PRINCETON PUBLIC AFFAIRS GROUP, INC.
PUBLIC AND GOVERNMENT AFFAIRS COUNSEL
THE PRINCETON HO– USE
160 WEST STATE STREET
TRENTON, NEW JERSEY 08608-1102
PHONE (609) 396-8838 FACSIMILE (609) 989-7491
409 SEVENTH STREET, NW – SUITE 450
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20004
PHONE: (202) 589-0800 FACSIMILE (202) 589-1288
WEBSITE: www.wswdc.com
MEMORANDUM
TO: Members of the General Assembly
FROM: Dale Florio
DATE: January 20, 2017
RE: A-3899; Prohibits surgical declawing of cats and other animals.
On behalf of our client, the New Jersey Veterinary Medical Association, we urge you to
oppose the above captioned legislation. No other state currently prohibits this practice.
Please oppose because:
New Jersey’s veterinarians are the leading advocates for saving the lives of unwanted or
discarded animals;
Veterinarians are educating clients on alternatives to declawing, resulting in a dramatic
reduction in use;
Advances in medical practices make the small number performed each year safe and
virtually painless for cats;
Families with medical issues would be unable to keep their cats if they were unable to
have them declawed; and
People who rely on cats for therapy and companionship would be most negatively
impacted because of the potential for infection:
o Cat owners on lifelong transplant medication that suppresses their immune
system;
o Cat owners on chemotherapy that suppress immune systems;
o Cat owners on blood thinners and hemophiliacs; and
o Elderly cat owners who live in facilities that require a cat to be declawed.
Again, we urge you to oppose the above captioned legislation. Thank you for your
consideration.
DALE J. FLORIO
BRADLEY S. BREWSTER
HON. JOHN F. RUSSO
WILLIAM J. PASCRELL, III
DAVID A. SMITH
SONIA DELGADO
HON. JACK COLLINS
ALFRED J. GABURO, JR.
LORNA D. O’HARA
PATRICIA E. MCGUIRE
KEVIN P. HAGAN
CHRISTINA ZUK
SAM WEINSTEIN