About City The Kitty

City the Kitty is a nonprofit organization 501(c)(3) (EIN 83-1153382) that is supported solely by private donations. City the Kitty nonprofit is dedicated to building global awareness about the unnecessary and inhumane procedure of declawing so that we can outlaw this practice.

Your tax-deductible contributions will be used for educational material and campaigns, fund declawed cats in need of medical care under certain circumstances, and for other anti-declawing campaigns.

Our Mission: To build global awareness about the unnecessary and inhumane procedure of declawing so that we can outlaw this practice. If you want to be a City the Kitty Crusader volunteer and help us end this cruelty,  please send an email to [email protected] and put your state in the subject line. We will reach out to you when we start our campaigns.

Our Vision: To educate and advocate so that all cats can lead lives that are healthy, happy and free from unnecessary and barbaric mutilation of their feet for the sake of convenience.

Who We Serve: Cats and their humans worldwide.

Our Programs and Services

City the Kitty accomplishes this mission in these ways:

  • Volunteer Groups: City the Kitty groups, led by City the Kitty Ambassadors in each state, promote awareness by providing educational materials to shelters, rescues, the cat loving community, and through social media channels.
  • Volunteer lobbyists in each state educate legislators about the harmful effects of declawing, the benefits from cats being able to scratch, and the easy, humane options to this inhumane procedure.
  • City the Kitty identifies areas with the highest declaw rates and disseminates educational videos, social media ads, along with billboards and Public Service Announcements.
  • City the Kitty provides an interactive map with updates, state by state, on the anti-declawing movement.
  • City the Kitty helps fund the medical care of declawed cats in need under certain circumstances.

Our Goals 2018-2022

Goal 1: End declawing in the United States within 5-10 years.

Goal 2: Provide a comprehensive list of no-declaw vets, shelters and cat rescue groups in each state that owners can support.

Goal 3: Dispatch City the Kitty Veterinarian Advocates to vet school throughout the country to educate vet students about declawing and humane alternatives.

Goal 4: Provide an interactive map with updates, state by state, on the anti-declawing movement

Background and Context

Declawing is a painful and inhumane option that comes with many associated health risks and disabling consequences. Sadly, despite the harm to cats, it continues to be one of the most routinely performed procedures in veterinary medicine in the U.S.

Many people think that declawing is just the removal of a cat’s claws. It is not.

Declawing involves cutting through ligaments, tendons, nerves, and tissue to amputate the last toe bone and claw in a cat’s paw.  In a person, it is the same as amputating each finger at the last joint. Laser removal is not less painful or more humane.

Declawing is inhumane—a declawed cat is walking on cartilage.  Declawing can lead to chronic discomfort and pain,  behavioral changes including biting and aggression, and litter box avoidance because of the pain and discomfort at the amputation sites. Declawed cats often develop small bone arthritis, dengenerative joint disease, and chronic back and joint pain as their shoulder, leg and back muscles weaken. Abnormal growth of severed nerve ends also can occur, causing long-term, painful sensations in the paws. (Neuralgia)

No matter what method is used or what age the declaw is performed, it alters the conformation of the feel and physically changes everything about the way a cat walks.

The long term negative issues from declawing a kitten are still the same which are chronic small bone arthritis, degenerative joint disease, and chronic back and joint pain as shoulder, leg and back muscles weaken. Abnormal growth of severed nerve ends can also occur, causing long-term, painful sensations in the toes (neuralgia.)

No matter what method, or what age the declaw is performed, it alters the conformation of the feet and physically changes everything about the way a cat walks.

Declawing is banned in 42 countries and not performed in most other countries because of how inhumane and mutilating it is. Canadian veterinarians have voted to ban declawing in 5 Provinces so far and most likely it will be completely banned in Canada by the end of 2019.

We are part of a movement in the U.S. to help educate the public about this barbaric amputation procedure and about the easy, humane options. Many humane and ethical veterinarians in the U.S oppose declawing and don’t perform it.

As many as 5,000 cats are declawed a day in America!

Veterinary associations lobby to keep declawing legal. Declawing is a billion dollar business in America.  Too many veterinarians do not honestly disclose the facts about declawing or the negative consequences to cat owners.  There are always easy, humane alternatives to declawing. They include sturdy scratching posts, scratching pads, nail trims, deterrents, and Soft Paws.

Together, we can spread awareness that declawing should never be an option.

For more information, please view our City The Kitty Strategic Plan.