BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — It’s natural for cats to claw and scratch objects like furniture. However, a common medical procedure called declawing removes this ability.
There’s a bill called AB 867 that could soon ban declawing in California. But what exactly is declawing?
“About like 25% of cats in America are declawed, unfortunately, but it’s a growing trend, luckily, that more vets are discouraging people from doing it,” said Assemblymember Alex Lee, who presented AB 867.
An onychectomy, more commonly known as declawing, involves surgically amputating the third bone in each of a cat’s toes. This procedure removes the nail bed and claw.
“You’re taking away all its natural instincts to do what a cat does,” said Barbara Hays, president of The Cat People.
She explains it's a common misconception that many believe declawing is similar to trimming a cat’s nails. And as a result, many declawed cats resort to negative behaviors.
“What we find with all of this is they start exhibiting really bad behaviors and the pain level can be horrific,” said Hays. “They don’t wanna use a litter box, prone to infection, and just a number of other issues.”
California wouldn’t be alone in this movement—six states have already banned the practice, and it’s partially legal in seven others, including California.
The procedure is currently banned in several cities, including Berkeley, Beverly Hills, Burbank, Culver City, Los Angeles, San Francisco, Santa Monica, and West Hollywood.
“You take a declawed cat and you kick that outside because you think it wants the beautiful outside and it has no way to protect itself from anything and that is a death sentence for a cat,” said Hays.
Instead of declawing, it’s recommended to trim your cat's nails frequently.
If scratching is still a problem, consider investing in something like soft paws, which cover the nail.
AB 867 has already passed both the Senate and the Assembly, and now awaits the governor’s signature.
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