ALBANY, N.Y. (WKBW) — The New York legislature has passed bill to make New York the first state to ban the declawing of cats. Governor Andrew Cuomo has yet to say if he would sign the bill into law.
The bill would subject veterinarians to $1,000 fines for performing the procedure, which involves amputating a cat's toes back to the first knuckle.
Declawing a cat is already illegal in much of Europe as well as in Los Angeles, San Francisco and Denver.
Supporters of the ban include animal welfare advocates, who argue declawing is cruel and barbaric.
The New York Veterinary Medical Society opposed the bill, arguing that declawing should be allowed as a last resort in some circumstances.
