Michelle Adams, Founder of Chatty Cats Care
April 5, 2021
Dawn White, author of Lola: Diary of a Rescued Cat
April 13, 2021
As animal lovers, we all want our laws to protect animals, who don’t have the ability to advocate for themselves. But it can be very confusing to try to keep up with all the bills moving through city and state governments, as well as the national government. So we’ve prepared this short roundup of animal laws to keep you up to speed.
Declawing Ban – Austin, TX – passed
In March, the City Council of Austin, Texas voted to prohibit the inhumane and unnecessary practice of declawing cats. It is always heartening to see another declawing ban pass, and we hope one day it will be banned across the whole nation.
Alley Cat Allies applauded Austin in a statement, saying, “Austin joins a growing list of governments that have outlawed this unnecessary practice. New York state, ten other major U.S. cities, seven Canadian provinces and at least 42 countries have already acted to outlaw the procedure. Currently, legislation to ban declawing is also pending in five states. Many leaders in veterinary medicine, including veterinary associations and hospitals, have also taken action to end elective cat declawing procedures.”
Bill SB 1390 – Virginia – did not pass
The Virginia state senate passed bill SB 1390 in February, which set out to clarify language surrounding TNR and to establish guidelines for a TNR program. As we know, TNR is the only effective and humane way of managing cat population, and this bill was intended to help establish the practice and make sure that those engaged in TNR weren’t being penalized for abandoning cats.
Unfortunately, though the bill passed the Senate, it did not pass the Virginia House of Delegates. Though this is a setback, this isn’t the end. Advocates will continue to work toward change in Virginia. We’ll be delving deeper into this issue in future blog posts, so don’t go anywhere!
Citywide Cat Program for Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR) – Los Angeles, CA – passed
In December, the City Council of Los Angeles voted to fund the Citywide Cat Program for Trap-Neuter-Return (TNR).
“The Council’s vote clears the way for the city to use municipal funds to operate the Citywide Cat Program, which will spay and neuter 20,000 cats per year while also providing ongoing funding for pet cats,” said Alley Cat Allies in a press release. The action Los Angeles has taken on this issue will mainstream this kind of policy and encourage other communities to adopt similar practices.
Animal Cruelty Enforcement (ACE) Act – nationwide – currently in House Judiciary Committee
Though every state has its own animal cruelty laws, the ACE Act aims to “ensure better protection of animals and to keep our communities safe. The bill would establish a dedicated Animal Cruelty Crimes Division at the Department of Justice to aid in the investigation, enforcement, and prosecution of felony animal cruelty crimes.”
This bill has been introduced in the House of Representatives by Representative Joe Neguse (CO-02), alongside Representatives Dave Joyce (OH-14) and Steve Cohen (TN-09). The bill has been referred to the House Judiciary Committee. You can track the progress of the bill and read more about its provisions here.
What can you do to help?
The workings of the government are confusing and slow, and sometimes as an average citizen, we can feel helpless to do anything. But there are a few ways you can support the passage of laws like these.
ACE Act: call your congresspeople and senators and tell them you support the bill—and ask them to commit to supporting it as well.
Check to see if your city or state has a declawing ban in place. If it does not, contact local policymakers and share resources with them about the realities of declawing.
If you’re in Virginia, check to see how your representatives voted on SB 1390 and hold them accountable. If they voted no, call them and ask them why—and tell them why you support the bill. Consider working to vote them out of office if they aren’t representing the needs of your community. If they voted yes, call them and thank them for their vote and ask what they’ll be doing to support TNR and community cats in the future.
Another thing you can do to help support animal welfare issues is vote! Before elections, do some research about your candidates. What is their record on animal welfare? The Humane Society Legislative Fund has a useful tool for finding out your representatives’ records when it comes to animal welfare. Their website also has news about current events in animal welfare and petitions you can sign to show your support for certain issues. You can also sign up to receive news and action alerts.
Alley Cat Allies also has some great resources about how to be an advocate for cats in your community. Take a look and see how you can get involved!
Originally from Colorado, Krista Beucler received a Bachelor of Arts in creative writing at the University of Mary Washington (UMW) in Virginia. She was the editor-in-chief for Issue 7.2 of the Rappahannock Review, the literary journal published by UMW. Krista’s creative work has been published in From Whispers to Roars literary magazine. She is spending COVID-19 at home with her cats.
