Bill > AB867

This bill amends California's veterinary medicine regulations to strictly limit cat declawing procedures, defining them as a form of veterinary surgery that can only be performed for a "therapeutic purpose." Specifically, the bill defines a therapeutic purpose as a medically necessary procedure to address an existing or recurring infection, disease, injury, or abnormal condition in the cat's claws, nail bed, or toe bone that directly jeopardizes the cat's health. The bill explicitly prohibits declawing for cosmetic, aesthetic, or convenience reasons, such as making a cat easier to handle. The legislation requires veterinarians to perform these procedures solely for medical necessity and allows the California Veterinary Medical Board to deny, revoke, or suspend a veterinarian's license or assess a fine if they perform declawing for non-therapeutic reasons. The bill also prevents cat owners from performing these procedures on their own animals and does not preempt local ordinances restricting cat declawing that were adopted before January 1, 2026. While the bill maintains that veterinarians can still perform nail trimming and apply non-surgical scratching mitigation solutions, it fundamentally aims to protect cats from unnecessary surgical alterations by restricting declawing to only medically essential circumstances.

Budget and Finance, Business and Industry

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB867