New York banned cats from removing claws: violators face serious penalties

Lawmakers of the state of New York 4 June adopted a law prohibiting the removal of claws to cats. Thus, this region became the first state of the United States, where a similar ban was introduced, although they already operate in some selected cities.

Фото: Depositphotos

The author of the bill, Linda Rosenthal (Democrat from Manhattan), stated that removing claws poses serious risks to the health of kittens, writes The New York Post.

Violators of the new ban face a fine of 1000 dollars.

“I had to explain that this is not just about trimming a claw, this is an amputation. They’re hurting,” Rosenthal said.

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She first introduced this bill in 2015.

“I am a cat owner, I know how they damage furniture. But I don't value my couch any more than I value my cat. They simply relieve tension when they extend their claws. They're just doing what comes naturally,” the state Assemblywoman explained.

The bill was passed in the Senate of New York 48 by a vote against 12, in the Assembly the ratio of votes was 92 to 27 in favor of the document.

The law allows some exceptions to the ban. For example, you can remove a cat's claws when he has a disease that requires this procedure, an infection, an injury, or a normal claw condition is disrupted.

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“There are other ways to deal with scratching, such as purchasing vinyl nail caps, trimming the claws, or buying more special furniture for cats that they can scratch,” Rosenthal added.

After the adoption of the law, New York joined San Francisco, Los Angeles, Switzerland, Israel and the United Kingdom, where such bans already exist.

For the bill to enter into force, it must be signed by New York Governor Andrew Cuomo; his assistant stated that the politician would review the document.

Onichectomy (declawing) is a rather complicated surgical operation, as a result of which the terminal phalanx of the animal’s fingers is completely amputated along with the claws.

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