California to ban cat declawing

(FOX40.COM) — Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 867 on Thursday, prohibiting the declawing of cats except in cases where it is medically necessary.

The bill’s author, Assemblymember Alex Lee, cited the American Veterinary Medical Association’s 2020 policy change on declawing as part of the reason for the ban.

“The AVMA strongly discourages veterinarians from performing onychectomy, tenectomy, or any other surgical procedure intended to prevent the normal use of the animal’s claws that is not medically necessary,” the organization’s current policy reads. “The amputation or other surgical alteration of the distal digits is an acutely painful procedure and may result in chronic pain, maladaptive behavior, disability, and significant mutilation.”

The organization recommends nail trimming, nail caps and training as alternatives to declawing.

The American Veterinary Medical Association is the only federally recognized accrediting agency for veterinary schools within the United States.

The law makes an exception for cases where “existing or recurring infection, disease, injury, or abnormal condition in the claws, nail bed, or toe bone” puts a cat’s health at risk.

Lee notes that several California cities, including Los Angeles and San Francisco, already have bans on declawing in place.

AB 867 passed the California Assembly 74-0-6 and the Senate 36-0-4.