By Journalist Amaya Brooks (OBU).
Photo from https://unsplash.com/s/photos/cat-claw
Senator Pelfrey (OSU) has created a fun and interesting tradition of bringing bills that pertain specifically to animal rights and ethics. He is extremely passionate about writing such legislation that reflects the needs of Oklahomans. “I have developed this platform for myself of legislation regarding animals and animal ethics.” His bill would ban the surgical procedure of declawing cats in the state of Oklahoma. “This act definitely came from the inspiration of wanting to contribute to bettering animal ethics in the state of Oklahoma. I think this is a severe issue that is not focused on enough.”
Senator Pelfrey has been around cats his entire life and is very familiar with this procedure. “I come from a cat family. I’ve been around them all my life.” The practice of declawing cats is very common among cat owners. Pelfrey mentioned how many residential persons use this to protect their furniture from damage, as well as to possibly prevent attacks or scratching from cats. His take on this is that, “It’s really a selfish human desire. We are sacrificing the cats autonomy and their longevity as it presents lifelong risks for them.”
Concerns with the bill might be that it could cause financial repercussions for veterinarians who perform this procedure. “Making it illegal to declaw a cat shouldn’t really affect the veterinarian financially. It really shouldn’t affect them because they are already on a fixed income.” Additionally, Pelfrey encourages cat owners who might have considered declawing their cats as a matter of safety or protection for themselves or the cat, “that there are indeed alternatives. There are nail caps, you can clip their nails, and train them if you get them at a young age.”
The Senate looks forward to hearing Pelfrey’s bill and he looks forward to seeing the body move.
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Senator Pelfrey (OSU)