New York on Monday became the first state in the country to ban cat declawing, a practice that animal advocates consider cruel and unnecessary. Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo signed the bill into law after state legislators passed the ban last month.
“By banning this archaic practice, we will ensure that animals are no longer subjected to these inhumane and unnecessary procedures,” Governor Cuomo, a Democrat, said in a statement.
The law goes into effect immediately and makes exceptions for medical purposes. Performing the procedure on a cat for any other reason could lead to a fine of up to $1,000.
Assemblywoman Linda B. Rosenthal, a Democrat, first introduced the bill in January 2015. “As a cat lover and someone who has cats, I said this is cruel, barbaric and inhumane,” Ms. Rosenthal said on Monday.
neverlandishome on July 23rd, 2019 at 09:57 UTC »
My real take away from this article is that the the president and chief executive of the Humane Society of the United States is a person named Kitty!
coin_return on July 23rd, 2019 at 06:56 UTC »
If you want a declawed cat, contact your local shelters and rescues and ask them if they have any that have already been declawed, or to contact you when a declawed cat comes through the system that could be a suitable match for your family. There are plenty out there. That way you can take the moral high ground of not having the procedure done to a cat, and you get to save a life. Win-win.
Legobrick100 on July 23rd, 2019 at 04:14 UTC »
I've never really had a problem with cat claws. My cats only end up hurting me when I hold them and they squirm to try and get out of my hands; they've never once intentionally clawed at me.
They haven't been too bad on the furniture either, but of course it helps to have furniture that isn't, say, leather or another easily-torn and damaged material.