New California state law bans cat declawing
SAN FRANCISCO - Gov. Gavin Newsom on Friday signed a bill banning cat declawing in California, a move animal welfare advocates have hailed as an important achievement for animal rights and protection.
Assembly Bill 867 – introduced by Assemblymember Alex Lee (D - San Jose) – bans tendonectomy, onychectomy, or "any type of claw removal" procedures on cats, unless the operation is performed "for a therapeutic purpose." The bill specifies that exceptions are carved out for "medically necessary" procedures to address an existing or recurring infection or other complication.
Dig deeper:
According to the San Francisco SPCA, declawing is "the cutting and amputating of the first joint (the toes) of a cat’s paw," and is often carried out by cat owners as a means to curb aggression or to stop cats from scratching furniture.
However, the SPCA and animal welfare groups such as The Paw Project – which was one of several to sponsor AB 867 – argue that declawing is an unnecessary procedure that usually only harms cats and decreases their quality of life.
"Some felines will suffer immediate complications from the procedure, but for others the damaging effects of declawing may not become obvious until many months or years later," The Paw Project said. "Permanent lameness, arthritis and other long-term complications are associated with declawing."’
Small "wild" cats worldwide are threatened with extinction
Truly wild-born cats face many dangers to their environments and ecosystems.
Several countries such as England, Germany, Brazil and Norway have already banned declawing, identifying the procedure as "mutilation" and inhumane. In 2003, West Hollywood passed the nation’s first legislation to ban cat declawing, and in 2019, New York became the first state to ban the surgery.
"AB 867 marks a historic milestone for animal welfare by banning cat declawing," Lee said. "This important legislation shows our commitment to protecting our cat companions. After years of pushing to make this a reality, I’m proud to see California create a more compassionate society for our feline friends by moving away from this inhumane practice."
The other side:
While the bill was widely supported by animal rights groups, the California Veterinary Medical Association opposed the bill on the grounds that banning cat declawing limits veterinarians' abilities to make medical decisions.
"The CVMA is deeply concerned that the veterinary profession is being singled out among our fellow healing arts professionals with legislation proposing to ban specific medical and surgical procedures in statute, which is a dangerous precedent," CVMA Executive Director Dan Baxter wrote in an opposition letter.
The CVMA also noted that it has previously discouraged declawing "as an elective procedure" and supports non-surgical alternatives to the surgery, such as nail trimming, soft claw caps and behavioral training.
"The veterinary community has already self-regulated so that those procedures are performed far less frequently than even a decade ago," the CVMA said.