• Specific Year
    Any

PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS REGULATION 2012 - REG 22 Declawing of domestic cats

PREVENTION OF CRUELTY TO ANIMALS REGULATION 2012 - REG 22

Declawing of domestic cats

22 Declawing of domestic cats

(cf clause 8 2006 Reg)

(1) For the purposes of section 12 (2) of the Act, the circumstances in which a veterinary practitioner may remove one or more of the claws of a cat are as follows--
(a) the cat is a domestic cat, and
(b) the veterinary practitioner is, before doing so, provided with complying documents for the cat and a statutory declaration to the effect that--
(i) all reasonable steps (other than removing the cat's claws), such as behavioural training or caging of the cat, have been taken without success to prevent the cat causing the damage, injury or death referred to in the complying documents, and
(ii) the cat will be destroyed unless its claws are removed.
(2) In this clause,
"complying documents" for a cat are--
(a) a copy of an order under section 31 of the Companion Animals Act 1998 requiring the owner of the cat (whether or not the existing owner) to prevent the cat from repeatedly damaging with its claws anything outside the property on which it is ordinarily kept, or
(b) a statutory declaration to the effect that--
(i) the cat has caused repeated and unacceptable damage with its claws to anything on the property on which it is ordinarily kept, or
(ii) the cat has repeatedly injured humans, or
(iii) the cat has repeatedly injured or killed animals (whether or not wildlife), other than vermin.