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Austin Officials: City is the first city to prohibit cat stealing
The procedure, carried out for aesthetic reasons, is now punished with a fine. Still, veterinarians can perform the procedure if medically necessary.
Austin, Texas – – Austin officials say the city is the first in Texas to prohibit cat stealing for non-therapeutic reasons.
The city council unanimously passed the regulation on Thursday. Katie Jarl from Austin Pets Alive! and the Austin Animal Advisory Commission says it does so after two year meetings with veterinarians, the public, and even New York state officials. In 2019, the state was the first in the United States to ban stealing
It is a practice that many veterinarians and animal rights activists believe is not only unnecessary but cruel too.
“Stealing a cat isn’t just about cutting the nails, it’s an amputation. It’s an operation that involves amputating the cat’s toes at the last joint, which is extremely painful for the cat.” said Jarl.
She says stealing a cat can have lifelong effects on a cat’s health.
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Austin Cat Stealing Prohibition Bill
New York State legislature passed a law that would make this state the first in the nation to prohibit cat stealing.
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“It changes their posture, sometimes the claws grow back, it almost causes those bone spurs in their claws, which we saw at Austin Pets Alive.”
The procedure can also change a cat’s behavior.
“Sometimes a cat’s first defense is to hit you with that paw and let you know that something is making them uncomfortable. If they don’t have that option, they often resort to biting and that gets them insane very quickly Shelter. “” Said Jarl.
The procedure, carried out for aesthetic reasons, is now punished with a fine. Still, veterinarians can perform the procedure if medically necessary.
Veterinarian Dr Katrina Breitreiter explained: “The medical reasons for amputating a toe are the same as amputating a limb cancer or a serious injury that cannot be repaired. In this situation, only the affected digits would be operated on.”
