The Eau Claire County Humane Association

A Commitment to Animals

We wish to contribute to a better life for animals and to inspire awareness of and compassion for all living beings. We aspire to provide a safe haven, loving attention, nutritious food, meticulous health care and daily exercise to each and every animal in our care. We do our best to secure each animal in a permanent, loving and responsible home. We carefully attempt to match companion animals with caregivers to attain a quality and nurturing lifestyle for both pet and owner.

Much of our time and energy goes toward ending the specific problem of pet overpopulation. We will be active in our community educating the children in our schools, bringing the community together with fundraisers and pet-friendly events and ensuring that each pet owner has all the resources and information necessary to care for their pet.

Positioning Statement on Euthanasia

ECCHA is committed to reducing euthanasia. We believe every animal deserves an opportunity. Our goal is to serve animals throughout their lives, with our programs’ primary focus on ending homelessness and addressing the needs of animals. We strive to do the greatest good (given limited resources) to help the greatest number of animals.

In balancing the welfare of the animals with our responsibility to the public, we recognize not all animals are suitable for adoption. Therefore, when the difficult decision is made to end an animal’s life, we believe compassionate euthanasia by injection is the most humane and dignified method. This difficult decision is made ONLY when all other options have been exhausted, including working with other shelters, raising funds to provide medical care and utilizing our network of foster homes.

Our board and staff are committed to the open admission philosophy, responsibility for using our resources to help animals and finding alternatives to euthanasia.

Positioning Statement on Declawing

The Eau Claire County Humane Association is strongly opposed to declawing cats for the convenience of their owners or to prevent damage to household property. The only circumstances in which the procedure should be considered are those in which all behavioral and environmental alternatives have been fully explored, have proven ineffective and the cat is at risk of euthanasia.

Cats’ claws play a vital part of in their ability to defend themselves. They use them to capture prey and settle disputes with or escape from other animals or people who are hurting or threatening them. Furthermore, as part of their daily rituals, cats instinctually pull the claws on their front paws through surfaces that offer resistance. They do this to mark their territory, exercise muscles usually used in hunting, relieve stress and remove worn sheaths from their nails.

Declawing of cats, or onychectomy, is the amputation of the last digital bone, including the nail bed and claw on each front toe. If the surgery is performed correctly and the entire nail bed is removed, the claws cannot regrow. The surgery involves the risk of anesthesia, excessive bleeding and postoperative complications  (including infection) and is accompanied by pain that may last several days to much longer unless appropriate pain control is provided.

Various alternatives exist to manage natural scratching behavior and prevent injury from cat scratches. These include having a cat’s nails trimmed regularly in order to blunt the tips. Providing scratching pads, posts, and other appealing structures for the cat is another great way to intercede. You can use behavior modification techniques to induce the cat to use them. Deterrents such as double-sided tape (e.g., Sticky Paws ®) can be used to protect furnishings, and covering the claws with soft temporary pads (e.g., Soft Claws ®) is another excellent alternative.

Owners should also be familiar with cat behavior and proper handling techniques to avoid being scratched. Because declawing has not been proven an effective method for improving other behavioral issues, including aggression towards people or other cats, it should never be used as a behavioral remedy (or as a preventative measure). Instead, behavior concerns should be discussed with trained behavioral experts, who can recommend effective techniques for managing feline behavior issues. Therefore, we believe that it is the responsibility of animal welfare advocates to inform individuals of alternative, nonsurgical methods to address destructive clawing, including referral to a veterinarian or animal behaviorist.