New York State Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal, D-Manhattan, holds Rubio the cat as she discusses her bill to prohibit the declawing of cats in 2017.David Klepper / AP file
ALBANY, N.Y. — New York would be the first state to ban the declawing of cats under legislation heading to a vote in the state Legislature.
The Senate and Assembly are both expected to take up the bill on Tuesday.
Declawing a cat is already illegal in much of Europe as well as in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver.
Supporters of a ban in New York include animal welfare advocates, cat owners and veterinarians who argue the practice is cruel and barbaric since it involves the amputation of a cat’s toes back to the first knuckle.
“New York prides itself on being first,” said the bill’s sponsor in the state Assembly, Manhattan Democrat Linda Rosenthal, who said she expects other states to follow suit. “This will have a domino effect.”
The New York State Veterinary Medical Society has opposed the bill. It says the procedure 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,” the society said in a memo opposing the legislation.
Under the bill, people who violate the ban on declawing a cat could face fines of $1,000. Veterinarians could still perform the procedure for medical reasons, such as infection or injury.
The bill was first introduced years ago and has slowly gained momentum as more lawmakers came out in support. Tuesday is the first time the measure has gone to a vote in either chamber.
If the bill passes both the Senate and Assembly on Tuesday it will head to the desk of Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a Democrat. Cuomo hasn’t weighed in on the proposal.
Exposing the Big Game 
Reblogged this on Committee to Abolish Sport Hunting Blog.
Good! If people can’t tolerate furniture damage, they should get a children’s stuffed (not taxidermy) animal at the toy store.
What a beautiful Abyssinian cat in the photo! But if a cat scratch would present a danger to a person, then maybe they shouldn’t get a cat? Where is it written we should get everything we want, at harm to another creature?
Furniture? Gimme a break, if your inanimate, unfeeling pieces of stuff mean more than the well-being of another being, then don’t get a cat. I foster cats and kittens, I’m a walking wound. Never once have I thought of my comfort over the well-being of another. We’re not talking about a hangnail here, we’re talking about an actual amputation of a body part, a necessary body part. There’s this poster at my shelter that says “If you’re for declawing cats, raise your hand” and it’s a picture of a hand with the fingers all amputated at the first knuckle. If you don’t have a problem with that, I don’t have a problem with banning you from animals or revoking your medical license. Great step, thanks for the good news!
Maiming an animal so that it can live with humans is immoral and unethical. Cats can be trained to scratch on a post or a remnant carpet.