FC LIFE APRIL 2018

Column by Lois Stern

Photography by Andrea Finkel

Lilly is not Declawed

by Marleen Hacker

Lilly Hacker is a 10 year old domestic tabby that was rescued 10 years ago by Marilyn Greenberg and Norma Lippman. Lilly’s mom was a feral wild outdoor cat that gave birth in Iris Leaf’s bushes on Monaco Way. I fostered the mom and her 3 kittens for the next 6 weeks. We found good homes for her siblings, and

we adopted Lilly, as she was very loving. Her mom went to the vet, where she given shots, had her ears clipped, was spayed, and then sent back out- side. Lilly is very sweet, but she has a very bad “scratching” habit, that I’ve been unable to break all these years, and our furniture is proof. I’ve tried yelling, spraying her with water, spraying my sofa with repellent, keeping scratching posts nearby, and keeping her nails short, all to no avail. Then I thought about “declawing”, UNTIL, I did some research. Declawing is not like a manicure. It is

serious surgery and painful! It is actually an amputation of the last bone and along with the bone comes nerves, tendons, joints, and ligaments. It is illegal in many countries, and in Israel punishment is one year imprison- ment and a $20,000 fine. It is prohibited in many cities in California, and Colorado, and New York City and New Jersey are considering a law to ban this practice. Our Governor, Rick Scott, recently signed an “animal abuse law” and I suppose one could say this is a form of abuse. I found an alternative to this problem. Lilly is seen in this photo wearing Soft Claws ( 2 pink and the rest clear). They are lightweight vinyl caps that you glue on their front nails. Ladies, it’s like wearing fake nails, and they last around 6 weeks, and then get reapplied again. Now that’s a kitty manicure. For those of you planning on adopting a new kitten or cat, I hope you do your own research. This surgical procedure called an “Onychectomy” is inhumane. And just so you know, “Declaw Awareness Day" was March 29.

BARNEY GUSHNER is eight months old and Marilyn Gushner is his MOM. She saw him in Boca at a dog facility and fell in love. It was a very spontaneous commitment. She is so happy to have him. Barney is a combination of a maltese and a shih-tzu,

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