RI lawmaker to landlords: hands off cat claws

[The Straight Story]

RI lawmaker to landlords: hands off cat claws

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Rhode Island landlords would no longer be able to require their tenants to declaw their cats under legislation pending in the state’s General Assembly.

Senate Majority Leader Dominick Ruggerio announced his proposal Thursday. Ruggerio’s proposal would also prohibit landlords from demanding that their tenants remove the vocal cords of dogs as a condition of occupancy.

The North Providence Democrats says landlords shouldn’t be allowed to demand that tenants subject their pets to what he calls inhumane acts.

The proposal is similar to a law in California, which was the first state to make it illegal for landlords to demand tenants to declaw a cat.

http://www.boston.com/news/local/rhode-island/2013/02/14/lawmaker-landlords-hands-off-cat-claws/b8bnOqe9NZjFA7PyrdLyrK/story.html

[NV Whino]

1. Good for them

Anyone who does either act should surrender their own vocal cords or toenails. Maybe even finger nails, too.

[Spider Jerusalem]

2. It should be banned completely, honestly

declawing of cats is needless cruelty. Same goes for ear cropping and tail docking for dogs.

[Cleita]

3. Why should landlords be able to demand these things at all?

What's next? Demanding that people cut off their kid's feet so they don't run? If they don't like pets then they shouldn't rent to people with pets. I can see limiting rents to small animals and maybe limiting the number to two animals in apartments, but other than that, it's really up to the owner to make sure their pets and children, for that matter, are relatively well behaved. Dogs bark when they are left alone and cats tear up stuff when they are bored. There is no need for draconian solutions.

[TheKentuckian]

4. Whoa!!! Sounds rational and decent

What country is this?

[NJCher]

6. LOL, good one

Some fragments of sense show through now and then.

Yay! A victory for cats!




Cher

[joeybee12]

5. A very good, sensible and humane law!

KNR