Elective cat declawing banned in Wisconsin city

MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Madison is the latest city to join the list of areas that have banned elective cat declawing.

According to WMTV, Madison Common Council members voted unanimously in favor of the ban during their last meeting.

Madison Alder Lindsay Lemmer, who was a sponsor of the proposal, called the act of declawing a “cruel and outdated procedure.”

A declawing procedure involves removing the last bone of each cat’s toes, which Lemmer compared to severing a human finger at the first knuckle.

“Today, every cat in Madison lands on its feet as we set an example for the rest of the state and join the numerous cities throughout the country that have already banned this archaic practice,” Lemmer said.

Madison Cat Project, a cat rescue in the area, also favored the ban.

The rescue’s executive director, Colin Steinke, noted cities like Los Angeles, Denver and San Francisco have already banned declawing of cats, in addition to the entire state of New York.

“We are ecstatic,” Steinke said. “This is a big step forward toward a better world for cats, and to see Madison take this step to join the other cities and states who have done so before us is really exciting.”

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