The regulation on the well-being and safety of domestic companion animals and equidae has been adopted by the Quebec government and will come into force on February 10. As a result, the declawing of cats will be formally prohibited as of that date.

Louise Bigras and Anne-Marie Larreault, volunteer representatives of shelters in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges and Beauharnois-Salaberry regions, expressed their delight at this situation in an interview with the newspaper this week: "It affects the behavior of cats, which can become aggressive and develop chronic pain. The anxiety of cats who are anxious by nature can also increase," says Annie-Marie Larreault of Ronronne avec moi.

The main purpose of this by-law is to establish standards for the care and keeping of domestic companion animals and equidae, in order to ensure their well-being and safety.

A "domestic pet" is defined as a cat or dog and their hybrids, as well as a pet of one of the following species and their hybrids: a rabbit, ferret, guinea pig or pet pig.

What is prohibited :

Except in the case of a therapeutic medical indication recommended by a veterinarian, it is forbidden to perform or have performed any of the following surgeries:

- tail docking (docking or removal of an animal's tail);

- devocalization (surgery to remove tissue from the vocal cords of dogs and cats to reduce the noise of meowing and barking);

- ear cropping, except as part of a "capture-sterilize-return-maintain" (CSRM) program for stray cats set up by a municipality, veterinary clinic or animal welfare organization;

- onyxectomy, digital tenectomy, digital tenotomy or any other surgical procedure designed to prevent the normal use of claws.

WOAH

Animal welfare is one of the priorities of the World Organization for Animal Health (WOAH), which is celebrating its centenary this year. Animal welfare is described as follows :

- Absence of hunger, thirst and malnutrition

- Absence of fear and distress

- Absence of physical or thermal stress

- Absence of pain, injury and disease

- Opportunity for the animal to express the normal behaviors of its species.