New York lawmakers pass legislation to make declawing a cat illegal

The New York state legislature has voted to pass a measure that would make it the first state in the country to ban the declawing of cats.

The law seeks to ban onychectomy, or declawing, on cats in the state except for in cases where it is needed to address a “physical medical condition” that “compromises the cat’s health,” the bill’s text states.

{mosads}However, the bill states that it would outlaw the procedure for “cosmetic or aesthetic reasons or reasons of convenience in keeping or handling the cat.”

If the law is passed, veterinarians who violate it could face a fine of up to $1,000.

With the bill’s passage Tuesday, the legislation now heads to New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) desk for approval. 

New York Assemblymember Linda Rosenthal (D), who sponsored the legislation, called declawing “unnecessary” in a statement to The New York Times and added that the bill is for cat owners who “think their furniture is more important than their cat.”

“It’s unnecessary, it’s painful, and it causes the cat problems,” Rosenthal said. “It’s just brutal.”