Malibu rejects anti-declaw measure

Malibu, Calif.-

In the wake of West Hollywood's recent ban on cat declawing, Malibu City Council rejected a copycat measure deeming the procedure a crime.

On May 27, council members voted 4 to 1 rejecting animal rights activistDr. Jennifer Conrad's proposed ordinance to outlaw declaws in the city.

The decision also follows a failed legislative attempt by AssemblymanPaul Koretz that, if passed, would have made California the nation's firststate to enact such a ban. As a result, the California Veterinary MedicalAssociation (CVMA) is exploring a repeal of the West Hollywood ordinanceon grounds that it unconstitutionally renders a legal surgical procedurea criminal offense, punishable by fine.

For this reason, council members largely rejected the proposal, saysDr. Mark Nunez, who spoke to Malibu city leaders on behalf of CVMA.

"The thought that a ban would be mostly a symbolic move by citycouncil, not something they could enforce," says Nunez, a practitionerin Burbank. "They had too much respect for the law to pass somethingthat's just symbolic."