California Assembly Passes Bill Allowing Only Veterinarians to Declaw Cats
A bill to prohibit cat declawing by anyone other than a licensed veterinarian passed the California Assembly on April 28.
Assemblyman Alex Lee, a Democrat representing San Jose, authored
at declawing is a barbaric surgical procedure that permanently disables cats, according to Lee.
'This bill simply bans the barbaric practice of cat declawing in California,' Lee said on the Assembly floor before
The bill passed the Assembly floor Tuesday with bipartisan support on a vote of 72-0. Seven lawmakers did not vote on the measure.
Assemblyman Carl DeMaio, a Republican from San Diego, said he strongly supported the legislation.
Related Stories
3/1/2025
1/12/2025
'It is not often that I am found in alignment with my colleague from the Bay Area, but this is a no-brainer,' DeMaio said during the floor debate Tuesday. 'This is about preventing animal cruelty.'
The lawmaker said the procedure was the equivalent of cutting a human's finger off at the first knuckle.
'It is not an issue of personal freedom,' DeMaio added. 'Our Legislature bans barbaric practices all the time. Our furry friends do not have a voice.'
The bill now heads to the state Senate. It had not yet been assigned a committee hearing Wednesday.
According to a legislative analysis of the measure, the bill would allow only a veterinarian to declaw a cat. The licensed professional could perform the procedure only for a therapeutic purpose, such as for injury, infection, disease, or other conditions that jeopardize the cat's health.
The bill defines declawing as the amputation of partial digits, or any other procedure where a portion of a cat's paw is amputated, or any other procedure that prevents the normal functioning of a cat's claws.
Lawmakers in the California Assembly in Sacramento on Aug. 28, 2024.
Travis Gillmore/The Epoch Times
Declawing would not be approved for cosmetic or aesthetic purposes under the bill.
Also, veterinarians would have to file a written statement with the state's Veterinary Medical Board (VMB) to explain the reason for the procedure and to report the date it was performed.
Violating the law could result in fines, and suspension or revocation of the veterinarian's license.
The bill is sponsored by the Paw Project, a nonprofit focused on ending declawing. The organization claims the procedure can do lifelong damage.
'Declawing removes an integral part of an animal's anatomy and subjects animals to the risks of pain, infection, behavioral changes, and lifelong lameness,' the Paw Project said in a statement to the Legislature. 'Safe and effective alternatives to declawing include simple training, nail caps, and other established deterrent methods.'
Cat declawing is getting national attention as animal rights advocates push to ban the practice.The California Veterinary Medical Association opposes the bill, according to a legislative analysis.
'While this bill is aimed at prohibiting veterinarians from performing a surgical declawing procedure on cats under certain circumstances, it would—if passed—have a far-reaching and precedential impact on a veterinarian's ability to practice veterinary medicine,' the group stated.
The group said it is 'deeply concerned that the veterinary profession is being singled out among our fellow healing arts professionals with legislation proposing to ban specific medical and surgical procedures in statutes, which is a dangerous precedent.'
The California Assembly passed a similar bill—
Many cat owners have their pets
'Scratching is a normal behavior of cats, but destructive scratching represents approximately 15 to 42 percent of feline behavior complaints,' the national veterinarian association reported.
In some cases, cats are also declawed to protect people, particularly those who are elderly, diabetic, or have compromised immune systems and can suffer life-threatening complications from cat scratches, according to the association.
Banning declawing has drawn the attention of animal activist organizations throughout the United States.
In 2020, the American Veterinary Medical Association revised its formal policy regarding the declawing of domestic cats. The new policy discourages the practice as an elective procedure and supports nonsurgical alternatives.
The association suggests owners speak with their veterinarians about natural scratching behavior of cats and alternatives to surgery.
The group estimates 31 percent of all U.S. cat owners have their cats declawed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Las Vegas sheriff frustrated after red-light camera, DUI bills fail: ‘We can do better'
LAS VEGAS (KLAS) — Several proposals in the Nevada Legislature aimed at curbing dangerous and impaired driving failed, leaving LVMPD Sheriff Kevin McMahill frustrated as more people in his jurisdiction die on valley roads. 'I got to be honest with you, I feel like I failed,' McMahill, who leads the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department, told the 8 News Now Investigators during an exclusive interview Wednesday. 'We can do better. We absolutely can do better, and politics played a role in these things not getting passed.' The 120-day legislative session ended Tuesday at midnight. Nevada lawmakers failed to pass any legislation this session to amend the state's DUI laws where death is involved, or several proposals to allow red-light cameras. McMahill pushed for the cameras in an attempt to discourage reckless and speeding drivers. 'I'm sick and tired of people dying on our roadways because of the bad behavior of other drivers,' he told a legislative committee in March. The bill failed to move forward and died in April. Two proposals aimed at enhancing sentences for DUI involving death also failed to become law. Nevada's DUI-with-death law carries a sentence of 2-20 years. A 1995 Nevada law requires judges to sentence a person to a range, meaning the maximum amount of time a DUI driver who kills can serve in prison before going before the parole board is eight years. The 8 News Now Investigators have found most drivers who kill serve those eight years or less, not 20. An amended version of Republican Nevada Gov. Joe Lombardo's crime bill, Senate Bill 457, would have increased the maximum amount of prison time for a DUI driver who kills to 25 years. Lombardo told the 8 News Now Investigators in March that he wanted to change the law to allow prosecutors to charge a DUI driver who kills with second-degree murder. The amended version would have carried a similar maximum sentence – 25 years — as the state's second-degree murder statute. However, the bill failed to pass the Nevada Senate amid a last-minute scramble and speech. A second proposal, Senate Bill 304, would have amended the state's vehicular homicide law to include all DUIs involving death. As currently written, a driver must have three prior DUI convictions to face a vehicular-homicide charge. The proposal would have negated the prior conviction clause, carrying a possible sentence of 10 to 25 years or 10 to life, the same as the state's second-degree murder statute. 'There's just tragedy, tragedy, tragedy all the way around, and it sickens me that I wasn't able to get this done, quite frankly,' McMahill said. Opponents have argued that imprisoning a person for years on the taxpayers' dime is not effective 'Who do you think is working against this?' 8 News Now Investigator David Charns asked the sheriff. 'I think there's a lot of people out there who advocate that this mass incarceration piece hasn't worked over the years,' McMahill said. 'And look, there's a few arguments I think that are valid on that side of the house. There's also a bunch of people that think we've become very soft on crime, and I think there's some arguments that are true there as well.' Nevada law classifies a person's first DUI as a misdemeanor. It carries a potential jail sentence of 2-180 days, though the law is written to say the time can be served through community service. The crime becomes a felony after a person's third DUI within seven years. Tougher penalties, including potential prison time, do not begin unless a person joins that three-plus club. A felony DUI conviction can carry prison time and require a driver to have an interlock device placed in their vehicle. One driver the 8 News Now Investigators followed racked up the three cases so quickly that he did not have a second DUI conviction before his third arrest, meaning all three remained misdemeanors. Records show in those first three DUI cases, municipal court judges ordered the driver to attend classes, stay out of trouble and pay a fine. 'The punishments are literally a slap on the hand,' McMahill said. 'The multiple, multiple DUI, I've watched your reports, you know exactly what I'm talking about, people can get away with a DUI over and over again and that's purely not acceptable.' A third proposal involving misdemeanor DUI, Senate Bill 309, passed and — 36 hours after the end of the session — showed as enrolled in the legislative system. The bill changes the minimum jail requirements for a person's second DUI offense within seven years, amending a possible penalty from 10 days in jail to 20. The bill also lowers the blood-alcohol threshold for when a defendant would be ordered into treatment. Several people blamed the failure of the governor's crime bill on its late introduction and last-minute votes in the final minutes of the legislative session. The governor submitted the crime bill in February, but the Legislative Counsel Bureau did not finalize it until April, a spokesperson for his office said. They added that Democratic leadership did not give the bill a hearing until May 28 — days before the end of the session. Lawmakers will not reconvene, except for special circumstances at the request of the governor, until February 2027. 8 News Now Investigator David Charns can be reached at dcharns@ Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Haaland vows to protect veteran services, while criticizing proposed federal cuts
Jun. 4—SANTA FE — Deb Haaland vowed Wednesday to protect veterans' services in New Mexico, in response to President Donald Trump's administration's plans to cut more than 80,000 jobs from the federal Department of Veterans Affairs. The Democratic gubernatorial candidate, who stepped down as U.S. Interior secretary just before Trump took office in January, cited the proposed cuts while saying she would expand rural transportation programs and crack down on businesses that prey on vulnerable veterans. "This isn't politics as usual," Haaland said . "This is a betrayal." Haaland, who grew up in a military family, made the remarks during a Wednesday news conference in Santa Fe to announce the launch of a "Vets for Deb" coalition. The leaders of Common Defense, a New York-based progressive veterans organization, also attended the event to announce their endorsement of Haaland. The group plans to hire staffers in New Mexico and launch television ads to bolster Haaland's campaign, said Common Defense's Executive Director Jose Vasquez. Haaland has not released policy positions on most key issues since announcing her campaign in February, but told reporters Wednesday she planned to do so in the coming months. "It seems early, but it looks like everybody's ready to move forward really quickly," said Haaland, who plans to speak at a Santa Fe water summit on Thursday and recently announced her campaign has raised nearly $3.7 million since February. Haaland is facing competition for the Democratic nomination in next year's race to be governor, as Bernalillo County District Attorney Sam Bregman and former Las Cruces Mayor Ken Miyagishima have also announced campaigns. Bregman has also secured early endorsements in the race, as he announced the backing of five local labor unions last month, including the Albuquerque Police Officers Association. On the Republican side, Rio Rancho Mayor Gregg Hull confirmed in April his plans to run, but recently postponed his planned formal campaign launch. Cannabis entrepreneur Duke Rodriguez has also confirmed interest in running, and other GOP candidates could emerge in the coming weeks and months. Meanwhile, New Mexico lawmakers have already taken steps in recent years to benefit veterans, including approving a bill this year — after voters ratified a constitutional amendment — that will expand an existing veterans' property tax exemption. As of 2023, New Mexico was home to more than 122,000 veterans, or about 7.4% of the state's adult population, according to the state Department of Workforce Solutions. That's slightly higher than the national average, as veterans made up 6.1% of the United States' population.
Yahoo
17 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Veteran Blasts Pete Hegseth Over Pride Month 'Troll' Job And 'Warrior Ethos'
Former Missouri Secretary of State Jason Kander (D) on Wednesday dragged Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth's 'pretty immature' order for the U.S. Navy to rename the USNS Harvey Milk, a vessel named after a late LGBTQ+ rights icon. Kander — a U.S. Army veteran — spoke to MSNBC about Hegseth's '80s 'action movie'-like talk of 'trying to restore a warrior culture' in the military, arguing that his move to rename the ship sends the wrong message to gay service members who will believe they can't be part of such an 'ethos.' 'That's a real problem in a military that rightfully got rid of the law that forced Harvey Milk out of the military,' said Kander of Milk, who served in the Navy in the Korean War before being forcibly discharged due to his sexual orientation. In 1978, Milk was elected to the San Francisco Board of Supervisors, becoming the first openly gay person to be elected to public office in California. He was assassinated later that year. The timing of the move to rename the ship — which is set to be announced next week in the heart of Pride Month — was reportedly intentional and reflects wider efforts to reimaginehistory under President Donald Trump. Hegseth's plan to strip the vessel of Milk's name has sparked outrage among leaders in San Franciscoand led to criticism from actor Sean Penn, who played Milk in the 2008 Oscar-winning movie named after the politician. Kander stressed that it's not a 'bad thing' to remind service members about 'what they're serving for.' 'And you want to talk about a 'warrior ethos,' I mean, how about somebody who joins the military during a war as an officer, gets kicked out over their own objections and then goes on to fight for civil rights and gives their life for the cause,' he said of Milk. 'That's probably the kind of thing that we want to remind our service members that America is about and what we're fighting for in the first place.' Moments earlier, Kander said the move by Hegseth — who once walked back controversial comments attacking gay service members — reflects what happens when you put a Fox News host in charge of the Pentagon, as 'everything looks like a tweet.' 'This is like a tweet to troll gay people during Pride Month,' Kander said. Trump Administration Begins Process Of Revoking Columbia's Accreditation 24-Year-Old Democrat Wins Sweeping Election Victory In Lindsey Graham's State Karine Jean-Pierre Leaves Democratic Party Ahead Of Her Book About 'Broken' WH
