New York has become the first state to ban cat declawing.
Although it is the first state to ban the practice, many American cities including San Francisco, Denver and Los Angeles have already prohibited the procedure, according to the AP.
Last month, a ban on surgically removing a cat’s claws passed through the state Senate, passed the Assembly and as of Monday was signed by Gov. Andrew Cuomo. The ban is effective immediately.
Metro recently reported that declawing a cat usually means amputating the last bone of each toe. In a human, it would be equivalent to cutting fingers down to the knuckle.
Many advocates are thrilled with this law; however, the New York State Veterinary Medical Society is opposed to the full ban. The New York State Veterinary Medical Society shared a memo opposing the bill and said that “NYSVMS feels that declawing of domestic cats should be considered only after attempts have been made to prevent a cat from using its claws destructively or when its clawing presents an above-normal health risk to its owner or owners. Clawing and scratching can be highly dangerous and detrimental to families with immunocompromised members or family members with other health issues; as such, declawing is one method to allow a beloved feline companion to continue to live in a household rather than relinquishing the family pet to a shelter. Declawing should remain a viable alternative to euthanasia if all other options have failed.”
Becky Robinson, president and founder of Alley Cat Allies and a proponent of the measure, told the AP that “for a cat, declawing is both psychologically and physically harmful.”
Additionally, Robinson added, “The surgery is traumatic, and the resulting disfigurement causes severe pain.”
AP reported that advocates and supporters of the ban estimate that a quarter or more of domestic cats have been declawed.
Despite the pushback from NYSVMS, according to the bill, vets can still perform the declawing procedure for medical reasons such as infections or injury.
