Massachusetts has a new law banning the “inhumane” and “barbaric” declawing of cats, a move that the bill’s sponsor says will stop feline suffering from resulting pain, blood loss, and an impaired immune system.
“Declawing is an abhorrent practice that most veterinarians view as inhumane,” bill sponsor Sen. Mark Montigny said in a statement after Gov. Maura Healey signed the bill.
The procedure, which the New Bedford Democrat said is “widely misunderstood” by pet owners, is an amputation of the last bone of each toe on a cat’s paw.
On a person, Montigny’s office said, that “would be equivalent to cutting off each finger at the last knuckle.”
Allison Blanck, the advocacy director at the Animal Rescue League of Boston, praised the new law: “Declawing of cats does not improve the human-animal bond and often results in serious medical and behavioral problems. Banning this cruel practice, which is in essence amputation, will prevent animals in Massachusetts from needless pain and suffering.”
The law makes offenders subject to a fine of not more than $1,000 for a first offense, $1,500 for a second offense, and $2,500 for a third or subsequent offense.
MSPCA-Angell’s animal hospitals have refused to offer declawing surgeries for years “because it is not in the interest of the animal,” advocacy director Kara Holmquist said.
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