Free Republic

Gov. Gavin Newsom signed a bill into law Thursday that will make it illegal to declaw a cat in California, a practice that lawmakers and animal advocates argued is outdated and inhumane. Assembly Bill 867 by Assemblymember Alex Lee (D-San José) bars veterinarians from performing the procedure, which involves amputating the first bone in each of a cat's toes or severing its tendons so that it can't extend its claws. California law previously required the procedure to be performed by veterinarians, but will now limit it to cases of medical necessity. "Many countries have already outlawed this inhumane practice," said...

Cats would keep their claws under a bill that would make New Jersey the first state to prohibit declawing. The measure, which cleared the lower house of the Legislature last month, bans onychectomies and flexor tendonectomies on a cat or any animal unless a veterinarian deems them medically necessary. A vote on the measure was delayed in a state Senate committee Monday, and it’s not clear when it will move forward. The practice, often undertaken to prevent cats from shredding furniture or injuring humans or other pets, is already banned in several California cities and in nearly 20 countries. …

Link only - San Francisco to Consider Cat De-Clawing Ban