MONTREAL -- Quebec clearly loves animals, yet our laws still have not been updated to reflect our cultural advancement.
Since the pandemic, we have reached a milestone in pet ownership. A study by the Association des médecins vétérinaires du Quebec has shown that we have surpassed housing 3 million cats and dogs, a landmark for our province.
“In light of these polls,” the Association writes in a press release, “it is clear that never in the history of our province have cats and dogs taken such a large place in the hearts of Quebecers.”
Moreover, we have seen the percentage of Quebec households caring for animals climb from 42.6 to 49 per cent. Cat ownership has seen the greatest increase, with an estimated number of housed cats at 1.83 million.
Given the obvious importance our animals take in our lives, Quebecers now have the power and a small window of opportunity to augment our province’s animal welfare laws.
Declawing, a painful and outdated practice of the amputation of the last bone on a cat’s toes, is still happening in Quebec. In fact, some breeders are still offering it upon purchase of a cat.
Up to 50 per cent of cats who have had their toes amputated (have been declawed) experience physical and behavioral problems throughout their life, and those are only the documented cases.
As medicine and research evolve, we have the information now to understand the practice should be obsolete as it only negatively affects the animal.
As discussed in a previous op-ed, the term declaw is misleading and it would be more correct to refer to it as a mutilation.
The Canadian veterinary medical association (CVMA) as well as the largest Quebec veterinary association (AVMQ) have both adopted position statements strongly opposing the practice.
While they lobby against it, the associations are unable to change the laws, but the public can.
As it turns out, timing is on the public’s side. The Ministère de l’Agriculture des Pêcheries et de l’Alimentation (MAPAQ), the body responsible for this type of legislation, is currently revising their laws and therefore the time for public pressure is now.
After reaching out to the MAPAQ, their advice is to go through members of National Assembly to change the law to put an end to this practice and prevent unnecessary pain in cats.
Kathleen Weil, the Member of National Assembly of Quebec who represents the NDG riding is sponsoring a public petition to stop declawing in Quebec, and the petition is hoping to gain support from the veterinary associations as well as the SPCA.
Quebec is one of the last provinces in the country to continue the practice, alongside Ontario.
The petition is currently being written and once it passes approval in a few weeks’ time, it will be made public. Once public, there is a limited time to sign before being presented at the National Assembly.
Stay tuned during the next month for when the petition will be available to sign, and if you have further inquiries or would like to get involved, contact your local MNA’s office.
Alexandra is a writer and veterinary technician in Montreal and is currently writing this petition
