Bill To Ban Cat Declawing Introduced

Assemblymember Alex Lee introduced legislation to safeguard the welfare of cats by protecting them from the harmful and barbaric surgical procedure of declawing. AB 867 affirms California’s stewardship of our pets by prohibiting cat declawing in the state. 

“Cat declawing, the amputation of the first knuckle of each cat’s toes, is an outdated, cruel, and unethical surgical procedure that results in lifelong disfigurement and pain,” said Assemblymember Lee. “Many countries have already outlawed this inhumane practice. AB 867 shows the nation and world that California does not endorse surgical mutilation performed electively on healthy cats for human convenience.” 

Declawing involves amputating cats’ toe bones or severing the tendon controlling their paws — a surgical procedure that can lead to debilitating health effects. Surgical complications include hemorrhage, infection, pain, and anesthetic complications. Removing cats’ claws also increases the likelihood of behaviors like biting, aggression, and litter box avoidance. Overgrooming, chronic back pain, residual bone fragments and mobility issues are among other long-term effects of declawing. 

Image

(Photo courtesy of the Montreal SPCA)

AB 867 prohibits the declawing of a cat unless a veterinarian performs the procedure for a medically necessary purpose that benefits the cat’s health. Scratching is a natural cat behavior, and non-surgical alternatives are available to address inappropriate behaviors such as nail trimming, soft claw caps, and behavioral training. While some believe that cat declawing reduces health risks for immunocompromised cat owners, experts instead emphasize the importance of proper hygiene and parasite control.

Cat declawing is already outlawed in many places. In 2003, the city of West Hollywood passed the nation’s first legislation to ban cat declawing, with seven other California cities following suit. New York then became the first state in the U.S. to enact the ban on this inhumane practice in 2019. Maryland, Washington, D.C., and Massachusetts have also passed bans. Globally, dozens of countries including Australia, New Zealand, the U.K. and Switzerland have all banned cat declawing. 

“Paw Project is proud to sponsor Assemblymember Alex Lee’s important animal protection legislation, AB 867, which will prohibit nontherapeutic declawing in California,” said Dr. Jennifer Conrad, Founder and Director of Paw Project, the lead sponsor of the bill. “Cat declawing is a barbaric amputation of cats’ claws performed in a misguided attempt to stop the normal feline behavior of scratching. Declawing has no benefit to the cat, to the cat’s human family, to the veterinarian who must break the oath to ‘prevent and relieve animal suffering,’ and finally, to the community. Declawed cats lose their homes because they are more likely to bite and to not use the litter box because of the pain in their amputated toe stubs. Assemblymember Lee’s bill will protect cats and protect veterinarians who want to be ethical and humane.”

"We can't continue to wait for declawing to fade away on its own,” said Danielle Bays, Senior Analyst of Cat Protection and Policy at Humane World for Animals, a co-sponsor of AB 867. “It is still too commonly practiced, with around 20% of cats subjected to this cruelty. Humane World for Animals applauds Assemblymember Alex Lee and veterinarians across California for their commitment to prioritizing the health and safety of cats."

“The Humane Veterinary Medical Alliance (HumaneVMA) encourages California legislators to demonstrate their humane leadership by passing this legislation to end unnecessary feline declawing amputation surgeries that provide no medical benefit whatsoever – and, in fact, can cause long lasting harm – to companion cats in The Golden State,” said Dr. Barbara Hodges, Program Director of Advocacy and Outreach at HumaneVMA, a co-sponsor of AB 867.