Bill To Ban Cat Declawing Passes First Hurdle

Cat declawing is a barbaric surgical procedure that permanently disables cats. AB 867, authored by Assemblymember Alex Lee, will affirm California’s commitment of protecting the welfare of cats by prohibiting cat declawing in the state. The bill passed in the Assembly Business and Professions Committee and is headed to the Appropriations Committee. 

“Mutilating healthy cats for human convenience is cruel and inhumane,” said Assemblymember Lee. “Cat declawing is a permanent disfiguring surgery that’s equivalent to removing a person’s fingers at the top knuckle. This is a common sense bill reinforcing that cat declawing goes against ethical treatment standards for animals.”

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. 

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(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. 

“This is an important step in stopping animal cruelty,” Dr. Jennifer Conrad, Founder and Director of AB 867’s lead sponsor Paw Project, said of the bill passing the Business and Professions Committee. “We are grateful to the committee members who understand that 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 cats, the humans who have the cat, the veterinarians who must break the oath of ‘above all, do no harm,’ and finally, the community."

"Humane World for Animals applauds Assemblymember Alex Lee, committee members and veterinarians across California for their commitment to prioritizing the health and safety of cats,” said Danielle Bays, Senior Analyst of Cat Protection and Policy at Humane World for Animals, a co-sponsor of AB 867. “This bill is necessary to end declawing once and for all, since around 20% of cats are still subjected to this extremely cruel practice.”

“The Humane Veterinary Medical Alliance (HumaneVMA) applauds the Assembly Business and Professions Committee members who voted for AB 867,” said Dr. Barbara Hodges, Program Director of Advocacy and Outreach of HumaneVMA, a co-sponsor of AB 867. “By moving this legislation forward California is one step closer to ending 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.”

“California has an opportunity to protect countless cats in the state from a painful and unnecessary surgical procedure that needlessly jeopardizes the health of these animals for the convenience of their guardians rather than their own well-being,” said Kim Kelly, Legislative Affairs Program Director at Animal Legal Defense Fund. “We are pleased to co-sponsor this bill and hope California will join other states like Massachusetts that have recently enacted similar legislation to protect cats.”