As of today, Monday July 22, New York has become the first state to ban the declawing of cats.
The bill, which was signed into law by Governor Andrew Cuomo earlier today, will go into effect immediately. Under the new law the act of performing declawing procedures on a cat is now punishable by a fine of up to $1,000. Upon passing the new legislation, Governor Cuomo made a statement stating that the act of “Declawing is a cruel and painful procedure that can create physical and behavioral problems for helpless animals, and today it stops. By banning this archaic practice, we will ensure that animals are no longer subjected to these inhumane and unnecessary procedures.”
When a cat is declawed much of the bone of the front toes are removed, and it’s more of an amputation than a nail clipping you’d get during a manicure. When the claw is cut, tendons that control the claw are cut, too. This can lead to various other problems as well because it’s not only chronically painful for the animal but also makes their paws more sensitive.
New York may be the first state in the U.S. to ban this inhumane practice, but they’re following in the footsteps of other cities and countries around the world that have already banned this procedure.