A bill under consideration by the Denver City Council would make it illegal to declaw your cat, unless it was deemed medically necessary. Councilwoman Kendra Black, the bill’s sponsor, called it a “cruel practice” in an email to fellow council members asking for their support. “Most people don’t think about it,” Black said in an interview. “If you hear the term declawing, you might think it’s a simple procedure. It’s been sold to pet owners as, ‘Oh, we can spay or neuter your cat, and declaw them at the same time,’ and they don’t understand how awful it is. It’s like chopping off the last knuckle of your finger.” Professional veterinary societies tend to discourage the practice but have opposed efforts to legislate it based on the idea that more cats will be abandoned for problem scratching if declawing is not an option — though that has not been the experience of California cities that have banned the procedure. Black decided to sponsor the bill at the request of Dr. Aubrey Lavizzo, a Denver veterinarian who is active in the campaign to ban declawing as the Colorado director, Eastern Slopes, for the Paw Project. They became friends after serving together on the social consumption advisory committee, and he told Black about his concerns about cat declawing. The bill is very short: It says that it shall be unlawful for any person to declaw a cat, and if you are going to declaw a cat, it must be done by a licensed veterinarian using anesthesia and done for a medically necessary reason, such as pain, infection, injury or a congenital deformity that could cause pain or injury. Black said that if the bill were to pass, a committee would draft rules around enforcement, and the penalty likely would be a fine. I asked Black if she has cats. She does not. “I have a dog,” she said. “Who digs holes in my backyard, and I would never cut off his toes because he digs holes in my backyard.” The Colorado Veterinary Medical Association sees some reasons for declawing. An FAQ on the association’s website includes a question on cat declawing. The association discourages the practice and treats it as a last resort solution to problem scratching. Both the American Animal Hospital Association and the American Veterinary Medical Association state that de-clawing of domestic cats should be considered only after attempts have been made to prevent the cat from using its claws destructively or when its clawing presents a health risk for its owner(s). The following points should be considered before discussing de-clawing with your veterinarian: Scratching is a normal feline behavior, is a means for cats to mark their territory both visually and with scent, and is used for claw conditioning (“husk” removal) and stretching activity. Owners must provide suitable implements for normal scratching behavior. However, the association allows there are instances where declawing is better than the alternative. Scientific data do indicate that cats that have destructive clawing behavior are more likely to be euthanatized, or more readily relinquished, released, or abandoned, thereby contributing to the homeless cat population. Where scratching behavior is an issue as to whether or not a particular cat can remain as an acceptable household pet in a particular home, surgical onychectomy may be considered. There is no scientific evidence that de-clawing leads to behavioral abnormalities when the behavior of de-clawed cats is compared with that of cats in control groups. However, the American Association of Feline Practitioners does not support declawing. Their position statement opens with, “The American Association of Feline Practitioners strongly opposes declawing (onychectomy) as an elective procedure. It is the obligation of veterinarians to provide cat owners with alternatives to declawing.” Would a declawing ban actually lead to more cats being given up? That wasn’t the experience of the city of Los Angeles, its general manager Brenda Barnette said in a letter to Black. Los Angeles has had a ban on declawing for five years now, and the number of cats relinquished actually has actually gone down pretty dramatically in that time. The AAFP says the scientific literature does not support the idea that declawing prevents relinquishment or abandonment. “There is no current peer-reviewed data definitively proving that cats with destructive behavior are more likely to be euthanized, abandoned or relinquished. The decision of whether or not to declaw should not be impacted by these considerations,” the association says. Lavizzo didn’t learn how to declaw cats when he went to vet school in the 1960s, and he identifies the 1980s as the time period when the procedure became more common. The few studies out there that attempt to count the number of declawed cats find that between a fifth and a quarter of American cats are declawed. Lavizzo performed the procedure for years after he went into practice with another vet who already did it, but as he learned more about animal pain, he decided to stop. Lavizzo strongly disputes the assertion that declawing doesn’t affect cat behavior. (I reached out to the state veterinary association, but no one was available Friday. I’ll update this post when I hear back from them.) Cats who are declawed experience significant pain and related health problems after the procedure, Lavizzo said, but it’s not always recognized because cats don’t express pain in ways that we can see. Why is it so bad? Unlike the human fingernail, which just sits on top of your finger, a cat’s claw grows from its last knuckle, the third phalanx. Declawing procedures cut through the bone, but Lavizzo said the most common techniques are not very precise and often leave bone fragments along with injured bone tissue inside the cat’s paw. The procedure also severs tendons and prevents cats from walking on their toes as they should, leading to problems with gait and balance and causing arthritis and back pain. Cats that are declawed can be more prone to biting, he said, and to not using the litter box because scratching in the litter hurts them. These behaviors can also lead to cats being abandoned or relinquished. Lavizzo believes declawing continues because it’s a profitable procedure for vets, and he doesn’t think the justifications actually support the practice. “How can you justify cruelty that way?” he asked. “That’s where we need to stop the conversation.” Next steps: The Safety, Housing, Education and Homelessness Committee meets at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 25 to discuss the bill. The committee meets in Room 391 of the City and County Building, 1437 Bannock St. There will be 15 minutes of public comment, at two minutes per speaker. If the bill advances out of committee, it will be voted on by the full council.
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Do a YouTube search for pretty much any smallish animal you can think of and there'll be several videos of a "tame" or "pet" version. Any feline, any canid, any mustelid (weasel), any procyonid (raccoon), any non-bonkers primate (baboons, which are completely terrifying, are exempt). Look at my pet kinkajou, my pet genet, my pet fennec fox, my pet ocelot. And then on the videos of cute furry animals in the wild, you'll see the comments: "omg i want it." When the internet sees a video of a red panda, the internet wants a red panda. Even though a red panda is endangered and a wild animal. In 1959, a Soviet geneticist named Dmitry K. Belyaev began somewhat secretively experimenting with breeding domesticated foxes. More than five decades, thousands of foxes, and one collapse of the Soviet Union later, the program continues at The Institute of Cytology and Genetics at Novosibirsk, Siberia. Belyaev wanted to unlock the secrets of domestication, the links between behavior and breeding and physical traits, but plenty of non-scientists are aware of the project for a different reason: foxes are adorable, and we want to hug them, and we want them to like it. But domesticated foxes, which can only be found at that Siberian facility, are not horrible pets. They're a little unconventional, and they require a little bit of extra attention, but if you want a pet fox, you can have a pet fox. All you need is $8,000 and the approval of Kay Fedewa, the exclusive importer of domesticated foxes in the US. To read more on this story, click here:Can I Have A Pet Fox?
You spend weeks planning the perfect proposal, only to be upstaged by a baby hippopotamus when you finally pop the question. Adorable hippo Fiona stole the limelight during a couple’s engagement photo at Cincinnati Zoo in Ohio. Nick Kelble and his girlfriend Hayley Roll regularly visit Fiona and were delighted their favorite animal witnessed the proposal. The ecstatic new bride-to-be wrote in a message to her boyfriend on Instagram: “We're so happy Fiona could be there on our special day. Here's to many more years of going to zoos with you.” She added in an interview with the Daily Buzz: “We went to the zoo for our one-year anniversary and Fiona was in the window. “Nick, my boyfriend, and I were waiting in line to get our photo taken with Fiona and I gave my cell phone to someone to take the photo and when I turned back around, Nick was on one knee proposing.” Fiona became the first Nile hippo born at the zoo in 75 years back in January and had a fight to survive after her mother gave birth six weeks early. “Full term hippos usually weigh between 50-110lbs,” the zoo says. “Fiona only weighed 29lbs when she was born 6 weeks premature. She is the smallest hippo to ever survive.” The zoo say Fiona is a “little hippo with a big personality”. “As Fiona continues to grow, the many facets of her complex personality are really starting to show!” they said earlier this year. “It’s fascinating to watch how the different elements of her personality seem to reflect the natural history of the hippopotamus.”
Many people falsely assume that declawing is just like trimming your nails or getting a manicure. In reality, it is a painful and permanently crippling procedure. The following are eight some reasons why you should never declaw your feline friend: 1) Declawing a cat is the equivalent of cutting a person’s finger off at the first knuckle. 2) Cats scratch to exercise and enjoy themselves, maintain the condition of their nails, and stretch their muscles. 3) Claws are a cat’s first line of defense: While we hope that your cat remains safely indoors at all times, if he or she were ever to get outside without claws, your cat would be far more vulnerable to predators and abusers. 4) Declawed cats often become more aggressive: Many people think that declawed cats are safer around babies, but in fact, the lack of claws makes many cats feel so insecure that they tend to bite more often as a means of self-protection. 5) Pain continues, even after surgery: Cats are in pain when they awake from the surgery, and the pain continues afterward. Nails can grow back inside the paw, causing extreme pain that you can’t see. 6) Declawed cats are most likely to go outside the litterbox: Without claws, even house-trained cats might start “doing their business” outside the litterbox in an attempt to mark their territory. 7) Deckawed cats have to relearn how to walk: Our toes are crucial to our balance, and it’s no different for cats! Because of impaired balance after the procedure, declawed cats have to relearn how to walk, much as a person would after losing his or her toes. 8) Many countries have already banned declawing Nearly two dozen countries—including Australia, England, and Japan—ban or severely restrict declawing surgeries. And many veterinarians in the United States refuse to perform the procedure. What You Can Do Instead Trim your cat’s nails regularly. When the cat is relaxed and unafraid, gently press on his or her toes until the claws extend. Use a pair of nail clippers, and cut only the tip of the nail, taking care not to damage the vein, or “quick.” The nail hook is what tears upholstery, so removing it virtually eliminates the potential for damage. Buy multiple scratching posts. Ideally, you should have two or more scratching posts in your home. Make sure that they’re sturdy and tall enough to allow your cat to stretch (3 feet or taller). Soft, fluffy carpeted posts won’t fulfill your cat’s clawing needs, so look for rougher posts. Teach your cat where to scratch and where not to scratch. Encourage your cat to use the scratching posts by sprinkling catnip on the posts once a week. Discourage your cat from scratching furniture by using a loud, firm voice whenever he or she starts to scratch—cats don’t like loud noises! Never use physical force. Instead, you might try using a squirt gun full of lukewarm water directed at your cat’s back.
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Come out to The Yards Park for A Very Barky Halloween! Bring your pets in their Halloween best and enjoy pet costume contest (with prizes!) and parade down the Capitol Riverfront Runway, on-site pet adoption, and Bark-or-Treat throughout The Yards. A Very Barky Halloween at The Yards October 29, 2017 1:00 pm - 4:00 pm The Yards 355 Water St SE Washington, D.C. 2003 For more information, click here:Very Barky Halloween The Yards
This week marks the one-year anniversary of our new name, the Humane Rescue Alliance. One year ago we launched a new identity focused on animals, people, and community, building on two hundred and fifty years of combined experience from the Washington Humane Society and Washington Animal Rescue League. We’ve remained committed not only to protecting and advocating for the animals in our community, but also to supporting and celebrating people’s love and compassion for them. What makes our brand truly special, is the unmatched dedication, professionalism, and passion of our staff, volunteers, and generous supporters. Without you, this work would not be possible. And although we have officially been a single entity since February 2016, October marks our first 12 months as the Humane Rescue Alliance. We’re celebrating by looking back at some of our favorite stories from our first week as HRA. To read more on this story, click here:Celebrating One Year as the Humane Rescue Alliance
Depending on where you live, winter is coming…or is already here! We love our pets as family members, so it is our responsibility to make sure that they are safe and warm in the winter. Here are some myths/facts about caring for your pets: Myth: Unlike summertime where a car acts as a greenhouse and can cause harm and even death to pets, a pet is safer in a car during winter months. Fact: Pets can freeze to death even in a short period of time. Cars act as a refrigerator in cold months. A dog alone in a car, no matter the season, is a target for thieves. Myth: All ice melts are created equal. Fact: Not all ice melts are formulated to keep pets safe. Pet-safe ice melts like Morton Safe-T-Pet are salt- and chloride-free, which is safer on pet paws and stomachs. Never use a human grade ice melt, and always sprinkle Safe-T-Pet on sidewalks; do not pile product and risk Fido or Fluffy’s health. Myth: A dog’s pads protect them from all elements of weather. Fact: Though a dog’s pads contain much fatty tissue that does not freeze as easily as other tissues, protection against scuffing, scraping, cutting, and ice damage is crucial in winter months. Ice cubes and “snowballing” may occur in the delicate areas between toes and pads. Protective booties or a product like Musher’s Secret, which is used on sledding dogs, can help ease extreme conditions on sensitive pads. Myth: Dogs do not absorb antifreeze or harmful chemicals on walks through their paws. Fact: A dog’s pads are more resilient than other parts of his body, but chemicals can be absorbed through them. In turn, chemicals like antifreeze can be licked by dogs and cause severe problems. Wipe dog pads off thoroughly after a walk, perhaps using some warm water and a washcloth to melt any ice balls that may have formed on the feet. Myth: Coats are for show and really do not keep pets warm in the winter months since animals have a natural fur coat. Fact: Dogs and cats get cold, particularly short-haired breeds, senior citizens, puppies, and pets with medical conditions. Look for an insulated sweater with a turtleneck, that covers the belly, and that allows for protection from neck to tip of tail. Myth: Dogs should gain weight in the winter to keep their fat ratio up and stay warm. Fact: Not always. Though dogs are more sedentary in winter months, gaining weight as a form of insulation is not always advised. Indoor dogs who participate in strenuous activities or winter sports may require additional food in colder months. A recent study from the Association for Pet Obesity revealed that 53 percent of cats and 55 percent of dogs are overweight or obese in the United States. Keep a pet’s heart, organs, and joints healthy and keep an eye on their weight year round. Myth: Thought a humidifier may help people, it does not do much for our pets during winter heating season. Fact: Dry air in the home can make pets itchier, cause dry noses, upper respiratory infections, more dander, and dry throats. Consider a humidifier, talk to the veterinarian about skin conditioners and fatty acid supplements for healthy skin. Myth: Fleas will not affect my pet during the winter months. Fact: Though fleas may not survive in brutal winter temperatures outside, the warmth of home means fleas gravitate towards indoor comfort where they can affect pets. Using a natural, safer product with no chemicals, and a safe alternative for pest control and prevention during colder months. Always consult a veterinarian with any questions.
Although people may not think “fitness” when they consider taking the reins, horseback riding can be a serious butt-kicking workout. It may look like the horse is getting all the exercise, but it takes balance, strong legs, and a stable core to stay in the saddle. This old school hobby is an awesome way to spend some quality time in the great outdoors and get beyond a basic gym routine. Before hitting the trails, check out Greatist’s guide to horsing around. From the Horse’s Mouth — The Need-to-Know Since people first hopped into the saddle around 3500 BCE, horses and humans have been inseparable partners in crime. When the automobile (aka “horseless carriage”) got popular in the late 1800s, horses became used for recreation, not work. These days most people pony up to exercise, compete, or just have fun. The first step before heading to the barn is deciding which style of riding to try. Most stables teach English style or Western style, although some places offer both. So what’s the difference between English and Western? The two styles use different equipment (aka “tack”), which affects the rider’s position and communication with the horse. English tack is smaller and less bulky, which makes for closer contact between the horse and rider. Western saddles were originally used by cowboys on long cattle drives, so they’re built for comfort and stability with a deep seat, long stirrups, and a saddle horn for looping a lasso (or hanging on!). To read more on this story, click here:Know Before You Go: Horseback Riding
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A bill under consideration by the Denver City Council would make it illegal to declaw your cat, unless it was deemed medically necessary. Councilwoman Kendra Black, the bill’s sponsor, called it a “cruel practice” in an email to fellow council members asking for their support.
