Marshfield Common Council Hears Public Input on Cat Declawing; Council Does Not Approve Moving Forward With Ordinance

Wednesday, September 13th, 2023 -- 8:01 AM

(Thomas Schumacher, WSAU) The city of Marshfield heard public comments on Tuesday night on a proposal to ban declawing cats.

According to Thomas Schumacher with WSAU, one resident who works in the veterinary industry said the ban would do a lot to help cats find life-long homes. "We've seen first hand, at the shelter, the effect that declawing has on cats, as stated previously. We're the ones who are called when the cat no longer uses the litter box or is bitting the kids because they have no other way to defend themselves."

"They're having all kinds of behavior and medical issues that we are then tasked to solve and try to find a new fit for them where they're allowed to do what they need to do to survive."

Another resident said that the city shouldn't be involved with someone's decision to declaw a pet. "I don't feel that the city has to be involved in that personal preference of people of what they want. I think there's bigger fish to fry."

Marshfield would become just the second Wisconsin city to ban cat declawing after Madison voted to ban the practice back in 2021. But, in the end, the Council did not move forward with pursuing an ordinance to ban the declawing of cats in the City of Marshfield.

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