Bill > S920

Introduced Session

This bill would prohibit a person from performing, or causing to be performed, an onychectomy (declawing) or flexor tendonectomy procedure by any means on a cat or other animal, unless the procedure is deemed necessary for a therapeutic purpose by a licensed veterinarian. Any person who violates this provision would be guilty of a disorderly persons offense, which is punishable by a fine of up to $1,000, a term of imprisonment of up to six months, or both. A violator would also be subject to a civil penalty of between $500 and $2,000. For purposes of the bill, the term "therapeutic purpose" means for purpose of necessity to address the medical condition of the animal, such as an existing or recurring illness, infection, disease, injury, or abnormal condition in a claw that compromises the animal's health. "Therapeutic purpose" would not include cosmetic or aesthetic reasons or reasons of convenience in keeping or handling the animal. Under the bill, whenever a licensed veterinarian determines that an onychectomy or flexor tendonectomy is necessary for a therapeutic purpose, the veterinarian would be required to file a written statement with the Department of Health, and provide a copy of that statement to the owner or keeper of the animal. A veterinarian who fails to comply with this provision would be subject to disciplinary action by the State Board of Veterinary Medical Examiners. Declawing is seen by many as a quick fix for unwanted scratching by cats. However, these invasive procedures are, in most instances, medically unnecessary, and can cause lasting physical problems and other consequences for cats. The most popular method of declawing, onychectomy, involves amputating the last bone of each toe on a cat's paw with a scalpel, guillotine, or laser. A second procedure, flexor tendonectomy, involves severing the tendon that controls the claw in each toe, so that the cat keeps its claws, but cannot flex or extend them. These procedures can cause pain in the cat's paw, bleeding, lameness, infection, and other painful physical symptoms. These symptoms, in turn, can make a cat less likely to use its litter box and more likely to bite. In addition, there are humane ways to train a cat to stop scratching. Consequently, declawing should not be used except in rare cases when it is necessary for therapeutic purposes, such as the removal of cancerous tumors.

AI Summary

Committee Categories

Vin Gopal (D)*,  Troy Singleton (D)*,  Nilsa Cruz-Perez (D),  Patrick Diegnan (D),  Linda Greenstein (D), 

Referred to Senate Budget and Appropriations Committee (on 02/24/2020)