Declawing Your Cat Could Soon Be Illegal In New York

Declawing a cat could soon be illegal in the state of New York...

Lawmakers have approved the legislation, and the state is now set to be the first in the U.S. to ban cat declawing. The bill would charge veterinarians $1,000 fines if they are caught performing the operation, unless the animal is suffering from a specific injury or infection.

“Medical decisions should be left to the sound discretion of fully trained, licensed and state supervised professionals,” The New York State Veterinary Medical Society said in a memo opposing the legislation.

But cats have claws that are directly attached to the bone, so a declawing procedure actually removes part of a cat's toe.

“The end result is a barbaric procedure that results in the mutilation of the animal,” Veterinarian Michelle Brownstein said. “Frankly, if you’re worried about your furniture, then you shouldn’t be getting a cat.”

The Senate passed the bill 50-12. It will now head to Gov. Andrew Cuomo's desk to be reviewed.

Declawing a cat is already illegal in Los Angeles and San Francisco. Check out all of the details on AP News.


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