Declawing cats would be illegal in Los Angeles under an ordinance that was approved Friday by the City Council.

A second vote is needed, however, to send the proposed ordinance to Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa for his signature.

Councilman Paul Koretz, who proposed the ordinance along with Councilman Bill Rosendahl, called declawing a form of mutilation.

"We need to ban declawing, which is one of the most cruel practices," he said. "The obvious truth is that declawing does nothing good for cats. It is not clipping nails. It is actually amputation, sometimes leaving cats crippled and in pain for the rest of the lives."

The ordinance states that "no person, licensed medical professional or otherwise, shall perform or cause to be performed an onychectomy (declawing) or flexor tendonectomy procedure for any means on a cat or any other animal within the city, except when necessary for a therapeutic purpose."

Violations would be considered misdemeanors.

The California Veterinary Medical Association, which represents more than 6,100 veterinary professionals across the state, opposed the ordinance.

In a letter to the mayor, CVMA President Mark Nunez said "the decision to declaw a cat should remain between the owner, in consultation with his or her veterinarian on a case-to-case basis."

According to the city's Department of Animal Services, if done properly, declawing is not animal cruelty, but the procedure should be a last resort before a pet is given up for adoption or euthanized.

 

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