New York just banned cat declawing. It's the first state to outlaw the procedure
By Scottie Andrew and Brian Ries, CNN
Updated 5:18 PM ET, Mon July 22, 2019
A cat named Rubio walks in front of the podium during a news conference in New York in 2016. The state became the first to ban cat declawing Monday.
A cat named Rubio walks in front of the podium during a news conference in New York in 2016. The state became the first to ban cat declawing Monday.
(CNN)Cats in New York are free to scale couches, window screens and curtains with their claws unclipped.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed a bill Monday that bans cat declawing, making New York the first state to outlaw the practice.
"By banning this archaic practice, we will ensure that animals are no longer subjected to these inhumane and unnecessary procedures," Cuomo said in a statement.
The bill, passed by the state assembly in June, will take effect immediately, according to the governor's office.
Removing a cat's claws requires the partial amputation of the last bone in each of the toes on a cat's front feet. The governor's office said cats often strain their leg joints and spine in response to the removal, which can result in chronic pain.
In the statement, senate deputy leader Michael Gianaris compared the procedure to severing a human finger at the knuckle.
"Cats' claws play an important role in various aspects of their lives," the bill reads. "When a person has its animal declawed, usually in an attempt to protect furniture, they do fundamental damage to that animal both physically and in behavioral ways."
The bill makes exceptions for "therapeutic purposes," or when the declawing would benefit the cat's health.
Vets disagree on declawing
Veterinarians are split on whether cat declawing is inhumane.
The American Association of Feline Practitioners said it strongly opposes it as an elective procedure. Scratching is a "normal feline behavior," it wrote in a statement, as cats scratch to maintain the motion they need to climb and keep their claws sharp.
The New York State Veterinary Medical Society (NYSVMS) said it supports declawing as an alternative to euthanasia for cat owners with impaired immune systems or diabetes.
"NYSVMS believes a veterinarian...should be permitted to make medical decisions after direct consultation with a client and a thorough examination of the patient and its home circumstances," the organization said in a statement.
The bill doesn't list any specific alternatives to declawing other than "simple training." The American Association of Feline Practitioners suggests cat owners dull their pets' nails with scratching posts, regular nail trims and temporary synthetic nail caps, which must be reapplied every four to six weeks.
Lawmakers in Massachusetts proposed a state ban on feline declawing earlier this year. The bill is set for a public hearing Monday afternoon.
The practice is illegal in several countries, including the UK, Israel and Switzerland, according to the bill.
Give them a place to scratch that they like and keep the nails trimmed. Never had a problem here with cats and could never see the sense or humanity in de-clawing...
They also have those rubber tips called "soft paws" that can be glued over their nails. However I think the end result of this will make cat ownership more difficult for people. Landlords who previously were alright with a declawed cat now might say, No Pets, etc. The end result will be less available homes for cats. Just my opinion.
I personally have more of an issue with cutting off dog tails and cropping their ears. There is nothing destructive about dogs with tails and full ears. And, i find that very inhumane that a dog cannot use it's tail to express it's emotion.
My 24-year old cat had been
de-clawed before I adopted her
in 1995.
Which is better? Not allowing
de-clawing and not having the
cats adopted? Or allowing the
de-clawing and giving the cat
a permanent, loving, indoor
family. Because a de-clawed
cat can never be allowed to
roam - it would have no way
to protect itself from predators.
And the hind legs should never
be de-clawed - cats need the
traction in order to jump.
Just takes getting used to. If your cat trusts you, no problem. Ask the vet tech for some pointers in claw cutting.... Just push on the pad on the foot and the claws come out; do not cut down to the quick (the kind of half moon in your own nails).
I'm really torn on this one. There are so many cats that need homes, and I really think cats should be indoor animals - they are safer that way and live longer. A lot less people will adopt cats if they can't declaw them. When I talked to my vet about this, she was pretty clear - she'd rather a cat have a good, safe, indoor home than have a cat that won't stop clawing and end up in a shelter.
__________________
LawyerLady
I can explain it to you, but I can't understand it for you.
I'm in the declawing category but I wouldn't have one in the house anyway, so it's a non issue for me. I would not declaw an outside cat, obviously.
But I clipped my parakeet's wings back in the day. It didn't hurt him, he could still fly, but not very high. Well, until he got that huge growth on his chest which made him too heavy so he'd end up walking around the house rather than flying around.
