Santa Monica, San Francisco ban cat declawing; L.A., Beverly Hills, Berkeley to have final votes this week

With a state-imposed deadline drawing closer, California cities are in the midst of making final decisions on whether to ban cat declawing within their borders.

The Los Angeles, Beverly Hills and Berkeley city councils are scheduled to have final votes at their Tuesday meetings on ordinances that would ban animal declawing. All three had voted unanimously in favor of bans on first readings of the measures.

The Santa Monica City Council voted last week 5 to 1 to adopt an ordinance banning cat declawing. Under the new ordinance, which takes effect Dec. 10, onychectomy (declawing) or flexor tendonectomy may be performed only to address a medical condition of the cat. Violations would be a misdemeanor punishable by a $500 fine, six months in jail, or both.

Santa Monica City Councilman Kevin McKeown, in an earlier interview, said there had been an "outpouring of support" in favor of the ban, and added, "I think it's important that the council try to make our laws reflect the values of our community."

In the Bay Area, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors last Tuesday gave its final approval to a similar ban. The Berkeley City Council had its first vote Tuesday to ban animal declawing except for therapeutic purposes. 

Commuter cat goes for a bus ride

>Cat owners often wonder where their pets go when they're outside (some to the point of obsessively strapping a shutter-happy camera to their kitties).

Casper, a black-and-white cat living in the U.K., enjoys the occasional bus ride.

BBC News posted an absolutely absurd video in which a reporter follows Casper around as he boards public transportation and relaxes for a trip around part of the coast before returning home.

The bus driver tells the BBC that Casper regularly shows up for a ride and lies patiently in a seat near the front. But that little freeloader has never paid the bus fare.

Unleashed commends the U.K. for its species-integrated busing system, and we look forward to riding alongside the traveling feline. But make sure that scrappy cat pays his dues.

-- Mark Milian

twitter.com/markmilian

Photo: Christine Cotter / Los Angeles Times

Los Angeles, Beverly Hills city councils take big steps toward enacting bans on cat declawing

Call it a victory for scratching-post manufacturers: In preliminary actions, the Los Angeles City Council and the Beverly Hills City Council have voted unanimously to approve a ban on cat declawing in their respective cities. 

As we've reported previously, the issue of declawing -- though long a controversial one -- has come to a head in California in recent months because of a pending law that gives the state authority over medical scope-of-practice issues. That law, which goes into effect Jan. 1, will prevent cities and counties from banning procedures like declawing. 

So, if a city in California wishes to ban the practice, as West Hollywood did a few years back, it needs to act fast. A number of California cities are attempting to do just that; beyond L.A. and Beverly Hills, the Santa Monica City Council took a big step toward banning declawing late last month and is expected to revisit the issue next week. Up north, San Francisco and Berkeley are weighing similar actions.

54 feral cats on San Nicolas Island relocated to Ramona in order to protect native animals

Fifty-four feral cats captured on San Nicholas Island are settling in at a wildlife center northeast of San Diego.

The Navy decided to remove the cats from San Nicholas, one of two Channel Islands owned by the Navy, to help nesting seabirds. The felines are now living at the Fund for Animals Wildlife Center.

Feral cats are usually euthanized, but the habitat was agreed upon by the Navy, Humane Society of the United States, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and California Department of Fish and Game.

The Web site DoGreatGood.com donated more than $100,000 to build a habitat at the center.

Most of the cats are unadoptable because they are so wild, but 18 kittens may find homes.

Trapping started in June and will continue until February.

-- Associated Press

Photo: An aerial view of San Nicolas Island, located 60 miles off Point Mugu, in 2001. Credit: Ricardo DeAratanha / Los Angeles Times

Swine flu infects teenage cat in Iowa and ferrets in Nebraska and Oregon

A 13-year-old Iowa cat has been infected with swine flu, veterinary and federal officials said Wednesday, and it is believed to be the first case of the H1N1 virus in a feline.

The domestic shorthaired cat was treated last week at Iowa State University College of Veterinary Medicine in Ames and has recovered, officials said. The virus also has been confirmed in two ferrets -- one in Oregon and the other in Nebraska -- but they died.

"We've known certainly it's possible this could happen," said Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  spokesman Tom Skinner. "This may be the first instance where we have documentation that transmission occurred involving cats or dogs."

The veterinarian who treated the cat, Dr. Brett Sponseller, said two of the three people in the cat's Iowa home had flu-like symptoms before the cat became ill. The case was confirmed at both Iowa State and the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Other influenza strains have been known to crossspecies, but Sponseller cautioned against drawing too many conclusions from the cat including whether other pets could also get the swine flu.

San Francisco supervisors support cat declawing ban

San Francisco's Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday in favor of an ordinance to ban cat declawing within the city and county. Supervisors are due to have a final vote on the issue next week, according to the San Francisco Chronicle.

The measure had been introduced by Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi, who called the practice torture and a form of animal cruelty.

Supervisor Michela Alioto-Pier, who voted against the measure, told the San Francisco Examiner: "I don't support the board making those types of medical decisions."

In Southern California, the Beverly Hills City Council will look at the issue at its meeting Thursday night. Los Angeles also is considering an ordinance banning cat declawing within city limits. 

Starting Jan. 1, a state law will prevent municipalities from banning such procedures.

RELATED:
L.A. Council committee favors law against declawing cats
Several California cities to look at cat declawing bans this week
Santa Monica moves closer to cat declawing ban

-- Anne Colby

Photo: Gary Friedman / Los Angeles Times

L.A. City Council committee asks for ordinance banning cat declawing

The Los Angeles City Council's Public Safety Committee voted unanimously Monday to recommend that City Atty. Carmen Trutanich draft an ordinance banning cat declawing within city limits. 

The proposal was put forth by Councilmen Bill Rosendahl and Paul Koretz, who said the procedure caused "unnecessary pain, anguish and permanent disability" to cats, according to the report from the L.A. Times' David Zahniser. 

The California Veterinary Medical Assn. is opposed to local cat declawing bans and says they could lead to increases in owners relinquishing, abandoning and euthanizing their cats.

Read Zahniser's post on the L.A. Now blog, and check back at L.A. Unleashed for more updates on the issue.

-- Anne Colby

Photo: Irfan Khan / Los Angeles Times

Several California cities to look at cat declawing bans this week

The next couple of weeks will be busy for those interested in the issue of cat declawing in California. Several cities are weighing proposals that would ban declawing or affirm opposition to the practice within their city limits.

• The city of Los Angeles' Public Safety Committee will look at the issue Monday at its 9:30 a.m. meeting.
• On Tuesday afternoon, the San Francisco Board of Supervisors will consider an ordinance that would prohibit onychectomy (declawing) and flexor tendonectomy procedures on cats except when necessary for a therapeutic purpose.
• The Beverly Hills City Council is slated to discuss a ban on nontherapeutic animal declawing at its meeting Thursday night.
• The Malibu City Council will consider a resolution opposing cat declawing in the city at its Nov. 9 meeting.
• On Nov. 10, the Santa Monica City Council is expected to have a second reading of a measure that would ban onychectomy and tendonectomy except for the medical necessity of the cat.

The issue has gained urgency because of a pending California law that gives the state authority over medical scope-of-practice issues and prevents cities and counties from passing ordinances banning medical procedures starting Jan. 1.

-- Anne Colby

Photo: Al Seib / Los Angeles Times

Free 'In Case of Fire' pet safety decals offer from Protection One

As pet owners, it's hard not to worry about our animal friends when they're left home alone.  Are we right, or are we right?  (We think we're right.)  After all, what would happen if, heaven forbid, there were a fire, earthquake or other disaster when we weren't home to evacuate our little guys? 

We shudder to think about it.

Fortunately, a nationwide security company called Protection One is stepping in to make pets a little safer and help owners feel a little more secure.  It's offering the handy decals at left free of charge on its website; owners simply have to order online, then affix the decals to a window or door to alert firefighters that pets are inside the home.  (All you need to do is write the number of each type of pet in the home, peel and stick.)

No official tallies are kept on the number of pets killed in fires every year, but estimates range from the thousands all the way up to the hundreds of thousands. 

Of course, "In Case of Fire" decals like these (versions of which are available at a low price from a number of organizations -- although it's hard to argue with free) are just one part of a fire-safety plan for pets. Beyond the decals, owners should make sure to include their pets in a detailed fire evacuation plan, taking extra precautions for pets that are left in a crate or pen while home alone.  (According to the American Kennel Club, the No. 1 cause of dogs' deaths during fire is that they were unable to escape a crate or pen.) 

It's not just the chocolate, it's the xylitol: Halloween safety tips for pet owners

Timely reminder for pet parents: Most folks know that chocolate poses a big danger to dogs.  But fewer know that another common candy ingredient, xylitol (a sugar substitute often found in candy and chewing gum), can be almost, if not equally, dangerous.

"It doesn't take a whole lot [of xylitol], and the effects are so rapid that the window of opportunity to treat the dog is extremely small," Dana Farbman, a spokesperson for the ASPCA's Animal Poison Control Center, told USA Today a few years back, when word began to spread of the danger posed by xylitol.

Keeping dogs away from chocolate and xylitol is just one of the ASPCA's tips for keeping your pet safe around Halloween, when candy is ubiquitous, costumes are tempting and doorbells are ringing more often than usual.  It also advises keeping pets away from wires and cords associated with electrical Halloween decorations and exercising extreme caution if you choose to light your jack-o'-lanterns using candles instead of battery-powered alternatives.  And of course, keep pets that might be scared of strangers away from the front door when expecting Trick-or-Treaters (and make sure they're wearing their ID tags, just in case). 

More Halloween safety tips, as well as a list of the most common food items that can be hazardous to pets, at the ASPCA's website. Happy (and safe) partying!

-- Lindsay Barnett

Photo: Petey, a Yorkshire terrier, shows off his Wicked Witch costume during the fifth annual Times Square Dog Day Masquerade on Oct. 18.  Credit: Timothy A. Clary / AFP/Getty Images