennifer Conrad a US vet who has been fighting declawing in the USA for years and has been laughed at for caring about cat's paws and has spent much of her own money in financing publicity about declawing , and yet she's made time to contact us in the UK. Right on Jennifer! On with the fight.
Dear Ruth and all of the cat lovers who took the time to write in support of declaw bans in California,
Thank you! Your work made a difference. It was such a pleasure meeting council members here and hearing them marvel at the number of emails they received from abroad. It was very powerful for them and helped them realize what a serious issue the banning of declawing is. There are now declaw bans in 6 California cities and those affect over 5 million people and probably about 2 or more million cats. Strong work! I am grateful to all of you and look forward to working with you as we approach the entire state of California.
Sincerely yours,
Jennifer Conrad, DVM
www.pawproject.org
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What a fantastic lady...Im so happy that the message is being acknowledged.....Far and wide may it spread! :Luv2: :hug:
Lets face it US has such pulls on other countries, surely they must take note of our beliefs and feelings towards this! ;)
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My faith in my homeland is restored!!!! :wow: :wow: :wow: :wow: ;D ;D ;D ;D
Sparklecat and Tulip
xxxx
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I've signed.
Out of the 24 people I initially emailed asking for a signature, the following have not signed, nor bothered replying. It could be that my mail got caught in their spam filters [...]
Richard Dawkins [...]
If you want to contact Richard - and gain a lot of extra support, potentially - you should post on his own forum at http://forum.richarddawkins.net/
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Thank you very much!! I'll do that now. :thankyou:
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Well, I've joined, I introduced myself but haven't posted otherwise so far in case they think I'm a troll It's all atheists and non believers and it's way above my head! I'm just a simple gal. :scared:
I fear I'm going to get shot down in flames when I post the link, but what the heck it's worth a try. Are you a member Christine?
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if claws an evolution don't tie in I don't know what does!
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Good point.
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It's on and two have signed already. :wow:
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It's on and two have signed already. :wow:
Way to go!!! :wow: :hug:
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Well, I've joined, I introduced myself but haven't posted otherwise so far in case they think I'm a troll It's all atheists and non believers and it's way above my head! I'm just a simple gal. :scared:
I fear I'm going to get shot down in flames when I post the link, but what the heck it's worth a try. Are you a member Christine?
I'm a member; I welcomed you on your initial thread :hug: (spot the avatar ;)); and I'm an atheist who enjoys it over there.
It's on and two have signed already. :wow:
I'll go and check it out now :hug:
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Thanks Christine, I read your kind welcome. There have been 6 signatures overnight, we're now on 2068.
Bazsmum, yeah..yippeeeee :thanks:
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That was a brilliant idea Christine, some good comments and some signatures, yipppeeeeeee 2076 now.
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That was a brilliant idea Christine, some good comments and some signatures, yipppeeeeeee 2076 now.
Great :wow: Richard D himself does read the forum regularly - often on Sundays, I've noticed - so I hope he sees and is moved by your thread. I didn't mention, but you've probably worked out, that the majority (by a whisker) of members of that forum are American, so you are reaching a target audience as well.
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That was a brilliant idea Christine, some good comments and some signatures, yipppeeeeeee 2076 now.
Great :wow: Richard D himself does read the forum regularly - often on Sundays, I've noticed - so I hope he sees and is moved by your thread. I didn't mention, but you've probably worked out, that the majority (by a whisker) of members of that forum are American, so you are reaching a target audience as well.
I hope he does read it, and sign, that would be such a bonus. It's started to get a bit ugly on there now and F words flying :evillaugh:
There is voting this week in Culver City and Burbank, CA so fingers are crossed for two more cities to ban declawing
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There is voting this week in Culver City and Burbank, CA so fingers are crossed for two more cities to ban declawing
:crossed: :hug: :hug:
If there are "F" words now flying about that will get even more viewing! ;)
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Yes, and one of the members has posted the link to a poultry group they are in. There's been quite a lively debate. :rofl:
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It's a good level of support, I think :)
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It's brilliant! Thank you for supplying the idea and the link.
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2107 signatures now, and loads from the RD forum thanks again for the link Christine.
there's a poll in the Los Angeles Daily News "Do you think cats should be declawed" Please will you vote NO http://www.dailynews.com/ci_13797072?source=rv
Thank you xx
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Voted! ;) :hug:
To date 61.61% a NO vote! ;D
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Would you believe it, the poll is gone this morning!! Running scared because the pro declawers were losing! So, thank you for that latest update when you signed bazmum otherwise we wouldn't have known how it ended up, it went from more saying yes to a majority saying no
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Would you believe it, the poll is gone this morning!! Running scared because the pro declawers were losing! So, thank you for that latest update when you signed bazmum otherwise we wouldn't have known how it ended up, it went from more saying yes to a majority saying no
:wow: I wondered where it was, I've just been to vote and nothing there! :(
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Well safe to say folks in the UK are decent. Was just reading a thread on digital spy where someone is asking if declawing cats should be re-assessed. Their cats were declawed whilst in the US and the poster soon realised how practical it is, after all cats don't need their claws!! So they are calling for the UK to lift the ban so that people can at least have the choice.
Well that thread was started late yesterday and already has 266 replies. I've not read all of them, but of those I have not one agrees with the poster. There are a lot of angry people putting the poster in their place :wow:
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Never in this world!! Well they have Buckley's because it's not only banned it's enshrined in the 2007 animal welfare act. Struth we don't want this poison spreading here. Even before it was illegal here no vet would do it, my sister was a vet nurse many years ago now and she said only once someone asked about declawing and the vet blew them to kingdom come. I should think whoever posted that on digital spy will get slaughtered by the replies. I wouldn't mind a go myself. >:(
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Go Babz Go!!! ;) :hug:
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:grrrrrr: just been on the darned thing to join up so I can go go go but it takes 24 hours to get approved and meanwhile I can't find the darned question again ggrrrrrrrrr. It'll be old news by the time I get approved, find it and have my say
2125 on the petition
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Digital Spy? The thread got locked later on in the evening http://www.digitalspy.co.uk/forums/showthread.php?t=1164777 (sorry, only just been back on there).
Luckily though plenty of people were mortified and linked to several anti-declawing sites and mentioned the animal welfare act. I think they did good ... shame about the opening poster >:(
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Too late then :( they probably thought the site would go into meltdown.
They will put on my tombstone "The late babz" haha. Ah well I can still go on there once approved and stick my oar in from time to time, might even get the petition link on there somewhere.
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Too late then :( they probably thought the site would go into meltdown.
They will put on my tombstone "The late babz" haha. Ah well I can still go on there once approved and stick my oar in from time to time, might even get the petition link on there somewhere.
Actually, that's not a bad idea. Some of the things that people come up with in the pet section are :shocked: :shocked:
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My sister just received this email, thanks are due to Purrs members too, so... :thankyou:
Hi Ruth and UK troops,
It is officially illegal to declaw cats in Los Angeles, a city with well over 4 million people, as of today. Thank you for being such an important part of this crusade. We, the US troops, are forever grateful. We have protected millions of cats together.
Best wishes,
Jennifer Conrad
www.pawproject. org
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Fantastic news Babz! That's a lot of peeps to spread the word too! ;D :hug:
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Culver City California voted 5-0 last night to BAN declawing :wow: Yay!!!!
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BRILLIANT NEWS!
Henrietta
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Great news ;D
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:wow: :wow: :wow: :hug: :hug: :hug:
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Here's an update of where it's banned and when. The final one to come will be Marin who vote next week. I just hope other states take notice of this and start fighting declawing. The petition is now at 2167 :wow:
City When Banned Voting Pop. of City
West Hollywood 2003 5/0 35,000
Santa Monica 27/10/2009 6/1 100,000
San Francisco 3/11/2009 9/2 810,000
Beverly Hills 5/11/2009 5/0 40,000
Los Angeles 6/11/2009 11/0 4 million
Berkeley 10/11/2009 9/0 125,000
Culver City 24/11/2009 5/0 39,000
Burbank 08/12/2009 4/1 100,000
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That's brilliant - well done!
Henrietta
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Hello all. I felt obligated to respond in this thread for a few reasons.
I want to start by saying that not all Americans declaw or even agree with the practice. Some of us have or do try to do what we can to prevent it as well. It is not as if we are all "uncivilized" or cruel animal haters whose goal is to harm cats. But reading over all the posts in this thread (and there are a lot) gave me the impression that some of you seem to think so, and that bothers me, a great deal. After all, if the laws in the UK changes tomorrow and the headlines on all news papers there and news shows became “UK lifts ban on declawing cats”, do you honestly believe that there would not be a rush of people to declaw their cats? Sickening at it may be? If you say “No” then I simply do not believe you, since I personally have talked with UK friends who believe there would be.
I have vehemently opposed declawing all my life and have supported legislation to ban it when possible. I sell a lot on eBay and Amazon and every order I ship out comes with brochures to raise awareness on Feral Cats, Declawing, Fostering, Adopting and fixing your animals. My website has had this informational page since day 1: http://www.coolcybercats.com/articles/declawing.htm (http://www.coolcybercats.com/articles/declawing.htm).
Signing of the petition is something I applaud. But rather than put down Americans in some posts I think you should stay to the idea of changing minds in North America. Defamatory remarks about Americans succeeds in annoying many of us, as I suppose defamatory remarks about your country would you (and I hope it would annoy you, it should). I happen to be a proud American and do take offense at some remarks said.
Some of you felt signing the petition would do nothing to help get the laws changed. Well, it may and it may not. I would hesitate to say that a local city or state government would take a petition signed by members of other countries seriously. The sad truth is that they are too busy trying to keep their local constituents happy and reelecting them. But this does not mean you cannot make your voices heard either. Has anyone considered a large petition on the merits of stopping declawing sent to members of the federal and state governments? The odds of a federal law happening may not be high, but raising awareness on that level is a good idea. And the legislators in states that are animal friendly may be a good start as well. As to who would be good members in congress to send the petitions to, consider Republican House Member Thaddeus McCotter, who recently introduced House Bill HR3501: http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.3501: (http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi-bin/query/z?c111:H.R.3501:) To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to allow a deduction for pet care expenses.
In addition, send copies to state governors and say that you feel relations between the fine state of <insert state name> and the people of the United Kingdom would be in better footing if certain practices of animal cruelty and abuse were not happening. Governors are always traveling (as are members of congress) to other countries to better relations and specifically trade relations.
How about national veterinary groups in the UK? Perhaps you could get one to sign a letter condoning declawing and then send a copy to the US equivalent. Or get a large enough petition and try sending it in with a good letter to CNN news or Fox News. Perhaps you could get one of our news shows to talk about it.
I do believe there are plenty of ways you can get your UK voice heard in a state or federal government here.
Okay, I said my piece.
Sincerely,
David (a proud American who opposes declawing and dog ear and tail cutting, dog or fluffybanana fighting, all hunting for sport and a whole host of other things)
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Thank you
Henrietta
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Hello David, I agree that not all Americans condone declawing and if I implied that then I apologise. Of course we know that not all US people are cruel, there are many thousands of USA citizens who are appalled by, and are fighting, this and I have made some good friends in America of wonderful people, who are ashamed that it is still happening in their country but because declawing is still legal and practiced in the USA then your country, and everyone who allows it to happen either because of their own convenience or because of apathy is tarred with the same brush and are guilty of a horrible cruelty to cats and we cannot comprehend why animal lovers there haven’t got on their hind legs and shouted about this, and had it banned countrywide, long before now.
You are quite wrong when you say “if the laws in the UK changes tomorrow and the headlines on all news papers there and news shows became "UK lifts ban on declawing cats", do you honestly believe that there would not be a rush of people to declaw their cats?” the reality is that most British people have never even heard of declawing. I don't know what kind of friends you have David, but whenever I explain to fellow Brits what it involves they are horrified that anyone would ever consider subjecting their cat to such a cruel amputation for their own convenience, without fail every single one is utterly disgusted, horrified and appalled that such a crippling surgery would be carried out just to save owners from actually having to train a cat to have good claw manners, this is because we know what is important in the UK, we know that a bit of furniture is of less value than a living being. We have our priorities right; we accept that cats come with claws. We view cats as the feeling, sentient beings they are. If we waited for education to change the law in the USA - we'd be waiting until the end of time. Greedy vets who offer declaw/neuter package deals etc aren't going to give up that HUGE income stream without a fight - this is evidenced by the CVMA financing the bill to stop cities creating laws to stop any kind of medical practice.
In actual fact long before U.K. legislation banned it, our vets themselves refused to perform declawing. UK Vets are repulsed by such a convenience mutilation and would not do it unless for a medical necessity for the animal’s own sake. Declawing wasn't technically made illegal in the U.K. until the Animal Welfare Act 2006 came into force and yet declawing cats was unheard of. This is why there never was, and never will be, a rush of people queuing up to get their cats declawed in the UK. There was not a single voice of opposition to the legal ban and it was not even considered newsworthy by the media here. Even if the U.K. were to lift the ban, it would still be illegal under the European Convention for the Protection of Pet Animals treaty of 1986. Our cats are well protected from declawing, why aren’t yours? I note that you say you vehemently oppose declawing and support legislation to ban it and I applaud you for that, but really it is no less than any animal lover would, and should, do. The biggest mystery to me is why would anyone actually choose to mutilate their cat physically?
You go on to say, “Some of you felt signing the petition would do nothing to help get the laws changed. Well, it may and it may not. I would hesitate to say that a local city or state government would take a petition signed by members of other countries seriously.”
Well David, the petition has been proved to be effective already in helping to change the law in the cities in California that have banned declawing - evidenced by The Paw Project which thanked us for our help in allowing them to take a hard copy of the petition so far to the council meetings it attended. Also our UK campaigning emails to Californian city politicians were publicly noted as having impressed the councillors.
So, while thanking you for your advice and tips, we are actually having success in making our voices heard already, it isn’t veterinary groups in the UK that need to be writing letters it is YOUR vets who should be doing something about their colleagues who see declawing as a nice little earner, and it should be YOUR fellow countrymen campaigning for a ban on declawing. We wouldn’t need to “get our UK voices heard” if you lot would get out onto the streets and campaign, lobby your councillors and government and kick apathy up the backside and fight for cat’s to have the right to whole and healthy paws. It isn’t enough to speak about the wrongs of declawing, what is needed is people to DO something about it.
Surely any right thinking individual can see that amputating the toe ends of cats is cruel, wrong and unnecessary?
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Hi Babz, Thought you might be interested in this linky..... http://www.purrsinourhearts.co.uk/index.php/topic,30141.msg539777/boardseen.html#new Not sure if its a hoax or not though.... not a hoax by the Author but the source! ;) :hug:
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I hope it's a hoax, I can't bear to think of that poison happening here in the UK, it is most definately illegal.
meanwhile the petition stands at 2249, including a signature by Dr Jean Hovfe who is one of the leading anti-declaw campaigners in the USA. Oh and the Barbi Twins signed as well :Crazy:
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I know, Miafey the author of the thread is still thinking this to be real though and trying her best to get more info from the buyer! ;) :hug:
Glad to know that the battle is still ongoing and the army are strong, more and more valued peeps are putting their name to this! :wow: :wow: :wow:
Keep up your fab work Babz! :hug:
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2334 signatures now, the petition slowed down over Christmas and New Year but my sister and I have started emailing every cat rescue in England, Ireland Scotland and Wales asking for support so it's taking off again. ;D I have never come across anyone from the UK who is anything less than revolted by this horrible procedure and yet some US citizens (by no means all) regard it as routine as vaccinations!
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Glad the petition is moving again! :hug:
I think the problem is they dont know the actual procedure and possibly think it being just the nail removed? :tired: :hug: :hug:
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Yes I agree that's part of the trouble, it should be renamed de-toeing or deknuckling instead of decalwing which makes it sound little more than a manicure. I recently came across this picture http://clawsforever.ning.com/photo/declawed-the-full-horror?context=album&albumId=2570857%3AAlbum%3A8377 (http://clawsforever.ning.com/photo/declawed-the-full-horror?context=album&albumId=2570857%3AAlbum%3A8377) (don't look if you are squeamish) which I am using now to illustrate exactly what declawing entails, if that doesn't convince them nothing will.
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Im squeamish sorry, but I can imagine..... :( :hug:
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No need to look, you already know the score. But I love shocking pro declawers with it, the ones who think it's merely a kitty manicure. :naughty: