Sample letter language is on the main petition page...but PLEASE personalize!! https://www.change.org/p/we-support-anti-declaw-legislation-in-california

California requires that testimony be submitted online throught the state's Position Letter Portal: https://calegislation.lc.ca.gov/Advocates/

[DATE]

[TEXT OF YOUR LETTER]

For more information, go to www.pawproject.org

I support SB 585, which will prohibit the unnecessary and harmful practice of declawing in California. I urge you to vote YES on this important animal protection legislation.

Declawing is amputation, whether performed by scalpel, clippers, or laser. I believe there is never a reason to declaw for non-therapeutic reasons (that is, unless surgery were necessary to treat animals' medical conditions).  

The state of New York has banned declawing. Eight cities in California - Los Angeles, San Francisco, West Hollywood, Burbank, Santa Monica, Berkeley, Beverly Hills, and Culver City - plus Denver, St. Louis, and Austin have enacted declaw bans. Statistics available from those cities indicate that the relinquishment of cats to shelters in those cities, in the years since the bans were enacted, has not increased - in fact, the number of cats dumped in shelters has decreased consistently in the years since the laws went into effect. Veterinarians in seven of the 10 Canadian provinces have voted to prohibit declawing in the past year.

The American Association of Feline Practitioners, VCA veterinary clinics, and Banfield Pet Hospitals have all put an end to declawing in their veterinary hopitals.

There is no reason to declaw cats to protect human health, especially since declawed cats are more likely to bite.The NIH, CDC, US Public Health Service, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the Canadian Medical Association, all have specifically stated that the declawing is "not advised," even for the animals of persons who are severely immunocompromised, including those with HIV. This opinion is echoed in statements on declawing published by the AAHA and the AAFP. The National Hemophilia Foundation and the American Cancer Society do not recommend declawing to protect humans from scratches. 

We believe this bill will be a model for humane legislation in other states. 

We have assembled a list of veterinarians and vet clinics that will not declaw on our website that we are constantly updating. Email us at info@pawproject.org withnew, useful information, and thank you for supporting our cause!