This all started in 2003 when West Hollywood voted to ban the declawing of cats. The California Veterinary Medical Association got their panties in a twist and tried to have the ordinance overturned. When that failed, they lobbied the California Legislature and succeeded in getting a law passed and signed by Gov. Schwarzenegger that bars local governments from banning the declawing of cats starting in 2010.
This, in turn, has ticked off local governments who feel the State has no business dictating what ordinances they can and cannot pass. So several California cities have passed bans on declawing to beat the 2010 deadline—Berkeley, Los Angeles, San Francisco, & Santa Monica—with Malibu passing a resolution but no ordinance. Culver City and Burbank may also consider a ban. And the counties of Humboldt, Marin and Sonoma may also ban declawing.
Declawing is also known as an onychectomy which is the amputation of the first knuckle of each toe. Another procedure is flexor tendonectomy which is the severing of the tendon that allows a cat to control or extend its claws. (Note: this is graphic and disturbing, but persuasive. If you need visual evidence of what declawing is, you can take a look at the results. From lisaviolet.com)
