Cats can stress less on a trip to the vet, after The College of Veterinarians of B.C.(CVBC) banned declawing in the province.
The only reason a veterinarian can implement the procedure now would be for a medical reason, which could be tumour related or some sort of injury.
Ospika Animal Hospital Veterinarian Janelle Merritt says she has seen less operations involving declawing cats over the years.
“We have done declawing in the past in our clinic, but we have only ever done them with a full consult because a lot of people don’t understand what the process is and what it involves.”
It’s a major surgery for cat to undertake just to have their claws removed added Merritt.
“When you actually sit down with people and explain to them that you’re fully amputating those toes, a lot of people don’t want to proceed after that. It’s a major surgery and there is a lot of complications that can be seen from it, so, it’s a pretty harsh procedure.”
BC now joins the only other province in Canada that has banned declawing, Nova Scotia.
The CVBC has the power to investigate and discipline any doctor who ignores the new regulations.
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