Few days ago, New York’s Legislature passed a bill what makes declawing a cat illegal. If the bill passes, New York will be the first US state that bans cats declawing. The operation is already illegal in many European states as well as in San Francisco, Denver and Los Angeles. However, there’s no state in US that voted to ban the procedure.
The bill is about to subject veterinarians to $1,000 fines for performing the operation, is now on Gov. Andrew Cuomo desk, for review, NBC News reports.
“Cats of New York: Show me your claws,” said the bill’s sponsor, Linda Rosenthal. “New York prides itself on being first.This will have a domino effect.”
Declawing a cat is considerate a barbaric practice by many animal rights groups and as well as by cats owners, animal welfare advocates or vets. Unlike human nails, a cat’s claws are attached to bone, so to declaw a cat is necessary “to slice through tendon and nerves,” NBC News reports.
According to Huntington Post, the New York State Veterinary Medical Society had opposed the bill, arguing that declawing should be allowed as a last resort for felines that won’t stop scratching furniture or humans — or when the cat’s owner has a weakened immune system, putting them at greater risk of infection from a scratch.
“Medical decisions should be left to the sound discretion of fully trained, licensed and state supervised professionals,” a statement says. Yet, under the bill, the vets could still perform the procedure for medical reasons, as infection or injuries.
New York is poised to become the first state to ban cat declawing. Here’s what to know https://t.co/Oa9APdSOO6 pic.twitter.com/cGv7vsMhdx
— TIME (@TIME) June 5, 2019
