The Humane Society of Indianapolis, now IndyHumane, has released the following statement about the recent passing of New York legislation S.5532B/A.1303 which bans pet owners from declawing cats:
“We applaud the efforts of New York’s state legislature on the passage of S.5532B/A.1303 into state law. Declawing is simply an outdated and unnecessary practice. This opinion has been part of IndyHumane’s ideology as an organization for years, and we will continue to educate the public and potential adopters on the dangers and pain it causes these helpless animals. I hope we see Indiana follow suit in the near future,” said Dr. Jessica Snyder,
An IndyHumane staff veterinarian, Dr. Snyder is also the Indiana Director for The Paw Project, a national non-profit working to educate the public about the painful and crippling effects of cat declawing and to promote animal welfare by ending the practice of declaw surgery.
IndyHumane's medical staff provides all of its declawed shelter residents relief by performing paw repair surgery and overseeing medical management of their pain. Under the guidance of Dr. Snyder, IndyHumane has also been able to offer free and low-cost evaluations and paw repair surgeries for declawed cats in shelters and rescues throughout Indiana for the past three years. Education on the subject of declawing is required for all potential adopters as part of the cat adoption process at the IndyHumane shelter. Some cities have banned cat declawing (Los Angeles, San Francisco, Denver), but New York is the first state to do so.
Serving Indianapolis and the surrounding counties since 1905, IndyHumane provides vital services to animals and people alike through sheltering and adopting animals, providing positive reinforcement behavior training for adoptable animals, and outreach through community and shelter programs. For more information and current adoptable animals, visit www.IndyHumane.org.