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New York is only one signature away from becoming the first American state in the country to ban cat declawing, a practice that, as advocates claim, serves no benefit to felines and is done typically out of convenience.
The bill that passed by a wide margin in the state's majority-Democrat Assembly and Senate would impose a US$1,000 fine on veterinarians that perform the procedure for non-medical purposes.
This means pet owners in the state would no longer be able to have their felines declawed for cosmetic, aesthetic, or other ostensible reasons.
One of the several lawmakers to champion the measure, Assembly woman Linda Rosenthal (D-Manhattan) was visibly jubilant after the vote.
She had previously rallied against declawing and condemned its invasive nature: "It is not like getting a mani/ped. It's a brutal surgical procedure."
Rosenthal and other proponents of the bill say declawing, or onychectomy, can cause long-lasting complications for cats. New York director for the Humane Society of the United States Brian Shapiro that advocated the legislation explained the procedure isn't as simple as removing a cat's nail, but it requires amputating the last bone segment in a cat's toes.
Some estimate 25% of cats in the USA are declawed, and Shapiro said that veterinarians are generally divided on the issue.
The New York Veterinary Medical Society, for instance, argues declawing should be allowed if a cat uses its claws destructively, or if a potential scratch could pose health risks to houses where people with weakened immune systems live.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends sanitation methods and selective pet ownership over declawing.
The origins of declawing date back to at least 1952, when the Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association published a letter to the editor from Chicago veterinarian A.G. Misener, that described the procedure as a "practical measure".
Speaking to The Washington Post in 2017, Minnesota veterinarian Ron Gaskin stated that Misener's practice was widely adopted across the USA - namely to keep cats from scratching up furniture - despite a lack of scrutiny on the procedure.
Several cities in the USA and most of the Canadian provinces have banned declawing, according to Rosenthal. The procedure is also outlawed in Britain, Austria, Sweden, Germany, and several other countries.
Acknowledging New York is now leading the way at the state level, Rosenthal said that she hopes that others will follow their lead. Lawmakers in California, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New Jersey, and West Virginia are pushing to pass similar legislation.
The bill will be delivered to the desk of Governor Andrew M. Cuomo (D-N.Y.), who has indicated he'll review the measure before making a decision.
Reference: Science Alert
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