Cat Declawing May Be Illegal in New York State

I love cats.  I guess I really do as I have 7 rescue cats at home. None are declawed.  If New York Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (Manhattan) has her way, it would be against the law to declaw your cat in New York State.

According to Gothamist.com, the New York News reports that the assemblywoman's bill, although not yet formally introduced, "would prohibit declawing except if it were deemed medically necessary."  If passed, New York would be the first state to make the practice against the law.

PETA, the ASPCA, and the Humane Society of the United States, are all strongly apposed to declawing, with the HSUS saying the procedure is "like cutting off each finger at the last knuckle."  Most groups are backing the proposed claw law.

I know with my cats, I trim their claws once every other week and they seem to do their thing using scratching pads, located through the house.  That doesn't mean I have perfect furniture but with 7 cats, would you really expect that?

It's the hope of Assemblywoman Rosenthal that the proposed legislation would call attention to what she describes as inhumane.  She adds,  "It's basically done because humans want it done, and I don't think it's our right to mutilate our animals for our own satisfaction."