procedure

SACRAMENTO — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law Thursday that will make it illegal to declaw a cat in California, a practice that lawmakers and animal advocates argued is outdated and inhumane.

Assembly Bill 867 by Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San José) bars veterinarians from performing the procedure, which involves amputating the first bone in each of a cat’s toes or severing its tendons so that it can’t extend its claws. California law previously required the procedure to be performed by veterinarians, but will now limit it to cases of medical necessity.

“Many countries have already outlawed this inhumane practice,” said Lee, who called declawing a “barbaric” mutilation to make life more convenient for pet owners.

While most owners do not declaw their cats, the practice has been used by some to prevent the animal from scratching people, furniture or other pets. Various polling has found that roughly a quarter of cats are declawed, but it has fallen out of favor among veterinarians and pet owners in recent years. The nation’s largest veterinary provider, Mars Veterinary Health, said it does not support elective declawing.

“Feline scratching and nail sharpening are normal behaviors and the removal of nails has been shown to lead to chronic pain and, in some cases, to cause long-term behavioral issues,” the company said in a statement on its website.

The California Veterinary Medical Assn., which represents veterinarians, opposed the bill, saying it sets a dangerous precedent to limit the scope of one profession.

“When our veterinarians are telling us that they’re performing the procedure, it’s usually because the elderly patient is usually on chemotherapy, on a blood thinner … and they can’t risk being scratched,” Grant Miller, director of regulatory affairs at CVMA, said during a legislative hearing.

Miller said surveys of their members found 80% of veterinarians no longer declaw cats, evidence he argued shows they’ve adequately policed themselves. He said AB 867 limits instances that should be considered legitimate reasons for declawing.

“If the owner is coming in and saying we can’t keep our cat because it keeps scratching us, can you do something, we believe that that’s qualification to consider the procedure, but only after all other alternatives have been exhausted,” he added.

The bill includes an exemption for cats that need the procedure out of medical necessity, including to address a recurring infection or a condition that jeopardizes the animal’s health. But, it does not include procedures to make a cat easier to handle, to avoid scratching people or furniture or for any other cosmetic reason.

West Hollywood became the first jurisdiction in the country in 2003 to pass a ban on declawing cats. Other cities have since passed similar restrictions, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley, Burbank, Culver City, Santa Monica and Beverly Hills, according to an analysis of the bill.

New York was the first state to ban declawing in 2019, while dozens of other countries have made the practice illegal.

Lee, the bill’s author, said his hope is that the number of cats declawed in California will shrink to zero.

“You can trim the nails just like our nails,” he said. “You can do many different things.”

The most extreme, he added, is declawing.

Gogglebox star Stephen Webb has opened up after feeling “really conscious”

Stephen Webb has avoided cataracts after having vision correction surgery, revealing it has made him feel like a “new person”.

In August, the former Gogglebox star underwent Laser Lens Replacement/Refractive Lens Exchange – a common procedure that involves replacing the natural lens inside the eye with a synthetic implant, starting at £3,497 per eye.

Stephen, 54, felt “conscious” by how “bulgy” his eyes looked in glasses – of which the lenses kept “getting thicker” due to how bad his sight was getting.

The TV personality had a “15-minute per eye” treatment with Sheraz Daya at Centre for Sight’s hospital facility in Oxshott, Surrey, and the result of sharper vision has had a huge impact on Stephen.

Stephen, who appeared on the Channel 4 reality programme with his ex-partner Daniel Lustig until they quit in September 2023, exclusively told BANG Showbiz: “I’ve been wearing glasses since I was, like, 20.

“And every year, I’d go and get my eyes checked, and my prescription was just – the last sort of like 10 years, they’re just getting worse and worse and worse. So my prescription was going up, so that meant my glasses were getting thicker.

“So in the end, the last pair of glasses I bought just made my eyes look like the bottom of two bear glasses – really magnified.

“And I was really conscious about it – especially when people would look at you from side on, it would kind of make your eyes look really bulgy.

“So that was one of the reasons, pure vanity. I’m just sick of wearing [glasses]. They’re so expensive – every year I’d have to pay at least £6/700 for a pair of glasses.

“I’ve got really nice frames, they were always between 2 and 300 quid, the lenses are [£]400, and I was just finding that they just weren’t lasting, they were scratching a lot quickly.

“And I just thought, ‘I’m 54, I’m never going to get cataracts now.’ So I guess it was just preventative as well from stopping [my eyes] from getting even worse.”

Asked if he feels like a new person since his Laser Lens Replacement/Refractive Lens Exchange, Stephen continued: “Yeah, I do. Just because I’m really active, I do a lot of running, I horse ride, and wearing glasses is just a hindrance.

“When you’re running, they steam up; you can’t see through them. And it’s the same horse riding, I have to wear my helmet, and [glasses] just always got in the way.

“But glasses are always an issue. So, it’s just nice to be free of them.”

Now that he no longer wears glasses, Stephen revealed that people are not recognising him as much.

Speaking about his recent trip to Benidorm, Spain, the Celebs Go Dating star said: “People who tend to go to Benidorm are definitely my demographic – that’s my core fan base!

“And, yeah, it was just so lovely to go away for – I was only there four days to get some sun and not get recognised … it was just nice to have a break from that.”

However, Stephen’s distinctive voice is his “second” giveaway, as he quipped: “My big giveaway was my glasses. But my second giveaway is my voice.

“So if I speak too loudly, I’d see a few people look, they recognise – and people that approach me go, ‘I heard the voice.’ So I still had to [talk] quiet.”

Stephen was treated by Mr. Sheraz Daya at the Centre for Sight, the UK’s leading, trusted centre of excellence for advanced eye care, innovation and life-changing results. For more information, visit centreforsight.com.

Dolly Parton announced Sunday that she would be delaying six concerts at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas that were slated for December due to “health challenges.”

In a message posted on social media, the country superstar shared that she’s been dealing with some health issues and her doctors have advised her to undergo some procedures to manage it, though she did not provide specifics. The concerts were set for Dec. 4 through 13.

“I want the fans and the public to hear directly from me that, unfortunately, I will need to postpone my upcoming Las Vegas concerts,” the 79-year-old singer and songwriter wrote in a cheeky statement posted to her Instagram and X accounts. “As many of you know, I have been dealing with some health challenges, and my doctors tell me that I must have a few procedures. “As I joked with them, it must be for my 100,000-mile check-up, although it’s not the usual trip to see my plastic surgeon.”

Parton said she needs time to “get show ready” to be back on stage and put on a performance that fans “deserve to see.” She also tried to ease any concern that her situation is serious. “Don’t worry about me quittin’ the business because God hasn’t said anything about stopping yet,” she continued. “But, I believe He is telling me to slow down right now so I can be ready for more big adventures in life.”

“I love you and thank you for understanding,” she signed the note. Earlier this year, Parton’s husband Carl Dean died at 82. The pair were married for nearly 60 years.

Tickets purchased for the original dates will be honored when rescheduled dates are announced. Refunds are also available.

A six-year-old boy asked his dad if they were ‘going on the slide’, and his dad corrected him – but a flight attendant on the plane wasn’t as kind and it sparked a discussion

Safety briefings happen every single time you step on an aircraft, and they’re designed to assist you should the unlikely event of an emergency occur while you’re travelling on the plane. It covers details about the brace position, oxygen masks that will drop from the overhead panel if cabin pressure falls, and chutes you might need to utilise during an emergency, among other things that would come in handy if something went wrong.

Naturally, if you have any queries, cabin crew will be delighted to share their expertise with you, as they must complete rigorous training before they’re permitted to work aboard the aircraft, for more than obvious reasons.

Nevertheless, one six-year-old lad received more than he expected when he enquired about using the slide on the plane – likely imagining it was an entertaining playground feature, rather than a potentially life-saving apparatus in the proper circumstances.

Hannah Cantile posted a clip of herself on TikTok, though you could overhear the exchange between the youngster and the flight attendant.

The little lad told his father they were “going on the slide,” and he couldn’t hide his enthusiasm.

The father responded: “No slide,” and the flight attendant supported the dad’s response, explaining the boy wouldn’t be using the slide.

The inquisitive child then enquired: “What’s the slide for?” and the flight attendant explained it’s utilised during “emergencies”.

He candidly added: “So if everybody is about to die, that’s when the slide comes out.”

Hannah awkwardly chuckled at how bluntly he explained this, but many applauded him for preventing the youngster from “asking any more unnecessary questions”.

Someone also remarked that children don’t require “sugar coating and tiptoeing” and should be told the truth – even if it’s harsh.

The slide deploys when passengers need to evacuate rapidly, such as during a fire, smoke in the cabin, a water landing, or a crash landing.

In a water landing, the slide may also serve as a life raft for passengers.

It will automatically inflate if a cabin door opens whilst the door remains in the “armed” position.

Doors are “armed” for slide deployment before take-off and landing, ensuring that during an emergency, the slide will inflate instantly when the door opens.

The slide doesn’t deploy during normal boarding or disembarking; in these instances, the doors are “disarmed” so the slide won’t activate.

Cabin crew are responsible for arming and disarming the doors and for triggering slide deployment during emergencies.

It’s a vital safety mechanism designed to help passengers exit the aircraft swiftly and securely, and it’s not routinely used.

D. Wayne Lukas, 89, who has been a staple in horse racing since 1968 when he was training quarter horses at Los Alamitos, is leaving the game after contracting a potentially life-ending illness.

In a note to owners and friends on Sunday, Lukas Enterprises announced: “We regret to inform you that D. Wayne Lukas will not be returning to racing. A severe MRSA blood infection has caused significant damage to his heart, digestive system, and worsened pre-existing chronic conditions. The doctors proposed an aggressive treatment plan, involving multiple surgeries and procedures over several months. Even with the best-case scenario, Wayne would require 24/7 assistance to manage daily activities.”

The note goes on to say that Lukas declined the aggressive treatment plan and would “return home to spend his remaining time with his wife, Laurie, his grandchildren and great-grandchildren.”

It also says that he will be under home hospice care.

Lukas is a member of both the U.S. Racing and Quarter Horse Halls of Fame. He has won the trainer Eclipse Award five times, and his horses have won 25 Eclipse Awards.

In his career, Lukas has run 30,436 races, winning 4,953. His horses have earned over $300 million. His last significant win was in last year’s Preakness Stakes, which he won with Seize the Grey.