California has officially outlawed the practice of declawing cats after Gov. Gavin Newsom signed Assembly Bill 867 into law, a measure animal welfare advocates are calling a historic win for animal protection and compassionate treatment.
The bill, authored by Assemblymember Alex Lee and signed Thursday, makes California the largest state to prohibit the procedure, which involves amputating the first bone in each of a cat’s toes or severing tendons to prevent claw extension. Declawing will now only be allowed when medically necessary to treat a health condition, according to the legislation.
In a press release, In Defense of Animals, one of several groups that helped lead the years-long campaign to end declawing, celebrated the governor’s decision. “Declawing isn’t a nail trim, it’s a painful amputation that has no place in a compassionate society,” said Dr. Marilyn Kroplick, the organization’s president. “Today’s victory proves California is leading the way in protecting cats and prioritizing their well-being over human convenience.”
Declawing, while once a common practice to prevent cats from scratching people or furniture, has become increasingly controversial among veterinarians and pet owners. The procedure has been linked to chronic pain, infections, arthritis, and behavioral problems such as litter box avoidance and increased biting. According to In Defense of Animals, declawing “often results in lifelong suffering,” and many cats who experience complications are later surrendered to shelters.
Animal advocates have called the new law a long-overdue step toward ending unnecessary surgical mutilation. “Cat declawing, the amputation of the first knuckle of each cat’s toes, is an outdated, cruel, and unethical surgical procedure that results in lifelong disfigurement and pain,” said Assemblymember Lee in a statement shared by In Defense of Animals. “Many countries have already outlawed this inhumane practice. AB 867 shows the nation and world that California does not endorse surgical mutilation performed electively on healthy cats for human convenience.”
California joins New York, Maryland, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island in banning declawing statewide, according to the Los Angeles Times. Several California cities, including Los Angeles, San Francisco, Berkeley, Burbank, Culver City, Santa Monica, Beverly Hills, and West Hollywood, had previously enacted local bans, with West Hollywood becoming the first jurisdiction in the nation to do so in 2003.
While the law drew widespread support from animal rights organizations, it faced opposition from the California Veterinary Medical Association (CVMA), which argued that the measure could restrict veterinarians’ ability to make medical decisions. “When our veterinarians are telling us that they’re performing the procedure, it’s usually because the elderly patient is on chemotherapy, on a blood thinner … and they can’t risk being scratched,” said Grant Miller, the CVMA’s director of regulatory affairs, during a legislative hearing, as reported by the Los Angeles Times.
Miller said surveys of CVMA members found that 80% of veterinarians no longer perform declawing, suggesting the profession has largely moved away from the practice voluntarily. However, he cautioned that AB 867 may limit cases where the procedure could still be justified for safety or medical reasons.
The law includes exemptions for cases in which declawing is deemed medically necessary — for instance, to treat recurring infections or a condition that threatens the cat’s health. Procedures performed for cosmetic reasons or to prevent scratching are now strictly prohibited.
Animal welfare advocates, meanwhile, view the new law as part of a broader cultural shift toward more humane treatment of companion animals. “California has long been a leader in animal protection,” In Defense of Animals said in its statement. “Today’s signing of AB 867 further cements the state’s commitment to compassion and ethical treatment of animals.”