Then it’s the rest of the US.  Come on, you can do it!  Start calling your mayors and town/city officials.   Get the ball in motion in your community!

And when you do, tell us about it, and we’ll mention it in our blog and in our newsletter:   http://www.catfaeries.com/newsletter.html

West Hollywood did it years ago!   Santa Monica recently banned declawing!  Berkeley and Los Angeles will be the next cities to consider it!

We take a deep bow to the 8 supervisors who voted yes!  As for the 2 who refused the vote yes (Michela Alioto-Pier and Sean Elsbernd) we arch our backs and hiss.

The bill now goes before Mayor Gavin Newsom.  He has the power to  sign it into law or to veto it.   Let’s hope that he respects the wishes of the Board of Supervisors and signs the bill.

If you wish to contact Mayor Newsom here is his contact information.

Mayor Gavin Newsom
City Hall, Room 200
1 Dr. Carlton B. Goodlett Place
San Francisco, CA 94102
415-554-6141
fax: 415-554-6160
 gavin.newsom@sfgov.org

Come on America!  If every European nation can ban declawing, so should we!  If Martha Stewart can trim her cat’s nails and live with a few shredded places on her furniture so should we!

The two holdouts are Michela Alioto-Pier and Sean Elsbernd.  Their reasoning?  Alioto-Pier thinks the board has better things to do.  Elsbernd  feels that it’s a matter between cat guardian and vet.

Cat Faeries has called both supervisors offices.   The clerk at the office of Alioto-Pier was rude and hostile.  Elsbernd’s email reply was terse and stubborn.

Even if these two Supervisors remain stuck in their clueless thinking, the 9 compassionate supervisors who are pledged to vote in favor of the ban are what it will take to pass the bill!

The vote is next week (the week of November 9th).   Cat Faeries blog readers will be among the first to know!

More good news.   Berkeley and Los Angeles are also considering banning declawing!  Hats off to West Hollywood for being the first and the inspiration for other cities to follow!

Here’s our first blog post:

The citizens of the city named after St Francis are trying to convince the Board of Supervisors to ban the de-clawing of cats.  Can we do it?   Cat Faeries certainly hopes so!

At present only one city in the US has successfully banned the procedure which declaws cats.   Several years ago West Hollywood banned the cruel, painful, and unncessary amputation of a cat’s joints.

Santa Monica is “considering” a ban.   What’s up with the good people of this country?  Nearly every European nation has banned this horrible operation!   Why are we lagging behind?

Tragically, the San Francisco SPCA is no longer the cutting edge shelter it once was when it lead the way for the No Kill movement under the guidance of Richard Avanzino.  Under the direction of controversial Jan McHugh Smith they are refusing to support the ban!     Heck, with her at the helm, they are not even a No Kill shelter any longer!

People just do not realize that de-clawing a cat can cause the cat to be in life long pain.  De-clawed cats can be more prone to biting.  A cat without claws is defenseless.  De-clawed cats are often more inclined to not use their litter boxes.

Martha Stewart once had an episode of her TV show inside one of her homes.  The camera went to one of her sofas to reveal that the arms of the sofa had been shredded by her cats.  Martha chuckled and said something like “when you live with cats, you live with this.”  Now really folks, if Martha Stewart can live with a few shreds so can we mere mortals!

But what if you can’t live with a shredded sofa arm?  Trim the cat’s nails!  It’s beyond easy once you get the hang of it.  Your veterinarian or a vet tech can show you how.  In a matter of minutes you’ll be as good at it as they are.

You can purchase professional cat nail clippers or use the straight edge toe clippers you probably already own!   Trim your cat’s nails every 10-14 days and everyone is happy!

San Francisco is where Cat Faeries lives and works.  We are actively getting petitions signed, and we will make a formal statement before the Board of Supervisors.  And we will keep you posted about the ban.  Please see if you can be a pioneer  and get de-clawing banned in your community!

Are you a San Francisco resident who wants a petition?  Email us and we’ll send you one as an attachment.  We need it mailed back to our PO Box by October 15, 2009.  Not a resident?  Send us a letter and we’ll include it with the petitions?   Cat Faeries, PO Box 31885, San Francisco, CA 94131.

Number one reason to trim nails – so that they don’t grow uncontrolled and curve under and into the cat’s foot. OUCH!

Feliway spray can “somewhat’ deter a cat from scratching at your furniture. But its not perfect and you need to apply it daily.

But if you trim your cat’s nails every 10 or 12 days they will be short, and if your cat does scratch at a sofa not much damage, if any, will occur.

You can find nice clippers in shops or you can use a good quality human toe nail clipper.

We suggest you sit someplace comfortable for you with good lighting – that could be the bathroom, on the toilet seat which you put down. Clip as many nails in one sitting as the cat will allow.

Some cats are comfortable if you softly drape a towel over their head. Other cats are comfortable if you wrap them like a “burrito.” And yet other cats are comfortable being held free on your lap, sort of like a baby, on their back.

A cat is never too old to learn to get used to twice a month nail trims. Gentle handling, showering the cat with praise will really help. And of course treat yourself to something special in honor of a job well done after!